Simone Biles is the first U.S. gymnast ever to win four Olympic gold medals.
After winning the team final and individual all-around title last week, Biles won her third gold medal in the vault final on Sunday, making her one of three members of exclusive three-gold club. With the win in her floor final exercise, she set a new record. No woman has done this since Romanian Ecaterina Szabo won four golds in 1984.
BIles had been favored to win five golds at these games, but a slip-up in the balance beam final made it impossible to do so. It’s the end of the Rio ride for her; however this will not be the end of her gymnastics career.
Abbey D’Agostino and Nikki Hamblin made headlines due to their amazing Olympic spirit during the second heat in the women’s 5,000 meter run Tuesday morning.
New Zealand’s Hamblin tripped and fell on the track during the race, with American D’Agostino then tripping over Hamblin and falling to the ground as well. Hamblin laid there confused until D’Agostino grabbed her shoulder and exclaimed “Get up, get up! We have to finish! This is the Olympic Games. We have to finish this!”
The two continued to run, and finished last and next to last. They hugged afterwards, and even though they had a poor finish both will advance to the final due to having tripped.
Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter, established himself as a triple-gold medal winner in the 100m on Monday. Bolt cruised through the preliminaries with a time of 20.28 seconds. He will be going for another in the men’s 200m today.
Germany and Sweden battled it out on the soccer field. The world no. 7 Sweden team eliminated host Brazil on penalties, after knocking off world champions USA in a similar fashion in the quarter-final. Sweden plays Germany for gold, and Brazil will meet Canada for bronze.
Monday was a rough day for the United States. The Americans were denied a gold medal Monday for the first time since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
One of the slips cost U.S. gymnastics star Simone Biles gold on the balance beam. Biles lost her high power status after a blunder on the balance beam prevented her from a record-tying fourth gold in gymnastics at these games. Biles’ blunder allowed Sanne Wevers of the Netherlands to take the gold and Laurie Hernandez of the U.S. to slip past Biles for the silver.
“A couple of years ago I told my coach I’m too nervous! I can’t stand on the beam! Now, to be at the Olympics and to be able to have my own silver medal individually, I think that’s amazing ,” said Laurie Hernandez.
Tonight, Biles will go for gold medal number four again in the final women’s gymnastics competition: floor exercise.
The second slip came from sprinter Allyson Felix, who was just .07 seconds behind Shaunae Miller in the women’s 400 meters. The U.S. star missed out on her fifth Olympic gold medal. Miller, of the Bahamas, got ahead thanks to a head-first dive that came after a downpour forced a delay in the evening events and sent spectators scurrying for shelter.
“It’s bittersweet because it didn’t come the way I would’ve hoped, but I’ve just go to pick up the pieces,” said Felix.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams have been taking on all competition with force and vengeance. The women have taken a backseat to no one, outscoring their competition by a combined 204 points in five games. They are to face Japan this afternoon, and are favored to win by 38.5 points in this game. The American men, who haven’t not won with such great leads, are taking on Argentina tomorrow.
This weekend was yet again jammed pack with wins, losses, and drama surrounding the Summer Rio Olympics. Check out the highlights and stories you may have missed.
Michael Phelps swam third in the 4×100 meter medley relay, a race the Americans would ultimately win and set a new Olympic Record. This was Phelps’ 23rd gold medal (28th overall), however the limelight was stolen by Ryan Murphy who also set a new backstroke world record in the first leg of the race.
Michael Phelps also set the record straight this weekend, and confirmed that he would not be back for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Ryan Lochte had originally hinted to reporters that Phelps would return.
Simone Manuel was at it again this weekend when she took silver in the women’s 50 freestyle and then anchored as the U.S. women won the 4×100 medley. Winning the medley, the American’s clinched their 1,000th Summer Olympics gold medal.
The Rio Olympics has had its fair share of distractions that only got more intense when American swimmer Ryan Lochte was held up at gunpoint along with three other U.S. swimmers. Their wallets were taken by men posing as police officers.
The American gymnastics team took center stage this weekend again, as Simone Biles took her third gold of the Olympics for her performance on the vault. To no one’s surprise, the competition wasn’t even close. Madison Kocian secured the silver medal in the uneven bars event on Sunday with a score of 15.833, her second Olympic medal. Russian Aliya Mustafina took the gold with a 15.900 mark.
The United States women’s national soccer team took a stunning loss to Sweden in the quarterfinals. The two teams played to a 1-1 thought two extra time periods, and it came down to penalties. Sweden took the American’s out in the shootout 4-3, kicking the gold-medal favorites out of the competition early.
Monday is going to bring some exciting matches as well. Men’s beach volleyball quarterfinals, women’s gymnastics balance beam final, and women and men’s cycling trials aren’t to be missed.
Two s’more flavors to love are coming!
For the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scout cookie-selling, the Girl Scouts announced that they will be introducing two brand new types of cookies.
The two new cookies are both named Girl Scout S’mores, and were announced in conjunction with the all-important National S’mores holiday. Both cookies are inspired by the summer campfire treat we all know and love.
According to the Girl Scouts blog, one Girl Scout S’mores is a “crispy graham cookie double dipped in a crème icing and enrobed in a chocolatey coating” and the other is a “crunchy graham sandwich cookie with a chocolate and marshmallowy filling”
To celebrate, Girl Scout councils all over the country are hosting campfires, inviting communities to join in the fun of making s’mores and learn about the exciting and impactful programs Girl Scouts offer (while also promoting the new cookies!)
These newest additions come a little over a year after the group launched three other new flavors, and will be available during the always highly anticipated 2017 cookie season.
One hundred percent of the cookie earning stays with local councils and troops, benefiting girls through fun program experiences. Girl Scout troops can then decide how those funds are invested in different educational experiences, volunteer work, or other activities. Girls who participate in the cookie-selling program learn great skills such as how to manage money, set goals, make decisions, and communicate with adults. All qualities that are necessary for a growing girl, but aren’t always taught in schools.
To find out about the new cookie varieties and when the Girl Scouts will be selling cookies near you, visit www.girlscouts.org/meetthecookies or use the official Girl Scout Cookie Finder app that is free for iOS and Android phones.