The Tokyo Paralympics came to a close on Sunday, marking the end of two weeks of competition featuring roughly 4,500 athletes from 161 nations competing in 539 events across 22 sports. After the year-long delay and ongoing Covid-19 complications, the games finally came to fruition. Though fans and families were not permitted to attend, the unbelievable accomplishments of these amazing athletes were nevertheless on full display. 

Here’s eight of the most memorable moments from the 16th edition of the Summer Paralympics.

1. USA Sitting Volleyball defeats archrival China for gold

The USA and China have met in the sitting volleyball gold medal match at every Paralympics since 2008. China won the first two match ups, taking gold in 2008 and 2012, with the U.S. finally coming out on top for their first gold in the sport in Rio 2016. During pool play in Tokyo, the Americans lost to China 0-3 for what would be their only loss of the tournament. After beating Brazil in the semis to earn a re-match versus China for gold, the U.S. came out strong and took a 2-0 lead in the first two sets. China recovered to take the third set and force a fourth, something neither team had experienced since arriving in Japan. After battling back and forth through most of the fourth, the U.S. pulled away and won 25-19 to repeat as gold medalists against their rivals.

2. Jessica Long. That’s it. That’s the tweet

Jessica Long has been the most prolific Paralympic medalist for Team USA for the past 17 years. In Tokyo, in her fifth Paralympic games, the 29-year-old added six medals, including three golds (100m butterfly, 200m medley, 4x100m medley relay), to bring her career total to 29. Only one American Paralympian, swimmer Trischa Zorn-Hudson, has ever won more.

3. Oksana Masters becomes a four (!) sport medalist

Having previously medaled in the Paralympic sports of rowing, cross country skiing, and biathlon, Masters won two Tokyo gold medals in cycling in the time trial (H4-5) and the road race (H5). With these most recent victories, she has solidified her standing as the most versatile American athlete in Olympic or Paralympic history. After finishing just off the podium in Rio, Oksana won her two cycling golds in back-to-back days just four months after recovering from leg surgery.

4. Kendall Gretsch’s photo finish

When her wheelchair classification was not included in the 2016 Paralympics for triathlon, American Kendall Gretsch took a note from Oksana Masters’ playbook and took up cross country skiing. At the 2018 PyeongChang games, Gretsch and Masters finished one-two in the women’s 6km sitting biathlon event. Making her summer games debut in Tokyo, Gretsch was three and half minutes behind the leader after the swim portion in the PTWC triathlon. She quickly moved to second place during the recumbent hand cycle segment and then began reeling in the leader on the racing wheelchair section. With one kilometer left and a 25 second gap to close, Gretsch sprinted her way to the finish, catching reigning world champion Lauren Parker at the finish line to win the gold medal by one one-hundredth of a second.

GRETSCH GETS IT DONE FOR GOLD 🥇#TokyoParalympics x @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/SfAtRHSJ8l

— #TokyoParalympics (@NBCOlympics) August 28, 2021

5. Avani Lekhara’s historic gold

At just 19 years old, Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic or Paralympic gold medal when she matched the world record and set a new Paralympic record in the 10M air rifle standing (SH1) with a score of 249.6. She later added a bronze medal in the 50M rifle 3 position (SH1). History, made. 

6. The Golden Slam dream is alive

Diede de Groot is a 24-year-old wheelchair tennis player from the Netherlands who was born with unequal leg length. She began playing the sport at the age of seven and has gone on to absolutely dominate since making her Grand Slam debut in 2017. Over the past four years she has won 11 Grand Slam titles, including all three slams so far in 2021. After taking the gold medal in Tokyo with a two-set victory over Yui Kamiji of Japan, de Groot is one US Open title away from winning the fairytale Golden Slam of tennis (winning all four Grand Slams plus the Olympic/Paralympic gold medal in a single year).

7. Afghan Zakia Khudadadi’s unlikely arrival in Tokyo

Amid the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan and the U.S.’s military exodus, Paralympic athletes Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli were caught in the mayhem of thousands trying to flee the country. A Paralympic volunteer carried the Afghan flag during the opening ceremonies after organizers were told the athletes were not going to be able to leave their home country. Behind-the-scenes efforts to get the athletes safely to Japan never ceased. While specific details of their journey are not likely to surface, they eventually succeeded in getting out of the country with a complex system of assistance from several governments and organizations. After safely arriving in Japan, Khudadadi, a 22-year-old Taekwondo athlete, became the first Afghan woman to compete in the Paralympics since 2004.

Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli flying the flag together 👏

Afghanistan's two #Tokyo2020 athletes representing after being evacuated from their country to compete at the Games 🇦🇫 pic.twitter.com/lyxmshxqPs

— C4 Paralympics (@C4Paralympics) September 5, 2021

8. Changing of the guard in wheelchair basketball

Since 1980, only three countries have won the gold medal in women’s wheelchair basketball. Germany has three of them, Canada has another three, and the U.S. has four. This year, however, Canada went down in the quarters and both the U.S. and Germany lost in the semis, to China and the Netherlands respectively. The Netherlands went on to beat China 50-31 in the final, securing the country’s first gold medal in the sport after earning the bronze in both 2016 and 2012.

Final medal count:

In the overall medal count, China dominated all categories, finishing with 96 golds and 207 total Paralympic medals. Great Britain and the U.S. followed with 41 and 37 gold medals respectively. In total medals, the U.S. came in fourth while Great Britain and the Russian Paralympic Committee placed second and third.

Saturday's hotly anticipated matchup between the world No. 1 USWNT and No. 2 England at London's Wembley Stadium was short on fireworks, as the two international powerhouses settled for a 0-0 draw.

The US snagged the stat sheet's edge on possession, overall shots, and shots on target, but the rival squads combined for just four shots on frame — three from the States and one from the Lionesses — throughout the cagey clash.

"Our mentality is that we have to be better than that," US boss Emma Hayes said after the match. "And that is what we will be demanding from the team."

A USWNT first cap and a possible final match

Hayes fielded an experienced backline and midfield on Saturday, with nine 2024 Olympic gold medalists in the USWNT's starting XI. The two starters not on last summer's Paris roster were forwards Alyssa Thompson and Emma Sears, who headed up a youthful frontline as the team's Triple Espresso trio took this camp off of international duty.

One of the Paris gold medalists may have made her final USWNT start. No. 1 goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher recorded her 69th international clean sheet in Saturday's draw after announcing her impending national team retirement last week.

On the other hand, USWNT youth star Ally Sentnor earned her first senior team cap on Saturday after entering late in the second half. The 20-year-old is now the eighth player aged 21 or younger to appear for the USWNT in 2024, the most in a calendar year since 2002.

Sentnor is now one of only two USWNT players to earn their first caps in London's iconic Wembley Stadium, joining Thompson, who earned her debut at 17 years old in October 2022.

How to watch the USWNT vs. the Netherlands international friendly

The USWNT rounds out their European trip against the Netherlands on Tuesday at 2:45 PM ET, with live coverage on TNT.

NCAA basketball teams traveled to off-campus mini-tournaments during last week's Thanksgiving break, with results showing that some teams feasted while others fought over leftovers.

Reigning national champions South Carolina went on a redemption tour at the Fort Myers Tip-Off, while Notre Dame struggled at the Cayman Islands Classic.

Notre Dame drops two NCAA basketball games in a row

Following last week's huge win against title contender No. 6 USC, then-No. 3 Notre Dame hit an unexpected skid over the weekend, falling first 76-68 to then-No. 17 TCU on Friday before further stumbling 78-67 against unranked Utah on Saturday.

Star guard Hannah Hidalgo's 27 points weren't enough to topple the Horned Frogs, who saw center Sedona Prince and guards Hailey Van Lith and Madison Connor put up a combined average of almost 20 points in the Friday battle.

Similarly, though Notre Dame junior guard Sonia Citron's 22 points made her the only player on either team to sink more than 16 points on Saturday, the Utes' team effort won the day. Seven Utah athletes drained at least five points, with four notching double-digits.

"I just thought today our depth hurt us with our foul trouble, and consecutive games back-to-back against two really good teams," head coach Niele Ivey said of the Irish's first successive losses since 2021.

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South Carolina bounces back in style

On the other hand, then-No. 4 South Carolina bounced back big time from their first regular-season loss since 2022 on Thursday, defeating then-No. 15 Iowa State 76-36 to right the ship after last weekend's UCLA upset.

The Gamecocks' defense controlled the floor throughout the first half, allowing just nine points from the Cyclones while nine different South Carolina players scored.

Only four Iowa State players put up points in the matchup, with sophomore star Audi Crooks shooting far below her season average at just 13 points.

"Obviously, there were some lapses in the UCLA game that weren't characteristic of us," commented South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. "That is our nemesis — to be able to lock in on both sides of the ball and not have as many lapses or put them on the free-throw line as much as we did."

South Carolina continued making a statement on Saturday, when 11 Gamecocks — including seven double-digit scorers — combined to handily defeat Purdue 99-51.

Early season losses shake up NCAA basketball rankings

With five teams from last week's AP Top 10 already racking up early non-conference losses, Monday's Top 25 reflected the chaos.

Notre Dame plummeted seven spots to No. 7 thanks to their stalled weekend offense, while South Carolina leveled up to No. 3 with their weekend wins. After suffering the 40-point blowout loss to the Gamecocks, Iowa State took the week's second-biggest tumble, dropping five spots to No. 20.

UCLA maintained their grip on No. 1 after complementing last week's upset over reigning champs South Carolina with three additional wins, with No. 2 UConn holding steady just behind the Bruins.

The week's biggest riser was TCU, whose victory over the Irish launched them eight spots to No. 9 — the program's first-ever Top 10 ranking.

Boosting the Big Ten to a league-leading nine ranked teams this week is poll season debutants and state rivals No. 23 Michigan and No. 24 Michigan State, who make their first AP appearances since 2023 and 2021, respectively.

How to watch NCAA women's basketball this week

Monday's rankings raised the stakes in this week's matchups, with two Top 10 games emerging on Thursday's docket.

First, No. 4 Texas will put their undefeated season on the line against the skidding No. 10 Notre Dame at 7 PM ET. Live coverage will air on ESPN.

Then, No. 3 South Carolina will host new-No. 8 Duke, who'll take aim at the Gamecocks' win-streak recovery at 9 PM ET, also airing on ESPN.

This weekend saw the PWHL's second season hit the ground running with new rules, overtime upsets, and a bevy of goals punctuating opening-day wins for Toronto, Montreal, and New York.

With an elongated 2024/25 schedule including a Takeover Tour hitting nine non-market cities, the second-year league aims to harness and build on last season's momentum while eyeing 2025/26 expansion.

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New PWHL 'No Escape' rule means more goals

Part of capitalizing on last year's success is an effort to increase excitement via more goals on this season's ice. To do so, the league debuted its "No Escape Rule" over the weekend, which bars players from being subbed off in the first penalty-kill face-off.

By keeping defensive specialists on the bench during early power-play moments, the PWHL is addressing the fact that defense ruled the day last season.

Though too early to properly assess, the weekend's trio of opening matchups served six power-play goals on 19 attempts, fully doubling last season’s efficiency rate.

Sceptres start second PWHL season with Boston beatdown

Toronto and Boston kicked off 2024/25 play, with Fleet captain Hilary Knight registering the league's first goal of the season three minutes into the Saturday afternoon game. Unfortunately, that would be Boston's only tally, as last season's regular-season champs took control to best the Fleet 3-1.

The Sceptres did so without the league's leading scorer, 2023/24 Billie Jean King MVP winner Natalie Spooner, who is still working back from knee surgery following her postseason injury last May.

In her stead, Sarah Nurse notched Toronto's equalizer, with Emma Maltais sending in the eventual game-winner late in the first period. Hannah Miller's power-play goal in the game's waning minutes cushioned the Sceptres' offense-heavy victory.

Overtime takes center ice to open PWHL season

The weekend's other two games needed additional time to decide a winner, with Saturday night's tilt culminating in Montreal captain Marie-Philip Poulin registering the game-winner in a shootout victory over the Ottawa Charge.

Still locked in a 3-3 tie following a scoreless overtime, Poulin's fifth-round penalty goal broke the stalemate to give the Victoire its first-ever shootout win in franchise history.

"To get that first win, it feels good to be at home, getting to have that shootout win," the 33-year-old star known as "Captain Clutch" noted after the game. "We just gotta keep going and don't take it for granted."

Notably, Ottawa goalie Emerance Maschmeyer made a massive season-opening statement in the loss, saving 42 of the 45 shots she faced to put the league's offensive lines on notice.

The biggest upset of the weekend went to New York, who defeated inaugural champions Minnesota 4-3 in overtime on Sunday. After conceding a bullet from Frost forward and 2023/24 Rookie of the Year Grace Zumwinkle 21 seconds into the game — the fastest goal in PWHL history — the Sirens kept answering to end regulation in a 3-3 tie.

With their own blink-or-you'll-miss-it moment, New York clinched the win 19 seconds into overtime, when rookie Sarah Fillier, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft, found veteran star Alex Carpenter, who buried the game-winning goal.

How to watch the PWHL this week

The PWHL will be all over the ice this week prior to their mid-December international break for the Euro Hockey Tour.

In the three midweek bouts, Toronto will take aim at hosts Ottawa at 7 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage on the PWHL's YouTube channel.

The puck will also drop on both of Wednesday's matchups at 7 PM ET, when Minnesota will visit Boston as each battles for a season-first win while overtime victors New York and Montreal face-off to remain undefeated. Both games will stream live on YouTube, with additional regional coverage for their respective matchups on NESN in Boston and MSG Network in New York.

After stellar performances for both club and country, Orlando Pride star striker Barbra Banda is the 2024 BBC Women's Footballer of the Year, becoming the eighth player across the annual award's 10 editions to earn the trophy ​on Tuesday.

At just 24 years old, Banda became the highest-scoring African player in Olympic history this past summer, registering four goals — including her third Olympic hat trick — despite Zambia's group-stage elimination.

In her first season in the league, Banda finished the 2024 NWSL season second in scoring with 13 regular-season goals. She led the Pride to their first-ever Shield and Championship wins, claiming the Championship MVP trophy with her title-winning goal. Plus, with four postseason goals, Banda set a new NWSL playoff scoring record.

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The fans' favorite footballer

Fans ultimately select the annual BBC Footballer of the Year award by voting on a five-player shortlist. That shortlist is determined by a large panel of international soccer experts, including coaches, players, administrators, and independent journalists. The panel chose this year's nominees based on their performances from September 2023 to August 2024.

Though usually heavy with UK-based athletes, this year's field lacked any club or country connection with the nation. To claim the award, Banda beat out fellow finalists Aitana Bonmatí and Caroline Graham Hansen of Barcelona FC, and fellow NWSL standouts Sophia Smith (Portland) and Naomi Girma (San Diego).

Banda is now just the second winner in the award's decade-long history without a connection to England. She joins two-time victor Ada Hegerberg, a Norwegian national and striker for Lyon, in that elite club.

A surprised Banda was quick to share credit with her Orlando teammates upon hearing the news, telling the Pride, "I'm just dedicating this award to every one of you guys who has been there for me."