SWING AND A MISS
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.
Eyes were red and damp. Perfunctory waves for the cameras were managed. Hands fidgeted with bouquets of sunflowers. Stunned, yes. Heartbroken, yes. Most precisely: devastated.
“It stings,” Cat Osterman said more than two hours later.
“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-yearold viewers, we’re active on social media. It’s a worldwide sport. It’s played really well in multiple continents and areas of the world, and I think it’s really difficult when you’re in an Olympics and then out of an Olympics, you’re in one and you’re out of one, to continue to build that momentum and engagement for this sport to grow worldwide.”
Close call in women’s hoops
The U.S. women won, as usual. It just wasn’t in the dominant fashion that the Americans are accustomed to.
The winning streak for the world’s top-ranked team is now 50 games and counting in Olympic
competition. A’ja Wilson scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in her debut as the Americans beat Nigeria 81-72 on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan, in the opener for both teams.
It was the first time that a team had come within single digits of the U.S. since a four-point win over Russia in the semifinals of the 2004 Athens Games.
Track head: Ax weed bans
Sebastian Coe wants to ensure what happened this month to American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson won’t knock another athlete out of the Olympics in the future.
Richardson, who won the 100 ᝨᑬ
meters at the U.S. trials last month, didn’t travel to Japan for the Tokyo Games after being caught smoking marijuana.
Coe, the president of international track body World Athletics, said Tuesday the absence of the 21-year-old Richardson is “a loss to the competition” and added he supports a review of marijuana’s status as a doping substance in light of her case.
“It should be. It’s sensible,” Coe said when asked if a rethink was needed about marijuana being on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list.
Tyson-like boxing bite
A heavyweight boxer from Morocco apparently tried to take a bite out of his New Zealand opponent’s ear in their opening bout at the Tokyo Olympics.
Youness Baalla’s attempt to fight like Mike Tyson occurred late in the third round of his loss to David Nyika during a clinch in the center of the ring. The bite didn’t appear to have any teeth, and Nyika advanced to the quarterfinals by unanimous decision.
“He didn’t get a full mouthful,” Nyika said. “Luckily he had his mouth guard in, and I was a bit sweaty . ... I think he tried to get my cheekbone. He probably just got a mouthful of sweat.”
The referee didn’t see the bite, which was only picked up on television. Baalla wasn’t penalized during the bout, but Nyika won handily anyway.
Successful blind date
New U.S. beach volleyball partners Jake Gibb and Tri Bourne will have some more time at the Olympics to get to know one another.
The Americans had never played together before their first match in Tokyo on Sunday. They beat Switzerland 21-19, 23-21 on Wednesday to improve to 2-0 in the round-robin. They have one more match remaining, against Qatar on Friday night.
Gibb qualified for the Tokyo Games with Taylor Crabb as his partner. But Crabb tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew, allowing Gibb to replace him. Bourne was on the thirdplace U.S. team in the qualifying race; each country is limited to a maximum of two spots.