Five Ring Circus

“‘You’ll meet someone, and their first reaction is, ‘I bet I can beat you, let’s play,’ Zhang said, laughing. ‘I don’t think you’d really say that to anyone in another sport. If you saw Michael Phelps, I don’t think you’d say, ‘I bet I can beat you in a race.'” The NYT (Gift Article) sets the record straight: No, You Can’t Beat an Olympic Table Tennis Player.

+ You getting a point off a ping pong Olympian would be a big upset. But since that match isn’t happening, we’ll have to settle for this one: Biggest upset of the Olympics? World No. 1 table tennis player goes down. (Weirdly, the favored player was using a backup paddle after his main one was damaged by paparazzi.)

+ Simone Biles and Team USA reclaim Olympic gold in women’s all-around gymnastics final. (Watching gymnastics is so nerve wracking. I was watching the coverage after already hearing the results and I was still stressed out during every twist and turn.)

+ As is the case with many events, the best part of gymnastics is watching the parents, especially after they were forced to stay away during the pandemic games. For Olympic parents barred from Tokyo Games, a tangible joy in Paris.

+ Is the Paris Olympic pool slow? The answer isn’t that deep. As much as the swimmers are criticizing the Olympic pool, at least they didn’t have to jump into the Seine with the triathletes. “It didn’t taste great. It’s a little bit brown.”

+ South Korean Sharpshooter Kim Yeji Is the 2024 Olympics’ First Breakout Style Star. As one person put it, she has “The most ‘Main Character Energy’ I’ve ever seen in my life.”