U.S./World Sports category, Page 218
April Ross completes medal set as U.S. wins beach volleyball gold
TOKYO — April Ross now has the complete set of Olympic beach volleyball medals: silver in London, bronze in Rio de Janeiro and a gold she won with Alix Klineman at the Tokyo Games on Friday with a victory over Australia. The Americans beat Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua...
U.S. women’s volleyball avenges loss to Serbia, reaches gold medal match
TOKYO — The U.S. women’s volleyball team made it to the gold medal match for the fourth time by avenging a semifinal loss five years ago to Serbia with a 25-19, 25-15, 25-23 victory Friday. The Americans easily dispatched the team that denied them a chance at their elusive first...
Another rocky day for U.S. track and fieldVideo
TOKYO — A five-minute burst of action near the backstretch of the Olympic track served up the perfect snapshot of what is going right, and all that is going wrong, for the U.S. track and field team in Tokyo. At one moment in the pole vault pit Thursday night, Katie...
End of an era: Barcelona says Lionel Messi won’t stay with the club
MADRID — Lionel Messi’s time at Barcelona appears to be over. Barcelona announced Thursday that Messi will not stay with the club, saying that the Spanish league’s financial regulations made it impossible to sign the Argentina star to a new contract. He is leaving after 17 successful seasons in which...
Former Penn State wrestler David Taylor captures Olympic gold
CHIBA, Japan — David Taylor seized the most important moment of his wrestling life. The American scored a double-leg takedown with 17 seconds remaining to beat Iran’s Hassan Yazdani, 4-3, on Thursday night and win the gold medal in the freestyle 86-kilogram class. “There was no way I wasn’t going...
Eddy Alvarez a summer-winter medalist, U.S. reaches baseball final
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Eddy Alvarez became only the third American to earn medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics when the United States beat defending-champion South Korea, 7-2, Thursday night to gain a berth into this weekend’s gold medal baseball game against host Japan. The former U.S. speedskater-turned-infielder wept...
U.S. women’s soccer team earns bronze medal
KASHIMA, Japan — Although the color of their medal wasn’t what they wanted, the mettle of the team came through in the end. The United States salvaged a rocky tournament by winning bronze in women’s soccer at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd scored two goals...
U.S. men’s basketball rallies to rout Australia, roll into finals
SAITAMA, Japan — Kevin Durant and the Americans still have their grip on gold and it’s going to take more than a few bad minutes for anyone to take it away from them. They were awful early, then awesome afterward against Australia. Durant scored 23 points, Devin Booker had 20...
U.S. relay team eliminated in qualifying after another dismal showing
TOKYO — The first time U.S. sprinter Ronnie Baker tried to grab the baton, he found himself holding a handful of Fred Kerley’s jersey. The second time, Baker whiffed. By the third try, Kerley was side-by-side with Baker, practically using both hands to shovel the stick into his teammate’s palm....
Penn State grad Ryan Crouser dedicates Olympic shot put gold to late grandfather
TOKYO — Ryan Crouser broke his own Olympic record on his way to defending his shot put title Thursday on a hot day in Tokyo. On his last attempt, Crouser went 23.30 meters (76 feet, 5½ inches) to earn the first track and field gold medal for the American men...
This date in sports history: Aug. 5Video
1921 — Radio station KDKA and announcer Harold Arlin provide the first broadcast of a major-league game as the Pirates beat the Phillies, 8-5, at Pittsburgh. 1936 — At the Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens wins his third of four gold medals, winning the 200-meter race in an Olympic-record 20.7 seconds....
NCAA recommends routine covid testing only for unvaccinated
Unvaccinated college athletes should be tested weekly for covid-19, wear masks in most situations and be quarantined if exposed to the virus, while vaccinated individuals should not be tested routinely, according to the NCAA’s latest health and safety recommendations released Wednesday. The updated guidance mostly follow CDC recommendations and come...
Justin Thomas trying to break out of slump at TPC SouthwindVideo
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Defending champion Justin Thomas is trying to break out of a bit of a slump at the FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Xander Schauffele is trying to build on his victory Sunday in the Tokyo Olympics. Thomas, ranked fifth in the world, won the the World Golf Championship...
Penn State product David Taylor to wrestle for gold medal at Tokyo OlympicsVideo
Former Penn State wrestler David Taylor is going for gold at the 2020 Olympic Games after a run of dominant performances in the early matches of the tournament. It sets up a gold medal match at 86 kg against Iran’s Hassan Yazdani, the tournament’s top seed, on Thursday morning. The...
Short-handed U.S. advances to women’s volleyball semifinals
TOKYO — Five years after their quest for a first Olympic gold medal was denied in the semifinals, the United States women’s volleyball team has returned to that stage after a relatively easy quarterfinal win. The short-handed Americans overcame the absence of two starters to beat the Dominican Republic, 25-11,...
Black women, across generations, heed Biles’ Olympic example
NEW YORK — Naomi Osaka. Simone Biles. Both are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever know. Both have faced major career crossroads at the Tokyo Games. Both cited pressure and mental health. The glare is even hotter for these...
AAC’s Mike Aresco: Did not plot with ESPN to poach other leagues
American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco vehemently denied that his league has ever “plotted” with ESPN to undermine another conference by poaching its schools. Aresco addressed conference realignment Wednesday during the AAC’s virtual football media day, saying the league is not actively looking to add schools. “Our conference has never...
Sydney McLaughlin outsprints teammate Dalilah Muhammad for hurdles record
TOKYO — Sydney McLaughlin broke the world record. Dalilah Muhammad broke it, too. Only one of the world’s best hurdlers could win the Olympic gold medal — and McLaughlin came out ahead in the latest installment of the best rivalry in track. The 21-year-old from New Jersey won the 400-meter...
Triston Casas’ 3rd homer, Scott Kazmir help U.S. baseball beat Dominicans
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Triston Casas hit his third home run of the Olympics, a two-run drive in the first inning off Boston Red Sox Double-A teammate Denyi Reyes, and the United States beat the Dominican Republic, 3-1, on Wednesday to stay in gold medal contention. Tyler Austin, a former major...
Brenna Stewart leads U.S. women to semis with win over Australia
SAITAMA, Japan — Breanna Stewart and the U.S. women played their best basketball of the Tokyo Games, putting on a dominant performance that team has been known for over the years en route to winning six consecutive Olympic gold medals. The Seattle Storm star was a big reason why the...
U.S., 3 unbeaten teams set for Olympic men’s basketball semis
SAITAMA, Japan — They believe they are the best basketball team at the Olympics, too good to consider anything but gold. “If we do what we do well, we bring the intensity on defense, we play our roles but we’re ourselves in our roles, we’re free, we’re the best players...
This Date in Sports History: Aug. 4
1945 — Byron Nelson wins his 11th consecutive PGA Tour event, beating Herman Barron by four strokes. Nelson finishes the year with a record for most tournament wins (18) in a season. 1982 — Joel Youngblood becomes the only player in major-league history to get hits for two teams in...
Carmelo Anthony to join LeBron, Lakers on 1-year dealVideo
LOS ANGELES — Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James long have wanted to be on the same team. They finally will get their chance after Anthony agreed to a one-year deal to join the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Anthony broke the news on social media by posting a video that...
Stephen Curry lands 2nd $200M contract of career with Warriors
SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry landed the second $200 million-plus contract of his career, reaching agreement on a $215 million, four-year extension with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday that takes him through the 2025-26 season. Curry’s agent, Jeff Austin of Octagon, confirmed the new deal for the star point...
Sumo scare? Olympic riders say horses spooked by statue
KAMIYOGA, Japan — Equestrian jumpers aren’t keen on surprises. Neither are the horses, and it takes years of training to keep them from getting spooked. Of course, no horse in Tuesday night’s Olympic jumping qualifier ever had seen anything like obstacle No. 10. “As you come around, you see a...
