PARIS, France — The United States won several history-making medals on Thursday, from Simone Biles' all-around gold to Katie Ledecky's record-breaking 13th Olympic medal to the first team gold ever for the U.S. women's team foil fencing.
Gymnastics all-around final
Simone Biles dazzled once again while winning the gold in women’s all-around gymnastics at the Paris Olympics, becoming the oldest woman to accomplish the feat since 1952.
The 27-year-old Biles nailed her floor exercise to edge Brazil's Rebeca Andrade by 1.199 points in one of the tightest victories of her decorated career. She became the first woman to win the all-around gymnastics gold at nonconsecutive Olympics, having previously done so at the 2016 Rio Games.
“I’ve never had an athlete this close,” Biles said. “It brought out the best athlete in myself."
Teammate Sunisa Lee, the defending all-around champion from Tokyo, was third for the bronze.
Swimming
Summer McIntosh, Canada's 17-year-old swimming sensation, claimed her second gold medal of the Olympics in the 200-meter butterfly and dealing Regan Smith of the U.S. another runner-up finish.
Kate Douglass of the United States won gold in the 200-meter breaststroke in a race that was something of a changing of the guard. Longtime American star Lilly King, competing in her last Olympics, was last in the final.
In the final swimming event of the night, Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus won the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay in an Olympic-record time, narrowly missing the world record. Claire Weinstein, Paige Madden, Katie Ledecky and Erin Gemmell got the U.S. silver, and China finished with bronze.
Fencing
Lee Kiefer has become the first American fencer to win three Olympic gold medals as the U.S. got its first-ever team fencing gold in women’s team foil at the Paris Olympics. The team of two-time individual gold medalist Kiefer, silver medalist Lauren Scruggs, Jacqueline Dubrovich and Maia Weintraub held on for a 45-39 win over Italy in the gold-medal bout.
Scruggs faced a late rally from Italy’s Arianna Errigo, who cut an eight-point U.S. lead to three, but the 21-year-old took the next three points to close out the win and celebrated with a shout of delight.
Women's basketball
The U.S. women's basketball team clinched a spot in the quarterfinals by beating Belgium 87-74. Breanna Stewart led all scorers with 26 points, while A'ja Wilson had 23 points and 13 rebounds.
The U.S. women are on a 57-game Olympic winning streak that dates to Barcelona in 1992.
U.S. rowing gold
Liam Corrigan, Justin Best, Michael Grady and Nick Mead made a little history, winning the first U.S. rowing gold medal in the men’s four class since 1960. The U.S. held off New Zealand and defending world champion Britain, finishing in 5:49.03.
“It’s literally unbelievable,” Corrigan said. “I crossed the line, I thought I was going to have some kind of celebration, but I was just in disbelief, like my hands were on my head. It was just crazy.”
All four Americans were at the Tokyo Games three years ago but left without any medals. Corrigan, Best, Grady and Mead have been together since last season. The last time the U.S. won an Olympic medal of any color in men’s four rowing was in 2012 in London.