Olympics Saturday schedule: Sha’Carri Richardson, Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky go for gold

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PARIS (AP) — Simon Biles will again be one of the highlights of the 2024 Olympics on Saturday as she tries to win the vault event for her third gold medal in Paris.

Sha’Carri Richardson will go for her first Olympic medal in the women’s 100 meters, while in the pool Katie Ledecky will look to add another gold to her collection in the women’s 800-meter freestyle.

The U.S. women’s soccer team will be in action as well, taking on Japan, as will the U.S. men’s basketball team against Puerto Rico.

See the full schedule of events and read more on what to watch below:

Simone Biles back in action

After winning gold in the individual all-around and helping the U.S. dominant in team all-around to burnish her legacy, Biles will go for a third gold this Games in the vault final.

Gold medalist Simone Biles celebrates after competing in the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s All-Around Final on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 01, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Biles is among the favorites again but should face a tough challenge from Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, the defending Olympic champion in the event.

Medal for Sha’Carri Richardson?

Richardson missed the Tokyo Games because of a positive marijuana test at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials but now will get her chance to win a medal in the women’s 100 meters.

Richardson is the reigning world champion in the event, which could also include three-time Olympic gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica.

Sha’Carri Richardson competes in the women’s 100m heat of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 2, 2024. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Tokyo gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah is absent at the Paris Games through injury, while Jamaica teammate Shericka Jackson announced that she would not compete in the event.

Katie Ledecky seeks another gold

With a victory in the women’s 800-meter freestyle, Ledecky would join fellow American Michael Phelps as the only swimmers — of any gender and from any country — to win four gold medals in the same event.

Katie Ledecky celebrates after winning gold in the Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final on day five of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 31, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Ledecky will be an overwhelming favorite. She is the world record holder at the distance with a time of 8:04.79.

Boxing controversy

Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary plans to fight in the quarterfinals against Imane Khelif of Algeria in women’s boxing, even though the Hungarian Boxing Association said it was sending letters of protest to both the International Olympic Committee and Hungary’s Olympic committee.

Khelif and Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting were disqualified from the 2023 world championships after they had already competed. The IBA ruled that Khelif and Lin failed unspecified gender eligibility tests but provided no documentation. Each fighter had competed in IBA events for several years.

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Khelif’s first opponent in Paris, Angela Carini of Italy, quit their bout after 46 seconds. Her tearful reaction to abandoning the fight made international headlines, and Carini received a visit from Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.

US women’s soccer in quarterfinals

The U.S. will take on Japan in the quarterfinals of women’s soccer.

The Americans won all three group-stage games for the first time since 2012 to finish atop Group B. Japan, the 2012 Olympic silver medalists, won Group C. The U.S. won the gold in 2012.

In the other women’s quarterfinals, France will face Brazil, Spain will play against Colombia and Canada will take on Germany. Canada advanced out of group play despite being docked six standings points for a drone scandal that has rocked the program.

US men’s hoops on the court

The United States men’s basketball team goes for its third consecutive victory when it faces winless Puerto Rico.

It will be the final group-stage game for the U.S., which is seeking the top seed ahead of the knockout rounds.

Women’s tennis finals

Either China or Croatia will earn its first singles gold medal in Olympic tennis with Zheng Qinwen playing Donna Vekic in women’s final.

This would be the biggest title for both players as neither Zheng nor Vekic has won Grand Slam.

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Irish Fair returning to St. Paul’s Harriet Island next weekend

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The Irish Fair is returning to St. Paul on Friday, Aug. 9 through Sunday, Aug. 11. The festival is one of the largest and most authentic Irish festivals nationwide, according to their website.

The three-day festival — this will be its 44th year — consists of traditional music and dance, pub tents, sports fields for soccer, hurling and camogie demonstrations, marketplace tents and other areas for activities for children and cultural programming.

Boxing demonstrations hosted by Rice Street “Old School Boxing Gym” — a favorite from about 15 year ago — will be returning to the festival. With more than 65 entertainers, some headliners include Skerryvore, a Scottish rock band, and the Jeremiahs, an Irish musical group, according to Tom Whelan, board chair of Irish Festival.

Guests can expect the “tried and true” foods such as fish and chips and Ruben egg rolls, but Irish stew pie, grilled spaetzle and Irish cream Guinness ice cream are among the new additions, said Whelan.

Also, a genealogy stand is available for guests wanting to learn more about their Irish heritage. Attendees also can engage in singing Irish shanties, traditional dance and learn how to speak Gaeilge — the Irish language.

Whelan said he expects more than 30,000 guest this weekend.

Whelan noted that “you don’t have to be Irish to have a good time.”

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No, I-94 from St. Paul to Woodbury is NOT closing in both directions this weekend

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Ignore what you might have read or seen elsewhere. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is assuring drivers that Interstate 94 will not be closing in both directions this weekend between downtown St. Paul and Woodbury, as some media outlets had reported earlier this week.

News of the closure was carried Wednesday due to outdated information that had been entered into MnDOT’s 511 travel website.

“There’s a lot of people involved in putting those 511 alerts out to the public,” said Kent Barnard, a spokesman for MnDOT. “Mistakes do happen. Sometimes weather changes things, or crews find old utilities they didn’t realize were underground, and that can really throw a monkey wrench in the whole mess. It’s very rare, but it happens.”

Barnard, a 36-year MnDOT employee and former radio news director, spent Wednesday at a seminar in Roseville, only to pick up his smartphone that evening to a flurry of panicky text messages from reporters. Barnard reached out to the city of St. Paul and then directly to Lunda Construction, which had once sought permission to schedule an interstate closure this weekend to remove the Kellogg/Third Street bridge on the city’s behalf.

The span closed this week and will be replaced over the next three years, but demolition is not going to happen until October or so.

Barnard checked with the Metropolitan Council, which is building the Gold Line bus rapid transit corridor mostly parallel to I-94 from downtown St. Paul to Woodbury, to see if they had planned bridge work over the highway that might require an interstate closure. Nope, that wasn’t happening this weekend, either.

Barnard sent out clarification on Thursday and a more formal announcement Friday: I-94 will indeed remain open in both directions.

“Information was erroneously entered into the 511 website earlier this week about a full closure in both directions of Interstate 94 between I-35E in St. Paul and I-494 in Woodbury,” reads the statement. “This closure was originally planned for removal of the 3rd Street/Kellogg Blvd bridge in St. Paul, which has been cancelled and delayed until sometime this fall. MnDOT and the city of St. Paul are sorry for any confusion this may have caused.”

Here’s an actual highway closure for drivers to be aware of.

The eastbound lanes of Minnesota 36 will close this weekend between I-35E and U.S. 61 in Little Canada from Friday night through 5 a.m. Monday for a road resurfacing project. Access from northbound and southbound I-35E to eastbound Minnesota 36 will close. The ramp from eastbound Minnesota 36 to U.S. 61 will also close.

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Weekend blues festival in St. Paul is free and open to the public

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“Hot Blues, Cold Beer,” is what’s advertised for the 11th St. Anthony Park Backyard Blues Fest this weekend.

Thirteen bands and 53 blues musicians will be showcased during the festival from 2-9 p.m. Saturday and 12-6 p.m. Sunday at Duel Citizen Brewery Backyard (Raymond and University avenues).

Performers include “The Alleged Blues Band,” “Greazy Gravy,” “Irish Diplomacy” along with a few unlisted surprise guests, event host Charlie Lawson said. People of all age groups are encouraged to come listen to what the Minnesota blues scene has to offer.

“The Twin Cities is lousy with really great musicians,” Lawson said.

The free event features ribs and Mexican food trucks, along with merchandise giveaway tables hosted by the MN Blues Society and the cultural entertainment station, Fresh Air Radio. The outdoor environment will provide plenty of opportunity to dance, eat and listen to blues.

For more information about the Backyard Blue Fest and to see the schedule, visit dcbc.com/event/backyard-bluesfest.

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