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 SAINT-DENIS, France — Before her fourth attempt in the Olympic women’s long jump final, Tara Davis-Woodhall spent time near the spectator stands, chatting with her husband. Hunter Woodhall’s seat inside Stade de France was far removed from where the athletes sat and warmed up between their jumps. So after that conversation, Davis-Woodhall had to make the long walk back, past the length of the sand pit. Suddenly, she stopped. She was staring at the sand, pressing her hands together and pointing to a particular mark.

To that point Thursday night, no one but Davis-Woodhall had eclipsed seven meters — and she wasn’t particularly impressed with her performance, even though she had been in medal position from her first attempt and was in the middle of putting down one of the best series of Olympic jumps by an American woman. In that moment, as she pointed toward the sand, Davis-Woodhall visualized her next landing spot. When she took off, sprinting, flying and stretching, her jump was recorded at 7.10 meters (23 feet 3½ inches). Immediately, she turned back to the pit. She was looking at her mark, and even before the official measurement appeared on the jumbo screens, Davis-Woodhall saw gold.

With that leap, Davis-Woodhall became just the fourth U.S. woman to win a gold medal in the long jump. Her performance was so dominant that even her next-best jump — a 7.05 (23-1½) recorded in her second attempt — would have been good enough for gold. Both marks crushed Davis-Woodhall’s winning leap in last year’s U.S. indoor championships, though she was stripped of that title after testing positive for cannabis. In Paris, while reflecting on her life and career, she spoke of her path to redemption.

I’ve been dreaming of this moment for so long, ever since I was 4 years old,” Davis-Woodhall said. “I’ve gone through hell and back. I have, like, faced everything that you can imagine, and I told myself: 8-0-8. That’s the day I win the Olympics.”

If jumping on Aug. 8 wasn’t enough of a sign, that the long jump finals started at 8 p.m. local time cemented it for Davis-Woodhall. She viewed it as kind of destiny, the perfect time and date to make amends for her sixth-place finish at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She left those Games without a medal, but in the year leading up to Paris, Davis-Woodhall followed a new winning plan: eating red meat and blocking fools on social media. The combination improved her nutrition — and her mental health.

“I try so hard to keep on being positive this year and keep on being motivated,” she said. “That motivation turned into manifestation, and manifestation turned into a reality, and the reality is I’m an Olympic gold medalist.”

Behind Davis-Woodhall stood Malaika Mihambo of Germany (6.98, 22-103/4), the silver medalist, and U.S. teammate Jasmine Moore (6.96, 22-10), who claimed bronze. By the time that trio closed the competition with their sixth and final jumps, all three knew they would be leaving with a medal. The only drama remaining was whether Moore and Mihambo could at least threaten Davis-Woodhall’s mark. But Moore couldn’t beat her previous best, and Mihambo, who won gold in Tokyo, missed the board and instead ran through the pit.

Davis-Woodhall didn’t turn around to watch; she looked only at her coach. She was still looking away, mentally preparing herself for one more jump, as the moan from the crowd informed her of Mihambo’s misfortune.

“I’ve had first place taken away from me multiple times. I wanted to just keep on staying in the moment,” Davis-Woodhall said, “and when I heard the crowd Oooo! I was like, ‘Oh no!’ Like, I wish I would’ve paid attention and watched her jump, and I wish she would’ve gotten that jump in, but on the upside, I’ve got an Olympic gold medal.”

Give Davis-Woodhall a camera and a microphone, and the charismatic and charming YouTube sensation will sprinkle in viral-ready moments throughout a 4½-minute media session. When asked how she felt about eclipsing seven meters twice, she quipped: “The fact that I jumped a 7.10, holy sheee-!” When she was told that Simone Biles and Snoop Dogg watched the track and field session as part of a near-capacity crowd of 80,000, Davis-Woodhall’s eyes widen and her jaw dropped. “What? Shut up!”

But give her a runway and a sandpit, and that’s when Davis-Woodhall truly becomes a star. No one quite commanded the crowd Thursday night like she did. Before every jump, Davis-Woodhall spread her arms and slowly, dramatically, began to clap. Even when she wasn’t shown on the big screen, the crowd followed her lead, clapping right along. Before that epic fourth jump, she raised her arms and flashed a heart gesture. Then she seemed to land just about at the spot she had previously located on her walk back down the runway. The spot that won gold.

“Is this real, am I dreaming?” she said. “Someone pinch me.”

Paris Olympics 2024 so far

The Paris Olympics are officially underway after the daring Opening Ceremonies. Keep up with all the action by following us live, subscribing to our newsletter and listening to our podcast.

How to watch: Follow all the Olympic events and TV listings with our daily schedule and find out how to tune in or where to subscribe to watch. If you’re new to the Olympics, we’ve got a guide for that.

Medals: We’re tracking all the Olympic medals country by country, including firsts and comparisons to the 2020 Olympics. See the U.S. medals broken down by athletes, too.

U.S. athletes: Top Team USA athletes like Noah Lyles, Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky are some of the athletes to watch, but there are some familiar faces that are missing this year.

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 PARIS — Breaking — more commonly called breakdancing — is making its Olympic debut here at the 2024 Paris Games. The competition opens with the B-girls, and medals will be decided by the end of the day today. The B-boys will then close it out on Saturday.

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you everything you need to know, live updates and highlights as the competition unfolds. Follow along.

Logan Edra, known as "B-Girl Logistx," brought it. She won all nine votes in each round of her first battle against an Australian competitor, Rachael “B-Girl Raygun” Gunn. Logistx knew she had it in the bag and made the Vince Carter “it’s over” throat slas at the conclusion of the second round.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Breaking at Olympics results, scores

Here are the round robin battle results as they come in. There are two rounds per battle, nine votes up for grabs per round.

• Lithuania’s Nicka 1 (11 votes) vs. France’s Syssy 1 (7 votes), Group B
• USA’s Logistx 2 (18) vs. Australia’s Raygun 0 (0), Group B
• Japan’s Ami 2 (17) vs. Italy’s Anti 0 (1), Group C
• China’s Ying Zi 2 (18) vs. Morocco’s Elmamouny 0 (0), Group C
• Japan’s Ayumi 1 (10) vs. Ukraine’s Stefani 1 (8), Group D
• Ukraine’s Kate 2 (15) vs. France’s Carlota 0 (3), Group D

Team Refugee athlete wears ‘Free Afghan Women’ cape 

Manizha Talash, or “B-Girl Talash,” represented the Refugee Olympic Team at these Games and participated in the first battle in Olympic history during a pre-tournament qualifier. During the third round, Talash – who now resides in Spain – donned a “Free Afghan Women” cape.

The cape appeared to be a blatant violation of Rule 50 of the Olympic charter, which prohibits political protests or messaging on the field of play. The IOC, which created the Refugee Olympic Team, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. And Talash was whisked past print reporters in the mixed zone without taking questions.

"What she did on stage I think is enough," a man accompanying her said.

The Netherlands’ India Sardjoe, or “B-Girl India,” defeated Talash in the three-round pre-qualifier to eliminate the Refugee Olympic Team breaker from the competition.

Netherlands' India wins opening breaking battle

Manizha Talash, “B-Girl Talash,” represented the refugee team at these Games and participated in the first battle in Olympic history during a pre-tournament qualifier. During the third round, Talash – who now resides in Spain – donned a “Free Afghan Women” cape. 

The Netherlands’ India Sardjoe, “B-Girl India,” defeated her 27-0 in the three-round event. 

Snoop Dogg opens up breaking competition

The inaugural breaking competition began in a most fitting way: With Snoop Dogg banging a staff into the ground thrice. Before every event in Paris, a guest of honor is brought out to do what has is called the “les trois coups, s'il vous plait,” which directly translates to “three hits, please.” The ritual is a celebration of France’s theater culture, according to Eurosport. Snoop performed his duties with aplomb before the b-girls were introduced. 

Why is breakdancing an Olympic sport?

Yes. Breaking is part of the new wave of sports that the International Olympic Committee has ushered in as part of a broader effort to appeal to younger fans and add an urban flair to the Summer Games. It follows the addition of sports such as skateboarding and surfing, which debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

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 Actors Naga Chaitanya and Sobhita Dhulipala are engaged. The couple hard-launched their relationship with pictures from the engagement ceremony, shared by Chay's dad, Nagarjuna. (Also read: Naga Chaitanya, Sobhita Dhulipala engagement this afternoon: Exclusive details from ceremony)

With dad's blessings

Nagarjuna wrote on social media, “We are delighted to announce the engagement of our son, Naga Chaitanya, to Sobhita Dhulipala, which took place this morning at 9:42 a.m.!! We are overjoyed to welcome her into our family. Congratulations to the happy couple! Wishing them a lifetime of love and happiness. God bless! 8.8.8A beginning of infinite love."

The photos show Sobhita in a beautiful peach silk saree and traditional gold jewellery. Her hair is adorned with peach flowers. Chay looks royal in his all-white outfit.

Fans of the couple showed the two with blessings. “Big big congratulations,” wrote a fan. “Best wishes to Chay and the Akkineni family,” read another comment. A follower wrote, “Congratulations to Akkineni Family.”

The ceremony was organised at Nagarjuna's home in Hyderabad, as per an exclusive report by HT. Nagarjuna’s wife Amala Akkineni, and Akhil, Chaitanya’s brother, were present along with Dhulipala’s parents at the engagement ceremony, according to a source close to Chay. They did not want to be identified.

Nagarjuna and family reside in a luxurious home in the upscale location of Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad. The house is a landmark for Telugu movie fans.

Last year in September, rumours of Naga's ‘second marriage’ surfaced online. Sources close to the actor had then denied the same. “He is still going strong with Sobhita. We have not seen them breaking up or something. They are dating discreetly. They will not come out in the open with their relationship anytime soon, unless and until they decide to get married or engaged. They are not hassled about getting spotted together, but it will be a private thing till they officiate it with a ceremony,” the insider told us.

He was previously married to Samantha Ruth Prabhu. They split in 2021.

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 VIENNA (AP) — Both suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, Austrian authorities said Thursday, and investigators found bomb-making materials at one of their homes. Officials said one of the two confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.”

Three sold-out concerts were canceled a day earlier because of the plot, devastating Swifties from across the globe. Many of them had dropped thousands of euros (dollars) on travel and lodging in Austria’s expensive capital city to attend the Eras Tour shows at the Ernst Happel Stadium, which sat empty Thursday morning as media filmed outside.

Concert organizers said they stood behind their decision, saying they expected up to 65,000 fans inside the stadium at each concert and as many as 30,000 onlookers outside, where authorities said the suspects planned to strike.

Officials told reporters that the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian, began working on his attack plans in July, and just a few weeks ago uploaded to the internet an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group. He planned to use knives or homemade explosives.

He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made,” said Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, citing the 19-year-old’s confession.

He was “clearly radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State and thinks it is right to kill infidels,” Haijawi-Pirchner added.

The 19-year-old quit his job on July 25 and made the statement “that he still had big plans.”

The foiled attack was planned for Thursday or Friday, according to Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner.

Neither suspect appeared to have a ticket to any of the shows, he said.

During a raid of the main suspect’s home in Ternitz, south of Vienna, investigators found chemical substances and technical devices that indicated “concrete preparatory acts,” said Franz Ruf, director general for public security at the Ministry of the Interior.

Authorities said they also found Islamic State group and al-Qaida material at the home of the second suspect, a 17-year-old Austrian. He was employed a few days ago by a company providing services at the venue for the concerts, and was arrested by special police forces near the stadium.

The 17-year-old, who has Turkish and Croatian roots and has so far refused to comment on the allegations, had broken up with his girlfriend recently, officials said, adding that both suspects had undergone clear social changes recently.

Both teens were arrested Tuesday. Neither’s name was released in line with Austrian privacy rules.

Karner, the interior minister, said that Austria’s intelligence service had worked closely together with foreign intelligence services to capture the two teens. He did not identify the services, but added that the help was needed because Austrian investigators, unlike some foreign services, can’t legally monitor text messages.

No other suspects are being sought, though a 15-year-old who had been in contact with both suspects was also interrogated by police, Karner said.

“The situation is serious. But we can also say: A tragedy was prevented,” he said.

Concert organizer Barracuda Music said in an Instagram post late Wednesday that it had “no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.”

Barracuda said all tickets would be refunded. The same message was posted under the Vienna dates on Swift’s official website. Austrian rail operator OeBB in the meantime said that it would reimburse fans for train tickets that had been bought, but not yet used, to get to the concerts.

Swift has not spoken publicly about the plot or canceled shows. “Taylor Nation,” a verified Instagram page widely believed to be run by her team, reposted the announcement from Barracuda Music in a “story,” which is only visible for 24 hours. Her main account has not posted anything.

Last month, an attacker in England 

Austrian Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler wrote on social platform X: “For many, a dream has been shattered today. On three evenings in Vienna, tens of thousands of #Swifties should have celebrated life together.”

“I am very sorry that you were denied this. Swifties stick together, hate and terror can’t destroy that,” Kogler added.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Thursday defended organizers’ decision to cancel the concerts, saying it was justified because the arrests of the suspects occurred too close to the shows, which were scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Swift is expected to perform at London’s Wembley stadium in five concerts between Aug. 15 and 20 to close the European leg of her record-setting Eras Tour.

In 2017, an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, killed 22 people. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi set up a knapsack bomb in Manchester Arena at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving. More than 100 people were injured. Abedi died in the explosion.

Swift’s biggest fear has always been that such large-scale violence could take place at her concerts, the superstar told Elle magazine in 2019 ahead of her Lover Tour, which was ultimately canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The attack at Grande’s concert, as well as a 2017 mass shooting at an outdoor country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip where 58 people were killed and 850 wounded, worried Swift as she prepared to circle the globe.

“I was completely terrified to go on (the Lover Tour) this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months,” she told the magazine. “There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe.”

An official inquiry reported in 2023 that Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, didn’t act swiftly enough on key information and missed a significant opportunity to prevent the bombing, the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.

Terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp, based at the Swedish Defense University in Stockholm, told The Associated Press by phone that any mass public event constitutes a potential threat now, and noted that concerts, like that of Ariana Grande, have been targeted.

“So we shouldn’t be surprised that these extremely popular iconic popstars that attract a massive audience will also attract terrorists that want to create fear and destruction and mayhem, and they target these concerts symbolically, culturally. In some ways Taylor Swift — and all these Swifties — is culturally and symbolically representative of the United States. She’s an American artist and has a massive, massive following.”