Roundup: Molly Seidel surprises with marathon bronze.

Molly Seidel of Wisconsin was not supposed to make the U.S. Olympic marathon team.

The Olympic trials last year in Atlanta had been her first attempt at the 26.3mile race.

On her third try today, Seidel did one better. She stuck with some of the world’s best distance runners to finish third in the punishing heat and humidity in Sapporo, Japan.

Seidel joined Joan Benoit and Deena Kastor as the only American women to reach the podium in an Olympic marathon, winning the bronze medal in a time of 2 hours 27.46 minutes.

Seidel was 26 seconds behind winner Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, who made a late charge to take the gold medal.

Jepchirchir dropped favorite Brigid Kosgei of Kenya in the final mile to win easily. Kosgei held off Seidel by 10 seconds for the silver.

The winning time was well off Kosgei’s world record of 2:14.05 as the runners struggled in muggy conditions. Race officials moved the start time up an hour to 6 a.m. because of the weather.

Seidel, 27, ran aggressively with a pack of 10 women who separated the field well into the race. Slowly, the runners began dropping off, including world champion Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya.

Seidel had a goal of finishing in the top 10 with a sliver of hopes of cracking in the top five.

But she stuck with some of the world’s best marathoners, “sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong,” Seidel said.

At the 18½-mile mark American Sally Kipyego trailed by 36 seconds. U.S. trials winner Aliphine Tuliamuk dropped out about halfway through the race.

Seidel, a four-time NCAA champion in cross country and track, seemed better prepared for the conditions. She had trained in the heat of northern Arizona with Tuliamuk before the Olympics.

“This is the day you dream of your entire life,” she said. “This is what it means to be an athlete.”

Stanford graduate Malindi Elmore, who made the Canadian team eight years after leaving the sport, finished ninth in 2:30.59. USF’s Maor Tiyouri placed 48th for Israel.

— Elliott Almond • Italy surprisingly won the men’s 4x100-meter relay to give Marcell Jacobs his second gold medal of the Tokyo Games.

Jacobs won the men’s 100 title last Sunday in the first Olympics in the post-Usain Bolt era and was part of the team that won the sprint relay in a national record 37.50 seconds.

The Italians edged Britain by 0.01 and Canada took bronze in 37.70. It was Italy’s first Olympic medal in the relay since a bronze at the 1948 London Games.

Jacobs didn’t even run the anchor leg. That was left to Filippo Tortu, who went toe-to-toe with Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain down the home straight.

• The Jamaican women added the 4x100 relay title to their Tokyo collection after sweeping the podium in the 100-meter final.

The Jamaican team won in a national record 41.02 seconds. It was the second-fastest time in history and ended the U.S. team’s push for a third consecutive Olympic gold in the event.

The American team of Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels, Jenna Prandini and Gabrielle Thomas won silver in 41.45 and Britain took bronze in 41.88.

Elaine Thompson-Herah won the 100 meters in an Olympic record. ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce was second and Shericka Jackson was third in that race. Those three joined Briana Williams as the Jamaicans added the Olympic relay title to their world championship gold in 2019.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Griner leads Americans to gold medal game

Brittney Griner had 15 points and 12 rebounds to help the U.S. beat Serbia 7959 on Friday to advance to the women’s basketball gold medal game.

The Americans are now one win away from a seventh consecutive gold medal which would match the U.S. men’s team that won seven Olympic titles in a row from 1936-68.

The U.S. will face Japan, which behind Himawari Akaho’s 17 points, defeated France 87-71 to reach its first Olympics final.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL U.S. beats Serbia to reach title match

The U.S. women’s volleyball team made it to the gold medal match for the fourth time ever by avenging a semifinal loss five years ago to Serbia with a 25-19, 25-15, 25-23 victory.

The Americans easily dispatched the team that denied them a chance at their elusive first gold medal in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. They advanced to the gold medal match against Brazil, which swept South Korea 25-16, 25-16, 25-16 in the other semifinal.