France Aim To Topple US Basketball All-Stars In Olympic Final

France, led by the towering Victor Wembanyama, are aiming to dethrone the mighty USA in the Olympic basketball final on Saturday as track and field wraps up in Paris. The women's golf tournament comes to a close, with two-time medallist Lydia Ko and Switzerland's Morgane Metraux in pole position, while the US take on Marta's Brazil in the women's football final. The star-studded US basketball team, led by LeBron James and Stephen Curry, were made to sweat by Serbia in Thursday's semi-final before an exhilarating fourth-quarter comeback, with Curry scoring 36 points.

The four-time defending champions will be favourites to beat France in a repeat of the gold medal match at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

But James, going for his third Olympic gold, knows it is unlikely to get any easier against the host nation, who can boast NBA Rookie of the Year Wembanyama.

"Super competitive. Obviously, this is Wemby's (Wembanyama's) first Olympics, but that team has been playing together for quite a while," he said.

"They've been feeding off the crowd, so we look forward to that match-up."

Kipchoge eyes marathon treble

Eight golds are on offer on the final night of track and field action at the Stade de France, while the men's marathon winds its way through the streets of Paris.

Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi shared high jump gold in one of the most memorable moments of the Tokyo Games.

But this time both come into the competition with questions over their fitness.

Tamberi was pictured in hospital this week having cited a high temperature and kidney pain, while Barshim appeared to injure his left calf during qualifying.

Reigning world champion Tamberi, who has jumped a highest of 2.37 metres in 2024, wants his