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Some of the headline acts on Day 9 of the Paris Olympics: Noah Lyles, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Leon Marchand. read more
 "Djokovic vs Alcaraz, Lyles runs 100m, Marchand goes for fifth gold")
Paris Olympics Day 9 schedule: Noah Lyles, Carlos Alcaraz and Leon Marchand will be in action on Sunday. AP
The ninth day of the Paris Olympics will see Noah Lyles attempting to restore pride for the US sprint team as he takes the track in the 100m semi-finals and maybe the final. In the tennis gold medal match, Novak Djokovic faces Carlos Alcaraz in a mouthwatering final.
Paris Olympics: News, schedule, medals tally and more
On the final day of the swimming programme at La Defense Arena, France’s Leon Marchand goes for a remarkable fifth gold of this Games in the 4x100m medley relay.
Marchand has rapidly become the darling of the French crowd, who have turned every one of his swims into a party.
Noah Lyles in Men’s 100m
Lyles will draw much of the focus in athletics as the Stade de France’s lilac track is the setting for what promises to be a memorable men’s 100m showdown.
The Americans will be smarting after hot favourite Sha’Carri Richardson suffered a surprise defeat to Julien Alfred in the rainy women’s 100m final on Saturday.
Alfred, quietly spoken in contrast to the brash Richardson, won the first medal in Olympic history for the tiny Caribbean nation of St Lucia – and made it gold for good measure.
Lyles, 27, has long claimed he is the rightful heir to Usain Bolt, the peerless Jamaican whose reign as Olympic sprint champion stretched for three Games.
Having won the world title last year, Lyles knows he needs to deliver to back up his claims but his unconvincing heat on Saturday, in which he made an atrocious start, might have sounded some alarms.
Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson looked in ominous form, running 10 seconds flat despite easing down significantly in the final stages.
Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, defending Olympic champion after his stunning win in the Covid-affected Tokyo Olympics, scraped through his heat in 10.05 sec.
The world’s fastest men have to navigate a semi-final at 1805 GMT (11:35pm IST) before returning for the final at 1950 GMT (1:20am IST on August 5).
In other athletics action, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh carries the weight of her beleaguered nation’s hopes on her shoulders in the women’s high jump final.
Mahuchikh set the world record of 2.10m in Paris a few weeks ago – and some of the pressure was removed from her shoulders when Ukraine’s women’s sabre fencing team won their nation’s first gold of these Games on Saturday.
Djokovic vs Alcaraz for gold
Djokovic insists Alcaraz will be the “favourite” for gold on the clay of Roland Garros in the latest instalment of tennis’s generational power grab.
At 37, Djokovic would be the oldest Olympic tennis singles champion since the sport returned to the Games at Seoul in 1988.
At 21, Alcaraz would be the youngest of all time.
Victory would also make Djokovic only the fifth player to complete the Golden Slam of all four majors plus an Olympic title.
Men’s golf concludes
Tokyo gold medallist Xander Schauffele heads into the final round of the men’s golf competition tied for the lead with Spain’s Jon Rahm on 14-under par. Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood is a stroke behind.
American Schauffele, the world’s form player after winning maiden major titles at the PGA Championship and the British Open this year, carded a three-under-par 68 in his third round at Le Golf National on Saturday.
Elsewhere…
One of the two women boxers at the centre of a row about gender eligibility, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, is also back in action on Sunday.
Gymnast Sunisa Lee is among those competing in the women’s uneven bars, three years after taking bronze in that event at the Tokyo Games. After helping Biles and the US women win team gold and taking bronze in the all-around competition, Lee’s best chance at another medal comes in the uneven bars.
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English (US) ·