TOKYO: The second to last day of competition at the Tokyo Olympics produced a gold medal bonanza for the United States.

The Americans kept up their domination in men’s basketball and women’s water polo with gold medal victories in both on Saturday, and Allyson Felix won her 11th career medal with a gold one as part of the US women’s winning 4x400m-relay team.

And the American men finally delivered a sprint gold medal in the 4x400-relay, the final track race of the Tokyo Games.

Elsewhere, with 34 golds up for grabs, India seized their first ever gold medal in athletics at the Olympics, while baseball-mad Japan won their maiden gold in the sport.

World number one Nelly Korda gave the Americans the women’s golf title to go with the men’s and a flurry of boxing finals featured unheralded Brazilian Hebert Sousa taking the middleweight gold with a stunning third-round knockout.

With just a handful of events remaining at the Games in Japan, including the men’s marathon, China lead the way on 38 golds, with the United States second on 36 and Japan on 27.

Kevin Durant scored 29 points and joined Carmelo Anthony as the only three-time men’s gold medallists in Olympic history as the US held off France 87-82 to win the gold medal for the 16th time in 19 tries.

The Americans had started their tournament with a loss to France, then ran off five consecutive victories.

“This one feels good because we went through a lot. We had a lot of first-time guys on the team, new experience for everyone on the team, Covid, the kind of bubble we were in, no fans, no one expecting us to lose,” Durant said.

The gold medal wasn’t secure until Durant made two free throws with 8.8 seconds left.

The Americans won their 16th Olympic medal in men’s basketball, but the Olympic hosts foiled their attempt to bring the title home to baseball’s birthplace.

Japan’s 2-0 win behind Munetaka Murakami’s third-inning home run deprived the Americans of what would have been only their second gold in their national pastime.

Masato Morishita and four relievers combined on a six-hitter, and the Japanese men matched the accomplishment of the women’s softball team, which upended the Americans for their second straight gold medal.

FELIX MAKES HISTORY

Felix became the most-decorated woman in Olympic track history when she won bronze in the 400m on Friday night. She passed Carl Lewis for the most track medals of any US athlete. Of her 11 medals, seven are gold.

Paavo Nurmi of Finland holds the all-time mark in track with 12 medals from 1920-28.

The team of Felix, Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu was never in jeopardy in this one. Poland finished second, 3.68 seconds behind, and Jamaica finished third.

“The first [gold] was a very, very long time ago [in Athens 2004] when everything was new,” she said. “And this one everything is different but in a good way. I am so pleased it was running with these amazing women.”

The American men’s relay team of Michael Cherry, Michael Norman, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin won the fifth gold for the US men in the 4x400m since 1996.

India’s Neeraj Chopra hurled the men’s javelin 87.58 metres and launched himself into the history books as his overjoyed team-mates and coaches watched from the stands devoid of fans because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Bollywood music boomed out on the stadium tannoy after Chopra had launched his sixth and final throw, in the knowledge he had won gold.

The farmer’s son sprinted the length of the infield, an Indian flag fluttering over his shoulders.

Hundreds of people watched the final on a screen outside Chopra’s house in Panipat in the northern state of Haryana, exploding with joy when Chopra was declared the winner.

“It feels unbelievable,” Chopra said. “This is our first Olympic medal for a very long time, and in athletics it is the first time we have gold, so it’s a proud moment for me and my country.”

GOING THE DISTANCE

Dutch distance runner Sifan Hassan completed a stunning 5,000m-10,000m double to emulate Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba’s feat at the 2008 Beijing Games.

The Ethiopia-born Hassan was targeting an unprecedented treble in Tokyo but came up short in Friday’s 1500m final, taking home the bronze.

“I am so happy and I cried during the medal ceremony. I actually realised that I am done, the Games are over,” said Hassan after her victory in the 10,000m. “I am just so thankful, and I don’t think I could have done any better than this. During the medal ceremony I was thinking: ‘It is over. Now you can sleep!’”

Three-time world champion Mariya Lasitskene won the women’s Olympic high jump while Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen became the first European to win the men’s 1500m since 1992.

In Sapporo in Japan’s far north, where the heat was only slightly less oppressive, a late burst in the women’s marathon propelled Peres Jepchirchir past compatriot and world record holder Brigid Kosgei as she secured Kenya’s second consecutive gold medal in the event.

Jepchirchir broke away from Kosgei, one of the favourites, at around 40km to win in 2:27:20.

“I said, wow, I’m going to make it. So I pushed the pace because I knew I was going to win,” Jepchirchir said. “I’m happy for my family, happy for my country Kenya for supporting us.”

IN THE WATER

Ashleigh Johnson made 11 saves, Maddie Mussleman scored three times and the United States women routed Spain 14-5 in the water polo final. The US won their third consecutive gold medal.

In sprint canoe, Ronald Rauhe became the first man to win a medal in canoe sprint in five Olympics when Germany won the men’s kayak four 500m in the final race at the Sea Forest Waterway.

Lisa Carrington of New Zealand had already won three gold medals but missed out on a fourth when the Kiwis finished fourth in the women’s kayak four 500m. Hungary won the race.

The men’s canoe single 1,000m at Tokyo’s Sea Forest Waterway was dominated by Brazil’s Isaquias Queiroz dos Santos, the silver medallist in Rio. He beat China’s Liu Hao and Moldova’s Serghei Tarnovschi, after defending champion Sebastian Brendel failed to reach the final.

In the boxing ring, his countryman Sousa burst into wild celebration after knocking out Ukrainian Oleksandr Khyzhniak with a fierce left, turning around a fight he had all but lost to win Brazil’s second-ever Games gold in the sport.

Sousa fell to his knees, screaming, and his team rejoiced as Khyzhniak staggered to his feet and demanded the fight continue.

Britain’s Galal Yafai and Bulgaria’s Stoyka Zhelyazkova Krasteva won the first boxing golds at the Tokyo Games for their countries after dominant displays in their flyweight finals.

FAMILY DYNASTIES

Korda maintained a family sporting dynasty to take the women’s golf gold for the US and in another famous family, Jessica Springsteen, daughter of rock star Bruce Springsteen, enjoyed the glory days with a silver medal in equestrian team show jumping behind Sweden.

“It was wild,” she said. The American called her family, who were “all screaming. I don’t think we understood a word that anyone was saying, lots of yelling. All smiles, I just saw their Team USA gear. There was lots of shouting.”

Korda’s tense, one-stroke victory completed a US sweep after Xander Schauffele won the men’s event, and secured another glittering prize for a royal family of sport.

Korda’s sister Jessica, who tied for 15th, gave the winner a hug on the green. The gold adds to father Petr’s Australian Open tennis trophy, while younger brother Sebastian is a title-winner on the ATP tennis tour at the age of 21.

Japan’s Mone Inami took silver in a playoff against New Zealander Lydia Ko at Kasumigaseki Country Club northwest of Tokyo.

DIVING HISTORY

China finished off the single greatest diving performance in Olympic history when Cao Yuan outduelled team-mate Yang Jian to win the men’s 10m platform title, giving the Chinese gold medals in seven of eight events at the Tokyo Games.

China’s 12 diving medals tied the record for most won in the sport at a single Olympics. The US also won 12 at the 1932 Los Angeles Games, when the Americans swept all four events and nine of the 28 divers were from the host country.

Denmark’s Michael Morkov and Lasse Norman Hansen kept their cool to win a crash-filled men’s madison at the Izu Veledrome, while three titles were decided in wrestling with Japan claiming two golds

At the Nippon Budokan, Karate’s Olympic debut ended in uproar as Saudi Arabian Tareg Hamedi was disqualified for a high-kick to Sajad Ganjzadeh’s neck, judged an illegal unchecked attack that gave the unconscious Iranian the men’s kumite gold.

Medals table

After Saturday’s events

(Tabulated under gold, silver, bronze, total):

China 38 31 18 87

United States 36 39 33 108

Japan 27 12 17 56

Russian OC 20 26 23 69

Great Britain 20 21 22 63

Australia 17 7 22 46

Germany 10 11 16 37

Netherlands 10 11 12 33

Italy 10 10 19 39

France 9 12 11 32

New Zealand 7 6 7 20

Brazil 7 4 8 19

Hungary 6 7 6 19

Canada 6 6 11 23

South Korea 6 4 10 20

Cuba 6 3 5 14

Poland 4 5 5 14

Czech Republic 4 4 3 11

Norway 4 2 1 7

Jamaica 4 1 4 9

Spain 3 8 6 17

Sweden 3 6 0 9

Switzerland 3 4 6 13

Denmark 3 4 4 11

Kenya 3 4 2 9

Croatia 3 3 2 8

Iran 3 2 2 7

Belgium 3 1 2 6

Slovenia 3 1 1 5

Georgia 2 5 1 8

Taiwan 2 4 6 12

Turkey 2 2 9 13

Serbia 2 1 4 7

Bulgaria 2 1 2 5

Uganda 2 1 1 4

Ecuador 2 1 0 3

Israel 2 0 2 4

Uzbekistan 2 0 2 4

Greece 2 0 1 3

Qatar 2 0 1 3

Bahamas 2 0 0 2

Kosovo 2 0 0 2

Ukraine 1 5 12 18

Belarus 1 3 3 7

Romania 1 3 0 4

Venezuela 1 3 0 4

India 1 2 4 7

Hong Kong 1 2 2 5

Philippines 1 2 1 4

Slovakia 1 2 1 4

South Africa 1 2 0 3

Austria 1 1 5 7

Egypt 1 1 4 6

Indonesia 1 1 3 5

Ethiopia 1 1 2 4

Portugal 1 1 2 4

Tunisia 1 1 0 2

Ireland 1 0 2 3

Estonia 1 0 1 2

Fiji 1 0 1 2

Latvia 1 0 1 2

Thailand 1 0 1 2

Bermuda 1 0 0 1

Morocco 1 0 0 1

Puerto Rico 1 0 0 1

Colombia 0 4 1 5

Azerbaijan 0 3 4 7

Dominican Republic 0 3 2 5

Armenia 0 2 2 4

Kyrgyzstan 0 2 1 3

Mongolia 0 1 3 4

Argentina 0 1 2 3

San Marino 0 1 2 3

Jordan 0 1 1 2

Nigeria 0 1 1 2

Bahrain 0 1 0 1

Lithuania 0 1 0 1

Namibia 0 1 0 1

North Macedonia 0 1 0 1

Saudi Arabia 0 1 0 1

Turkmenistan 0 1 0 1

Kazakhstan 0 0 8 8

Mexico 0 0 4 4

Finland 0 0 2 2

Botswana 0 0 1 1

Burkina 0 0 1 1

Ghana 0 0 1 1

Grenada 0 0 1 1

Ivory Coast 0 0 1 1

Kuwait 0 0 1 1

Malaysia 0 0 1 1

Moldova 0 0 1 1

Syria 0 0 1 1

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2021