TOKYO: Kevin Durant’s USA extended their Olympic basketball reign on Saturday and Cao Yuan made it seven out of eight golds in diving for China as Britain’s Tom Daley had to settle for bronze.
On the golf course, American Nelly Korda sealed the women’s title as the busiest day at the Tokyo Games got into full swing with 34 golds on offer.
Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir won the women’s marathon in intense heat in Sapporo as storms lurked elsewhere, interrupting the golf as Korda held a one-stroke lead with two holes left.
But top-ranked Korda, sister of six-time US LPGA Tour winner Jessica and daughter of former tennis player Petr, held her nerve on the resumption to complete an American golf sweep after Xander Schauffele won the men’s competition.
The day’s opening medal went to Jepchirchir, who timed 2hr 27min 20sec in hot and humid conditions in Sapporo — the second slowest winning time for a women’s Olympic marathon.
The race, moved from Tokyo to avoid the capital’s summer heat, started an hour early as Sapporo was also hit by sweltering conditions.
The marathon was one of the few events where fans were allowed at the Olympics, which have mostly unfolded in front of empty venues because of coronavirus risks.
France handed the United States their first Olympic basketball defeat since 2004 in the group stage but they could not repeat the feat in the final, narrowly going down 87-82 in Saitama.
NBA All-Star Durant poured in a game-high 29 points as the Americans survived some nervous late moments to prove the doubters wrong.
British diver Daley is the only competitor to prevent China sweeping the diving titles in Tokyo after he won gold in the synchronised 10m platform event last week.
Daley was back in action — and knitting furiously in the warm-up — in the individual 10m platform title on Saturday but was beaten by a superb performance from Cao and had to settle for bronze.
In boxing, former factory worker Galal Yafai of Britain defeated Carlo Paalam of the Philippines in the men’s flyweight final, and Bulgaria’s Stoyka Krasteva won the women’s flyweight.
Meanwhile, a pulsating final night of action saw Dutch distance runner Sifan Hassan complete an incredible double with victory in the 10,000m while USA star Allyson Felix brought the curtain down on her 17-year Olympic career with a record-extending relay gold.
Norway celebrated gold in the men’s 1,500m with Jakob Ingebrigtsen downing Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot in a thrilling duel while Russian athlete Mariya Lasitskene won the women’s high jump.
On the track, Netherland’s brilliant Hassan raced to her second gold of the games after an earlier win in the 5,000m.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Hassan had taken bronze in the 1,500m final, part of an audacious bid for an Olympic treble.
