Britain could claim three more gold medals and five more total after its riders all advanced through preliminary rounds during the morning track cycling session at the Rio Games. IOC president Thomas Bach took in the session with UCI president Brian Cookson, the head of cycling's world governing body. Netherlands has finished off a sweep of the Olympic open water swimming races with a thrilling victory in the men's 10-kilometer race. Ferry Weertman captured the gold medal at Copacabana after Greece's Spiros Gianniotis crossed under the finish line first but reached up after the Dutchman to touch the timing pad. The morning after the stunning win of Thiago Braz da Silva in the men's pole vault, home favorite Fabiana Murer failed to qualify for the women's final. Christian Taylor and Will Claye have done it again, sweeping gold and silver in the triple jump for the United States at back-to-back Olympics. Christian Taylor has successfully defended his Olympic triple jump title, leading Will Claye in a repeat U.S. sweep of gold and silver medals. Interim President Michel Temer, who was loudly booed by Brazilians at the Olympics' opening ceremony, won't have to face the same jeering crowds when the games come to an end. Some Brazilian media are taking Temer's absence as a diplomatic snub after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would attend the closing ceremony to represent Tokyo, which is hosting the 2020 Summer Games. While Brazilians blame Rousseff for widespread corruption in her Workers' Party and for steering the economy into its deepest recession in decades, they haven't warmed to her replacement. From day one, the games have been marked by Brazilians bringing signs to venues reading "Fora Temer," a call for the removal of the politician who many accuse of trying to gain power he could never have obtained at the ballot box. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark placed the gold, silver and bronze medals around the necks of the winners in the men's 1,000-meter kayaking singles event. The 24-year-old Ethiopian, the world champion in the 5,000, surged away from the pack with seven laps to go in heat 2 and led all qualifiers in 15 minutes, 4.35 seconds on Tuesday — 13 seconds clear of countrywoman Senbere Tefere, the world championship silver medalist. [...] Hamblin finished in 29th place, one ahead of D'Agostino. Earlier, Hungarian kayakers Gabriella Szabo and Danuta Kozak won the gold medal in the women's 500-meter double, edging Germany's Franziska Weber and Tina Dietze by just 5 hundredths of a second. Five gold medals are up for grabs in track events, including women's 1500 meters and discus, and men's high jump, triple jump and 100-meter hurdles. Semifinals are taking place in women's soccer and in men's and women's beach volleyball; knockout play begins in women's basketball, with the U.S. facing Japan; and the men are swimming in the open ocean off Copacabana beach. Brazilians love the beach — and they are really loving the beach volleyball competition at the Rio Olympics. On the women's side, Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross of the United States play Tuesday for a spot in the gold-medal game when they meet Brazilian world champions Agatha and Barbara at the stroke of midnight on the beach. The inaugural open water event in 2008 was staged at Beijing's rowing and canoeing canal and the open water swim in 2012 took place in Serpentine lake at London's Hyde Park. The U.S. women begin their knockout stage Tuesday, facing Japan in a quarterfinal after cruising through the pool play in Rio, winning five games by an average of 40.8 points. The American women have won 46 consecutive games in the Olympics and are three victories away from a sixth consecutive gold medal. In other women's Olympic basketball quarterfinals, Australia plays Serbia, Spain plays Turkey and France faces Canada. [...] Viviani hauled himself back onto his bike and held off stiff challenges from British cycling star Mark Cavendish and reigning gold medalist Lasse Norman Hansen of Denmark. The surprising move earned the 22-year-old Miller a gold medal and stunned American Allyson Felix, denying Felix a fifth career gold medal. [...] Tuesday, American Christian Taylor will try to defend his triple jump title, while Jamaica's Omar McLeod and American Devon Allen, the University of Oregon football/track standout, are among those seeking gold in the men's 110-meter hurdles. High winds and driving rain flipped sailboats over like tub toys, caused throwers to foul or release their discus early, threw pole vaulters off their stride and made running on parts of the Olympic track like splashing through puddles. The Russian runner who blew the whistle on Russia's doping scandal fears for her safety and has switched residences after hackers breached a database that records her whereabouts. In a country where men's soccer is king, Brazilian women have found it difficult to find their place in sports because of the lack of athletic programs, funding and what they call unfair marketing decisions that promote men. [...] each victory of Brazil women's soccer team is being savored. [...] when Rafaela Silva won gold in women's judo — Brazil's first gold medal of this Olympics — major newspapers splashed her photo on their front pages. The country's most famous female soccer player, Marta, told reporters "all the love we are getting during the Olympics, we hope that it doesn't go away ... with that much-needed support, women's soccer can grow."
 |
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.sfgate.com |