Japan beats U.S., turns incredible DP to win softball gold
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN » They marched single file onto the podium near shortstop with the blank expressions of the condemned.
When silver medals were handed out, they dangled them around each other’s necks like weights.
“It stings,” Cat Osterman said. “I’ve never been on a team that had so much fight.”
Just not enough. Japan won its second straight Olympic softball gold medal, beating the United States 2-0 Tuesday night behind 39-year-old Yukiko Ueno in an emotional repeat of the 2008 victory in Beijing.
Ueno took a one-hitter into the sixth inning, five days after her 39th birthday, and
Japan snuffed out an American rally attempt with an acrobatic sixth-inning double play that will long be replayed.
Michelle Moultrie singled leading off the sixth, and hard-throwing 20-year-old lefthander Miu Goto relieved.
Goto fanned Haylie McCleney, then allowed a single to Janie Reed. Amanda Chidester lined a rocket to third that seemed likely to drive in a run and leave two on. The ball smacked the left wrist of third baseman Yu Yamamoto and ricocheted to perfectly positioned shortstop Mana Atsumi.
She stuck out her glove for a backhand spear, then made a Derek Jeter-like jump throw to second baseman Yuka Ichiguchi to double up Moultrie.
U.S. women’s soccer advances
KASHIMA, JAPAN » The United States did what was necessary to advance, but it just wasn’t exactly the high-flying offensive juggernaut that the Americans are known for.
The U.S. women made it through to the quarterfinals of the women’s soccer tournament after a 0-0 draw with Australia in an stadium mainly empty save for a group of Japanese schoolchildren.
“It was a tactical decision by (U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski) to shift defensively, a little more conservatively, and really allow them to get impatient, play along and give it back to us,” U.S. forward Alex Morgan said.
Osaka cites pressure in loss
TOKYO » It wasn’t the ending Naomi Osaka — nor her multitudes of fans — had expected.
Osaka herself said lighting the Olympic cauldron during last week’s opening ceremony was “undoubtedly the greatest athletic achievement and honor I will ever have in my life.”
So maybe — just maybe — that will allow Osaka to cope with her unexpected 6-1, 6-4 loss to former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the third round of the tennis tournament.
“I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure for this,” Osaka said. “I think it’s maybe because I haven’t played in the Olympics before and for the first year (it) was a bit much.”