XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Wrap)

A lot of this competition is mockery or attacking your opponent--either their character or their moves. But at the end of the day, it's all love.

One of the E! commentators (either B-Boy Kid David or B-Boy Ronnie) 

First Olympic breaking competition, Aug. 9, 2024

Faster, Higher, Stronger -- Together

Olympic motto

Revised July 20, 2021

Final Paris 2024 medal standings: 

1. United States 40 gold, 44 silver, 42 bronze, 126 total
2. China 40, 27, 24, 91
3. Japan 20, 12, 13, 45
4. Australia 18, 19, 16, 53
5. France 16, 26, 22, 64
6. Netherlands 15, 7, 12, 34
7. Great Britain 14, 22, 29, 65
8. South Korea 13, 9, 10, 32
9. Italy 12, 13, 15, 40
10. Germany 12, 13, 8, 33
11. New Zealand 10, 7, 3, 20
12. Canada 9, 7, 11, 27
13. Uzbekistan 8, 2, 3, 13
14. Hungary 6, 7, 6, 19
15. Spain 5, 4, 9, 18
16. Sweden 4, 4, 3, 11
17. Kenya 4, 2, 5, 11
18. Norway 4, 1, 3, 8
19. Ireland 4, 0, 3, 7
20. Brazil 3, 7, 10, 20
21. Iran 3, 6, 3, 12
22. Ukraine 3, 5, 4, 12
23. Romania 3, 4, 2, 9
24. Georgia 3, 3, 1, 7
25. Belgium 3, 1, 6, 10
26. Bulgaria 3, 1, 3, 7
27. Serbia 3, 1, 1, 5
28. Czech Republic 3, 0, 2, 5
29. Denmark 2, 2, 5, 9
T30. Azerbaijan 2, 2, 3, 7
T30. Croatia 2, 2, 3, 7
32. Cuba 2, 1, 6, 9
33. Bahrain 2, 1, 1, 4
34. Slovenia 2, 1, 0, 3
35. Taiwan 2, 0, 5, 7
36. Austria 2, 0, 3, 5
T37. Hong Kong 2, 0, 2, 4
T37. Philippines 2, 0, 2, 4
T39. Algeria 2, 0, 1, 3
T39. Indonesia 2, 0, 1, 3
41. Israel 1, 5, 1, 7
42. Poland 1, 4, 5, 10
43. Kazakhstan 1, 3, 3, 7
T44. Jamaica 1, 3, 2, 6
T44. South Africa 1, 3, 2, 6
T44. Thailand 1, 3, 2, 6
T44. Individual Neutral Athletes 1, 3, 1, 5
47. Ethiopia 1, 3, 0, 4
48. Switzerland 1, 2, 5, 8
49. Ecuador 1, 2, 2, 5
50. Portugal 1, 2, 1, 4
51. Greece 1, 1, 6, 8
T52. Argentina 1, 1, 1, 3
T52. Egypt 1, 1, 1, 3
T52. Tunisia 1, 1, 1, 3
T55. Botswana 1, 1, 0, 2
T55. Chile 1, 1, 0, 2
T55. Saint Lucia 1, 1, 0, 2
T55. Uganda 1, 1, 0, 2
59. Dominican Republic 1, 0, 2, 3
T60. Guatemala 1, 0, 1, 2
T60. Morocco 1, 0, 1, 2
T62. Dominica 1, 0, 0, 1
T62. Pakistan 1, 0, 0, 1
64. Turkey 0, 3, 5, 8
65. Mexico 0, 3, 2, 5
T66. Armenia 0, 3, 1, 4
T66. Colombia 0, 3, 1, 4
T68. Kyrgyzstan 0, 2, 4, 6
T68. North Korea 0, 2, 4, 6
70. Lithuania 0, 2, 2, 4
71. India 0, 1, 5, 6
72. Moldova 0, 1, 3, 4
73. Kosovo 0, 1, 1, 2
T74. Cyprus 0, 1, 0, 1
T74. Fiji 0, 1, 0, 1
T74. Jordan 0, 1, 0, 1
T74. Mongolia 0, 1, 0, 1
T74. Panama 0, 1, 0, 1
79. Tajikistan 0, 0, 3, 3
T80. Albania 0, 0, 2, 2
T80. Grenada 0, 0, 2, 2
T80. Malaysia 0, 0, 2, 2
T80. Puerto Rico 0, 0, 2, 2
T84. Cape Verde 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Ivory Coast 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Peru 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Qatar 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Refugee Olympic Team 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Singapore 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Slovakia 0, 0, 1, 1
T84. Zambia 0, 0, 1, 1

Previous reports:

-- I Olympic Summer Games, Athens 1896

-- XXX Olympic Summer Games, London 2012 

-- XXXI Olympic Summer Games, Rio 2016 

-- XXXII Olympic Summer Games, Tokyo 2020

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day -2-Day 8)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 9)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 10)
-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 11)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 12)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Day 13)

-- XXXIII Olympic Summer Games, Paris 2024 (Days 14-16 Before Closing Ceremonies)

Oh, Kentucky

Kentucky Monthly with its October issue has opened a series, "The Price of Coal," and the first part by Rod Soodhalter is very, very good. And eBay has a grim picture for sale with the following evocative cutline ...

Kentucky's Jim Beam workers may be going on strike.

WKU moved its Major Redz dance team because of security concerns following its national-anthem protest at the Hilltoppers' Oct. 1 football game.

Silas House is coming home. "The first piece of writing I ever had published was in 1982 when the Olympic torch passed through Laurel County on its way to Los Angeles. Back then they had runners carry the torch all the way across the nation, and people lined up all down US 25 to watch the torch pass. I was so moved by the experience that I went home and wrote a little essay about it and it was published in the Sentinel Echo. They paid me five dollars. I was 11. I spent the money on a Star Wars action figure."

"Special consideration will be given to ornaments featuring Paducah’s history, landmarks, name, etc."

A pretty sunset in Lexington, Kentucky, by @oliverstarks pic.twitter.com/lO0YLsfwNF

— ScenesOfTheBluegrass (@BluegrassScenes) October 13, 2016

Rest in Peace, Pat Summitt (1952-2016)

On the first day of practice for the 1999-2000 college-basketball season, I was in Knoxville, Tenn., to watch the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers. The Lady Vols were coming off a season in which they had won 31 of the 34 games they played in, and you'd think that performance would be something to be happy about. But you'd be wrong about the 1999-2000 Lady Vols and especially their Hall of Fame coach, Pat Summitt, because Tennessee had won three national championships in a row before winning 31 or 34 but losing out in the previous tournament.

Practice has been going on for about 20 minutes, and a brand-new freshman Lady Vol passes the ball to one of her teammates. The teammate is on the run toward the basket, but she has to break stride to reach back and catch the pass.

"Erica! Erica! Erica!" Coach Summitt thunders, running onto the court from the sideline, yelling at the player who had passed the ball ("Erica" was not the real name of the freshman, who actually turned out to be a really, really great player, but I'm still not going to publicly call out the poor woman for a totally understandable lapse of concentration when she was 18 years old).

"Deliver the pass so that the receiver can be successful with the ball!”

Good advice in any job. Rest in peace, Coach Patricia Sue (Head) Summitt of Clarksville, Tennessee.