Competing in her third Olympic Games, San Diego State alum Shanieka Ricketts on Saturday took home her first medal, a silver, in the triple jump.
At the Stade de France for the Paris Olympics, Ricketts, a member of the Jamaican team, saw her second jump, 14.87m, stand up to make the podium. In subsequent tries, she could not overcome Dominica’s Thea LaFond, who also posted her best distance on her second jump, 15.02m.
American Jasmine Moore, from Texas, rounded out the medal winners, with a jump of 14.67m for the bronze. LaFond also made history, winning her country’s first Olympic medal.
“It went spectacular. This is a dream come true,” Ricketts told Olympics.com. “I’m just grateful and I feel like I have a lot of gratitude for everything I’ve achieved.”
She also called her medal “redemption” for the last Olympics, in Tokyo, where she finished fourth, just off the podium. Ricketts, competing as Shanieka Thomas, attended SDSU from 2011-14 and was a three-time NCAA triple jump champion.
Tennis
Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul won a bronze medal in men’s doubles Saturday, giving the U.S. two spots on the podium.
Fritz, a Torrey Pines High alum, defeated the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek 6-3 6-4. to join Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram as U.S. medalists.
Krajicek and Ram took silver when they fell to Australia’s Matthew Ebden and John Peer in the gold-medal match.
On the way to their bronze medal, Fritz and Paul eliminated British star Andy Murray, who is retiring, and his partner, Daniel Evans, 6-2, 6-4.
“He’s someone I’ve looked up to my whole life,” Fritz told ATPTour.com, “so it’s sad and also kind of crazy to be the ones to play him in his last match.”
Golf
Heading into Sunday’s final round of Olympic golf, defending gold medalist Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm of Spain are the co-leaders.
Schauffele, the winner at the Tokyo games, has had a share of the lead in the last two rounds, but had trouble Saturday, shooting a 68 to finish at 14-under. An eagle on the 14th hole gave him a boost.
Rahm’s five-under 66 tied him for the tournament lead with Schauffele, another SDSU alum.
“You need to be be in position to win on that back nine and try and fall on some previous experience and get it done,” Schauffele told the Associated Press.
Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood sits in third, one shot behind Schauffele, winner of two golf majors since May, and Rahm, who won majors in 2021 and 2023.
A flock of stars though are close behind, including Scottie Scheffler, also on the U.S. team, and Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, while Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard shot up the leaderboard with a 9-under 62. Seven golfers are within four shots of the co-leaders.
Soccer
The U.S. women advanced in Paris Saturday, eliminating Japan 1-0 in soccer with a late goal by Trinity Rodman.
The quarterfinal remained scoreless at the Parc des Princes in Paris until extra time when Rodman let loose with a left-footed shot over the Japanese goalkeeper and into the upper-left of the net.
The U.S. faces Germany in a 9 a.m. semifinal on Tuesday. Spain and Brazil will vie for the other slot in the gold-medal game.
Three Americans, including San Diego Wave FC’s Naomi Girma, played every minute of the group stage; Girma also did so in the quarterfinal. Jaedyn Shaw, Girma’s Wave teammate and a member of the U.S. team, did not play Saturday.
