Olympics 2024 what to watch: Sha'Carri Richardson, Argentina soccer

What to watch for 2024 Paris Olympics: Sha’Carri Richardson makes Olympic debut Friday, August 2

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FILE - Sha’Carri Richardson celebrates her win in the women’s 100-meter run final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. All signs point toward Richardson getting that win in the Olympic 100-meter final, set for Aug. 3 at the Stade de France. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

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FILE - Sha’Carri Richardson celebrates her win in the women’s 100-meter run final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. Yes, the 24-year-old favorite in the Olympic 100 meters has been open and honest about her quest to become a more appreciative, mindful version of the person whose positive marijuana test at the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials was her unfortunate introduction to a world that knew very little about her.(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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United States’ Kevin Paredes celebrates scoring his side’s 3rd goal during the men’s Group A soccer match between the United States and Guinea, at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Saint-Etienne, France. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

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France’s Alexandre Lacazette celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the men’s Group A soccer match between France and the United States at the Velodrome stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

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Argentina’s Julian Alvarez gestures during the men’s Group B soccer match agaisnt Ukraine at the Lyon stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Decines, France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

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Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates his victory over Tommy Paul, of United States during their men’s quarter-final match at the Roland Garros stadium, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

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Leon Marchand, of France, competes in a men’s 200-meter individual medley semifinal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Nanterre, France, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Sha’Carri Richardson makes her long-awaited Olympic debut as track and field rev up Friday at the Paris Olympics. Excitement in men’s soccer and tennis round out an action-packed day.

Here is a guide of what to look out for:

Richardson’s Olympic debut

Richardson missed the Tokyo Games because of a positive marijuana test at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. She will debut as the favorite in the women’s 100-meter dash in a first-round heat that starts at 11:50 a.m. CEST (5:50 a.m. EDT).

Richardson is the reigning world champion in the event, and her 10.71-second sprint at the U.S. trials in June made her the fastest woman in the world this year.

Shericka Jackson of Jamaica said Wednesday she will not run in the 100, where she was expected to challenge Richardson for gold. Richardson will still face tough competition from three-time Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, who has won the race twice. Fraser-Pryce is competing in her fifth and final Olympics.

Elaine Thompson-Herah, the two-time reigning Olympic champion in the 100 and 200, will miss the Paris Games because of an injury.

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Marchand looks to continue Paris dominance

France’s Léon Marchand aims for his fourth gold medal of the 2024 Games when he swims in the 200-meter individual medley at 8:43 p.m. CEST (2:43 EDT) at Paris La Defense Area.

Marchand dominated the 400 individual medley Sunday, then won the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke about two hours apart Wednesday night.

Also Friday, American Caeleb Dressel will go for his ninth Olympic gold medal and second in Paris when he competes in the men’s 50-meter freestyle final at 8:30 p.m. CEST (2:30 p.m. EDT). Dressel anchored the U.S. men’s 4x100 freestyle relay team that won gold on Saturday.

Additionally, the women’s 200 backstroke final starts at 8:36 p.m. CEST (2:36 p.m. EDT).

U.S. men end drought, France and Argentina clash in men’s soccer

The U.S. men’s soccer team will play Morocco in its first Olympic quarterfinal match in 24 years — since the 2000 Sydney Games.

The Americans are playing in the Olympics for the first time since 2008. They bounced back from their opening loss to France by winning back-to-back games against New Zealand and Guinea.

The match is set to begin at 3 p.m. CEST (9 a.m. EDT) at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

The other men’s quarterfinal matchups are Japan vs. Spain starting at 5 p.m. CEST (11 a.m. EDT) at Lyon Stadium; and Egypt vs. Paraguay starting at 7 p.m. CEST (1 p.m. EDT) at Marseille Stadium.

A clash between bitter soccer rivals France and Argentina at 9 p.m. CEST (3 p.m. EDT) at Bordeaux Stadium will round out the night. It’s a rematch of the 2022 World Cup final in which Argentina won in a penalty shootout.

Excitement in men’s tennis

The men’s tennis singles semifinals will start at 12 p.m. CEST (6 a.m. EDT).

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz will play Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada. Alcaraz advanced to the semis by eliminating American Tommy Paul 6-3, 7-6 (7) on Thursday. The win made Alcaraz the youngest man to reach the singles semifinals at a Summer Games since Novak Djokovic in 2008.

Lorenzo Musetti of Italy will play Djokovic in the second semifinal after beating Tokyo Games gold medalist Alexander Zverev in their quarterfinal match.

The mixed doubles gold-medal match at Roland Garros begins at 7 p.m. CEST (1 p.m. EDT).

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)