Spain claim football gold, China defend table tennis team title

Spain beat France 5-3 to win the men's football gold medal at Paris 2024 on Friday while China's men's table tennis team retained their fifth consecutive Olympic team title after crushing Sweden 3-0, reported Xinhua.

After Day 14, China and the United States are tied at the top of the gold medal standings with 33 golds each. However, the U.S. leads in silver medals, boasting 39 compared to China's 27.

China's men's table tennis team, featuring Ma Long, Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong, triumphed after a sequence of one doubles and two singles matches against Sweden's Anton Kallberg, Kristian Karlsson and Truls Moregard, each ending in a narrow 3-2 win.

This victory made 35-year-old Ma Long the most decorated Chinese Olympian, with six gold medals.

Reflecting on his journey, Ma said, "After Tokyo [2020], I didn't expect to be here in Paris, but these past three years have helped me grow mentally and technically."

"This gold medal is the perfect conclusion to my Olympic journey," he added.

In men's football, Sergio Camello scored twice in extra time to propel Spain to a 5-3 victory over France, clinching the gold medal. Camello, who entered the game in the 83rd minute, sealed the win with his second goal after a brilliant solo run, set up by a long pass from goalkeeper Arnau Tenas in the first minute of extra time.

China's diving sensation Chen Yiwen added another gold to her tally, winning the women's 3m springboard event and bringing China's diving team's total to seven golds at these Games.

Chen, who also won gold in the synchronized event, accumulated 376.00 points in her second title-winning performance in Paris. "I couldn't be happier," said the 25-year-old. "Of course, I could have dived better, but this was an Olympic final, and I'm really satisfied with my performance."

China's Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya successfully defended their title in the women's 500m canoe double, setting an Olympic best time of 1:52.81. They finished 1.49 seconds ahead of Ukraine's Liudmyla Luzan and Anastasiia Rybachok.

"We were determined to win this gold. From Tokyo to Paris, from the start to the finish line, we aimed to be the best," Sun said after the game.

Chinese boxer Wu Yu captured the women's 50kg gold medal, defeating Turkey's Buse Naz Cakiroglu 4-1. This win marks China's second boxing gold at Paris 2024 and the 33rd gold in China's overall medal count.

In women's hockey, the Netherlands defended their title, overcoming China 3-1 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in regular time. This marks the sixth consecutive Olympics where the Netherlands have reached the final in women's hockey. China's silver medal matches their best Olympic performance from Beijing 2008.

The athletics events continued to dazzle. Canada claimed their first track gold at Paris 2024 by winning the men's 4x100m relay final. Andre De Grasse held off South Africa's Akani Simbine in the final leg, with Canada finishing in 37.50 seconds.

The Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino set a new Olympic record in the women's 400m, clocking 48.17 seconds to surpass the previous mark of 48.25, set by Marie-Jose Perec in 1996.

Sha'Carri Richardson ran a blistering final leg to lead the United States to gold in the women's 4x100m relay with a time of 41.78 seconds, while Rai Benjamin claimed gold in the men's 400m hurdles with a season's best time of 46.46 seconds.

Germany's Yemisi Ogunleye secured her country's first athletics gold at these Games with a final throw of 20.00m in the women's shot put, relegating New Zealand's Maddison-Lee Wesche into silver medal position. China's Song Jiayuan took bronze, while defending Olympic champion Gong Lijiao finished fifth.

Spain's Jordan Diaz continued his remarkable rise by winning gold in the men's triple jump with a distance of 17.86 meters at the Stade de France.

In weightlifting, Bulgaria's Karlos Ma Nasar shattered world records in both the clean and jerk and the total lift to win gold in the men's 89kg category. Meanwhile, British climber Toby Roberts staged a dramatic comeback to clinch gold in men's boulder & lead climbing.

Saturday's action promises more excitement, with eagerly anticipated finals including the men's basketball showdown between the United States and France, the men's high jump final, and the women's table tennis team final, where China aims to complete a clean sweep of all five table tennis golds.