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Good morning to everyone, but especially to …
NOAH LYLES …
He talked the talk, and then he walked the walk — well, dashed the dash. Noah Lyles is the fastest man on Earth, and he earned the title in thrilling fashion edging out Jamaica‘s Kishane Thompson by five one-thousandths of a second — 9.784 to 9.789. American Fred Kerley took bronze with a 9.81.
Lyles is the first American to win the event since Justin Gatlin in 2004, and it came in the closest finish we’ve seen in the 100-meter since 1980. While the 200-meter race is Lyles’ specialty (his 2020 bronze is serving as motivation), he has never been shy about his immense talent, and he showed it all in a remarkable run to gold. He’ll go for the second half of the 100-200 double on Thursday.
Scheffler tied the course record, fueled by a back-nine 29, and became the first world No. 1 to win Olympic gold. He birdied each of his first three holes and four of his final five. His ball striking was superb — three of his final four birdies were on putts inside eight feet — and his putting was arguably even better. Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama earned silver and bronze, respectively, with Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy among those just on the outside looking in.
… AND NOVAK DJOKOVIC
There’s something about the Olympics that makes triumph — no matter the heights one has reached elsewhere — truly special. Novak Djokovic, brought to his knees and openly weeping in the middle of the court, then in the crowd, and then wrapped in the Serbian flag, told you all you need to know.
Sixteen years after making his Olympic debut, Djokovic fended off the game’s brightest young star, father time itself and, perhaps, the feeling that he might never win another big one with a tremendous 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3) victory over Carlos Alcaraz.
At 37, Djokovic is the oldest Olympic singles tennis champion ever. Alcaraz, 21, wasn’t even born when Djokovic played in his first professional match.
Djokovic joins Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams as the only players with the “Golden Slam” — all four majors and an Olympic gold.
Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, called this, “arguably the biggest success I’ve ever had.”
Years after his supposed “peak,” Djokovic reached those heights once again, gliding and sliding around the iconic Roland Garros clay, playing incredible defense and hitting seemingly impossible angles. It was a magnificent display, harkening back to times that weren’t supposed to return given age and injury. Yet here he is, good as gold for the first time.
Team USA beat Australia eight golds to seven in swimming, continuing its dominance in that “rivalry” — the Aussies haven’t won more Olympic swimming golds than the U.S. since 1956.
In gymnastics, Simone Bileswon gold on the vault and Jade Carey won bronze; Suni Leewon bronze on the uneven bars; and “Pommel Horse Guy” Stephen Nedoroscikwon bronze on — you guessed it — the pommel horse.
Quarterback Faizon Brandon, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting class, committed toTennessee.
Oregonadded Trey McNutt, the top safety in the 2025 class.
There’s a new name emerging in the USMNT coaching search.
Inboxing action, Terence “Bud” CrawfordbeatIsrail Madrimov for the WBA junior middleweight crown, Jose Valenzuelaupset Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz to take the WBA junior welterweight championship, and Martin BakoleTKOed Jared Anderson.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moorecould face a suspension and a show-cause penalty from the NCAA stemming from the program’s alleged sign-stealing controversy, according to a draft of the NCAA’s notice of allegations. Moore is accused of deleting 52 text messages with former staffer Connor Stalions, who is at the center of the scandal.
Because this is just a draft, the punishments are not final and could change significantly.
Moore’s allegations constitute a Level 2 violation. Jim Harbaugh, Stalions, and former staffers Chris Partridge and Denard Robinson are accused of Level 1 violations, and the school faces a Level 1 violation charge for a “pattern of noncompliance.”
The national-champion Wolverines were without Harbaugh for six games last year due to two three-game suspensions, one self-imposed and one imposed by the Big Ten. This year’s new-look Michigan team opens its season against Fresno State before hosting Texas.
Not so honorable mentions
Kentucky football will vacate wins after the NCAA found players received impermissible benefits.
MLB roundup: Blake Snell’s no-no, White Sox’s (bad) history, new Power Rankings
There’s a first time for everything, and when finally given a chance, Blake Snell didn’t let it go to waste. The Giants lefty threw his first career no-hitter in a 3-0 win over the Reds.
Snell had been pulled from three no-hit bids (through five innings once and through seven innings twice) before in his career, and he had never even pitched eight innings.
He was undeniable this time around, though, mowing down the last 11 batters in order. He threw 114 pitches, striking out 11.
Matt Snyder has more numbers on Snell going the distance, and R.J. Anderson broke down Snell’s absolute heater: a 0.55 ERA over his last five starts.
Going from the historically good to the historically bad, the White Sox have lost 20 games in a row. They’re the first team to do that since the 1988 Orioles. I feel like I’m not spoiling too much when I tell you the White Sox are last in Matt Snyder’s latest Power Rankings. On the happier end of things, here’s the top five:
Guardians (previous: 3)
Yankees (5)
Orioles (4)
Phillies (1)
Dodgers (2)
Here’s more from the weekend:
Gleyber Torresgot benched for baserunning blunders.
2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class inducted; looking forward to 2025
Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Steve McMichael, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willisentered the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. The ceremony was in Canton per usual, but perhaps the most touching moment came from McMichael’s hospital room, where the Bears legend, battling ALS, received his gold jacket and saw his bust while surrounded by his family and former teammates.
While it was wonderful to see Gradishar and McMichael inducted after long waits, McMichael’s bittersweet moment was a prime example of one of the Hall of Fame’s biggest issues: a massive backlog resulting in waits that are far too long. Bryan DeArdo wrote about how to fix the flawed process.