Olympics day 11 late wrap: Khelif puts gender row aside reaching final, Hocker takes 1,500m

There were medals on the track and plenty of action in boxing, basketball and hockey in the late action on Tuesday's day 11 of the 2024 Paris Olympics:

Boxing: Khelif puts gender dispute aside to reach final as fans flock to support her

Imane Khelif, one of the two boxers at the heart of a gender dispute at the Paris Olympics, vowed on Tuesday to put the controversy behind her and make Algeria and the Arab world proud.

Khelif delivered a flawless performance against Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng to reach the final of the welterweight tournament in front of the massed Algerian fans at a repurposed Court Philippe Chatrier.

When Khelif was announced as winner, the crowd, waving Algerian flags and scarves, let out an ear-splitting roar.

“I don't want to talk about the controversy,” Khelif told reporters.

Khelif, a silver medallist at the 2022 world championships, and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting have been in the spotlight at the Paris Games as part of a storm that has dominated headlines and been the subject of much discussion on social media platforms.

Khelif and Lin were disqualified by the International Boxing Association from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, with the body saying in a shambolic press conference on Monday that a sex chromosome test had ruled both of them ineligible.

Khelif and Lin are competing in the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee stripped the IBA of its status as the sport's governing body in 2023 and took control of organising the boxing in Paris.

The IOC has rejected the results of the IBA-ordered tests as arbitrary and illegitimate, saying there was no reason to conduct them.

At these Games, the IOC is using boxing eligibility rules that were applied at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics which do not include gender testing.

It was all about boxing for Khelif on Tuesday.

“Everyone, the crowd was full of fans and all Algerians and the Arab world must be proud. I hope I can also make them proud in my final match,” she said.

“All that matters is for me to be at my best level. I know I'm a great athlete, I just hope people enjoyed watching my match.”

The fans who came to support Khelif were beaming with delight.

“I am so happy for her — I bought my tickets at 2am yesterday to come support her, I came alone and now I’m going to look for tickets for the finals,” Imane Touti, a 25-year-old who works at a marketing company, said.

“She has won no matter what. We are behind her whether she wins or loses [the final].”

Athletics: American Hocker stuns favourites to win 1,500m gold

American Cole Hocker delivered one of the all-time Olympic shocks when he won the 1,500m gold with a stunning finish to blast past British world champion Josh Kerr as defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen faded to fourth on Tuesday.

Once Kerr had eased past the Norwegian on the final straight it seemed the Briton was on course to add gold to the bronze he took in Tokyo, but he did not reckon with Hocker, who found a path up the inside to take one of the most unexpected golds in the history of the blue riband event.

His winning time of three minutes 27.65 was an Olympic record and a huge personal best by more than three seconds. Kerr posted a big national record 3:27.79 and Yared Nuguse took bronze in another huge pb of 3:27.80 as the US had two men on the podium for the first time in 112 years.

“It might be an upset to a lot of people but if you’ve been following my season you’d know I’d be capable of it,” Hocker said.

The time catapulted Hocker to be the seventh-fastest man in history and Kerr the eighth, and even if the hi-tech shoes and track make historical time comparisons difficult, it was still a gripping race.

World athletics chief Sebastian Coe, still the only double 1,500m Olympic champion, said last week he was expecting a “race for the ages” and, if it was not the outcome he expected, he certainly got one, as seven of the first nine finalists set personal bests.

The race had been billed as a showdown between Ingebrigtsen and Kerr, who have been swapping barbs for a year, and the Norwegian set a scorching pace from the start to lead coming into the last 200.

Briton Kerr, just as he did in last year’s world championships, surged past him as they hit the final straight, however, and looked set for victory, only for Hocker to find a way through.

“Everything had to go my way today but I knew if they gave me a chance I wasn’t going to let it up,” Hocker said.

“I figured Ingebrigtsen would try to take it out of guys like me but I knew I hadn’t been tested at this level yet and that I was as strong as they were.

“With 200 to go it was just deafening noise. I lost feeling in my body and it didn’t feel like the Olympics any more — until it did.”

Kerr's time was a second faster than Mo Farah's British record and he had no regrets.

“I put a performance out there today which I was extremely proud of,” he said. “I ran the best and the fastest tactical 1,500m I have ever done in my life.

“When you start worrying about what everyone else does from the results, you'll never be satisfied. It's obviously not the colour of medal I want but it is working towards the right colour, from bronze to silver.”

Ingebrigtsen finished fourth in a time faster than his Olympic record set in Tokyo, but the double world champion over 5,000m has another shot at a medal as he goes in the heats over that distance on Wednesday morning.

“I was starting to get a little bit of gap so kept on pushing but it was just 100m too long today,” he said.

“You can't really tell when you're hitting the wall when you hit it. It was just a little bit too early today. The guys finishing in front of me did a great race.”

Athletics: Greek Tentoglou retains long jump title to emulate Lewis

Greece's Miltiadis Tentoglou leapt 8.48m to become only the second man after Carl Lewis to successfully defend the men's Olympic long jump title on Tuesday, delivering his country's first gold of the Paris Games.

In a high-quality competition, Jamaican Wayne Pinnock took silver with 8.36 and Italy's Mattia Furlani (8.34) claimed bronze.

Poker-faced world champion Tentoglou clinched the title with his second attempt, cracking a smile only once he was able to embrace his team in the stands before wrapping himself in the Greece flag.

Tentoglou joined long jump royalty as only American Lewis, who won the title four times from 1984-1996, had retained the title.

“This is for my country. Greece is the country that invented the Olympics, so I am happy to do it for them,” he said.

The world champion arrived in Paris in extraordinary form, having won all but one of the 11 competitions he had contested this season, but was second in the standings behind Italy's Furlani after a first attempt of 8.27.

Tentoglou stared solemnly down the runway before his winning leap, an effort that earned gasps from the crowd even as he barely registered a reaction.

He chased a bit of insurance but could only reach 8.24 on the third attempt and clapped his hands in frustration as he recorded 8.36 on the fourth.

It did not matter, however, as Furlani could not improve on his opening jump and Pinnock took silver with his second attempt after also finishing second at the World Championships in Budapest.

The Greek said he had hoped to jump farther, calling it only a “decent” performance, even as his country's leaders leapt to congratulate him on social media.

“Mythical Miltos Tentoglou at the top of the world for one more time,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on the social media platform X.

President Katerina Sakellaropoulou added: “Tentoglou earned a well-deserved place in the pantheon of top long jump athletes.”

The 19-year-old Furlani, who is coached by his mother, described his third-place finish as a dream come true.

“It’s crazy because on the track, with my little work with my mother, I dreamed of this medal with her, and now I’ve done it. It’s crazy,” he said. 

Athletics: Bahrain's Yavi strikes late to win steeplechase gold

Bahrain's Winfred Yavi won the women's Olympic 3,000m steeplechase gold medal on Tuesday, dethroning Uganda's Peruth Chemutai who had to settle for silver.

Yavi jumped for joy after crossing the line, having overtaken Chemutai with an explosive final sprint that left the Ugandan who had led most of the race unable to respond.

Chemutai was in shock after Yavi, 24, stole the finish to add the Olympic title to last year's world championship, setting an Olympic record time of 8 minutes 52.76 seconds.

“This is like a dream come true. It's something special,” Yavi said. “It means a lot to me and also to the country.”

Kenyan 20-year-old Faith Cherotich, ranked third in the world, claimed bronze on her Olympic debut.

Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech took an early lead and was shoulder-to-shoulder with Chemutai but faded in the last lap and ended sixth, while France's Alice Finot celebrated her fourth-place finish in a very fast race.

Chepkoech, 33, holds the world record of 8:44.32 but has never won an Olympic medal in the event.

In Tokyo, it was Chemutai who delivered the upset and took the gold from favourite Chepkoech to become the first Ugandan woman to win an Olympic medal in any sport.

Athletics: Canada's Rogers adds Olympic women's hammer gold to world title

Canada's Camryn Rogers won the Olympic women's hammer gold medal with a throw of 76.97m on her fifth attempt to unseat three-times champion Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland on Tuesday.

Annette Echikunwoke of the US took a surprise silver with 75.48 and China's Zhao Jie won bronze (74.27).

Rogers, 25, added the Olympic crown to the world title she won last year in Budapest, her victory at Stade de France coming two days after teammate Ethan Katzberg claimed the men's gold.

Echikunwoke arrived in Paris with the world's ninth best throw this season but briefly led before Rogers coolly stepped into the circle to reclaim the lead in the fifth of six rounds.

The Canadian already had victory locked up before her final throw, but did not break into a smile until the 4kg hammer had left her hands. She then made a beeline for her mum Shari Rogers, a fixture at all her daughter's competitions.

Rogers was fifth on her Olympic debut in Tokyo, then took world silver in 2022 before victory last year in Budapest.

The 38-year-old Wlodarczyk, the world record holder with a staggering 82.98, was fourth on 74.23. 

Basketball: France wows while US dazzles on way to men's semifinals

The French basketball team announced their arrival in Paris with a rip-roaring 82-73 win over Canada on Tuesday, riding a wave of national pride into the Olympic men's semifinals while the US turned on the style to stay on track for a fifth straight gold.

The US rolled to a 122-87 win over Brazil without ever needing to go all out, but still served up just enough razzle dazzle to keep the capacity crowd buzzing in an effort that was as much about entertainment as sport.

The routine victory sets up an intriguing final four meeting with Serbia, who advanced with an overtime win over Australia.

The contest will be a rematch of the 2016 Rio Games gold medal final and will feature LeBron James, a four-time NBA most valuable player leading the US, against the reigning three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

France will face Germany in Thursday's other semifinal.

“We understand we're seizing opportunity,” said James. “The only game that's guaranteed is the next one now.

“That's the only thing we focus on and focus on Serbia,” he said, adding: “The main goal is, and the only main goal is, for us to win gold. That's all I care about.”

The US and Brazil meeting generated none of the electricity that filled the Bercy Arena hours earlier, when France and Canada engaged in an entertaining up tempo, physical contest that had the building rocking from tip-off to buzzer.

All last week the arena had been home for the gymnastics competition, but not even Simone Biles was able to thrill the packed house the way Victor Wembanyama and his teammates did.

Feeding off the energy crackling through a seething Bercy, France gave the home crowd what they came to see, storming to a 19-5 lead in the opening minutes they would never relinquish, each basket triggering a thundering roar that rocked the arena to its foundation.

Having repelled a Canadian fight back, the rafters rattled again with 90 seconds left on the clock as the packed arena broke out in a rousing flag-waving rendition of “La Marseillaise”.

“It's a great feeling to be able to make sure we play on the last day of the Olympics,” said France guard Evan Fournier. “Make sure we give ourselves a chance to win a medal and hopefully it's going be for the right one.”

Earlier, Jokic proved again why he may be the best player in the world, leading Serbia to a nail-biting 95-90 overtime win over Australia to reach the last four for the second time in three Games.

It was an uphill battle from the start for Serbia, who dug themselves out of a 24-point, first half hole to reach the brink of a regulation victory only to watch Patty Mill hit a desperation fade away jumper with 1.4 seconds to play to force the extra session.

With just over a minute to go in overtime and Serbia trailing 90-89 Jokic came to his country's rescue, scoring two clutch baskets to deliver the dagger and a 93-90 lead.

Bogdan Bogdanovic made the final two free throws to seal the victory.

In other quarterfinal action, Franz Wagner hit for 18 points as World Cup champion Germany overcame a sleepy start to ease past Greece 76-63.

Hockey: Germany strike late to beat India and set up men's final with Dutch

Germany claimed a 3-2 win over India in the men's hockey semifinal at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday after Marco Miltkau scored the winner by lifting the ball over veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh with six minutes left on the clock.

Germany last reached the final at London 2012 when they claimed gold and will now play the Netherlands, who have not conceded a goal in their two knockout stage matches.

India, who are back in the bronze medal match where the face Spain after beating Germany in Tokyo for third place, must wait another four years to snap a gold medal drought since 1980.

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring on a penalty corner in the seventh minute with a high floating ball going over a diving goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg following several set piece tries in a row.

Two penalties by Jarmanpreet Singh in the second quarter cost India the lead as defender Gonzalo Peillat scored with a rifling strike on a penalty corner in the 18th minute and Christopher Ruehr added on a penalty stroke in the 27th.

The third quarter opened with a beautiful diving save by Danneberg to deny the India skipper an equaliser off of a penalty corner.

“It is a big privilege for me to play here and to show the world where my qualities are,” Danneberg said.

“Now all the focus is for the gold medal match and hopefully we will keep our defence power forward and we can win against the Netherlands. We know from the past that the Dutch have extremely big problems to score against us.

“The Dutch players need a very good day to score four goals against us. I think we are the mountains and they will have big problems to climb us.”

Sukhjeet Singh scored a few minutes later in the 36th as another Harmanpreet drag-flick bounced off his stick and over the outstretched Danneberg but Miltkau then secured the win.

“We played very good hockey today,” Harmanpreet said. “We played so many chances, short goal, some set pieces, but today the finishing was again not there.

“We are not going to take Spain easy and we try to give everything we have and try to win that bronze medal.”

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