SAITAMA, Japan — The Japanese women’s basketball team put together a smart and efficient game plan, ran it to such perfection that instructional videos could be made from the edits and showed off a roster where everyone could shoot, dribble and pass.
It was a brilliant display of basketball. But it was no match for Team USA.
This is the state of play and has been for decades now as the Americans claimed their seventh consecutive gold medal in a 90-75 victory Sunday.
Two of the women who built and grew that dynasty, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, put their hands on their fifth gold medals, the first international basketball players to ever have achieved that feat. That’s an impeccable tour of Athens, Beijing, London, Rio and now Tokyo as they showed off a global desire for winning and longevity that has defined the program.
Playing in their final game with the national team, the 55th consecutive Olympic win, they made the first two baskets and then symbolically handed it off to the younger generation to carry it home. Brittney Griner capped off a memorable Olympic run with her best game in Tokyo, putting up 30 points on 14-on-18 shooting, to lead the offensive attack.
Japan has a balanced scoring team and every player is a capable 3-point shooter. They came in averaging 13 3-pointers a game on 41% shooting, numbers that any team in the world would envy. They spread the floor, move, back cut and pass their way to open shots with a fundamental genius.
But no team on the planet can match the American size and the Japanese are especially challenged. They had no answer for the post presence of Griner and A’ja Wilson, who finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Or Breanna Stewart, who had 14 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.
Team USA coach Dawn Staley played Bird and Taurasi long minutes in their farewell and it was tiring as the Japanese offense really forced opposing guards to cover a lot of space. But Taurasi was very effective in feeding the post and racked up eight assists with seven points and eight rebounds.
Despite all that, Japan was down just six late in the first quarter and had the lead under 10 in the third quarter. Team USA’s size bothered Japan’s airspace on the outside and they weren’t able to generate as many good outside looks as normal.
Japan, which came into the tournament ranked No. 10 in the world and was pleased with their silver medal showing, was led by captain Maki Takada’s 17 points.
A view of the Olympic rings flag during the Men’s Javelin Throw Qualification on day twelve of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on August 04, 2021Photo: Matthias Hangs (Getty Images)
Recently, we finally got to see an Olympics that everyone can get behind. At these Games, there was no pandemic, no blistering heat, and no threat of a tropical storm. There were, unfortunately, few spectators. This isn’t a reference to the cursed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but rather the makeshift, unofficial “Space Olympics” held at the International Space Station.
Astronauts created their own version of Olympic events in space on Friday, debuting the “lack-of-floor routine,” “no-handball,” “synchronized space swimming,” and “weightless sharpshooting.” The videos were shared on Twitter by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. While the international crew—very fitting for the Space Olympics—didn’t have the impressive gear and facilities in Tokyo, they managed to keep my eyes glued to the screen.
The four competitions also evoked just what you would expect from the Olympics: sportsmanship, excellence, passion, teamwork, concentration, and skill.
If you need an example, this is what Pesquet had to say about synchronized space swimming.
“Synchronised space swimming – an opportunity to show teamwork and crew cohesion,” he tweeted.
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Overall though, the astronauts seemed to be having a blast at the Space Olympics and made me smile when I watched them. The Space Olympics also turned me into a synchronized space swimming super fan. Look at those moves!
You can check out each Space Olympics event in the videos below.
Lack-of-Floor Routine
No-Handball
Synchronized Space Swimming
Weightless Sharpshooting
As far as the Tokyo Olympics being held on Earth go, they’re ending on Sunday. Currently, the U.S. is in the lead for the most medals with 108 in total. China, on the other hand, is the leader for the most gold medals with 38. Japan, the Russian Olympic Committee, and Great Britain are next in line at the moment, ranking in the top five for both gold medals and total medals.
The closing ceremony will begin at 7 a.m. ET on Sunday. It will feature the handover of the Olympic flag from Tokyo to Paris, which will host the Summer Games in 2024, a time we can only hope isn’t plagued by covid-19 and extreme weather. The weather thing might be difficult because of the climate crisis affecting our planet, but fingers crossed that our fight against covid-19 evolves favorably in that time.
Women’s omnium – The first event in the women’s omnium is a 30-lap first past the post scratch race. At the halfway stage it’s a leisurely cruise, building up to a massive bunch sprint, no doubt.
02:04
Jonathan Howcroft
Thank you very much Tom – see you in Paris.
Ok, one final leg for me in this epic Guardian Sport relay. My attention will begin in the velodrome where the women’s omnium is about to get underway. Team GB record breaker Laura Kenny goes for a seventh medal today, while Australia has interest in London bronze medalist Annette Edmondson, and the USA have team pursuit bronze medalist Jennifer Valente.
A reminder the omnium is four separate events that combine to create one medal. We’re underway in the first of those four, the scratch race.
Laura Kenny, riding into history. Photograph: DPPI/Photo Kishimoto/LiveMedia/REX/Shutterstock
01:59
I’ll hand over to the capable hands of Jonathan Howcroft now. Thanks for reading during the Olympics and see you for Paris 2024 (sudden firing notwithstanding).
01:53
Indoor women’s volleyball: Serbia’s Tijana Bošković can hit serves as fast as 62mph. With that kind of weaponry at their disposal, it’s little wonder her team are now 2-0 up in sets after they won the second 25-15 against South Korea. They’re one set from a bronze medal.
Updated
01:43
Like photos of very fit people doing very impressive things but with excellent lighting and shot composition? Then why not peruse our gallery of the best images from Day 15:
01:33
Women’s indoor volleyball: It’s South Korea v Serbia for bronze. Serbia won the first set and are 4-2 up in the second. Serbia were silver medalists in 2016, so have some pedigree.
01:25
One striking thing from the end of the marathon was the (small) crowd on the streets of Sapporo cheering Kipchoge and Co home at the end of their heroic efforts (everyone I could see was wearing a mask). It was lovely to hear the athletes get the cheers they so richly deserve but there was also a melancholy at what could have been if this Games had taken place in Normal Times.
Eliud Kipchoge appraoches the end of the men’s marathon to cheers. Photograph: Getty Images
01:12
Men’s marathon: USA’s Galen Rupp, the 2016 bronze medalist, finishes in eighth. A great effort – and it also means the US men’s track team will finish without an individual gold for the first time since 1980.
01:11
Men’s marathon: Now an actual race is on for silver and bronze. The Netherlands’ Abdi Nageeye sprints away for silver and Belgium’s Bashir Abdi stays with him for bronze. Lawrence Cherono looked like he was going to make it a Kenyan 1-2 but his legs betrayed him at the last.
01:09
Eliud Kipchoge retains his Olympic marathon title!
What a race and what a champion. He’s just the third athlete to defend the men’s marathon title. He stayed with the pack for most of the race and then drifted off to the horizon when he wanted to – and no one was catching him. The heat was intense today but he doesn’t look in the least bit tired after a marvelous 26.2 miles. He wins by more than a minute over a field of the best runners in the world. His winning time is 2hr 8min 38sec. Wow.
01:03
Men’s marathon: We pass the two-hour mark and Kipchoge runs through the shady lanes of the Hokkaido University campus. He has 2km to go and his lead is up to 1min and 17 seconds.
00:59
Men’s marathon: Two miles to go. What a shame Kipchoge won’t be rewarded for this wonderful performance by the roar of a packed stadium. There are, at least, a scattering of cheers from the people of Sapporo as he glides through the streets.
Updated
00:57
Men’s marathon: Kenya’s Lawrence Cherono, Belgium’s Bashir Abdi, Spain’s Ayad Lamdassem and the Netherlands’ Abdi Nageeye are still bunched tight in the chasing pack. I think there’s going to be a sprint for silver and bronze. Suguru Osako of Japan is making a move from behind though, and could maybe grab a medal.
00:53
Men’s marathon: I’m going to risk this and say Kipchoge is the nailed on champion. It’s maybe the least risky statement I have ever made. The 36-year-old is around 5km from becoming a double Olympic champion and looks very, very comfortable. The interesting part will be who finishes in silver and bronze.
Updated
00:50
Men’s marathon: 7km to go and Kipchoge’s lead is now 28 seconds ahead of the pack. He ran the last 5km in 14min and 28sec. The previous one was around 15 seconds. Yikes. The chasing pack now consists of Kenya’s Lawrence Cherono, Belgium’s Bashir Abdi and Spain’s Ayad Lamdassem. The Netherlands’ Abdi Nageeye is a few seconds back from them and still in with a chance of a medal.
00:45
Men’s marathon: It must be so demoralising to run at this pace, in that heat and then just see Kipchoge accelerate off into the distance. He grabs some ice from the cooling station, dabs himself down and scampers away from his competition.
00:41
Men’s marathon: Eliud Kipchoge, the world record holder and reigning Olympic champion and all-around superhuman, has basically said: “Nah, let’s get this nonsense over with,” and accelerates away from the pack looking very comfortable. What a superb athlete. Everyone else looks like they are hurting. Kipchoge looks like he’s nipped out to get some bread (the shop must be very far away). His lead is 14 seconds and growing with 10km to go.
Updated
00:37
Men’s marathon: If you’re wondering how the Aussies/Brits/Kiwis/Canadians/Americans are doing (I’m just doing our biggest markets, we love all marathon runners) then here you go. At 18 miles, USA’s Galen Rupp has just dropped off the leading pack, NZ’s Zane Robertson is 19th around a minute off the leaders, Canada’s Ben Preisner is 50th, GB’s Callum Hawkins is 57th and Australia’s Liam Adams is 46th. There are other runners from each of those countries but they’re further back. Basically none of those runners will will gold.
00:29
Men’s marathon: For the first time since 1980 (and they didn’t participate then so had a good excuse) the US men’s track team has failed to win an individual Olympic gold (they did win in the 4x400m replay). Their last chance is in this race in the form of Galen Rupp. He’s in the leading pack but I’d be very surprised if he won a medal, let alone gold.
00:22
Men’s marathon:Brazil’s Daniel do Nascimento, who was at the front of the pack for a long time, stumbled and fell and looked like he was in trouble. But he’s got up and is running again. I hope he’s OK and isn’t ploughing on when he needs medical help. And he’s stopped again. The right decision to stop and medics quickly attend to him.
00:13
Men’s marathon: A reminder that the race is being run in Sapporo, 500 miles or so north of Tokyo to avoid the capital’s brutal heat. Current temperature in Sapporo: 26C. Current temperature in Tokyo: 24C. In fairness, weather is hard to predict (although the word on the street is the long-term trend is WARM). In other news, the New York Mets, are being destroyed by the Philadelphia Phillies. Again. What are we going to turn over to in disgust now the Olympics are (all but) over?
00:08
Men’s marathon: We’ve reached the halfway point and Stephen Mokoka of South Africa leads. But it’s a halfhearted-yeah-whatever kind of lead of two seconds and the pack soon gobble him up again. Still about 30 athletes within a few seconds of each other.
00:00
Preamble
Hello! And bad news for fans of 24-hour liveblogs of quadrennial multi-sport events because it’s our last one of the Games. But the good news it’s the Summer Olympics again in three years! And the Winter Olympics in, maybe … two months? I dunno, around then. I think the World Cup is next week.
Anyway, on to Day 16 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics! The marathon is currently being run, but here’s what else is on today courtesy of my colleague Martin Belam:
All events are listed here in local Tokyo time. Add an hour for Melbourne, subtract eight hours for Cardiff, 13 hours for Albany and 16 hours for Seattle.
9am and 1.30pm Volleyball – the women’s bronze medal match is up first, Serbia v Not Russia, with the women’s final at lunchtime featuring the US and Brazil 🥇
9.30am-4.30pm Water polo – after two ranking matches and then the battle for the bronze, the final is at 4.30pm 🥇
10am-12.25pm Track cycling – the medal races start from 11.45am and feature the women’s sprint, the men’s keirin, and the women’s omnium points race concludes at all at 12.25pm 🥇
11am Rhythmic gymnastics – it is the group all-around final. There are two rotations before the medals are determined 🥇
11am and 3pm Handball – it is the sharp end of the women’s tournament. The bronze medal match between Norway and Sweden first and then the 3pm final featuring France and Not Russia 🥇
11.30am Basketball – it’s the women’s final, where Japan face a US team who have won their last 54 consecutive matches at the Olympics 🥇
1.40pm and 4.30pm Water polo – Hungary play Spain for the men’s bronze, and then it is Greece v Serbia for men’s gold 🥇
2pm-3.55pm Boxing – today’s session consists of four finals bouts – women’s and mens light, women’s middle and men’s super heavy to round it off. Team GB’s Lauren Price fights at 2.45pm 🥇
8pm closing ceremony – don’t dream it’s over.
You can find our full interactive events schedule here.
As it stands
Here’s how the emoji table stands with one day to go:
Kevin Durant: two-time NBA Finals MVP, three-time Olympic Games gold medalist. Allyson Felix is now the most decorated track athlete in American history. She won gold with Sydney McLaughlin, Athing Mu and Dalilah Muhammad. The medal gives Felix 11 and breaks a tie with Carl Lewis.
In basketball, Durant scored a game-high 29 points while Jayson Tatum added 19 off the bench as Team USA beat Rudy Gobert and France 87-82 for its fourth straight gold medal.
The U.S. exacted revenge on France, which defeated the Americans in group play. Team USA went on a 9-2 run, capped by a Tatum 3-pointer, that pushed the lead back to double figures.
KD’s 3 gives @TeamUSA an 11-point lead over France.@TeamUSA x #TokyoOlympics
Allyson Felix’s legendary Olympic career came to a close on Saturday with a gold medal in the 4×400 meters as part of a star-studded American team.
With 11 medals, Felix is now the most decorated American track & field athlete in Olympic history — having surpassed Carl Lewis. She had taken the record outright for most Olympic medals by a woman in the sport on Friday after earning the bronze medal in the 400 meters.
Joined on the team by Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu, the foursome crossed the finish line in 3:16.85 minutes — nearly four seconds ahead of second-place Poland. McLaughlin, who won gold in the 400 meter hurdles earlier this week, gave the U.S. an early lead during the first leg, and Felix further increased it as the second runner.
Jamaica won the bronze medal.
THE U.S. WOMEN’S 4x400M RELAY WINS 🥇!pic.twitter.com/Box15jpZaj
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 7, 2021
THE MOST DECORATED AMERICAN TRACK AND FIELD OLYMPIAN EVER. 🥇🥈🥉@allysonfelix | #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/clZUbEvPPo
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2021
Japan takes first baseball gold
In a masterful game of pitching and small ball hitting, Japan defeated the United States, 2-0, to win the gold medal in baseball. It’s the country’s first gold in baseball.
It’s baseball glory for #JPN! At Yokohama Stadium, Japan defeat USA for their first Olympic #gold in the sport!#StrongerTogether | #Tokyo2020 | #Baseball | @WBSC pic.twitter.com/XIgiBg6T4B
— Olympics (@Olympics) August 7, 2021
Japan could be holding the crown for a while. The sport’s return to the Olympics was on a provisional basis. Baseball will not be played in the 2024 Paris Games.
USA basketball stays atop the podium
Kevin Durant showed out in a gold-medal game again.
Durant led Team USA with 29 points while Jayson Tatum scored 19 as the Americans hung on to beat France 87-82 to win Olympic gold for the fourth straight Games.
CONGRATULATIONS MEN!!! @usabasketball 🥇
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 7, 2021
The U.S. led by as many as 14 but saw its lead cut to three with 10 seconds remaining. That’s when Durant iced the game with two free throws.
Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard both scored 11 points for the Americans, who got revenge after losing to France in pool play.
Track and field finals
Men’s 4×400 relay
Moments after Felix and the American women dominated their race, their male counterparts followed suit and earned the gold in the 4×400 as well.
The team, made up of Michael Cherry, Michael Norman, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin, finished in 2:55.70 – almost a second-and-a-half in front of the Netherlands, who took the silver and set a new national record. Botswana notched the bronze medal.
TEAM USA GETS ITS GOLD! 🥇
Your men’s 4x400m relay winners. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/vfOjn2Q3FY
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2021
And it’s another relay gold for @TeamUSA!#USA take #gold in the men’s 4 x 400m relay after a thrilling final!@WorldAthletics | #StrongerTogether | #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/Z7QCZAT1aC
— Olympics (@Olympics) August 7, 2021
Women’s 10,000 meters
The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan’s quest to win the “triple” was halted on Friday with a third-place finish in the 1500 meters on Friday, but her Olympics still concluded with a gold medal in the 10,000 meters on Saturday.
Also the champion in the 5,000 meters, Hassan leaves Tokyo with two gold medals and a bronze. After crossing the finish line in 29:52.32 minutes on Saturday, Hassan raised her arms in victory and then fell to the ground. After logging over 15 miles of competition during the Games, Hassan had to crawl to get off the track and then lay on the side covered in ice packs.
WHAT A RACE! 🙌
Sifan Hassan leaves the #TokyoOlympics with three medals:
🥇 5000m 🥉 1500m 🥇 10,000m@OnHerTurf x #OlympicHERstory pic.twitter.com/biZFIIGn6F
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2021
Sheer relief 😌 pic.twitter.com/ksIC7LVZVF
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) August 7, 2021
She had been open about the toll participating in the three races was taking on her body when speaking to the media on Friday.
“The last couple of days have been very stressful and it has taken lots of energy from me,” she said.
The 28-year-old is the reigning world champion in the 10,000 meters and she was part of a lead group of three runners for much of the race. She utilized her trademark kick down the final stretch to separate herself from silver medalist Kalkidan Gezahegne of Bahrain and bronze medalist Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia.
Hassan is just the second woman in history, and the first since 1948, to win a medal in three individual track races during a single Olympic Games. — D’Arcy Maine
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0:48
Jessica Springsteen speaks about winning the silver medal with the U.S. equestrian team.
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0:47
Nelly Korda hopes to maintain her good form after winning Olympic gold.
Korda wins gold in wild final round
Not even a tropical storm could stop Nelly Korda from winning gold at the Olympics. Not even Japan’s Mone Inami, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and India’s Aditi Ashok.
The American Korda, who remained calm, cool and collected during all four rounds of the women’s golf tournament, finished at 17 under. She flashed a smile and waved after her gold-medal-clinching putt — no huge celebration, but rather an acknowledgement that she deserved to be there.
But she wasn’t the only one at Kasumigaseki Country Club making that case. After Korda double-bogeyed the seventh hole, putting her in a three-way tie with Ko and Ashok, she hit the reset — the three-birdies-in-a-row reset — to take a three-stroke lead.
An American sweep! 🇺🇸🇺🇸@NellyKorda wins 🥇 and joins @XSchauffele atop the podium in #Olympics #Golf @USAGolf | @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/HBVo6zZPl7
— Olympic Golf (@OlympicGolf) August 7, 2021
Korda held the lead at 17 under, but with two holes to play, tournament officials blew the horn, suspending play due to thunderstorms. Inami was one stroke back in a solo second, while Ashok and Ko, the silver medalist in 2016, were tied for third at 15 under.
The delay lasted 45 minutes, and when play resumed, Inami drained her birdie putt on 17 to share the lead with Korda. But that didn’t last long, as she bogeyed the final hole while Korda finished with a par.
Inami claimed the silver medal in a playoff, while Ko took the bronze. — Charlotte Gibson
Surprise medal for Team USA
Team USA’s Molly Seidel ran her first marathon ever in February 2020 — at the U.S. Olympic trials. A year and a half later, she is the Olympic bronze medalist at Tokyo, finishing at 2:27:46. Kenya went 1-2 — Peres Jepchirchir won gold with a 2:27:20 finish, followed by Brigid Kosgei. The women’s marathon race was moved to earlier in the morning on Saturday in Sapporo, Japan, due to heat and humidity.
“It takes 10 years to become an overnight success.” – marathoners
“Hold my beer.” – Molly Seidel #TeamUSA
— des_linden (@des_linden) August 6, 2021
Seidel is the third American woman to win a medal in Olympic marathon, joining Deena Kastor (bronze, 2004) and Joan Benoit Samuelson (gold, 1984).
Three-peat for USA water polo
For the third straight Olympics, USA women’s water polo has the gold medal. Ashleigh Johnson was a rock star in goal as USA won 14-5. It’s the largest margin of victory in a gold medal game in Olympic history.
In the run to her third gold, Maggie Steffens reset the record book. She now owns the record for all-time Olympic scoring with 56 goals.
The women of @USAWP defeated 🇪🇸 14-5 – the largest margin of victory ever in Olympic gold medal matches.
This is a really dominant team. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/CrUHuI2epT
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 7, 2021
2012, 2016 and now 2020.
The #USA have made it three #Gold medals in a row in women’s water polo!#StrongerTogether | #Tokyo2020 | @fina1908 | #WaterPolo pic.twitter.com/94PdVtj5EY
— Olympics (@Olympics) August 7, 2021
Relay redemption?
The U.S. men have not had a great run in Tokyo, but the men’s 4×400-meter relay final (8:50 a.m. ET) will give Team USA a chance at redemption. In the heats, the U.S. preliminary squad of Trevor Stewart, Randolph Ross, Bryce Deadmon and Vernon Norwood finished at 2:57.77 to win their heat and automatically advance to the final. They will face Jamaica, Netherlands and Italy, who will all look to make the podium.
Repeat relay?
For the women’s 4×400, defending champion USA heads into the relay final (8:30 a.m. ET) as a clear favorite, winning its heat in 3:20.86, the fastest time of the entire prelim heats. Ten-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix is expected to join the team for a chance to win her 11th Olympic medal.
Gold on the pitch
Defending champion Brazil will take on Spain for a shot at the gold medal at 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday. Spain is coming off a 1-0 semifinal victory over Japan, while Brazil beat Mexico 4-1. In 2016, Brazil won the gold medal in a penalty shootout against Germany.
Does gold run in the family?
USA high jump star Vashti Cunningham, the 23-year-old daughter of former Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings star Randall Cunningham, is positioned to be a medal contender when the women’s high jump final begins (6:35 a.m. ET). Her 1.95-meter jump in the prelim round automatically qualified her for the finals. She finished first at U.S. Olympic trials in June, and the month before that, she set a personal record with a jump of 6 feet, 7½ inches.
Kevin Durant: two-time NBA Finals MVP, three-time Olympic Games gold medalist. Allyson Felix is now the most decorated track athlete in American history. She won gold with Sydney McLaughlin, Athing Mu and Dalilah Muhammad. The medal gives Felix 11 and breaks a tie with Carl Lews.
In basketball, Durant scored a game-high 29 points while Jayson Tatum added 19 off the bench as Team USA beat Rudy Gobert and France 87-82 for its fourth straight gold medal.
The U.S. exacted revenge on France, which defeated the Americans in group play. Team USA went on a 9-2 run, capped by a Tatum 3-pointer, that pushed the lead back to double figures.
KD’s 3 gives @TeamUSA an 11-point lead over France.@TeamUSA x #TokyoOlympics
Allyson Felix’s legendary Olympic career came to a close on Saturday with a gold medal in the 4×400 meters as part of a star-studded American team.
With 11 medals, Felix is now the most decorated American track & field athlete in Olympic history — having surpassed Carl Lewis. She had taken the record outright for most Olympic medals by a woman in the sport on Friday after earning the bronze medal in the 400 meters.
Joined on the team by Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu, the foursome crossed the finish line in 3:16.85 minutes — nearly four seconds ahead of second-place Poland. McLaughlin, who won gold in the 400 meter hurdles earlier this week, gave the U.S. an early lead during the first leg, and Felix further increased it as the second runner.
Jamaica won the bronze medal.
THE U.S. WOMEN’S 4x400M RELAY WINS 🥇!pic.twitter.com/Box15jpZaj
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 7, 2021
THE MOST DECORATED AMERICAN TRACK AND FIELD OLYMPIAN EVER. 🥇🥈🥉@allysonfelix | #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/clZUbEvPPo
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2021
USA basketball stays atop the podium
Kevin Durant showed out in a gold-medal game again.
Durant led Team USA with 29 points while Jayson Tatum scored 19 as the Americans hung on to beat France 87-82 to win Olympic gold for the fourth straight Games.
CONGRATULATIONS MEN!!! @usabasketball 🥇
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 7, 2021
The U.S. led by as many as 14 but saw its lead cut to three with 10 seconds remaining. That’s when Durant iced the game with two free throws.
Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard both scored 11 points for the Americans, who got revenge after losing to France in pool play.
Track and field finals
Women’s 10,000 meters
The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan’s quest to win the “triple” was halted on Friday with a third-place finish in the 1500 meters on Friday, but her Olympics still concluded with a gold medal in the 10,000 meters on Saturday.
Also the champion in the 5,000 meters, Hassan leaves Tokyo with two gold medals and a bronze. After crossing the finish line in 29:52.32 minutes on Saturday, Hassan raised her arms in victory and then fell to the ground. After logging over 15 miles of competition during the Games, Hassan had to crawl to get off the track and then lay on the side covered in ice packs.
WHAT A RACE! 🙌
Sifan Hassan leaves the #TokyoOlympics with three medals:
🥇 5000m 🥉 1500m 🥇 10,000m@OnHerTurf x #OlympicHERstory pic.twitter.com/biZFIIGn6F
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2021
Sheer relief 😌 pic.twitter.com/ksIC7LVZVF
— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) August 7, 2021
She had been open about the toll participating in the three races was taking on her body when speaking to the media on Friday.
“The last couple of days have been very stressful and it has taken lots of energy from me,” she said.
The 28-year-old is the reigning world champion in the 10,000 meters and she was part of a lead group of three runners for much of the race. She utilized her trademark kick down the final stretch to separate herself from silver medalist Kalkidan Gezahegne of Bahrain and bronze medalist Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia.
Hassan is just the second woman in history, and the first since 1948, to win a medal in three individual track races during a single Olympic Games. — D’Arcy Maine
Korda wins gold in wild final round
Not even a tropical storm could stop Nelly Korda from winning gold at the Olympics. Not even Japan’s Mone Inami, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and India’s Aditi Ashok.
The American Korda, who remained calm, cool and collected during all four rounds of the women’s golf tournament, finished at 17 under. She flashed a smile and waved after her gold-medal-clinching putt — no huge celebration, but rather an acknowledgement that she deserved to be there.
But she wasn’t the only one at Kasumigaseki Country Club making that case. After Korda double-bogeyed the seventh hole, putting her in a three-way tie with Ko and Ashok, she hit the reset — the three-birdies-in-a-row reset — to take a three-stroke lead.
An American sweep! 🇺🇸🇺🇸@NellyKorda wins 🥇 and joins @XSchauffele atop the podium in #Olympics #Golf @USAGolf | @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/HBVo6zZPl7
— Olympic Golf (@OlympicGolf) August 7, 2021
Korda held the lead at 17 under, but with two holes to play, tournament officials blew the horn, suspending play due to thunderstorms. Inami was one stroke back in a solo second, while Ashok and Ko, the silver medalist in 2016, were tied for third at 15 under.
The delay lasted 45 minutes, and when play resumed, Inami drained her birdie putt on 17 to share the lead with Korda. But that didn’t last long, as she bogeyed the final hole while Korda finished with a par.
Inami claimed the silver medal in a playoff, while Ko took the bronze. — Charlotte Gibson
Surprise medal for Team USA
Team USA’s Molly Seidel ran her first marathon ever in February 2020 — at the U.S. Olympic trials. A year and a half later, she is the Olympic bronze medalist at Tokyo, finishing at 2:27:46. Kenya went 1-2 — Peres Jepchirchir won gold with a 2:27:20 finish, followed by Brigid Kosgei. The women’s marathon race was moved to earlier in the morning on Saturday in Sapporo, Japan, due to heat and humidity.
“It takes 10 years to become an overnight success.” – marathoners
“Hold my beer.” – Molly Seidel #TeamUSA
— des_linden (@des_linden) August 6, 2021
Seidel is the third American woman to win a medal in Olympic marathon, joining Deena Kastor (bronze, 2004) and Joan Benoit Samuelson (gold, 1984).
Three-peat for USA water polo
For the third straight Olympics, USA women’s water polo has the gold medal. Ashleigh Johnson was a rock star in goal as USA won 14-5. It’s the largest margin of victory in a gold medal game in Olympic history.
In the run to her third gold, Maggie Steffens reset the record book. She now owns the record for all-time Olympic scoring with 56 goals.
The women of @USAWP defeated 🇪🇸 14-5 – the largest margin of victory ever in Olympic gold medal matches.
This is a really dominant team. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/CrUHuI2epT
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 7, 2021
2012, 2016 and now 2020.
The #USA have made it three #Gold medals in a row in women’s water polo!#StrongerTogether | #Tokyo2020 | @fina1908 | #WaterPolo pic.twitter.com/94PdVtj5EY
— Olympics (@Olympics) August 7, 2021
Relay redemption?
The U.S. men have not had a great run in Tokyo, but the men’s 4×400-meter relay final (8:50 a.m. ET) will give Team USA a chance at redemption. In the heats, the U.S. preliminary squad of Trevor Stewart, Randolph Ross, Bryce Deadmon and Vernon Norwood finished at 2:57.77 to win their heat and automatically advance to the final. They will face Jamaica, Netherlands and Italy, who will all look to make the podium.
Repeat relay?
For the women’s 4×400, defending champion USA heads into the relay final (8:30 a.m. ET) as a clear favorite, winning its heat in 3:20.86, the fastest time of the entire prelim heats. Ten-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix is expected to join the team for a chance to win her 11th Olympic medal.
Gold on the pitch
Defending champion Brazil will take on Spain for a shot at the gold medal at 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday. Spain is coming off a 1-0 semifinal victory over Japan, while Brazil beat Mexico 4-1. In 2016, Brazil won the gold medal in a penalty shootout against Germany.
Does gold run in the family?
USA high jump star Vashti Cunningham, the 23-year-old daughter of former Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings star Randall Cunningham, is positioned to be a medal contender when the women’s high jump final begins (6:35 a.m. ET). Her 1.95-meter jump in the prelim round automatically qualified her for the finals. She finished first at U.S. Olympic trials in June, and the month before that, she set a personal record with a jump of 6 feet, 7½ inches.
Team USA progressed to the Tokyo 2020 men’s basketball gold medal game after downing a valiant Australia in their match-up on Thursday. It was heartbreak for the Boomers as they fell to their fifth Olympic semi-final defeat across five decades. The Australians must now regroup for the bronze medal clash on Saturday, as they continue their search for the nation’s first international medal in men’s basketball.
The Americans now face France, who beat them in the teams’ opening game, for gold. The French beat Slovenia 90-89 in a thrilling semi-final that went down to the last play.
Stretching back to 1964, Australia and the US have met eight times in Olympic competition. The closest the Boomers had come to defeating the Americans was two 10-point losses, in 2004 and 2016. Victories for Australia in a 2019 friendly and in a pre-Tokyo 2020 warm-up game last month offered some hope – as did a positive first-half performance. But ultimately the Americans’ star power was too much for the Patty Mills-led Boomers, losing 97-78.
TOKYO (AP) — Two Belarus team coaches have been removed from the Olympics, four days after they were involved in trying to send sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya back to their country.
The International Olympic Committee said Friday it has canceled and removed the credentials of Artur Shimak and Yury Maisevich.
“The two coaches were requested to leave the Olympic Village immediately and have done so,” the IOC said.
It was done as an interim measure during a formal investigation “in the interest of the wellbeing of the athletes,” the Olympic body said.
Shimak and Maisevich continued to have contact with Belarusian athletes since Sunday after the IOC linked them to taking Tsimanouskaya in a car to the airport to put her on a plane to Belarus.
Tsimanouskaya had criticized team coaches on social media and is now in Poland with a humanitarian visa.
The IOC said Shimak and Maisevich “will be offered an opportunity to be heard” by its disciplinary commission investigating the case.
The Belarusian Olympic committee said both men will return to Minsk soon and “they reserve the right to appeal against the decision.”
Belarus has been in turmoil for a year since authoritarian president Aleksander Lukashenko claimed a sixth term after a state election widely viewed as rigged in his favor. The former Soviet republic has relentlessly pursued its critics.
Lukashenko also led the Belarusian Olympic committee since the 1990s until this year. His son, Viktor, was elected to replace him.
The IOC banned both Lukashenkos in December from attending the Tokyo Olympics after investigating complaints from athletes they faced reprisals and intimidation in a security crackdown after the election.
Alexander Lukashenko was also unable to attend the 2012 London Olympics because of a European Union visa ban imposed during a previous crackdown that followed a disputed election.
Still, the IOC’s slate of sanctions against Belarus was criticized by activists there and international groups representing athletes who urged a full suspension of the national Olympic committee. That would have let Tsimanouskaya and the rest of the 103-member Belarusian team compete as independents under the Olympic flag.
Asked Friday about how Olympic officials had handled Belarus, IOC President Thomas Bach said it was “not in a position to change the political system in a country.”
“What our responsibility and our remit is is to protect the athletes as much and as far as we can,” Bach said, describing the incident in Tokyo as a “deplorable case.”
In Belarus, Olympic officials said they were in close contact with the IOC and “shall continue to defend and protect the interests of all Belarusian athletes and coaches from any forms of discrimination, if any.”
However, Belarus was also selected by the European group of national Olympic bodies to host the 2019 European Games. That multi-sport event brought about 4,000 athletes to compete in Minsk.
___ Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.
___
More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
There are precious few days left at the Olympic Games, and the U.S. women’s basketball team is one step closer to another gold medal.
Team USA’s frontcourt duo of Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner combined for 27 points and 22 rebounds as America cruised past Serbia 79-59 to advance to the gold-medal game (10:30 p.m. ET Saturday) against the winner of Japan vs. France.
They hope to be among the last USA squads to bring home the gold. One duo that did: the A-Team, April Ross and Alix Klineman.
Ross and Klineman capped their Olympic run with a gold medal in beach volleyball, defeating the Australian duo of Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar 21-15, 21-16.
Americans could win gold medals and both men’s and women’s golf. After Xander Schauffele won the men’s title, Nelly Korda holds a three-shot lead in the women’s tournament entering the fourth round, which is set to be played as early as possible Saturday before a tropical storm in the forecast is scheduled to arrive.
Here’s all the best action from Tokyo:
Rushing to the gold-medal game
The U.S. women’s basketball team will officially have a chance to extend its dynasty and win its seventh straight Olympic gold medal.
Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner both recorded double-doubles, while Sue Bird filled out the score sheet with eight points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals as America defeated Serbia 79-59 to reach the gold-medal game.
This pass from @DianaTaurasi is just RIDICULOUS. #OlympicHERstory x @OnHerTurf pic.twitter.com/fdT7oD8yg3
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 6, 2021
The U.S., which hasn’t lost an Olympic game since the 1992 Games (when America won bronze), will play the winner of Japan and France at 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
A-Team wins a gold
The USA is atop the beach volleyball world again. The A-Team of April Ross and Alix Klineman swept Australia’s duo of Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar 21-15, 21-16 as the U.S. won the gold medal for the fourth time in the past five Olympics.
CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH! 🥇
The A-Team of @AprilRossBeach and @alixklineman is GOLDEN in beach volleyball #TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/zxBfQOtZ6w
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2021
Ross won a silver medal with Jennifer Kessy in 2012, losing to Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings in the final. In 2016, she teamed with Walsh Jennings but ultimately won bronze.
Wow! You did it Ladies, Congratulations! @AprilRossBeach and @alixklineman , you Deserve the Gold! You Brought your “A” Game to the A-team! USA All the Way, you made Us Proud! @NBCOlympics @TeamUSA @usavolleyball @USAVBeach #gold #theAteam
— Mr. T (@MrT) August 6, 2021
Another USA volleyball win
Ross and Klineman’s victory on the sand wasn’t the only American volleyball win. The U.S. women won their indoor volleyball match against Serbia in straight sets, advancing to the gold-medal match against the winner of Brazil and South Korea (12:30 a.m. ET Sunday).
So nice, you have to watch it twice. @bartschy x #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/Wqfe5lRtC4
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 6, 2021
Biles returns home
Simone Biles, fresh off winning a silver in the team all-around and bronze in the individual balance beam, returned home to Houston to a rousing welcome.
play
1:17
Simone Biles returns to Houston from Tokyo to a crowd of family, friends and fans at the airport.
One more backflip in store?
Gable Steveson, an NCAA wrestling champion at 285 pounds, will have a chance to win gold in the men’s freestyle at 125kg. He is known for celebrating his victories with a backflip — which is impressive for anyone, let alone a wrestler of his size. Does he have one more celebration in store?
Gable Steveson became NCAA wrestling champion at 285 lbs. Casual backflip. pic.twitter.com/6xZCpD2L4N
— BroBible (@BroBible) March 21, 2021
Nailed it
Details are key — especially when it comes to nails. And some U.S. stars, from Simone Biles to Alex Morgan, represented the red, white and blue on their fingertips.
…Let’s continue this discussion. pic.twitter.com/sUT10IGXRj
There are precious few days left at the Olympic Games. Drink some extra coffee because we’re getting closer to a gold medal in women’s basketball where Sue Bird and Team USA face Serbia in the semifinals (12:40 a.m. ET). The Americans could be peaking at the right time, so look out.
Speaking of peaking at the right time, the A-Team of April Ross and Alix Klineman capped their Olympic run with a gold medal in beach volleyball, dropping just one set during the entire tournament. Ross and Klineman defeated the Australian duo of Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar 21-15, 21-16.
Americans could win gold medals and both men’s and women’s golf. After Xander Schauffele won the men’s title, Nelly Korda holds a four-shot lead in the women’s tournament. The third round started Thursday evening. A tropical storm has already shortened the tournament to 54 holes, but weather reports looked good for getting in the round.
Here’s all the best action from Tokyo:
A-Team wins a gold
The USA is atop the beach volleyball world again. The A-Team of April Ross and Alix Klineman swept Australia’s duo of Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar 21-15, 21-16 as the U.S. won the gold medal for the fourth time in the past five Olympics.
CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH! 🥇
The A-Team of @AprilRossBeach and @alixklineman is GOLDEN in beach volleyball #TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/zxBfQOtZ6w
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2021
Ross won a silver medal with Jennifer Kessy in 2012, losing to Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings in the final. In 2016, she teamed with Walsh Jennings but ultimately won bronze.
Wow! You did it Ladies, Congratulations! @AprilRossBeach and @alixklineman , you Deserve the Gold! You Brought your “A” Game to the A-team! USA All the Way, you made Us Proud! @NBCOlympics @TeamUSA @usavolleyball @USAVBeach #gold #theAteam
— Mr. T (@MrT) August 6, 2021
Biles returns home
Simone Biles, fresh off winning a silver in the team all-around and bronze in the individual balance beam, returned home to Houston to a rousing welcome.
play
1:17
Simone Biles returns to Houston from Tokyo to a crowd of family, friends and fans at the airport.
One more backflip in store?
Gable Steveson, an NCAA wrestling champion at 285 pounds, will have a chance to win gold in the men’s freestyle at 125kg. He is known for celebrating his victories with a backflip — which is impressive for anyone, let alone a wrestler of his size. Does he have one more celebration in store?
Gable Steveson became NCAA wrestling champion at 285 lbs. Casual backflip. pic.twitter.com/6xZCpD2L4N
— BroBible (@BroBible) March 21, 2021
Nailed it
Details are key — especially when it comes to nails. And some U.S. stars, from Simone Biles to Alex Morgan, represented the red, white and blue on their fingertips.
…Let’s continue this discussion. pic.twitter.com/sUT10IGXRj
TOKYO (AP) — Two Belarus team coaches have been removed from the Olympics, four days after they were involved in trying to send sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya back to their country.
The International Olympic Committee said Friday it has canceled and removed the credentials of Artur Shimak and Yury Maisevich.
“The two coaches were requested to leave the Olympic Village immediately and have done so,” the IOC said.
It was done as an interim measure during a formal investigation “in the interest of the wellbeing of the athletes,” the Olympic body said.
Shimak and Maisevich continued to have contact with Belarusian athletes since Sunday after the IOC linked them to taking Tsimanouskaya in a car to the airport to put her on a plane to Belarus.
Tsimanouskaya had criticized team coaches on social media and is now in Poland with a humanitarian visa.
The IOC said Shimak and Maisevich “will be offered an opportunity to be heard” by its disciplinary commission investigating the case.
It was unclear if the men have stayed in Japan or will leave for Belarus, an authoritarian former Soviet republic that relentlessly pursues its critics.
Belarus has been in turmoil for a year since Aleksander Lukashenko claimed a sixth presidential term after a state election widely viewed as rigged in his favor.
Lukashenko also led the Belarusian Olympic committee since the 1990s until this year. His son, Viktor, was elected to replace him.
The IOC banned both Lukashenkos from attending the Tokyo Olympics after investigating complaints from athletes they faced reprisals and intimidation in a security crackdown after the election.
Alexander Lukashenko was previously unable to attend the 2012 London Olympics because of a European Union visa ban imposed during a previous crackdown that followed a disputed election.
___
More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports