Sports

Simone Biles won the bronze medal in the balance beam final after returning to the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday. Competing for the first time since withdrawing from the team and individual all-around competitions last week, Biles took home her seventh career Olympic medial, matching Shannon Miller for the most by a Team USA gymnast. Biles earned a score of 14.0 — 6.1 points for routine difficulty and 7.9 for execution — initially placing her behind China’s Tang Xijing, who scored 14.233, with five competitors left to compete. Ultimately, Biles finished in third place after China’s Guan Chenchen took the gold with a top score of 14.633. “It meant the world to be out there,” Biles told USA Today. “I wasn’t expecting to walk away with a medal. I was doing this for me, and whatever happens happen...

Kyle Lowry is bidding farewell to the city of Toronto after nine years to join the Miami Heat. For many years, Lowry has been the face of the Toronto Raptors, bringing in an immeasurable impact to not only the franchise but the Canadian community worldwide. It is hard to quantify Lowry’s effect on the team, the city and the country but Lowry did definitely had a hand in shifting the franchise from being an underdog to an NBA champion. As Lowry departs the Raptors for South Beach, fans are possibly calling him the greatest player of the Canadian NBA franchise. Lowry holds the most assists (4,277), steals (873), three-pointers (1,518) and triple-doubles (18) in Raptors history. Lowry is set to join the Miami Heat in free agency and is expected to sign a three-year sign-and-trade deal with th...

Alex Caruso is officially trading his gold and purple colors for black and red as he signs a four-year, $37 million USD contract with the Chicago Bulls. The news was revealed by ESPN NBA Senior Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who tweeted the announcement after receiving confirmation from Caruso’s agent, Greg Lawrence. The former Los Angeles Lakers guard averaged a total of 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game in the last season, but had to miss 14 games during the regular seasons due to both injuries and the league’s health and safety protocols. As of writing, the Bulls’ current lineup includes Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević, Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams, Thad Young, Coby White, Caruso, Troy Brown Jr., Al-Farouq Aminu and possibly second-round picks Marko Simonović and Ay...

American pro golfer Xander Schauffele has taken home the gold medal for Men’s Golf at this weekend’s Olympic golfing event, held on July 31 in Tokyo. The pro was faced with multiple challenges during his game. On Hole 14, one of his drives struck out of bounds towards the right, ending as a bogey. After the round, he said he fell short of the gap when he was directing his second shot, but the ball somehow drove into and out of the trees. By Hole 17, Schauffele drove into a sand trap, but an audacious approach created an opportunity for a six-foot birdie putt that he knocked down to take the lead. He was able to pull a par save on 18 after an additional missed fairway. Luckily, Xander was rescued by a clutch approach shot, earning him a one-stroke victory for a final score of 67. Competitor...

Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard have officially declined each of their player options, both now set to become unrestricted free agents. Both NBA All-Stars have rejected very lucrative options, with CP3 forgoing $44.2 million USD and Leonard declining his $36 million USD. Reports have indicated that Phoenix Suns‘ star point guard is seeking a long-term deal with the team around the $100 million USD mark. Given Paul’s previous season with the Suns and his vital role in the NBA finals, CP3 is hoping to continue his career and potentially bring home the championship with Phoenix. In his 16th season in the NBA, Paul averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. Leonard has also reportedly declined the player option with the Los Angeles Clippers even after tearing his ACL. As an unre...

For the second time during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, a single country has taken all three spots at the podium. A week after Switzerland’s performance at the women’s cross-country mountain bike event, Jamaica has won all three medals in the women’s 100m race. Elaine Thompson-Herah took gold with 10.61 seconds (she is now the fastest woman alive after passing Florence Griffith Joyner’s 1988 Seoul Olympics record of 10.62), while Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson took silver and bronze. They both ran 10.74 and 10.76, respectively. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce now holds the record for having four medals from four different Olympic Games in women’s 100m. The three Olympians also have other chances to bring home more medals to Jamaica as all three will also be competing in this week’s 4x100...

Simone Biles, the headliner of Team USA gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics has announced that she will be competing in the balance beam final on August 3. This will be the final event she can compete in with Team USA gymnastics. Biles recently withdrew from the all-around and three other events, citing mental health issues being a barrier for the athlete to perform at an optimal level. The USA Gymnastics team took to Twitter to make the announcement, sharing, “We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow – Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!! Can’t wait to watch you both!” The news has been what many Team USA fans have been waiting for since she withdrew from the first event at the team finals. Should Biles wins her balance beam event, the athlet...

In a show of true sportsmanship, high jumpers Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy have decided to share gold. Known for their friendship outside of the sport, both Olympians successfully cleared a 2.37-meter jump but missed the tie-breaking 2.39 meters bar. What happened next warmed the hearts of spectators on an international level. After a brief huddle, the two proceeded to ask the officials if they could tie for gold — which was confirmed possible. Embracing each other, the two went on to celebrate their shared victor with friends, family, coaches, and fans. For Tamberi, this moment was extra special as he carried on to the track his cast from the career-threatening injury that sidelined him from Rio 2016. His cast read, “Road to Tokyo” with “2021” in place of a s...

As coronavirus cases continue to rise at an alarming rate in Japan, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga expanded emergency measures already in place in Tokyo to four additional regions, Associated Press reports. The new areas under the state of emergency are Saitama, Kanagawa, Chiba and Osaka. As the center of the Olympic Games, Tokyo has been placed under strict rules, including banning spectators at the Olympic events. The newly-included prefectures will be under a state of emergency until Monday, August 31. The expansion of the pre-existing state of emergency comes as Tokyo has reported an uptick in cases for three continuous days. On Thursday, 3,865 new cases were reported and there were an additional 3,300 cases on Friday. According to AP, officials have claimed that the surge is n...

The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a massive NBA trade deal that sees the team acquire Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as well as the No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA drafts. ESPN also reports that the Wizards have agreed to send their 2024 and 2028 second-round picks to the Lakers to round out the deal. Harrell recently opted into his $9.7 million USD player option, which made way for the deal to happen and include the power forward. Prior to the deal agreement, the Lakers were reportedly in talks with Sacramento Kings in a deal that would have involved Buddy Hield, Kuzma and Harrell. Westbrook is set to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles to give the team a powerful boost as the team leans ...

In the previous weeks, Aaron Rodgers‘ decision on whether or not he plans to return to the Green Bay Packers or perhaps even retire has kept many sports fans and sportsbooks keepers on the edge of their seats. The highly anticipated answer to the looming question has finally been answered as Rodgers has chosen to return to the Green Bay Packers for the 2021-22 NFL season. The Packers have reportedly agreed to rework the contract for Rodgers, seemingly open to making certain adjustments to their roster to keep the star quarterback. Hours after the announcement of Rodgers’ return, the Packers even brought back wide receiver Randall Cobb. NFL fans know that Cobb and Rodgers have special chemistry on the field. Rodgers has often seen Cobb as one of his favorite targets and teammates between 20...