The Rio Olympics has been the big story everyone’s talking about for the last couple of weeks. If you don’t have time to keep up with everything, we’ve rounded up the big stuff everyone has bee talking about here so you can catch up quick.


Today’s Biggest Stories

Simone Biles Will Carry the U.S. Flag During the Closing Ceremonies After Winning Four Gold Medals


From Time: U.S. Olympian Simone Biles—the world’s best gymnast—has been selected as the official Team USA flag bearer for the closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. Biles, 19, finished the 2016 Summer Olympics with five medals, four of them gold, tying the record for the most ever obtained by a gymnast at a single Olympic Games.



Usain Bolt Won Gold In the 4x100m For the Third Olympics In a Row

From Deadspin: Usain Bolt has completed the unprecedented feat of winning the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay in three straight Olympics, anchoring Jamaica to a 37.27 tonight and, with Nickel Ashmeade, Yohan Blake, and Asafa Powell, beating Japan by 0.33 seconds. The U.S. claimed bronze, two hundredths of a second behind Japan.



U.S. Swimmer Gunnar Bentz Says Lochte Made Up Robbery to Cover Vandalism


From Deadspin: U.S. swimmer Gunnar Bentz, who along with Jack Conger was taken off his flight home from the Olympics and forced to answer questions about the alleged robbery that victimized them, now says the holdup story was made up by Ryan Lochte—whose vandalism allegedly got them into trouble in the first place.



Current Medal Counts


The medal counts as they currently stand as of Saturday afternoon according to Google. If you want to find out more info about the Olympics from Google, check out our post with the best shortcuts here.

All the Previous News From the Olympics

Investigators Are Still Trying to Figure Out Whether Lochte and His Teammates Were Really Robbed


From the New York Times: In his original account, Mr. Lochte said the car had been pulled over by armed men, one of whom put a gun against his head before taking the cash from his wallet. But police investigators said Thursday that Mr. Lochte and the others had acted more like small-minded vandals than the victims they claimed to be.

Making a stop around 6 a.m. Sunday at a Shell gas station, the men were obviously drunk, the station’s owner said. They broke a soap dispenser in the bathroom, damaged a door, tore down a sign and urinated around the premises, the owner told reporters.


An American Woman Won a Gold Medal In Wrestling For the First Time Ever

From Deadspin: Maroulis normally wrestles in the 55 kg weight class, but 55 kg isn’t an Olympic category. So she cut weight, dropped down to the 53 kg class, and dethroned the three-time defending champ 4-1. This is the first gold medal that an American woman has ever earned in Olympic wrestling. Here are the two takedowns that got her the four points she needed to win.


Usain Bolt Won Gold In the 200m and 100m For the Third, Record-Setting Time


From Deadspin: Usain Bolt added the 200m gold to his previous 100m in Rio, becoming the first athlete in history to win both the 100 and 200 at three consecutive Games. Once again, he appeared to ease up by the end; once again, he dominated his opponents. His time of 19.78 wouldn’t have beaten Michael Johnson in 1996, but it didn’t seem to matter tonight.

Two U.S. Swimmers Were Pulled Off Their Plans By Rio Officials to Aid Investigation of Robbery


From Deadspin: This whole story about US swimmers Ryan Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, and Jimmy Feigen maybe or maybe not getting robbed at gunpoint by men who were maybe posing as Brazilian police officers is fishy and riddled with inconsistencies. Brazilian police cast doubt on Lochte’s story, and earlier today, a Brazilian judge ordered Lochte and Feigen to remain in Brazil to answer questions about the alleged robbery. Lochte is already out of the country, but apparently, Bentz and Conger got pulled off their plane by Brazilian authorities. They were not initially named by the judge, but are apparently now stuck in Rio.



Another Report Suggests a British Olympian Was Also Robbed at Gunpoint


From The Guardian: A member of the British Olympic team in Rio has been held up at gunpoint while enjoying a night on the town. The news has caused deep shock among British athletes and officials – many of whom were looking forward to enjoying Rio’s nightlife after finishing their competitions. It has also led to an unprecedented warning to Team GB members that it is “not worth the risk” to leave the athletes village because of fears they might be targeted if they are seen wearing a British kit.

Three American Runners Won the 100m Hurdle For the First Sweep In the Event’s History


From Jezebel: Rollins nabbed the gold, racing in at a very-fast 12.48 while teammates Ali and Castlin finished at 12.59 and 12.61 respectively, grabbing silver and bronze for the first sweep by any nation in this event in Olympic history. Great Britain’s Cindy Ofili came in pretty dang close to Castlin, coming in fourth at an extremely respectable 12.63.



Dressage Horse Lorenzo Danced to “Smooth” By Santana

From NBC Sports: Spain’s Severo Jesus Jurado Lopez rides his horse - Lorenzo - to a dressage routine featuring everyone’s favorite Latin rock song by Santana from the 90s.


German Cyclist Kristina Vogel Won Gold In the Women’s Sprint After Losing Her Bike’s Seat


From Deadspin: She held on for the win by a tiny margin, which was all the more impressive, since her bike was falling apart. At the very end of her sprint win over James, Vogel’s whole dang seat came unhinged, eventually popping off her bike as she crossed the line. As you can see, track cyclists sprint while seated, unlike road cyclists.

Brazil Defeats USA In Beach Volleyball, Delivering Kerri Walsh Jennings’ First Olympic Loss


From Deadspin: Beach volleyball genius Kerri Walsh Jennings has played in every Summer Olympics since 2004, racking up three gold medals and losing precisely zero matches along the way. That ended in Tuesday’s semifinals as Brazil’s Agatha and Barbara defeated the defending champion and April Ross in straight sets.

Simone Biles Cleans Up With Fourth Olympic Gold Gymnastics Win


From the Washington Post: “If you get silver, you’re the best,” Aly Raisman explained with a laugh, “because Simone doesn’t count!” And that shared logic is how it came to be, Tuesday at Rio Olympic Arena, that the final day of Olympic gymnastics competition produced two victors in women’s floor exercise: Biles, 19, who claimed a fourth gold medal to go with the bronze she’d earned on balance beam the day before, and Raisman, 22, whose silver represented first-place in gymnastics’ non-Biles division, bringing her medal haul to three.

Shaunae Miller Barely Secures Victory In 400m Final With Last-Second Dive


From Deadspin: Allyson Felix lost the 400-meter final by just seven agonizing hundredths of a second, after Bahamanian runner Shaunae Miller dove right at the finish line to hold off Felix’s charge from behind. The 30-year-old Felix came into the final stretch well behind Miller, but managed to almost run her down, before Miller fell over the line.



Garbage Fire In Rio Threatens the Olympic Mountain Bike Course


From Reuters: A fire was threatening the course that will stage the Olympic mountain bike competition on Monday after a controlled rubbish burn spread out of control in high winds. Photographs posted on the Twitter page of a Canadian Cyclist website showed flames licking the hills surrounding the venue at Deodoro, 43km (27 miles) from the main Olympic Park.

Brazilian Pole Vaulter Thiago Da Silva Sets New World Record


From Deadspin: Renaud Lavillenie entered tonight’s pole vault final as the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder. He finished it as a silver medalist, thanks to Brazilian Thiago da Silva setting a new Olympic record of 6.03m in a wild night that featured a lengthy rain delay and malfunctioning equipment.

Usain Bolt Ran the 100m Final In 9.81 Seconds...


From Deadspin: Usain Bolt won tonight’s 100m final, his third Olympic gold in a row in that event, with a time of 9.81 seconds. Runners-up Justin Gatlin and Andre de Grasse looked at the finish like they were running in slow motion.

...Which Led to Cheering So Loud, JFK Terminal Was Evacuated For “Gunshots”


From Deadspin: Police evacuated John F. Kennedy Airport’s Terminal 8 Sunday night after they received reports that shots had been fired. After a preliminary investigation, cops now say there was no shooting—with one official saying “clapping and banging” by people watching the Olympics may have been misinterpreted as gunfire.

Chinese Diver He Zi Won Silver Medal Then Received Proposal On the Podium


From CNN: Just moments after receiving her silver medal in Sunday’s 3-meter springboard event, China’s He Zi was asked to take a very different kind of plunge. The 25-year-old was met by boyfriend Qin Kai, a fellow Olympic diver, who bent low on one knee by the podium before offering up a box containing an engagement ring.

A Dutch Cyclist Defied Gravity On a Wall to Avoid Crashing


From Deadspin: Amazingly, the woman that Cueff edged out in the first place, Laurine Van Riessen, managed to stay on her bike, thanks to some, uh, creative riding up on the wall. The tops of velodrome floors are pitches rather steeply so that riders can use gravity to slingshot themselves, but the walls are about a full 90 degrees to the ground. Van Riessen had no problem riding horizontal style to the very top of the wall, then recovering into a veering Cueff, and staying upright to finish the race.

Ryan Locthe and Three Other Swimmers Were Robbed at Gunpoint


From the BBC: Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen were stopped by people posing as armed police, the US Olympic Committee (USOC) said in a statement. The robbers demanded money and other personal belongings. Initially the International Olympic Committee (IOC) denied reports of the robbery, before the US committee confirmed it had taken place.

Sarah Robles Won the First Weightlifting Medal For the U.S. In 16 Years


From Deadspin: These are not a United States of weightlifting. No woman had medaled in the event since 2000, and no male weightlifter has found the podium since 1984. So when Sarah Robles took bronze today with a combined lift of 286kg, it was a cause to celebrate.

Olympic Officials Have Finally Replaced That Green Water In One Pool


From Deadspin: While the murky water might have been fine for water polo players, the irritants—caused either by the water, or whatever Rio officials put in it—were not, and synchronized swimmers need crystal-clear water to execute underwater maneuvers. Officials closed the pool Friday, promising that their treatments that day would restore the water. It didn’t work, necessitating the full transfusion.

Fiji Wins Gold In Rugby, the First Medal Win For the Nation


From USA Today: After 16 appearances in the Olympics, the tiny nation of Fiji has its first medal. And it is gold. The Fiji rugby sevens squad routed Great Britain in the gold medal game on Thursday night, winning 43-7 in a game that was never in doubt. Team GB seemed overwhelmed by Fiji’s size and speed and couldn’t seem to bring down anyone with a clean tackle.

Simone Manuel Is the First Black American Female Swimmer To Win An Individual Gold Medal


From Deadspin: Simone Manuel swam a blistering final 50 in tonight’s 100m freestyle to earn a gold medal alongside Canadian Penny Oleksiak, who swam an identical Olympic-record 52.70 in the event. Both surpassed world record-holder Cate Campbell, who led the race after the first 50 meters and ended up missing the podium.

Michael Phelps Now Has More Individual Medal Wins Than the Ancient Leonidas of Rhodes


From the New York Times: Leonidas won 12 individual events over four Olympics. At 36, five years older than Phelps, he won his last three events in 152 B.C, in races of about 200 and 400 meters, and in a shield-carrying race. Phelps surpassed Leonidas, winning his 13th individual gold (and 22nd gold overall and 26th medal). With the victory, Phelps also joined the track and field Olympians Al Oerter and Carl Lewis as the only Americans to win an individual event four times.

A New Rogue One Trailer Dropped During the Olympics

Sure, it’s not an Olympic sport, but everyone will still be talking about it anyway.


The Women’s 200m Butterfly Was Decided By an Amazingly Close Finish


From Deadspin: That photo up there comes from the very end of the women’s 200-meter butterfly final. Spain’s Mireia Belmonte Garcia, the swimmer on the right, took the gold medal from Australia’s Madeline Groves, on the left, by just 0.03 seconds, coming from behind in the final lap and out-touching her on the wall.

Katie Ledecky Closed a Massive Lead at the 4 x 200 Relay


From Jezebel: Anchoring a team that included Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith and Maya DiRado, the Americans trailed behind Australia for most of the race. Ledecky took what looked like an easy lead over Tamsin Cook in the final leg, leading her team to gold.

Armenian Weightlifter Andranik Karapetyan Suffered an Awful Elbow Injury


From Deadspin: Andranik Karapetyan is the reigning European champion in 77 kilogram weightlifting, but his hopes for an Olympic medal ended when he suffered a disgusting elbow disryan loation while trying to lift 195 kilograms (430 pounds).

Multiple Olympic Pools Have Turned Green


From CNN: There’s something in the water at the Rio Olympics: Yet another pool has turned deep, bright green. This time, it’s the water polo pool. On Tuesday, when the diving pool at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre mysteriously changed colors, Olympic organizers and FINA — swimming’s international governing body — offered competing explanations why.

A Dressage Horse Is Out of the Games After a “Toxic Fever” Bug Bite


From Deadspin: This is Parzival. He’s a very nice horse. I would give him a carrot. However, if you went to the dressage area at the Rio Olympics this afternoon to give him a carrot, you might not find him there, since he had to leave the dressage competition after a suspected bug bite left him with a “toxic fever.”

Michael Phelps Earned 20th Gold Medal By Beating Out Long-Time Rival Chad Le Clos


From Deadspin: Chad le Clos, who took advantage of Michael Phelps’s collapse in the 200 butterfly four years ago, poked the bear last night. He didn’t make it to the medal stand, and Phelps won his 20th gold. Rest in peace.

The U.S. Gymnastics Team Takes Gold With a Monumental Lead


From USA Today: Since 2012, they’ve become undisputedly the best team in the world. Simone Biles’ floor score on their final event of the night was a mere formality in a competition the Americans won by a jaw-dropping margin. The United States scored 184.897 to beat second-place Russia by more than eight points. That was more than double the gap between silver and last place.

Katie Ledecky Takes Another Gold With a Narrow Victory In the Women’s 200m Freestyle


From SB Nation: Katie Ledecky won the gold medal in the women’s 200-meter freestyle Tuesday, edging out Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom to win. Ledecky passed Australia’s Emma McKeon on the second turn, and appeared to be on her way to an easy win, but had to hold off a charging Sjostrom on the last leg. Sjostrom was in an outside lane out of Ledecky’s view, and finished .25 seconds out of gold.

A Rio Media Bus Was Attacked While Returning Passengers to Olympic Park


From Deadspin: A bus carrying media personnel and volunteers between Olympic venues was attacked in Rio this evening, according to multiple media reports. Several people who were on the bus described the attack as gunfire. Initial reports said the bus was shot at on the Trans Olympic Highway when the attack happened.

A High-Speed Training Crash Sent Australian Cyclist Melissa Hoskins to the Hospital


From Deadspin: While practicing for the team pursuit competition this afternoon in the velodrome, the world record-holding Australian team crashed en masse during a practice... Everyone except for leader Annette Edmundson fell. Ashlee Ankudinoff, Georgia Baker, and Amy Cure were able to walk off rather easily, and they were treated for friction burns from falling on the track at such a high speed. But Melissa Hoskins fell much harder than the other three, and she was immobile on the track for five minutes until she got stretchered off.

Serena & Venus Williams Suffered Their First Olympics Doubles Loss


From the BBC: Serena and Venus Williams lost for the first time in an Olympics doubles match as their hopes of winning a fourth successive title were surprisingly ended in the first round at Rio 2016.

Olympics Officials Apologize After Using Incorrect Chinese Flag During Medal Ceremony


From the Wall Street Journal: Several Chinese flags used by organizers at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil featured wrongly angled stars, a subtle but significant slip that has irked Chinese officials as well as legions of viewers back home.



Michael Phelps Was Spotted With Marks From “Cupping” Therapy On His Body

AP Images.


From CNN via Gizmodo: Olympians at Rio have taken to cupping — an ancient therapy that have mostly been used in Middle Eastern and Asian countries, especially China. The therapy consists of having round glass suction cups that are warmed, then placed on sore parts of the body. The placement of the glass cup creates a partial vacuum, which is believed to stimulate muscles and blood flow, while relieving pain.

Hungarian Swimmer Katinka Hosszú Sets Record-Smashing 400 Individual Medley Record


From Deadspin: Hungarian Katinka Hosszú smashed the women’s 400 IM record last night by 2.07 seconds, the biggest leap in world record progression since East German Petra Schneider’s performance at Moscow in 1980. To illustrate just how fast Hosszú was in comparison to previous champions, we’ve matched up the previous three times we watched the 400 IM world record set at the Olympics. It’s breathtaking.

19-Year-Old U.S. Shooter Ginny Thrasher Won First Gold Medal of the Weekend for USA


From the Los Angeles Times: Virginia Thrasher of the United States won the first gold medal handed out at the Rio Olympics for finishing in first place in the women’s 10-meter air rifle event Saturday morning. Thrasher, 19, beat Du Li in the final round with a total score of 208.0, setting an Olympic record. Du Li finished with 207.0.

Michael Phelps Earned His 19th Gold Medal With a Mind-Bending Turn


From Deadspin: He came back after the U.S. lost to France in the 4x100 freestyle relay three years ago, and his second leg in that event tonight gave his team a lead over the French they never gave up. It earned Phelps his record 19th gold medal in an event that was one of swimming’s biggest toss-ups. In executing the turn, Phelps surfaced an astonishing 2.5 seconds after the Frenchman who touched the wall in the lead

French Gymnast Samir Aït Saïd Suffered a Graphic Leg Break


From Deadspin: French gymnast Samir Aït Saïd was coming in for a landing after flipping several times off of the vault, when his left leg buckled and snapped horrifically upon contact with the ground.

An Amazon Jaguar Was Shot and Killed Shortly After Olympic Torch Ceremony In June


From Reuters: A jaguar featured at an Olympic torch ceremony was shot dead by a soldier shortly after the event in the Brazilian Amazon city of Manaus as the animal escaped from its handlers, an army statement said.

Taiwan’s Anger at Being Called “Chinese Taipei” at the Olympics Continues to Grow

From CNN: While Taiwan has participated in every Olympics for the past three decades, the compromise never sat well with many at home, and has grown more controversial as Taiwanese politics shifted in the direction of full independence from mainland China.


Leslie Jones Is So Into Tweeting About the Olympics That NBC Invited Her to Rio


From The Verge: Leslie Jones can be hilarious on Twitter, especially when she is live-tweeting shows like Game of Thrones. She’s started doing the same thing for the Rio Olympics with hilarious results, which prompted Jim Bell, NBC’s Executive Producer for the games to invite her down to help out.

Illustration by Angelica Alzona. Photos by Getty Images, AP Images.