What an Olympic debut it was for Walnut Creek’s Sabrina Ionescu.
She didn’t make her first appearance for Team USA’s women’s basketball team until midway through the first half on Monday afternoon, but she was the star of the second half as the Americans made quick work of Japan in a 102-76 opening-game victory.
Japan hung around until the second half, when Ionescu’s nifty passing and sharpshooting from behind the arc helped the USA pull away.
She debuted in the second quarter, when she made a no-look pass to Breanna Stewart to secure her first assist.
On another possession, she deked her defender to find a wide-open lane inside and scored an easy layup, the United States’ 50th point in the paint. With a huge height advantage, the US women dominated Japan inside all afternoon.
As well as Ionescu looked as a shooter, going 3-for-7 from behind the arc, she was more impressive as a passer, dishing out five assists, including several in transition as she showed off her speed and vision going up the court.
The former Miramonte High standout finished with 11 points in 20 minutes, going plus-13 while adding a steal and three rebounds.
At 26, she’s the youngest player on the squad, which is notable considering 22-year-old phenom Caitlin Clark was confusingly left off the Olympic roster.
Ionescu, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, has played a key role in the New York Liberty’s fantastic season thus far.
Team USA will play next on Thursday against Belgium, a more formidable opponent than Japan, at 12 p.m. PT. Then comes a showdown with Germany on Sunday at 8:15 a.m. PT to complete the group stage.
The United States women are looking for their 10th gold medal and eighth consecutive gold at the Summer Olympics.
Sabrina Ionescu in her Olympic debut vs Japan:
11 PTS
3 REB
5 AST
1 STL
50% FG
+13#Olympic2024 | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/CFixZStkiN
— Liberty Lead (@LibertyLeadSM) July 29, 2024
Another medal for Murph
Cal legend Ryan Murphy did it again.
For the third straight Olympic games, Murphy reached the podium in the 100-meter backstroke on Monday, earning a bronze medal and setting himself up with a chance at Olympic history when the 200-meter backstroke begins on Wednesday.
Murphy is trying to become the first man ever to medal in both the 100- and 200-meter backstroke in three consecutive Olympics.
Murphy’s bronze on Monday is the seventh medal of his career. Four of them are gold.
Bronze Medalist Ryan Murphy of Team United States celebrates on the podium during the Swimming medal ceremony after the Men’s 200m Freestyle Final on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 29, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
He was leading the 100-back after a brilliant underwater turn that pushed him slightly ahead of Italy’s Thomas Ceccon. But Murphy slowed in the final 20 meters and Ceccon caught him by .39 seconds.
Murphy finished in third with a time of 52.39.
It was a long road to the medal for the 29-year-old Murphy, who struggled in his semifinal race on Sunday, finishing fifth and only narrowly qualifying for the final. In that race, he was also well-positioned after the turn, but once again faded down the stretch.
The 200-backstroke heats begin on Wednesday and will feature a handful of Cal swimmers. Joining Murphy in the pool will be Cal teammates Keaton Jones (United States), Ziyad Saleem (Sudan) and Hugo Gonzalez (Spain), along with the gold medal winner from Italy, Ceccon.
Murphy is also expected to participate in the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay, with that final scheduled Aug. 4.
“Murph is back on a podium at the Olympics!”
Ryan Murphy secures a bronze medal in the 100m backstroke with Italy’s Thomas Ceccon claiming gold! #ParisOlympics | NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/dQMO86dR0z
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2024
Redemption for Brody Malone
After a heartbreaking performance in the individual men’s gymnastics events over the weekend led Brody Malone to apologize to his Olympic teammates, the Stanford legend returned in a big way on Monday.
Participating in the team final, Malone competed in five of the six events, improving from his weekend performance in each of them and keeping Team USA in medal position with a 13.7 score in the pommel horse, fourth-best in the competition on Monday.
Thanks to Malone and Stanford’s Asher Hong, the Americans finished in third place with a 257.793 score that earned them a bronze medal, Team USA’s first medal in men’s gymnastics since 2008.
The 24-year-old Malone was also expected to compete for individual medals, but struggled in qualifying, falling on the pommel horse, floor and high bar during qualifying on Saturday.
Monday, the Americans finished just behind China (259.062) and Japan (259.594), which won its eighth team gold.
The Americans had previously finished in fifth place in each of the last three Olympics. They were fifth after qualifying on Saturday.
But on Monday, Malone stuck the landing on high bars and led an American team that hit 18 out of 18 routines.
What a high bar routine from Brody Malone! #ParisOlympics
: NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/hXwvzJFeAw
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 29, 2024
Steffens plays through tragedy
With team captain Maggie Steffens playing with a heavy heart, the United States women’s water polo team took a rare loss on Monday, falling to Spain, 13-11.
Steffens, the all-time Olympic leader in goals, scored once in the game.
She was playing despite mourning the sudden loss of her sister-in-law, Lulu Conner, a 26-year-old who died Tuesday after traveling to Paris to cheer on the team.
“It definitely helps to play,” Steffens told the Associated Press. “I’m like so out of body in a way right now. And I just keep trying to remind myself what Lulu would want and how she would be, you know, how can I embody her spirit the best. And Lulu was somebody that she gave 150% to everything she did.”
In a rematch of the finals at the Tokyo Games, which the Americans won to secure their third consecutive gold medal, Spain pulled ahead early and never relented on Monday morning.
It was just the second loss for the Americans since 2008. They’ve gone a combined 17-1-1 in three Olympics since then.
“It’s a long tournament,” U.S. coach Adam Krikorian told the AP. “We’ve got to learn from it and hopefully, if we get in that situation again, we can be a bit more poised.”
Stanford’s Jenna Flynn and Jewel Roemer each scored once.
Team USA will return to group play at 9:30 a.m. PT on Wednesday against Italy.
Emotional win for Zhang
Palo Alto table tennis star Lily Zhang fell to her knees and started to cry after scoring the final point to advance to the Round of 16 for the first time in her Olympic career on Monday.
Zhang, who had previously been ousted in the Round of 32 in each of the last two Olympic Games, knocked out Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, 4-2.
Zhang got out to a commanding 2-0 lead but couldn’t close in the third game, missing a pair of back-hand attempts to give Takahashi her first game. But Zhang bounced back and started to force Takahashi into mistakes.
Up 10-7 in the final game, Zhang watched Takahashi’s return miss the table and immediately fell to her knees in tears. She pumped both fists and then let out a scream.
Overall, she out-scored her opponent 61-53, including 31-26 on the serve.
The most decorated American-born table tennis player of all-time, Zhang is competing in her fourth and perhaps final Olympics as a 28-year-old.
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Missed opportunity for Huston
Nyjah Huston, who was born in Davis grew up skating in Woodland, won a bronze medal in skateboarding on Monday.
The 29-year-old was in gold medal position until the end, when Japan’s Yuto Horigome laid down an impressive trick to leapfrog Americans Huston and Jagger Eaton, leaving Eaton second and Huston third.
Huston and Eaton each had a final chance to jump back in front, but both wiped out.
“I was close to getting that gold, and I’m truly mad at myself for just not putting that last trick down because I know it’s something I can do,” Huston told the AP. “But it’s hard to put down those tricks in those moments.”
Huston improved on his seventh-place finish from Tokyo.
Nyjah Huston of Team United States waves to the crowd during the Men’s Street Prelims on day one of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Place de la Concorde on July 29, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Plummer debuts
Former Stanford volleyball star Kathryn Plummer scored 10 points for the United States in their opening round loss to China, 3-2.
The Americans continue group play on Wednesday at 8 a.m. PT against Serbia.
Fenced out
San Francisco native and fencing standout Alexander Massialas saw his fourth Olympic journey for an individual gold medal come to an end on Monday.
The three-time medalist lost in his second match, 15-8, to 20-year-old Japanese prodigy Kazuku Iimura, the youngest Japanese foil fencer ever to reach a World Cup podium when he did it as an 18-year-old in 2022.
Iimura made quick work of Massialas, then advanced all the way to the semifinals before he was defeated.
Massialas, who was recently named the head coach of the Stanford fencing team, will still compete in the team foils, which begin at 3 a.m. PT on Sunday.
Badminton locals still looking for first win
In badminton mixed doubles, Team USA’s Vinson Chiu of Milpitas and Jennie Gai of Fremont lost again and are 0-3 in group play.
Chiu, also competing in men’s doubles with San Mateo’s Joshua Yuan, also took another loss and are 0-3 in group play.
In women’s doubles, Annie and Kerry Xu, twin sisters from San José, are 0-2 with one match remaining.
The U.S. has never medaled in Olympic badminton.
