USA sweeps golds in skeet; Doncic dazzles
Katie Ledecky did not win a gold medal.
No, the sky is not falling – Ledecky still captured silver in the women’s 400 freestyle – and she has the 200, 800 and 1,500 freestyle events remaining in these Tokyo Olympics, as well as the U.S. women’s 4x200-meter relay. And, frankly, her runner-up finish in the 400 free to Australia’s Ariarne Titmus by .67 of a second wasn’t even terribly surprising based on recent history.
She was still responsible for one of the two medals Team USA captured in the pool during Monday’s early action, the other being a gold secured by the men’s 4x100-meter relay team led by Caeleb Dressel.
Here are some of the other notable things you missed Monday in Tokyo while you were sleeping:
Team USA goes double-gold in skeet shooting
The United States picked up gold medals two and three on the day thanks to brilliant performances by skeet shooters Amber English and Vincent Hancock.
English won the women’s skeet shooting competition with an Olympic record 56 hits. Hancock made some history of his own, winning his record third gold medal in the men’s skeet shooting competition with 59 hits to secure the U.S. sweep.
Luka Doncic dazzles
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic made his Olympic debut Monday, and he did not disappoint. In fact, he nearly set an Olympic record.
Doncic dropped 48 points, tied for the second-most in a single game in Olympics history, as Slovenia defeated Argentina 118-100. But it wasn’t just scoring: Doncic did it all.
He pulled down 11 rebounds, secondhighest on Slovenia, and tied the game high with five assists. He even had a game-high three blocks.
13-year-old wins skateboarding gold
A pair of 13-year-olds – Japan’s Momiji Nishiya and Brazil’s Rayssa Leal – claimed gold and silver, respectively, while 16-year-old Japanese skateboarder Funa Nakayama won bronze in the first women’s Olympic street skating competition.
The results of Monday’s competition felt like a historic moment for women’s skateboarding, Alexis Sablone – the only American to make the women’s street final – observed.
“The first time I saw Momiji or Rayssa or several of the younger girls, for so long, the female scene, especially the competition scene … wasn’t moving as quickly as it has in the last two years,” Sablone, 34, said. “The level has been remarkable to see. The second I saw them two years ago when they were 11 or 12 or whatever, I knew what was happening.
“I was like, ‘ We’re finally here.’ Female skateboarders have reached the critical mass. There’s enough now that there will be prodigies and they’re here, and they’re going to show the other girls and the world what’s possible.
Surfer does extremely surfer things
American surfer Kolohe Andino pulled off the highest-scoring maneuver during the Olympic Games so far Monday. He celebrated with a throat-slashing gesture and had this to say afterward about his 30-minute run: “…just really rad and one for the history books.”
Far out, dude.
Simone Biles feels the pressure
The U.S. women’s gymnastics team had a tough qualifying session (by their standards) on Sunday.
On Monday, Simone Biles – in many ways the face of these Olympics – acknowledged she feels the weight of expectations.
“I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times,” Biles wrote on Instagram. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! The Olympics is no joke!”
Naomi Osaka keeps rolling
One day after cruising through the first round, Naomi Osaka returned to the court Monday and dominated yet another opponent.
“I think my movement was better and I was more clear with what I wanted to do,” Osaka said of the difference between her second match, a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic, and her first.
With No. 1 Ash Barty out of the tournament after being upset, Osaka looks every bit the part of the gold medal favorite.