Competition heated up at the Tokyo Games during the final night of swimming events. Teams competed in the new 4×100-meter mixed medley relay event, track & field events continued and men’s basketball saw action on the court.Here’s what you need to know. SwimmingCaeleb Dressel is pretty much invincible when he has a lane to himself. But give him a deficit of more than 8 seconds?Well, that’s too much for even the world’s greatest swimmer to overcome with two laps of the pool.On a morning of mixed emotions and chaotic racing at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Dressel set a world record in the 100-meter butterfly but was basically doomed before he even dove into the pool on the new mixed relay Saturday.So went his chances of joining a very exclusive club. His bid to win six gold medals fell apart with another U.S. relay debacle. The Americans were too far behind in the 4×100-meter mixed medley when their top swimmer took over, so the best Dressel could do was rally the U.S. to a fifth-place finish in an event that features two men and two women on each team. Britain set a world record to win the gold.“Fifth place is unacceptable for USA Swimming,” Dressel said. “It stings.”Track & FieldElaine Thompson-Herah broke Florence Griffith Joyner’s 33-year-old Olympic record in the women’s 100 meters, pointing at the scoreboard even before crossing the line in 10.61 seconds Saturday to defend her title and lead a Jamaican sweep of the medals.Griffith Joyner set the old record of 10.62 at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.Thompson-Herah beat her top rival, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, by .13 seconds. Shericka Jackson, who moved to the shorter sprints for the Tokyo Olympics, won bronze in 10.76.This was the first Jamaican sweep of the medals since the women did it at the 2008 Beijing Games – a feat somewhat overshadowed that week by the record-setting performance by Usain Bolt. Fraser-Pryce and Thompson-Herah are headed for a possible rematch in the 200, where Thompson-Herah is also the defending champion. Earlier Saturday, Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare was provisionally suspended for doping, hours before the former world championships silver medalist was due to run in the semifinals of the women’s 100 meters.Okagbare tested positive for human growth hormone in an out-of-competition test on July 19, four days before the Olympics opened, the Athletics Integrity Unit said, prompting a mandatory provisional suspension.The results of that test were only received by track and field’s anti-doping body late Friday and after Okagbare had already run in the 100 heats on the opening day of track competition at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, the AIU said.She won her heat in 11.05 seconds and was due to run in the semifinals on Saturday. Men’s BasketballItaly is headed back to the Olympic quarterfinals. Nigeria is going home, its Olympic experience not what it wanted on multiple levels.Nicolo Melli scored 15 points, Nico Mannion had 14 and Italy used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to rally and beat Nigeria 80-71 in the Group B finale for both teams on Saturday. The U.S. men’s basketball team secured second place in Group A and clinched a berth in the Olympic quarterfinals on Saturday after defeating the Czech Republic with a score of 119-84.A win also gives the U.S. a chance at securing a top-four seed for the quarterfinals, which will be played in Saitama on Tuesday. Having a top-four seed is critical because it means that the Americans won’t face any group winners in the knockout stage before the semifinals.BaseballRed Sox prospect Triston Casas hit a two-run homer, Nick Allen also went deep and the United States beat defending champion South Korea 4-2 to finish the group stage of the Olympic baseball tournament with a 2-0 record.Nick Martinez, who left the major leagues for Japan after the 2017 season, struck out nine in five innings. Scott McGough, Edwin Jackson, Anthony Gose and David Robertson finished a five-hitter for the Americans, who struck out 14.The United States, which beat Israel 8-1 in its opener, earned Sunday off as the Group B winner. It plays Japan on Monday night in the start of a double-elimination second stage. South Korea faces the Dominican Republic on Sunday.Japan beat Mexico 7-4 to win Group A in the sport’s first appearance at the Olympics since 2008.Former Central League MVP Tetsuto Yamada broke it open with a three-run homer in Yokohama, and Hayato Sakamoto went deep off former big league pitcher Manny Bañuelos. Yamada finished with four RBIs.Joey Meneses, a 29-year-old in Double-A with Boston and the 2018 International League MVP, had three RBIs for Mexico, including a two-run homer in the eighth off Kaima Taira.JudoFrance beat Japan to win gold in the first-ever Olympic judo mixed team event, surprising the powerhouse host nation with four wins in the final five bouts.Clarisse Agbegnenou, Alex Clerget and Teddy Riner all won their bouts before Sarah Leonie Cysique clinched it with a narrow victory over fellow lightweight Tsukasa Yoshida. The 4:1 margin of victory meant pound-for-pound judo superstar Shohei Ono didn’t even get to compete in the final, since he was scheduled for the sixth bout.Germany and Israel won the bronze medals from the 12-team field.
Competition heated up at the Tokyo Games during the final night of swimming events. Teams competed in the new 4×100-meter mixed medley relay event, track & field events continued and men’s basketball saw action on the court.
Here’s what you need to know.
Advertisement
Swimming
Caeleb Dressel is pretty much invincible when he has a lane to himself.
But give him a deficit of more than 8 seconds?
Well, that’s too much for even the world’s greatest swimmer to overcome with two laps of the pool.
On a morning of mixed emotions and chaotic racing at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Dressel set a world record in the 100-meter butterfly but was basically doomed before he even dove into the pool on the new mixed relay Saturday.
So went his chances of joining a very exclusive club. His bid to win six gold medals fell apart with another U.S. relay debacle. The Americans were too far behind in the 4×100-meter mixed medley when their top swimmer took over, so the best Dressel could do was rally the U.S. to a fifth-place finish in an event that features two men and two women on each team. Britain set a world record to win the gold.
“Fifth place is unacceptable for USA Swimming,” Dressel said. “It stings.”
Track & Field
Elaine Thompson-Herah broke Florence Griffith Joyner’s 33-year-old Olympic record in the women’s 100 meters, pointing at the scoreboard even before crossing the line in 10.61 seconds Saturday to defend her title and lead a Jamaican sweep of the medals.
Griffith Joyner set the old record of 10.62 at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Thompson-Herah beat her top rival, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, by .13 seconds. Shericka Jackson, who moved to the shorter sprints for the Tokyo Olympics, won bronze in 10.76.
This was the first Jamaican sweep of the medals since the women did it at the 2008 Beijing Games – a feat somewhat overshadowed that week by the record-setting performance by Usain Bolt.
Fraser-Pryce and Thompson-Herah are headed for a possible rematch in the 200, where Thompson-Herah is also the defending champion.
Earlier Saturday, Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare was provisionally suspended for doping, hours before the former world championships silver medalist was due to run in the semifinals of the women’s 100 meters.
Okagbare tested positive for human growth hormone in an out-of-competition test on July 19, four days before the Olympics opened, the Athletics Integrity Unit said, prompting a mandatory provisional suspension.
The results of that test were only received by track and field’s anti-doping body late Friday and after Okagbare had already run in the 100 heats on the opening day of track competition at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, the AIU said.
She won her heat in 11.05 seconds and was due to run in the semifinals on Saturday.
Men’s Basketball
Italy is headed back to the Olympic quarterfinals. Nigeria is going home, its Olympic experience not what it wanted on multiple levels.
Nicolo Melli scored 15 points, Nico Mannion had 14 and Italy used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to rally and beat Nigeria 80-71 in the Group B finale for both teams on Saturday.
The U.S. men’s basketball team secured second place in Group A and clinched a berth in the Olympic quarterfinals on Saturday after defeating the Czech Republic with a score of 119-84.
A win also gives the U.S. a chance at securing a top-four seed for the quarterfinals, which will be played in Saitama on Tuesday. Having a top-four seed is critical because it means that the Americans won’t face any group winners in the knockout stage before the semifinals.
Baseball
Red Sox prospect Triston Casas hit a two-run homer, Nick Allen also went deep and the United States beat defending champion South Korea 4-2 to finish the group stage of the Olympic baseball tournament with a 2-0 record.
Nick Martinez, who left the major leagues for Japan after the 2017 season, struck out nine in five innings. Scott McGough, Edwin Jackson, Anthony Gose and David Robertson finished a five-hitter for the Americans, who struck out 14.
The United States, which beat Israel 8-1 in its opener, earned Sunday off as the Group B winner. It plays Japan on Monday night in the start of a double-elimination second stage. South Korea faces the Dominican Republic on Sunday.
Japan beat Mexico 7-4 to win Group A in the sport’s first appearance at the Olympics since 2008.
Former Central League MVP Tetsuto Yamada broke it open with a three-run homer in Yokohama, and Hayato Sakamoto went deep off former big league pitcher Manny Bañuelos. Yamada finished with four RBIs.
Joey Meneses, a 29-year-old in Double-A with Boston and the 2018 International League MVP, had three RBIs for Mexico, including a two-run homer in the eighth off Kaima Taira.
Judo
France beat Japan to win gold in the first-ever Olympic judo mixed team event, surprising the powerhouse host nation with four wins in the final five bouts.
Clarisse Agbegnenou, Alex Clerget and Teddy Riner all won their bouts before Sarah Leonie Cysique clinched it with a narrow victory over fellow lightweight Tsukasa Yoshida. The 4:1 margin of victory meant pound-for-pound judo superstar Shohei Ono didn’t even get to compete in the final, since he was scheduled for the sixth bout.
Germany and Israel won the bronze medals from the 12-team field.
