PARIS – From the women’s marathon to the closing ceremony, here are five things to look out for at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, Aug. 11:
WOMEN’S MARATHON
For the first time, the women’s marathon will close out the Olympic track meet rather than the men’s edition of the event, which ran Saturday. Canada will be represented by Malindi Elmore of Kelowna B.C., who is competing at her third Olympic Games. Elmore, 44, debuted back at the 2004 Athens Games as a track athlete and returned in Tokyo to run in the marathon, where she finished ninth in two hours 30:59 minutes.
HOOPS FINAL
Olympic host France is taking on the United States in the women’s basketball final, with the Americans carrying an Olympic 60-game winning streak into the match. The U.S. is trying to become the first team in any sport to win eight consecutive Olympic golds. Belgium faces Australia for the bronze medal.
POLO PLAY
Two-time defending Olympic champion Serbia takes on 2012 champion Croatia for gold in men’s water polo. Serbia is trying to become the third men’s team to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals, while Croatia has a chance to be the fourth team to win Olympic gold as the reigning world champion.
VOLLEYBALL GOLD
The quest for women’s volleyball glory comes down to the U.S. and top-ranked Italy. The Americans look to defend their gold medal from Tokyo after beating Brazil in the semis while Italy swept No. 3 Turkey to advance to the final. Italy is appearing in its first gold medal game in the women’s bracket.
CLOSING CEREMONY
The Games come to a close after 16 days with a ceremony that is expected to feature more than 100 performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists at the Stade de France. There will also be traditional elements such as the athletes’ parade and the handover of the Olympic flag to the organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2024.