MEDAL ALERT
France won the first Olympic volleyball gold medal by beating Russia in five sets. This was a major win for France, a country with no previous success.
France had qualified for the Olympics only four times before this year. They never reached the quarterfinals. They managed to get through to the knockout stage and won the gold, despite losing a 2-0 lead in their final set.
Jean Patry rallied France late in the fifth set, scoring a kill as well as an ace to make it 13-11 ahead. Antoine Brizard surprised the Russians by sending a soft shot over it instead of setting it. France won the match point 15-12 after Maxim Mikhaylov’s shot was too wide.
For the bronze medal, Argentina defeated Brazil in five sets.
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ALERT MEDAL
Brazil won the second consecutive gold medal in men’s soccer with a victory of 2-1 over Spain. Malcom scored in the 108th minutes.
Five years ago, Brazil won gold at home at the Maracana Stadium. After a 1-1 draw against Germany, Neymar was the victor in a 5-4 shootout.
Brazil led 1-0 at halftime, but Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal equalized the score in the 61st minutes with a Carlos Soler cross.
After a collision between Matheus Cunha and Unai Simon, Brazil won a penalty kick. It took place in the 37th minute. Richarlison was the Japanese field leader with five goals. The penalty was taken by Brazil. It was well beyond the goal line to keep the game scoreless.
Brazil led in the first-half of stoppage time. Davi Alves kicked the ball high into the box, keeping it in play. Cunha then slotted the ball just inside the post.
Gil Bryan almost scored the 88th goal for Spain, but his shot hit a crossbar and the match was extended.
Spain was awarded the 1992 gold medal and was seeking its second Olympic title.
Brazil reached the final 4-1 with a penalty shootout, after a draw with Mexico. Spain beat Japan 1-0 thanks to Marco Asensio’s goal in the 115th minutes.
Japan lost 3-1 to Mexico in Friday’s bronze medal match at Saitama.
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France beat Denmark 25-23 to win the Olympic gold medal for men’s handball.
France led the game by six goals in the first half, but Denmark made it a one-goal match in the last minute. Ludovic Fabregas scored a goal and a steal with just six seconds remaining to seal the win.
France played its fourth consecutive men’s Olympic final, after having won in 2008 and 2012, and losing to Denmark 2016. On Sunday, the Russian women’s team will play France.
For the bronze medal, Spain defeated Egypt 33 to 31
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MEDAL ALERT
Mariya Lasitskene won Russia’s first track and field gold medal at the Tokyo Games.
With a winning height at 2.04 meters, the three-time world champion in women’s high jumping added an Olympic gold medal.
Lasitskene was first when she cleared 2.02 meters in her first jump. Before clearing 2.02 meters, she had failed to clear 1.98, 1.98 and 2.96 meters.
Nicola McDermott from Australia led until she failed her first attempt at 2.02. She broke it again on her second attempt to set a national record, but she failed all three attempts at 2.04.
After clearing 2 meters, Yaroslava Mahuchikh from Ukraine won bronze.
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The Japanese All-Stars achieved a national goal to win the Olympic Baseball Gold Medal for the first time. They beat the United States 2-0 thanks to Munetaka Murakami’s third-inning home run.
Masato Morishita, four relievers, combined for a six-hitter. The Japanese men (5-0), matched the achievement of the women’s team in softball, which defeated the Americans to win their second consecutive gold medal.
Several hundred spectators, many of them appearing to be Olympic volunteers, cheered Japan at the 34,000-capacity Yokohama Stadium. Some were wearing orange Japan jerseys and matching masks on the hot and humid night.
America, which introduced baseball to Japan in 1872 was ranked 4-2. Major League Baseball and its clubs denied teams access to all 40-man roster player and many eligible top prospects, thereby limiting the U.S.A. and other countries with top players in MLB.
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This time, there were no bad exchanges as the U.S. men won the first gold medal in a track event at the Tokyo Games by winning the 4×400-meter relay.
Although the U.S. men did not reach the final of 4x100m relay, the 4×400 team of Michael Cherry Norman, Bryce Deadmon, Rai Benjamin and Bryce Deadmon completed four laps around the Olympic oval in just 2 minutes, 55.70 seconds. The fifth gold medal for the U.S. in the 4×400 relay since 1996 was achieved by Michael Norman, Rai Benjamin, Bryce Deadmon and Michael Cherry.
The Netherlands won silver in a national record of 2:57.18, while Botswana took bronze in 2:57.27.
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MEDAL ALERT
British athlete Joseph Choong won Saturday’s men’s pentathlon at the Olympics. This was a record that matches Kate French’s gold medal in the women’s event.
Choong placed third in swimming, first in fencing and 14th in riding. Choong also finished 15th in laser-run, setting a new Olympic record of 1,482 points.
Silver went to Egypt’s Ahmed Elgendy, while bronze went to Woongtae Jun from South Korea.
The first nation to win both the men’s modern pentathlon and the women’s at the Olympic Games is Britain.
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MEDAL ALERT
Allyson Felix won her 11th Olympic gold, and she was able to team up with American teammates to win the 4×400-meter relay in just 3 minutes, 16.85 seconds. This is a remarkable victory.
This one was not a test for the team of Felix, Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad.
Poland came in second place, 3.68 seconds behind Jamaica, while Jamaica was third.
Felix, who was the most decorated woman in Olympic track history after she won bronze in Friday’s 400, now surpasses Carl Lewis as the U.S. track medalist with the most. Seven of the 11 medals are gold.
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MEDAL ALERT
Iran’s Sajad Ganjzadeh won the Olympic gold medal for men’s over 75 kilogram karate. Final opponent Tareg Haimedi was disqualified after Ganjzadeh kicked Ganjzadeh in the head or upper body.
After falling on his back from the incredible kick by Hamedi in the Budokan Tatami, Ganjzadeh was able to get up and walk away. Ganjzadeh was able to move his arms before being carried away.
After conferring, Hamedi was given a hansoku penality and Ganjzadeh was declared winner. Hamedi, who was in tears when he left the mat, won Saudi Arabia’s second-ever Silver Medal, but not its first Gold.
Hamedi’s incredible kick was the last strike in karate’s Olympic debut event. It is not on the Paris 2024 Olympic program, so its long-term Olympic future remains uncertain.
In the semifinals, Hamedi defeated Ryutaro Aaga from Japan. Araga’s bronze was, unsurprisingly, the only kumite medal won by Tokyo’s host nation. Karate grew in Japan and was widely spread around the world during the 20th Century.
Ugur Aktas from Turkey won the bronze.
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MEDAL ALERT
Japan’s Yui Sushaki defeated Yanan Sun of China by technical superiority (10-0) to win the 50-kilogram women’s freestyle wrestling final.
Susaki, 22 years old, added Olympic gold to her world titles. This was Japan’s fourth Olympic medal in women’s wrestling, out of six weight classes.
Sun won the Olympic bronze medal at 48 kg in 2016
Mariya Stadnik, Azerbaijan, won her fourth Olympic gold medal. Her match for bronze was won by her technical superiority (10-0) over Namuuntsetseg Ochir of Mongolia. She had previously won two silvers as well as a bronze.
American Sarah Hildebrand beat Ukraine’s Oksana Lilivach through technical superiority (12-1 for the other bronze).
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India’s first Olympic gold medal in track and field has been won by Neeraj Chopra. He threw 87.58m to win the title of javelin champion at the Tokyo Games.
India has only ever won two silver medals in Olympic track & field. These were won by Norman Pritchard, in the 200-meters hurdles and in the 200 meter hurdles at Paris Games in 1900.
Chopra, the first Indian athlete to win gold in javelin at both the Asian Games (and the Commonwealth Games), set a new standard in Tokyo. To finish on top, he surpassed Czech Republic athletes.
Jakub Vadlejch won silver, and Vitezslav Vesely, a former world champion, bronze.
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Feryal Abdelaziz, from Egypt, has won the first Olympic Karate gold medal in women’s over-61kg kumite. She beat Iryna Zaretska of Azerbaijan to claim Egypt’s second Olympic gold Medal since 1948.
Abdelaziz, 22, won a yuko in 28 seconds of a very competitive final bout. Three seconds later, she scored again and held on for a victory of 2:0. This was celebrated with a primal cry.
Egypt has competed at the Olympics since 1912. However, Greco-Roman wrestler Karem Gabriel’s gold in Athens 2004 was the nation’s only gold in the past 73 year.
Bronze was won by Gong Li, China, and Sofya Bernultseva, Kazakhstan.
Japan’s Ayumi Ekusa was eliminated from the finals. This ended a difficult Olympic year for the karate champ. Uekusa had spoken out against Masao Kagawa in Japan earlier this year, claiming that he bullied her and caused her injuries with a bamboo blade. Kagawa resigned.
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MEDAL ALERT
Jessica Springsteen and the U.S. jump team were defeated by Sweden in a jumpoff for the gold medal.
Springsteen, McLain Ward and Laura Kraut were both able to clear the short jump-off course in a time of 124.2 seconds.
Peder Fredricson was the last rider from Sweden. He had to complete the circuit in 40.30 seconds without errors. This week, the Americans entered with three golds.
France was on its way to another straight gold, when Penelope Leprevost took the course. Leprevost and the French team were required to finish the course with less than five points in order to win without jumping off. Leprevost’s horse refused to go twice, disqualifying her.
The Americans and Swedes were tied with eight penalties each, resulting in the need to jump off.
Springsteen, the daughter rockers Bruce Springsteen & Patti Scialfia receives a silver medal in her Olympic debut.
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Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Norway, surged ahead and won the 1,500-meters at Tokyo Games.
Ingebrigtsen was behind Timothy Cheruiyot, the world champion, for much of the race. However, Ingebrigtsen kicked late to win the gold in 3:28.32 seconds beating Abel Kipsang, Kenya, who set the record at 3:31.65 in the heats.
Cheruiyot was not selected for the Olympics, but was added after another runner from Kenya was eliminated. He took silver in 3 minutes 29.01.
Bronze was won by Josh Kerr from Britain. Kipsang was fourth.
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American Kyle Snyder was defeated by Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a member of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Snyder, who was the Olympic gold medalist in 97kg at 97kg in 2016, is a two time world champion. Sadulaev, who was the Olympic gold medalist at 85kg in 2016, is a four time world champion.
In the final minute, Sadulaev led by 6-0. Sadulaev won the match with a 6-3 victory after Snyder had scored two takedowns and one step-out.
For bronze, Reineris Salas of Cuba defeated Sharif Sharifov from Azerbaijan. Salas, 34 years old, had never been awarded a world title nor an Olympic medal. Sharifov, 32 won Olympic gold at the London Olympics in the 84kg category and bronze at the 86kg in 2016.
The bronze medal match saw Turkey’s Suleyman Karadeniz defeated by Italy’s Abraham Canyedo Ruano 6-2.
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MEDAL ALERT
Russian Svetlana Romshina won the seventh gold medal in her Olympic career. She led her team to the gold in artistic swimming team events.
Romashina was either on or won every event in which she has participated at the four Olympics.
Only Usain Bolt, a Jamaican sprinter, and Ray Ewry (a jumper from the USA) have won more than seven Olympic golds.
Vlada Chigireva and Aleksandra Patskevich were the rest of ROC’s team.
To win the duet, Romashina teamed up with Kolesnichenko.
In a sport that they have dominated for over two decades, the Russians were considered heavy favorites. Their Olympic defeat in what was then called synchronized swimming occurred at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
ROC performed to “Parade of Planets”, by Denis Gornizov. With planet designs on their swimsuits ROC received 98.8000 points and then finished the technical routine with 196.0979.
China was 2.5669 points ahead of Ukraine to win the silver medal, and Ukraine was 5.7961 back for bronze.
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MEDAL ALERT
Sifan Hassan won 10,000m for her second gold medal and third medal at the Tokyo Olympics. She had previously competed in three long-distance races.
Hassan swept past Letesenbet Gidy, world record holder, on the final turn. He won in 29 minutes 55.32 seconds.
The Ethiopian-born runner now runs for the Netherlands and has completed a remarkable 5,000 and 10,000 double. A bronze medal was also awarded to her in the 1,500m. She won the 10,000 in Tokyo, her sixth race in just eight days.
Kalkidan Gezahegne from Bahrain won silver in 29:56.18. Gidey, who had led for most the race, lost for bronze because she couldn’t answer Hassan’s finish.
On another humid night at Olympic Stadium, four runners failed to finish the race.
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MEDAL ALERT
Japan’s Takuto Okuro defeated Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan 5-4 to win 65-kilogram freestyle wrestling men’s final.
Otoguro’s best result was a 2018 world title.
Aliyev, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist at 56kg, was also a three-time champion in the world.
The Russian Olympic Committee’s Gadzhimurad Rashidov and India’s Bajrang Pathia were the bronze medalists.
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Jessica Springsteen’s last ride at her first Olympics has placed the American team in medal contention for the Equestrian Park.
Springsteen’s horse Don Juan van de Donkhoeve front-hoofed a rail to receive a four-point penalty, but was otherwise lightning fast and clean around the course.
Springsteen rode in the perfect circuit designed by Laura Kraut, an Olympic veteran. The Americans entered the final round tied for second place with Sweden and Belgium with four points. France is leading with two points.
Springsteen, 29, a daughter of Bruce Springsteen’s rockers and Patti Scialfa, failed to make it to the finals in the individual competition earlier this week. In each of her three runs, she has received four penalty points across the team and individual competitions.
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After getting injured in the elimination-round kumite fight in men’s 75-kilogram Olympic Karate, Jonathan Horne, German world champion, has been taken to the Budokan Tatami and left on a stretcher.
Horne pulled out of the Olympic tournament around 30 minutes later.
Horne appears to have injures his arm during sparring with Gogita Arkania, Georgia. The 32-year old karateka fell to the ground in pain and was taken to hospital.
Horne, who was 84 kgs the world champion in 2018, won the European title at that weight earlier in the year. He was among the favorites at the lower division of the Olympic debut of Karate, which concluded Saturday night.
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MEDAL ALERT
Linoy Ashram, an Israeli rhythmic gymnastics competitor, won the gold medal. This ended Russia’s dominance for decades.
Ashram, 22 years old, beat out two identical Russian twin sisters who were favorites going into Tokyo. Dina Averina (22), placed second, while her sister, Arina fell to fourth. Alina Harnasko from Belarus won the bronze award.
Since 2000, Russia has won the rhythmic gymnastics gold medals at every Olympics.
Their streak was broken by Ashram’s win Saturday in rhythmic gymnastics. She performed almost flawlessly, including a club routine to Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” as well as dancing in a blue and feathered leotard to a techno remix to the Jewish folk song “Havanagila”.
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MEDAL ALERT
Lasse Norman Hansen of Denmark and Michael Morkov of Russia won the Men’s Madison at the Olympics for the first-time since 2008.
Hansen and Morkov only won three of the 20 sprints, but they were consistent enough to win the 200-lap race with 43 points. This was three more than Britain which won silver in a tiebreaker and France which took bronze.
Madison, once a beloved track cyclist, has returned to the Olympics for its first appearance since the 2008 Beijing Games. Three riders took part in the Madison’s last race 13 years ago: Kenny de Ketele from Belgium, Morkov of Denmark and Roger Kluge from Germany.
Two teams race together in a relay. Only one rider is allowed to race, but they can swap at any point. Points are awarded to the top four finishers of each segment’s 10-lap segments.
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MEDAL ALERT
The U.S. won the third consecutive gold medal in women’s water polo. Spain was defeated 14-5 at the Tokyo Olympics final.
Maddie Musselman scored 3 times, Ashleigh Johnson saved 11 as the U.S. improved its record to 134-4 since winning gold at Rio de Janeiro Games 2016. The U.S. won four consecutive wins, a total of 63-26 after falling to Hungary 10-9 in group play. This was the first Olympic loss since 2008.
The United States joins the British (1908-1920), and Hungarian (2000-2008), as the only countries that have won at least three consecutive water polo titles at Olympics. The U.S. is currently the only country to have won a medal in all six editions at the Games’ women’s tournament.
Maica Garcia scored two goals for Spain in the 2012 final. The silver medal is the best result in the country’s women’s competition.
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MEDAL ALERT
Cao Yuan was the first diver to win three gold medals in Olympic events. He did this by a thrilling duel from the Tokyo Aquatics Centre’s 10-meter platform.
Cao was a dominant performer for the Chinese team. They were almost perfect in these games. Yang Jian won the silver medal, 1.95 points behind his fellow teammate.
Yang completed his final dive with a string 9.0s and 99.5s, for a forward 4 1/2 somersaults at a 4.1 degree of difficulty. This was the most difficult dive anyone has ever attempted.
Yang rose from the water and began pumping his fists.
Cao was the last diver to jump off the tower. Although his dive was not as difficult, his marks were better: two perfect 10s and every other score a 9.5. Yang took the silver medal with 580.40 points.
Tom Daley, from Britain, was the only diver to give the Chinese a challenge. He finished with 548.25 bronze. In his career, he had now won four Olympics medals — one gold and three bronze.
China’s only mistake in Tokyo was in the 10-metersynchronized. Chen Aisen and Cao were able to take silver in front of Matty Lee and Matty Daley by just 1.23 points. This tiny margin was all that stopped the great diving nation of China from completing a flawless run at Tokyo pool.
To go with three golds, a silver in synchronized, the Chinese had a combined score of 1-2 in each of the four events.
Cao, 26, added to the golds in the 3-meter springboard at Rio Games 2016 and the 10-meter synchro at London Olympics 2012. After Dmitry Sautin from Russia, Cao became the second man to win medals at all four Olympic diving events.
The Americans Jordan Windle (USA) and Brandon Loschiavo (USA) finished ninth and eleventh, respectively.
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After being filmed hitting a horse uncooperatively during the Olympic women’s modern pentathlon, a German coach was suspended.
Kim Raisner was seen leaning against a fence in TV footage. Saint Boy refused to jump the fences during the showjumping round. Annika Schleu, a German athlete, was unable to win the gold medal.
According to the International Modern Pentathlon Union, footage of Raisner striking the horse with her fist was reviewed and found that she had violated (the rules).
Raisner is suspended for the remainder of the Tokyo Olympics which ends Sunday. It was not immediately clear if Raisner had been expected to participate in Saturday’s modern pentathlon men’s race.
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Argentina took home the bronze medal in men’s volleyball and won its second Olympic gold.
In 1988, the Argentinians also won the bronze medal in Seoul.
France plays Russia for the gold medal.
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MEDAL ALERT
Busenaz Surmeneli, from Turkey, has won the women’s gold medal at welterweight in Tokyo. She fought through tough final against Gu Hong of China to win Turkey’s first boxing gold.
Surmeneli won with two even scorecards the final 3:0 after a bout full of awkward exchanges and holding. Gu’s awkward and hold-heavy style caused them almost entirely. Gu was penalized for holding in the first round, but she would have won on the two judges’ scorecards.
Gu was beaten by Surmeneli in the second round. Her power and athleticism made her the most formidable fighter in the 100-woman Tokyo field. Turkey had only won two silver medals and two bronzes gold medals in Olympic history prior to Surmeneli’s triumph at the first Olympic title at women’s welterweight. This was one of the two new women’s divisions that were added to the Olympics in Tokyo.
Oshae Jones from the United States won bronze, while Lovlina Borgohain (India) won bronze. Jones is among the four medalists of the United States’ most successful boxing team since 2000. Borgohain is the third Indian boxing medalist.
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MEDAL ALERT
Brazil’s Hebert SOUSA won the men’s boxing gold medal at Tokyo Olympics. He was stunned when he lost to Oleksandr Khyzhniak of Ukraine in a third round knockdown.
For the first two rounds, Khyzhniak dominated Sousa and seemed to be on his way to Ukraine’s fifth boxing gold. However, Sousa caught Khyzhniak using a counter left hook in the third round and Khyzhniak took to the canvas.
While Khyzhniak begged for continued, the referee stopped the bout.
Sousa beat Gleb Bakshi, second-seeded from Russia, in the semifinal. He joins lightweight Robson Conceicao, the only boxing gold medalists of Brazil’s Olympic history. Conceicao won the historic gold in Rio de Janeiro.
Bakshi and Eumir Marcial from the Philippines won bronze medals at the division with the most talent in Tokyo.
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Hungary won the first medal in women’s water polo and beat Russia 11-9 to win bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
Vanda Valyi scored three goals for Hungary, which placed fourth in the previous three Games. Rita Kesthelyi scored two goals.
Hungary held a 10-9 lead at the end of the match when Alda Magiari stopped Nadezhda Gyzina, the Russian Olympic Committee’s long-range shot. Magyari then put the ball in the net to score the winning goal.
The U.S. lost to Hungary in group play. This was the Americans’ first loss at the Olympics since 2008. It defeated the Netherlands in quarterfinals, before falling to Spain.
Later Saturday, Spain will play the U.S. to win gold.
The men’s hockey team from Hungary — which is the most successful country in the Olympics’ oldest sport — will compete for bronze Sunday against Spain.
Glyzina Simanovich, Anastasia Simanovich, and Ekaterina PROKOFYEV each scored two goals to help the Russian team win bronze in 2016. Anna Karnaukh made six saves.
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MEDAL ALERT
The International Olympic Committee has closed a potential disciplinary case against two Chinese gold medalists who wore pin badges of Mao Zedong on the Olympic podium.
Christian Klaue, spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee, stated that officials from China gave assurances to the athletes that they were warned and that the incident would not happen again.
Bao Shanju, Zhong Tianshi, and Zhong Liu attended Monday’s medal ceremony for the women’s track cycling sprint. They wore pin badges from Mao, founder of communist China.
This gesture was against Olympic Charter Rule 50 which forbids political statements at the Tokyo Games podium. This rule will also be in effect at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.
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MEDAL ALERT
Stoyka Krasteva from Bulgaria, has completed her remarkable run through the Tokyo Olympics by winning the women’s flyweight-boxing gold medal. 5:0 beat her opponent, top-seeded Buse Naz Cakiroglu from Turkey.
Krasteva, 36, an Olympian from 2012, won the fight against her last four opponents to win Bulgaria’s fifth boxing gold. This was Bulgaria’s first since Daniel Petrov 1996. Since 2004, Bulgaria had only won one bronze medal in boxing.
Cakiroglu lost the final in a decisive manner, but still took home Turkey’s third-ever boxing silver medal and sixth overall medal. Busenaz Surmeneli, a teammate, has another chance to win Turkey’s first ever boxing gold in Saturday’s welterweight final.
Tsukimi Namiki from Japan won bronze in lightest women’s class. Huang Hsiao–wen, Taiwan, is the 2019 world champion.
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MEDAL ALERT
Galal Yafai, who beat Carlo Paalam from the Philippines 4 to 1, has won Britain’s first ever boxing gold medal at Tokyo Olympics.
Yafai, the younger brother of two boxers from Birmingham who is currently 28 years old, was a two-time Olympian and had a great run in Tokyo. He defeated Paalam in round one of the gold-medal bout, and went on to win comfortably.
Britain’s elite team has won two silvers, two bronzes and Yafai’s Tokyo gold. Lauren Price, middleweight, will fight for another gold on Sunday.
After defeating Shakhoibidin Zirov, the defending gold medalist in boxing, Paalam was just short of winning the first Olympic gold medal in Olympic boxing. After winning only five boxing medals during their previous Olympic history, the Filipino team is still headed home to Tokyo with two bronze medals and one silver.
Bronze medals were won by Ryomei Tanaka from Japan and Saken Bibolossinov from Kazakhstan. In a thrilling semifinal, Yafai defeated Bibossinov.
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MEDAL ALERT
Nelly Korda has given the Americans a sweep of gold medals in golf, holding on for a one-shot victory in a thrill-a-minute finish to the Olympic women’s golf competition.
On the back nine, Korda lead by up to three shots. She needed just two putts to par the 18th hole and score a 2-under 69.
Mone Inami, Japan’s ace golfer, made bogey on the 18th hole from a bunker lie. She was then faced with Lydia Ko, New Zealand, for the silver medal.
It was yet another moment of glory for Korda, 23, who is living her dream season. Six weeks ago, she won her first major championship and rose to No. She was ranked No. 1 in the world. She now has the Olympic gold medal, and it is clear who the best woman’s golf player in the world.
Xander Schauffele won gold for the men on Sunday.
Aditi Ashok from India performed one of the greatest putting performances ever to keep her in reach. On the 18th, she had a 25-foot birdie that passed the hole and kept her off of the podium by one shot.
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MEDAL ALERT
The U.S. has won its fourth straight Olympic men’s basketball gold medal, holding off France 87-82.
Kevin Durant was a teammate of Carmelo Anthony and scored 29 points to help the Americans win.
Durant was already the top scorer in U.S. men’s history at this tournament. In the gold-medal games, Durant scored 30 points in 2012 and 2016 and almost made it again this year.
The U.S. was defeated by France in their opening match of this tournament. This ended the 25-game streak of Olympic gold medal winning for the Americans.
While trying to win their first men’s basketball gold, the French nearly beat them again on Saturday. The French had finished second in the U.S. basketball tournaments in 2000 and 1948, so they were forced to settle for a third place.
For the bronze medal, Australia and Slovenia will be competing on Saturday.
