All Eyes on Paris: Biles Shines, Medals Galore, and Fencing Showdown

The Paris Games heats up with Simone Biles aiming for her ninth Olympic medal. Numerous events including rowing, swimming, race walking, and fencing offer a total of 18 gold medals. Highlights include the women's 4x200 freestyle relay and the men's Olympic golf tournament featuring Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.

All eyes turn to Bercy Arena at the Paris Games on Thursday, as American gymnast Simone Biles aims to add to her impressive medal tally. The athletics program starts with race walks, and golf kicks off with a star-studded lineup.

In France, 18 gold medals are on the line today, divided across rowing, swimming, judo, sailing, athletics, shooting, artistic gymnastics, and fencing. Simone Biles is heavily favored to claim her ninth Olympic medal in the all-around final, following a team gold earlier this week. The race for silver is expected to be a thrilling contest between the U.S.'s Sunisa Lee and Brazil's Rebeca Andrade.

The United States faces stiff competition in the pool, particularly in the women's 4x200 freestyle relay where Australia and China pose significant threats. The race walking events return to Paris, with Massimo Stando among the top contenders. Rowing sees four golds at stake, and China's Liu Yukun aims for his first-ever Olympic gold in shooting. The U.S. fencing team, led by Lee Kiefer, also seeks to add to its medal haul.

(With inputs from agencies.)