The Sports Report Olympics edition: Simone Biles still the G.O.A.T despite stumbles

Welcome to today’s Olympic newsletter. I’m your tour guide John Cherwa as we discover that Simon Biles is actually human.

We won’t sugarcoat it. Simone Biles had a bad day on Monday. She hopped off the balance beam and finished fifth and only got silver in the floor exercise. If you are the G.O.A.T., a silver or bronze is more like a participation medal. Nonetheless she handled it with grace, full of smiles.

Suni Lee was fourth in the beam.

In the floor exercise, an event Biles always wins, she stepped out of bounds twice leaving, the floor open for Rebeca Andrade of Brazil. Jordan Chiles of the U.S. got the bronze. Biles and Chiles bowed and saluted Andrade as she received the gold medal, going viral for their sportsmanship to close the gymnastics competition. Our Thuc Nhi Nguyen recaps it all here.

Other highs and lows from Monday:

Dearica Hamby tries to steal the ball from Canada’s Michelle Plouffe in the 3X3 basketball bronze medal game.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

—In 3 X 3 women’s play, the U.S. won the bronze medal after beating Canada 16-13. The U.S. missed the gold-medal game when it lost to Spain, 18-16 in overtime in the semifinals. Our Kevin Baxter looks at how crowds are flocking to these Games, right here.

—The highlight of track and field was Noah Lyles breezing in his 200-meter heat. Valarie Allman won consecutive golds in the women’s discus.

—The U.S. beach volleyball contingent went from four to two after the round of 16. Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes advanced on Sunday night and Miles Evans and Andy Benesh won on Monday, advancing to the Elite 8. The U.S. men’s team of Chase Budinger and Miles Evans lost to the defending Olympic champions from Norway, while Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss lost to Canada.

—Competing in shooting’s first mixed team trap event, the U.S. took silver losing to Italy 44-43. It was the fifth shooting medal for the U.S. at the Games.

—In the sport where the venue got more notice than the athletes, the U.S. took silver in the triathlon mixed team relay behind Germany. Officials ruled the bacteria level in the Seine River was at an acceptable level so the swimming part of the sport could take place.

—In a match that was closer than the score, the U.S. men’s volleyball team beat Brazil 3-1 in the quarterfinals. It will play Poland on Wednesday in the semis.

Alex Bowen of the U.S. celebrates with his teammates at the end of Monday’s win.

(Luca Bruno / Associated Press)

—The U.S. men’s water polo team closed pool play with a 14-11 win over Croatia, an important win because it will allow it to avoid favored Spain until a potential gold-medal match. It plays Australia in the quarters Wednesday.

Miscall for the ages

It’s a day or so later and there is still talk about what might be the biggest miscall of a major sport event in quite some time. NBC’s Leigh Diffey miscalled the winner of the men’s 100 as Kishane Thompson of Jamaica instead of Noah Lyles of the U.S.

Diffey got two things wrong. First, he miscalled a race during which he never should have tried to call the winner. The margin was .005 seconds. If he thinks he can correctly call the winner of a race that close, he has a an opinion of his ability that far exceeds any human reality.

Second, he never said he was sorry or used the word “apology” or acknowledged his mistake on air. In fact, he didn’t even seem contrite.

“My eyes & instinct told me Kishane Thompson won,” Diffey posted on X. “Obviously, that wasn’t the case. I shouldn’t have been so bold to call it, but I genuinely thought he won. I got it wrong.”

He seemed a little chippy when talking to the Associated Press.

“They’re all experts after it’s over, right?” he said. “I trusted my eyes and instinct and got it wrong by .005 seconds.”

This is in stark contrast to 1988 when Charlie Jones got his Kenyans mixed up and called the wrong winner of the men’s 800.

“We have blown this call,” Jones said on air after the replay. “Gentleman, we were wrong.”

“Paul Ereng has the gold … as we just wrote our names in the record book of blunders,” Jones went on to say.

Guess you can’t teach class.

Which sports do you want to get rid of?

We’ve got no power, but we can pretend. So, let’s get rid of a few Olympic sports. Here are the choices. You can vote for two.

3 X 3 basketball: Do you want to expand to 2 X 2 or 4 X 4 or 6 X 6? Where does it end?

Artistic swimming: Used to be synchronized swimming but needed rebranding. Reached peak with Esther Williams.

Basketball: Little competitive balance, especially with the women.

Boxing: Growing more insignificant by the day. Bad scoring system. Gateway sport to UFC.

Golf: Too elite and players are judged on how many majors they win, not Olympic medals.

Modern pentathlon: About as outdated as it comes. What kid doesn’t have a daily routine of fencing, swimming, horseback riding, shooting and running?

Rhythmic gymnastics: Ball, ribbon and hoop. Need we say more?

Tennis: See golf.

Trampoline: Extra deduction if you land in the neighbor’s back yard.

Something else: Self explanatory.

(Note to readers: Comments for entertainment purposes only. And, no, Leigh Diffey was not eligible for this category.)

You can vote here.

What to watch for today

The volume starts to get turned down early in the week. There are 19 sports competing. Here’s the most interesting.

Algeria’s Imane Khelif celebrates after winning her quarterfinal boxing match.

(John Locher / Associated Press)

—Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer at the center of a gender controversy of which she has done nothing wrong, is back in the ring against a Thai boxer having already assured herself of at least a bronze medal. NBC, at least of what I’ve seen, has mostly stayed away from this story with only occasional mentions. The bout should start around 4:34 a.m. PDT.

—The highlight of the track and field will be the women’s 200 meters featuring Gabby Thomas of the U.S. She won bronze in Tokyo. Also in the race is Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, who won the women’s 100. Other finals are the women’s hammer throw, men’s long jump, men’s 1,500 and women’s 3,000 steeplechase (that’s the one with water). Track starts at 10:57 a.m. PDT and finishes with the 200 at 12:40 p.m. PDT.

—The men’s basketball team opens play in the knockout round against Brazil. Tip off is around 12:30 p.m. PDT.

—The U.S. women’s soccer team plays Germany in the semifinal. It should start at 9 a.m. PDT.

Must-read links

Let’s catch up on some stories you might have missed but shouldn’t have:

• Paris Olympics TV schedule: Tuesday’s listings
• ‘We ugly cried’: Jordan Chiles savors euphoria of surprise Olympic bronze medal
• Sparks star Dearica Hamby helps U.S. rally for bronze medal in 3x3 basketball
• Devin Booker goes from facepalm emoji to congratulating Noah Lyles: ‘Great for America’
• Taiwanese athletes claim Olympic gold against China, and not everyone was happy about it
• How timekeepers determined Noah Lyles won 100 meters by slimmest of margins
• ‘She’s queen.’ Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles honor floor gold medalist Rebeca Andrade
• Calabasas jeweler shares story behind Simone Biles’ iconic goat diamond necklace
• Meet the UCLA softball legend influencing U.S. women’s volleyball’s success
• San Clemente’s Caroline Marks celebrates Olympic surfing gold medal win
• 2024 Paris Olympics live updates
• 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games: Complete coverage
• 2024 Paris Olympics: How to watch every event and the closing ceremony

Your TV guide

How can you watch the Games today? Check out Tuesday’s Olympic TV listings.