PARIS, France — Katie Ledecky took home her first gold of the Paris Games, triathletes finally got approval to swim in the Seine, and U.S. men's basketball is heading to the quarterfinals.
Here's what happened on Day 5.
Ledecky dominates again
Katie Ledecky gritted her teeth and flexed her left arm atop the lane rope.
There was plenty of splashing, too, by one of the most accomplished swimmers to ever dive into the pool.
Ledecky dominated the 1,500-meter freestyle at the Paris Games on Wednesday for her eighth Olympic gold medal and 12th medal overall.
And that might not even have been the most impressive performance on a big night in the pool.
France's Léon Marchand completed one of the most audacious doubles in swimming history by winning the 200 butterfly and the 200 breaststroke about two hours apart.
There was also a world record in the 100 freestyle as Pan Zhanle of China lowered his own mark.
BMX
Deng Yawen of China won gold in the women’s freestyle BMX competition at the Paris Olympics, while five-time world champion Hannah Roberts of the United States crashed out of both of her runs and failed to medal.
Perris Benegas of the U.S. rose to the occasion going from fourth place at the Tokyo Games to a silver medal with 90.70 points.
Natalya Diehm of Australia had two clean runs and her first of 88.80 points was good enough for bronze.
US women's soccer
Trinity Rodman and Korbin Albert both scored and the United States remained undefeated at the Olympics with a 2-1 victory over Australia on Wednesday to conclude the group stage.
The Americans, who already qualified for the quarterfinals, will play Japan on Saturday at Parc des Princes in Paris.
Triathlon success
An ambitious plan to clean up the long-polluted Seine River paid off when the swimming portions of the Paris Olympics triathlons were finally held in the waterway Wednesday.
After a couple of canceled swim practices and a day’s delay because of the river’s water quality, the women’s and men’s events finished in spectacular fashion — on the Pont Alexandre III bridge with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
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“It’s magical,” said newly minted gold medalist Cassandre Beaugrand of France. “It’s the best route we’ve had in a long time and I know all the other athletes feel the same.”
Beaugrand navigated slippery roads that turned the cycling portion into a series of spills following an early morning rain.
The men's triathlon, which started less than an hour after the women finished, there was plenty of stifling heat and humidity to deal with as the sun came out in full force. Alex Yee of Britain used a burst at the end to catch and pass Hayden Wilde of New Zealand to win the gold medal by six seconds.
U.S. men's basketball
The U.S. men’s basketball team had an easier time with South Sudan in the rematch than it did when the teams first met a couple of weeks ago. The U.S. clinched a trip to the quarterfinals with a 103-86 victory.
Men's gymnastics upset
Shinnosuke Oka won the men’s all-around gymnastics title at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, upsetting the two main favorites to extend Japan's dominance in a final that came down to the wire.
The former junior world champion whose career was put on hold by a serious knee injury two years ago edged Zhang Boheng and Xiao Ruoteng, both of China, to claim his second gold medal in three days at his first Olympics, by just 0.233 points.