75000 Adele Fans Cheer For Sha'Carri Richardson

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👋 Hey Team USA Fans!

A lot has happened in the past 24 hours at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the French capital and it has surely changed Team USA’s Olympic history and altered the careers of many for the better. In today’s EssentiallySports Daily newsletter, we will divulge into how Stephen Nedoroscik aka Clark Kent of Team USA earned his first individual Olympic medal despite impairment.

On the flip side, with legendary swimmer, Michael Phelps standing in support, Katie Ledecky rewrote history when she went against her Aussie rival, Ariarne Titmus. While on the track and field side, Carl Lewis chose his favorite between Sha’Carri Richardson and Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce in an exclusive interview with us. Talking about Richardson, she has gained a super fan in Adele as the 36-year-old singer put millions of dollars at stake just to watch her run!

Let's dive deeper to uncover all these stories! 

🥇MEDAL COUNT

Make way for America! Here we come!

🙌 HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY

75000 Adele Fans Cheer For Sha'Carri Richardson

One’s adrenaline soars in any track and field they watch, and when its Sha’Carri in 100m at Paris Olympics? It doubles up! So much so that even Adele could not resist watching Sha’Carri Richardson’s dazzling debut while putting her live concert on the line in Munich. Although the fans didn’t request to watch the LSU alum run the 100m race on the purple tracks, Adele was excited. The 36-year-old had 75,000 fans in attendance at the bespoke arena built just for her. Talk about fancy!

But Adele pulled out the broadcast of the 100m final race at Stade de France on the 220 meters (240.5 yards) wide gigantic screen, and she said, “Yeah I’ll sing Hello in a minute. Let me watch the race first,” so the fans did. Collectively, more than $34 million was at stake [$455 per person and you get the figure] and more if legal suit follows, as they waited for Richardson to win her first Olympic medal. But did she?

Although Adele backed the 24-year-old runner, Richardson fell short by just 0.15 seconds and finished second to Jamaica’s Julien Alfred. After recording 10.71 in the trials for the Paris Olympics the fastest 100m time in the world this season, the Texas native was expected to have a champion finish but sufficed herself with a silver, clocking 10.78. Richardson will have another chance for gold at the 4x100m relay race on Friday. 

Dive Deeper: Sha’Carri Richardson’s Love Forces Adele to Take $34 Million Risk in Munich for Paris Olympics

📊 POLL OF THE DAY

🌟 ES EXCLUSIVE

Carl Lewis Picks Between Shelly-Ann & Sha'Carri

Well, it was not just Adele who was cheering for Sha’Carri Richardson; it seems. Even the 9-time Olympic medalist Carl Lewis was in awe and assured of the 24-year-old to win a gold and end the three-decade-old drought in the women’s American Track and Field history [last time, Gail Devers emerged as the gold champion at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics]. In an exclusive chat with EssentiallySports’ correspondent Shreya Verma, Lewis expressed his support for Richardson and said, “I love Sha’Carri.” 

And like many Americans hoping for the 24-year-old to bring home the gold, Lewis was hopeful too, but he didn't downplay Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce either. He said, “On the women’s side, Sha’Carri just looks the best.” With a nod to Fraser-Pryce, Lewis said, “I really love Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. She’s wonderful. It’ll be great to see her on the podium. I said podium. I said that on the top.” But it is well known how Richardson’s 100, race concluded. On the other hand, Fraser Pryce did not even enter the 100m finals as she withdrew from the semis, citing an injury she endured during her warm-up session. 

Lewis’s prediction for the 2024 Summer Olympics’ 100m race did not turn out better. Yet, it was a celebratory day for the American fans because, in the end, two Americans (Richardson and Melissa Jefferson) clinched the medals.  

Dive Deeper: Carl Lewis Makes Tough Choice Between Sha’Carri Richardson & Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Exclusive)

😎 HERO OF THE DAY

Despite 2 Eye Conditions, Stephen Nedoroscik Wins Bronze

The man who solved a rubic cube in under 20 seconds is making waves in the gymnastics world, and that too on an Olympic level! Nothing could stop Stephen Nedoroscik as he reached the podium for his first-ever individual medal at the Bercy Arena! Not even his eye conditions viz. coloboma and strabismus. The former makes the 25-year-old sensitive to light, while the latter causes double visions, making it difficult on the pommel house. Previously, the Clark Kent of Team USA had taken the fans by storm as he assisted his team for a bronze at the team event, scoring 14.866. And on Saturday, he repeated his exceptional form on the pommel horse and became the only fourth American to win an individual medal at the Olympics since World War II.

Quite a feat for someone struggling with his vision and still dominating the field. Nedoroscik revealed that even with two eye impairments, why it doesn’t affect him much? He said, “I don’t even really see when I’m doing my gymnastics. It’s all in the hands—I can feel everything.” So, he scored 15.300 in the finals and although not a gold as he had aspired, took home his first Olympic Bronze medal from the Bercy Arena. Undoubtedly, a start for many to come, as he was already excited to “run it back” at the 2028 LA Games.

Dive Deeper: Fighting Similar Medical Condition As Rebeca Andrarde, Stephen Nedoroscik Silences Noise With Paris Olympics Medal

Phelps Backed Ledecky to Win Titmus Saga

At the 400m freestyle event, Katie Ledecky was just seconds off from getting herself a gold medal as the Australian arch-rival Ariarne Titmus rose to be the winner. However, the 14-time Olympic medalist was not disappointed as she faced Titmus again at the 800m freestyle and defeated her to carve a historical moment for the American women’s swimming history. After her loss to the woman from Land Down Under, the Flying Fish, Micheal Phelps had cheered for Ledecky and supported her as one of the best swimmers of this era. He had said, “Katie Ledecky… she’s really made a name for herself, really becoming a dominant name in the sport.” 

With Phelps’ and many others like Dawn Staley, and Dallas Wings’ Kalani Brown, Ledecky bagged four medals (gold in the 800m and 1500m freestyles, silver in the 4x200m relay, and bronze in the 400m free) at the Paris Olympics and after clocking the 800m at eight minutes and 11.02 seconds, she became the only swimmer after Michael Phelps to win four consecutive Olympic golds in the same events. Surprisingly, Ledecky did that on a special date, August 03, the same date when she won her first gold at the age of 15 in the 2012 London Games. She said, “When I saw it was Aug. 3, I was like, ‘Oh boy, I’ve got to get the job done.’” And the job was done at the La Defense Arena as the crowd roared for Ledecky’s scintillating victory. 

Dive Deeper: Michael Phelps Support Helps Katie Ledecky Destroy Ariarne Titmus in Biggest Swimming Saga at Paris Olympics

📝 STORIES YOU SHOULDN’T MISS!

1. What Nails Did Sha’Carri Richardson Have During the 100M Finals at Paris Olympics? - Full Story

2. Why was Team USA’s Alex Walsh disqualified? Why did the swimming star lose her bronze medal? - Full Story

3. What Rule Change Led to Sha'Carri Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Late Entry at Paris Olympics? - Full Story

4. Overcoming Depression Struggle, Noah Lyles Puts Paris Olympics Rivals on Notice: “Scared for Everybody” - Full Story

Paris Olympics Live: Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Swimming, Athletics and More Team USA Updates

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