Actions

Tokyo Olympics Day 11: Biles, Durant, U.S. water polo women make statements

Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant strikes a fierce look for the U.S. men's basketball team Tuesday against Spain.

By: Beau Dure

Posted

and last updated

What once was routine often only seemed that way.

Simone Biles came into Tokyo as a lock for many medals. It didn't happen, as Biles withdrew from multiple events. But she courageously returned to action Tuesday to pick up one more medal, a bronze in the balance beam.

The U.S. men's basketball team used to destroy the opposition, first in the amateur era and then again then pros joined the Olympics. Other countries caught up with their own collections of pros, and the U.S. program needed to retool to get back on top. This year, though, the team has looked vulnerable with exhibition losses and a loss in the its Olympic opener. But Olympic veteran Kevin Durant and the U.S. men won Tuesday's quarterfinal showdown with Ricky Rubio and a tough Spanish team. (STORY)

The U.S. women's water polo team used to destroy the opposition. They still do, setting a record for victory margin in a women's knockout round match with a 16-5 win over Canada in the quarterfinals. (STORY)

Also in gymnastics, all-around champion Hashimoto Daiki made the host nation proud once again with a powerful routine to win gold on the high bar (STORY), and China's Zou Jingyuan won the parallel bars with a 16.233 (VIDEO).

Later in the day, more American women won gold: wrestler Tamyra Mensah-Stock and 800m runner Athing Mu.

Elsewhere, records, cyclists and cardboard beds tumbled on a thrilling day in Tokyo.

SEE MORE: Karsten Warholm demolishes 400m hurdles WR in 45.94 for gold

Track and field

The 400m hurdles race was one of the most-anticipated events of the Games, and it delivered. Norway's Karsten Warholm broke his own world record — and he had to, with the USA's Rai Benjamin in hot pursuit to take silver. (STORY)

Athing Mu won another anticipated race, the women's 800m, in a U.S. record time of 1:55.21. Raevyn Rogers made it two Americans on the podium, taking bronze. (STORY)

The women's long jump came down to the final attempts, with Germany's Malaika Mihambo denying the USA's Brittney Reese a second Olympic gold. Reese took her second silver to go with one gold in her Olympic career. (STORY)

Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah did the double-double, winning the 200m to become the first woman to defend her Olympic titles in the 100m and 200m. The USA's Gabby Thomas took bronze behind surging Namibian teen Christine Mboma. (STORY)

Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk won her third straight Olympic gold medal in the hammer throw.

Mondo Duplantis, from Louisiana by way of Sweden, won gold in the men's pole vault and barely missed his shot at breaking his own world record. The USA's Christopher Nilsen was second. American favorite Sam Kendricks missed the event after testing positive for COVID-19 soon after arriving in Tokyo. (STORY)

SEE MORE: Germany's Mihambo steals women's long jump in last round

Men's basketball

Luka Doncic continued his torrid Olympic experience, just missing a triple-double as Slovenia routed Germany in the quarterfinals.

France raced away from Italy in the third quarter to win 84-75 behind 22 points and nine rebounds from Rudy Gobert and 21 points from Evan Fournier.

Australia demolished Argentina with a massive second-half run and will face the USA in the semis. Slovenia will play France.

(ROUNDUP)

SEE MORE: Slovenia pummels Germany to advance to semifinals

Around the Games

Wrestling: American Tamyra Mensah-Stock shook off an apparent injury to win the gold medal in the women's 68kg freestyle to the delight of a small contingent of Americans in the building. Meerim Zhumanazarova won bronze, the first medal in any sport by a woman from Kyrgyzstan. (STORY)

Olympic Village: Could the cardboard beds in the athletes' accommodations survive the Australian delegation? Apparently not, but the delegation is happy to report that the (inanimate) kangaroo and emu mascots that went missing have been returned. Or, in the words of team chief Ian Chesterman, they "enjoyed a pleasant holiday in Deutschland." (STORY)

Beach volleyball: Americans April Ross and Alix Klineman advanced to the semifinals with a straight-set win over Germany's Maggie Kozuch and Laura Ludwig. Kozuch was the defending champion with her previous partner. (STORY)

Cycling: Great Britain's first family of track cycling, Jason Kenny and Laura Kenny, added two medals to a bustling household trophy case while the U.S. women took a bronze medal and another race ended in a bizarre crash when one team actually caught someone in the men's team pursuit, something that doesn't happen all that often between elite teams. Germany set a world record to win the women's team pursuit. (STORY)

SEE MORE: Great Britain, Denmark riders collide in team pursuit heat

Medalists

Boxing, women's featherweight: Gold - Irie Sena (JPN), Silver - Nesthy Petecio (PHI), Bronze - Irma Testa (ITA), Bronze - Karriss Artingstall (GBR)

Boxing, men's welterweight: Gold - Roniel Iglesias (CUB), Silver - Pat McCormack (GBR), Bronze - Aidan Walsh (IRL), Bronze - Andrey Zamkovoy (ROC)

Canoe/kayak, women's 200m K1: Gold - Lisa Carrington (NZL), Silver - Teresa Portela (ESP), Bronze - Emma Jorgensen (DEN)

Canoe/kayak, men's 1000m C2: Gold - Cuba, Silver - China, Bronze - Germany

Canoe/kayak, men's 1000m K1: Gold - Balint Kopasz (HUN), Silver - Adam Varga (HUN), Bronze - Fernando Pimenta (POR)

Canoe/kayak, women's 500m K2: Gold - New Zealand, Silver - Poland, Bronze - Hungary

Cycling (track), men's team sprint: Gold - Netherlands, Silver - Great Britain, Bronze - France

Cycling (track), women's team pursuit: Gold - Germany, Silver - Great Britain, Bronze - USA

Diving, men's springboard: Gold - Xie Siyi (CHN), Silver - Wang Zongyuan (CHN), Bronze - Jack Laugher (GBR)

Gymnastics, men's parallel bars: Gold - Zou Jingyuan (CHN), Silver - Lukas Dauser (GER), Bronze - Ferhat Arican (TUR)

Gymnastics, women's balance beam: Gold - Guan Chenchen (CHN), Silver - Tang Xijing (CHN), Bronze - Simone Biles (USA)

Gymnastics, men's high bar: Gold - Hashimoto Daiki (JPN), Silver - Tin Srbic (CRO), Bronze - Nikita Nagornyy (ROC)

Sailing, mixed Nacra: Gold - Tita/Banti (ITA), Silver - Gimson/Burnet (GBR), Bronze - Kohlhoff/Stuhlemmer (GER)

Sailing, men's 49er: Gold - Fletcher/Bishell (GER), Silver - Burling/Tuke (NZL), Bronze - Heil/Plossel (GER)

Sailing, women's 49er FX: Gold - Grael/Kunze (BRA), Silver - Lutz/Beucke (GER), Bronze - Bekkering/Duetz (NED)

Sailing, men's Finn: Gold - Giles Scott (GBR), Silver - Zsombor Berecz (HUN), Bronze - Joan Cardona (ESP)

Track and field, women's long jump: Gold - Malaika Mihambo (GER), Silver - Brittney Reese (USA), Bronze - Ese Brume (NGA)

Track and field, men's 400m hurdles: Gold - Karsten Warholm (NOR), Silver - Rai Benjamin (USA), Bronze - Alison dos Santos (BRA)

Track and field, men's pole vault: Gold - Mondo Duplantis (SWE), Silver - Christopher Nilsen (USA), Bronze - Thiago Braz (BRA)

Track and field, women's hammer throw: Gold - Anita Wlodarczyk (POL), Silver - Wang Zheng (CHN), Bronze - Malwina Kopron (POL)

Track and field, women's 800m: Gold - Athing Mu (USA), Silver - Keely Hodgkinson (GBR), Bronze - Raevyn Rogers (USA)

Track and field, women's 200m: Gold - Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM), Silver - Christine Mboma (NAM), Bronze - Gaby Thomas (USA)

Weightlifting, men's 109kg: Gold - Akbar Djuraev (UZB), Silver - Simon Martirosyan (ARM), Bronze - Arturs Plesnieks (LAT)

Wrestling, men's 77kg Greco-Roman: Gold - Tamas Lorincz (HUN), Silver - Akzhol Makhmudov (KGZ), Bronze - Rafik Huseynov (AZE), Bronze - Yabiku Shohei (JPN)

Wrestling, men's 97kg Greco-Roman: Gold - Musa Evloev (ROC), Silver - Artur Aleksanyan (ARM), Bronze - Mohammadhadi Saravi (IRI), Bronze - Tadeusz Michalik (POL)

Wrestling, women's 68kg: Gold - Tamyra Mensah (USA), Silver - Blessing Oborududu (NGA), Bronze - Meerim Zhumanazarova (KGZ), Bronze - Alla Cherkasova (UKR)

SEE MORE: Lisa Carrington wins kayak gold at third straight Olympics