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Tokyo Updates: Kiefer, Zolotic Win Historic Golds in Fencing, Taekwondo

The latest news from Tokyo on Day 2 of the 2020 Olympics

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Team USA finally got on the podium, winning 10 total medals and four golds. Here's how the competition unfolded on Day 2 in Tokyo:

Jake Gibb, Tri Bourne Take Preliminary Match Against Italy in Beach Volleyball

The duo of Jake Gibb and Tri Bourne got out to a solid start in the preliminary round of beach volleyball, winning their first match of the Olympics over the Italian duo of Enrico Rossi and Adrian Ignacio Carambula Raurich.

The pair of Americans won 2-0 over the Italians. It was a particularly impressive showing given that Bourne was a last minute replacement for Taylor Crabb, who tested positive for COVID-19 just last week.

The U.S. duo got out to a quick 6-1 lead in the first set and didn't look back. They never let Rossi and Carambula Raurich get within a point, finishing with a 21-18 win. In the next set, it couldn’t have been more different, as the point differential was never more than two. But Gibb and Bourne took a late lead and won the second set 21-19.

Gibb and Bourne’s next match will be Wednesday, July 27 against the Swiss pair of Adrian Heidrich and Mirco Gerson.

Men's Basketball Drops First Olympic Game Since 2004

Team USA opened pool play against France, looking to extend its 24-game win streak at the Olympics.

However, France went on a 16-2 run towards to end the fourth quarter and handed the U.S. its first loss since 2004. Evan Fournier led all players with 28 points, and Rudy Gobert added 14 points and nine rebounds.

Team USA struggled from 3, going 10-for-32. The team was outscored 46-31 in the second half.

Next up, Team USA will play Iran and the Czech Republic in pool play.

Simone Biles Advances in All Events, U.S. Finishes Behind ROC After Qualifiers

Simone Biles was as dominant as ever, advancing in all four individual gymnastic events and leading the all-around field with a score of 57.731.

Biles finished with the top score in the vault with a 15.183. She ended the qualifiers second in the floor, seventh in the beam and 10th in the uneven bars. She was able to grab the final qualifying spot in the uneven bars since the Russian Olympic Committee had four gymnasts in the top six and only two per country could advance.

Sunisa Lee also advanced in the beam and the uneven bars. Her 15.200 in the uneven was second-best and 14.200 in the beam put her third. Also advancing for the U.S. is Jade Carey and Mykayla Skinner, Carey in both the vault and floor and Skinner in the floor.

In addition to Biles’ top finish in the all-around, Lee finished third with a total score of 57.166, while Carey finished ninth with a 56.265.

The United States, as a team, finished with a score of 170.562, only trailing the ROC, who scored a 171.629.

U.S. Men's Basketball Team Leads France at the Half

The United States men's basketball team's quest for a fourth straight gold medal is underway, with the team taking a 47-35 halftime lead over France in its Olympic opener.

The U.S. started the game with Damian Lillard, Zach LaVine, Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant on the floor. The team went on a 16-4 run against France in the first quarter and led 22-15 after one.

The U.S. shot 47.6 percent in the first, with Adebayo and recently-crowned NBA champion Jrue Holiday leading the way with five points each. Applying a switch-heavy defense, the U.S. forced France into six first-quarter turnovers and 30.8 percent shooting.

Thanks to the 3-point shooting of Lillard and Holiday, the U.S. increased its lead to double-digits in the second.

Adebayo is in double figures at the half for the U.S. with 10 points. Lillard added nine points, going 3-for-6 from deep, and Durant has seven despite being in foul trouble.

Evan Fournier had 12 first-half points for France, which shot 1 of 11 from 3.

Zolotic Makes History With Taekwondo Gold

Anastasija Zolotic continued the dominance of Team USA's women on Sunday morning.

The 18-year-old defeated Tatiana Minina by a final score of 24-17 to bring home the first gold in Olympic taekwondo history for an American woman. This is the first time an American, man or woman, will stand atop the taekwondo podium since 2004.

Kiefer Wins Gold in Individual Foil

Lee Kiefer defeated Inna Deriglazova in the individual foil final, 15-13, to bring home the first-ever gold medal in individual foil for the United States.

Kiefer To Get Historic Medal in Individual Foil

Lee Kiefer will go for the gold against ROC's Inna Deriglazova in the individual foil final at 7:45 a.m. ET. She could be the first American to ever win gold in the event.

She defeated ROC's Larisa Korobeynikova in the semifinal.

USA Basketball 4-0 in 3x3 Pool Play

Team USA's 3x3 basketball team came up clutch on Sunday, winning its two games to move to 4-0 in pool play.

In the 22-11 win over Romania, Kelsey Plum led the way with 12 points.

In the second matchup of the day, the Russian Olympic Committee kept things close. But in the end, Team USA got the win, 20-16. Allisha Gray delivered a strong performance, finishing with eight points and nine rebounds.

Team USA has three games left in pool play before elimination begins on Tuesday.

No. 1 Ranked Golfer Jon Rahm Out of Olympics After Positive COVID-19 Test

Jon Rahm, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19.

Rahm, who was set to represent Spain, previously tested positive for the virus in early June and was forced to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament while holding a six-stroke lead entering the final round. He went on to win the U.S. Open just over two weeks later.

The United States will be without Bryson DeChambeau, who also tested positive for COVID-19. The No. 6 ranked golfer, and winner of the 2020 U.S. Open, will be replaced by Patrick Reed on Team USA.

No. 1 Ranked Women's Volleyball Shuts Out Argentina

The women's volleyball team was in action on Day 2 and shut out Argentina in three sets.

Jordan Thompson led the way with 20 points on 18 kills and two blocks in the 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-20) victory.

The U.S. will face world No. 2-ranked China in Pool B play on Monday, July 25, at 10:05 p.m. ET.

Moore, Marks Win Inaugural Heats, Head to Round 3

American surfers Carissa Moore and Caroline Marks both won their heats and will advance to the third round in Olympic competition.

Moore finished her heat with a score of 11.74, while Marks finished with a score of 13.40.

On the men's side, American Kolohe Andino finished second in his heat, scoring 10.27. Peru's Lucca Mesinas finished first in the heat with 11.40. Teammate John John Florence was in third in his heat with a score of 8.37.

In Round 1 heats, four surfers competed with the top two moving onto Round 3 and the bottom two competiting in Round 2. Round 2 was contested after Round 1 heats to set up competition for Sunday.

After coming in third in Round 1, Florence finished first in Round 2 with a total score of 12.77. The two American men will face off against each other in Round 3 on Sunday night beginning at 10:45 p.m. ET.

In Round 3 for the women, Marks will face Japan's Mahina Maeda, and Moore will face Peru's Sofia Mulanovich in hopes of moving on to the quarterfinals. Their heats begin at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.

China’s Li Fabin Wins Gold in Men’s 61kg Weightlifting, Sets Olympic Record

Li Fabin proved why he was a favorite coming into the men’s 61kg weightlifting event.

The Chinese weightlifter set an Olympic record with a total of 313kg lifted in the event. This was thanks to setting an Olympic record of 172kg lifted in his second attempt at the clean and jerk. He also lifted 141kg in the snatch, bringing him to the 313kg total.

Finishing with the silver was Eko Yuli Irawan of Indonesia, lifting 137kg in the snatch and 165 in the clean and jerk, for a total of 302kg. Irawan twice tried 177kg in the clean and snatch for his final two attempts, but was unsuccessful.

Igor Son from Kazakhstan took the bronze, lifting 131kg in the snatch and 163 in the clean and jerk for a total of 294kg lifted.

U.S. Women's Softball Team Advances to Gold Medal Game

The U.S. Women's softball team has won a gold or silver medal in all of the five Olympic Games that the sport has been contested.

Team USA will now have a chance to extend that streak to six when they face host nation Japan in the gold medal game on Tuesday, July 27.

After winning their first four games of the opening round and allowing just one run scored, USA softball veterans Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman will now have a chance to get revenge on the team that beat them 13 years ago in Beijing.

The U.S. Women get their first look at Japan Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Austria’s Anna Kiesenhofer Pedals to Gold in Women’s Cycling Road Race

Anna Kiesenhofor of Austria pushed her way to her first Olympic medal, winning gold in the women’s individual cycling road race. The 30-year-old finished with a time of 3:52:45.

Kiesnhofer controlled the lead for most of the race. She was in first at the 96.6km intermediate point of the race and was able to hold on until the end. She finished with an average speed of 35.317 kilometres per hour.

Winning silver was The Netherlands’ Annamiek van Vleuten, who finished with a time of 3:54:00. Behind her and taking the bronze was Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini, finishing the race in 3:54:14. It was also the first Olympic medals for van Vleuten and Longo Borghini.

Simone Biles Holds Lead in All-Around, U.S. Team Trails ROC

It should come as no surprise that after the United States completed its women's gymnastics qualifying round, the leader in the all-around is Simone Biles.

With a score of 14.133 on floor exercise, 14.066 on beam, 14.966 on vault and 14.566 on uneven bars, Biles finished with a score of 57.731.

Just behind her is U.S. teammate Sunisa Lee, who topped Biles on beam with a 14.200 and uneven bars with a 15.200. Lee also scored a 13.433 on floor and 14.333 on vault for a total of 57.166.

As for the other members of the U.S., Jade Carey currently sits in seventh with a 56.265, Mykayla Skinner is eighth with a 55.398, Grace McCallum is tenth with a 55.165 and Jordan Chilies is 25th with a 52.698.

The 24 gymnasts with the top cumulative individual scores advance to the individual all-around final, with a limit of two gymnasts per country.

As a team, the United States' score of 170.562 is currently second behind the Russian Olympic Committee's 171.629.

South Korea Wins Ninth Straight Gold in Women’s Team Archery

Coming into the 2020 Olympics, no other country had won gold in the women’s team archery event other than South Korea. That is a trend that will continue into 2024.

South Korea defeated the Russian Olympic Committee 6-0 in a rematch of the 2016 gold medal match. It is the country’s ninth consecutive gold medal in the event, which dates back to the inauguration of the event in 1988. It is the ROC’s second ever medal in the event.

On their way to gold, the South Koreans outscored opponents 17-1, with the lone point coming from Belarus in a set split in the semifinals.

Germany defeated Belarus in the bronze medal match 6-0. It’s the third time Germany has medaled in women's team archery.

After receiving a bye, the United States were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Russian Olympic Committee 6-0.

Sunisa Lee Holds Top Score in Uneven Bars, Simone Biles in Position to Advance

Sunisa Lee was among the favorite in the uneven bars entering the women's gymnastics qualifying round and didn't disappoint.

With a D Score of 6.600 and E Score of 8.600, Lee totaled a 15.200 to take hold of the top score in the event. She topped the 14.966 scored by Anastasiia Iliankova of the Russian Olympic Committee.

Simone Biles, in the event considered her weakest, finished with the second-best score for the U.S. with a 14.566. That currently stands as the eighth-best overall score in the event, but with the ROC having four of the top five finishers and only the top two permitted to advance to the final, Biles currently is in position to advance as one of the top eight remaining scorers. That will be determined by the results of the final two subdivisions later this morning.

William Shaner Wins Gold for U.S. in 10m Air Rifle

William Shaner became the second American to win a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games, winning the men's 10m air rifle event.

The 20-year-old set a new Olympic record with a 251.6 score, narrowly defeating China's Lihao Sheng (250.9) by .07 in the final round.

The Colorado Springs native was already one of the top prospects in the world, winning gold at the 2021 2021 ISSF World Cup in Croatia and as part of the Men's Air Rifle team at the 2021 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi.

Shaner was one of two University of Kentucky students to compete in the Tokyo Olympics and started in shooting sports when he was just nine years old.

He now becomes the latest American to medal, bring Team USA's total to eight, tied with China so far in Tokyo.

Simone Biles Takes Hold of Top Score on Vault

Simone Biles currently holds the top score in vault with scores of 14.966 and 15.400 for a 15.183 in the women's gymnastics qualifying round.

The United States has the top three scorers to this point. Jade Carey holds the second best score after posting a 15.166 on each attempt. Mykayla Skinner claimed third with a 14.866, though only the top two scorers from each nation can advance to the event finals.

China Wins Fifth Straight Gold in Women’s Synchronized 3m Springboard

China’s Shi Tingmao and Wang Han won the gold medal in the women’s synchronized 3m springboard event, scoring a 326.40 in the final round. It’s the fifth consecutive gold medal in that event for China and the second career gold medal for Shi Tingmao.

Canada’s Jennifer Abel and Melissa Citrini Beaulieu won silver with a score of 300.78. Germany’s Lena Hentschel and Tina Punzel secured the bronze with a score of 284.97.

The United States pair of Allison Gibson and Krysta Palmer finished eighth out of the eight countries competing. The pair had a final score of 263.49.

Simone Biles Quest for Gold in Tokyo Officially Underway

Simone Biles has taken the mat at the Tokyo Olympics.

Biles scored a 14.133 on her floor routine in the women's gymnastics qualifying round, with her level of difficulty more than compensating for going so far out of bounds on her third landing that she went off the floor entirely.

Biles received a D Score of 6.700, E Score of 7.733 and Penalty of -0.3, and at that stage trailed only Italy's Vanessa Ferrari, who scord a 14.166 in floor exercise.

The United States' Jade Carey had the third best score with a 14.100. Jordan Chiles' 13.566 was 11th best to that point, Mykayla Skinner's 13.566 was 12th, Grace McCallum's 13.466 was 13th, and Sunisa Lee's 13.433 was 15th.

U.S. Men's Water Polo Team Beats Japan to Open Tokyo Games

The U.S. men's water polo team were victorious in their first match of the Tokyo Games, beating Japan 15-13.

In a back and forth affair, Alex Bowen led Team USA with five goals, scoring four in the first two quarters of play. Japan led the game 8-7 heading into halftime but the U.S. men were able to pull ahead in the third quarter. After giving up two goals in the first two minutes the Americans started to get on a roll when Marco Vavic got a shot behind Japan's goalie with 5:34 left in the third.

Rowing Competition Cancelled For July 27 Based on Weather Reports

The World Rowing Committee, in coordination with the IOC and Tokyo2020 Organizing Committee, have cancelled rowing events taking place on Tuesday, July 27 due to impending weather reports.

There is expected high winds and strong gusts for that day, which would create “unequal and potentially unrowable racing conditions.”

As a result, the events that were to take place that day have been postponed to either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of that same week.

Osaka Cruises in First Olympic Match in Tokyo

Japan’s Naomi Osaka looked spectacular in her first Olympic match of the Tokyo Games, defeating China’s Saisai Zheng in just 87 minutes.

Osaka defeated Zheng in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 at Ariake Tennis Park. She had previously taken two months away from the sport to focus on her mental health.

The former No. 1 player in the world will look to secure Japan’s first Olympic gold medal in tennis and lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremonies on Friday.

Yuto Horigome Earns First-Ever Skateboarding Olympic Gold Medal

Skateboarding appeared in the Olympics for the first time in Tokyo, and thus the first medals were handed out.

Japan's Yuto Horigome came in first place in the men's skateboarding street event to win the sport's first-ever Olympic gold medal, and Brazil's Kelvin Hoefler took home silver.

Team USA's Jagger Eaton came in third to win bronze, upping the United States' medal count to seven. Despite being a favorite to win, American Nyjah Huston surprisingly did not medal.

Wimbledon Champion Ash Barty Eliminated in First Round

Australia's Ash Barty, the reigning Wimbledon champion and world No. 1, has been knocked out of the Olympics.

Barty lost in the first round late Saturday night to Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-3.

After the biggest tournament's biggest upset thus far, the Spaniard is set to next play either France's Fiona Ferro or Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova.

Team USA Jumps From No-Medal Day 1 to Top of the Leaderboard

Don't call it a comeback.

After Day 1 at the Tokyo Olympics, the United States had not earned any medals. It was the first time Team USA finished the first day of competition without any hardware since 1972.

The start of Day 2 changed that with the help of the U.S. swimming team. After just two hours of swimming events, the United States had joined the top of the medal leaderboard with six total -- one gold, two silver and three bronze.

Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland kicked things off by finishing first and second in the men’s 400m individual medley. The women also collected two medals in their 400 IM when Emma Weyant captured the silver to Hali Flickinger’s bronze. In between, Kieran Smith came from behind to secure the bronze medal in the men’s 400m freestyle. Capping off the night was the women’s 4x100 freestyle relay. Anchored by Simone Manuel, the U.S. women finished third.

U.S. Women's Softball Walks Off vs. Australia

After a walk-off win against Australia late Saturday night, the United States women's softball team is now 4-0 in Tokyo.

The U.S. and Australia were tied at 0 at the end of seven innings. In the top of the eighth, pitcher Monica Abbott let up one run for Australia to pull ahead 1-0. But in the bottom of the eighth inning, Amanda Chidester won the game for Team USA with a two-run RBI double.

The walk-off win has likely sealed the deal for Team USA to earn a spot in the gold medal game.

Team USA Wins Bronze in Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay

Simone Manuel stayed neck-and-neck with Canada's anchor in the final stretch of the women's 4x100m freestyle relay to earn a bronze medal for Team USA.

Australia took home the gold in a dominant win that broke the world record, and Canada finished second for the silver medal.

The U.S. team went with three new participants -- Manuel, Erika Brown and Abbey Weitzeil -- in the final, with Natalie Hinds as the only swimmer to compete in both heats and the final round.

Bryson DeChambeau Tested Positive for COVID-19

Bryson DeChambeau won't be able to compete at the Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19, USA Golf announced on Saturday night.

Patrick Reed will travel to Tokyo to take his place. Reed is undergoing the requisite testing protocol until Monday before departing for Japan.

Weyant, Flickinger Medal in Women’s 400IM

Emma Weyant and Hali Flickinger earned the silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the women's swimming 400m individual medley.

The pair extended an impressive streak of American women winning a medal in the 400 IM at every Olympics since 2004. Weyant and Flickinger finished behind gold medal winner Japan's Yui Ohashi.

Kieran Smith Wins Bronze in Men's 400m Freestyle Final

American swimmer Kieran Smith placed third in the men's 400m freestyle final to add a bronze medal to Team USA's count.

Smith finished with a time of 3:43.94 behind gold medalist Ahmed Hafnaoui from Tunisia and silver medalist Jack McLoughlin from Australia.

Chase Kalisz Wins First U.S. Gold Medal in Men's 400IM

Team USA finally has some medals under its belt.

In the men’s 400m individual medley on Saturday evening, Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland became the first Americans to medal in Tokyo. Kalisz took home gold with a time of 4:09.42 and Litherland earned the silver medal with a time of 4:10.28. Australia's Brendon Smith came in third place with a time of 4:10.38.

This is the first time the U.S. has placed first and second in the 400-meter individual medley since Michael Phelps and Erik Vendt did it in 2004, when Phelps won his first Olympic gold medal.

Ross/Klineman Win First Beach Volleyball Match

April Ross and Alix Klineman have kicked off their 2020 Olympic performance with a victory.

The dominant beach volleyball duo took just two sets to defeat a pair from China, 21-17, 21-19, in their first pool play match. Ross and Klineman's next match is on Monday at 8 p.m. ET against Liliana Fernández and Elsa Baquerizo from Spain.

Simone Manuel Joins Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay Team for Final

The United States women's 4x100m freestyle relay team will switch up their lineup for the final on Saturday night to include star Simone Manuel. The quartet that will compete in the final is made up of Erika Brown, Abbey Weitzeil, Natalie Hinds and finishes with Manuel.

Team USA's relay team, made up of Hinds, Olivia Smoliga, Catie DeLoof and Allison Schmitt, finished with the fifth-fastest time during heats on Saturday morning, advancing the team to finals. Manuel, who did not qualify for the 100m in Tokyo but was an option for Team USA in the 4x100m freestyle relay, did not compete in the heat.

The final is scheduled for Saturday night at 10:45 p.m. ET.

Surfing Competition Begins Despite Typhoon Threat

Add yet another hurdle to the already-postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics that is working around the COVID-19 pandemic: a possible typhoon.

As Day 2 begins in Japan, and the surfing tournament begins, threats of severe weather put the start of the competition in jeopardy. The sport is dependent on wave conditions, and the waves are currently around waist-high as the Olympics begin. Many local residents verbalized their fears of a possible typhoon in the forecast, but the women's competition went off without a hitch at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Team USA Still Waiting for First Medal of Tokyo Games

Despite a few close losses, Team USA finished Day 1 of Olympic competition in Tokyo with no medals … for the first time since 1972.

After winning the first gold medal of the Games, China currently leads the way in the medal count with two golds and a bronze. Host country Japan secured its first gold in judo and also added a silver, while Italy also has a gold and silver under its belt.

As we head into a busy Day 2, the United States has plenty of time to make up for its slow start soon.

Skateboarding Set to Make Olympic Debut

Next up on the list of new Olympic events debuting in Tokyo: skateboarding.

The men's competition heats begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, and finals are set for 11:25 p.m. ET.

Team USA has a real chance to medal in skateboarding. Nyjah Huston, a 16-time X Games winner and six-time world skateboarding champion, will hope to add Olympic medalist to his impressive resume.

Simone Biles Will Start Tokyo Competition on Quest to Break Some Records

The time has come for the GOAT to make her Tokyo debut. Simone Biles will take center stage as the women's gymnastics competition kicks off with the qualifying round.

Biles will enter the competition early Sunday morning on a quest to add some records to her spectacular list of accomplishments.

And there are plenty of records for Biles to break: most gold medals by a U.S. woman (topping the eight held by American swimmer Jenny Thompson), the record for individual gold in gymnastics (topping Czech gymnast Vera Caslavska) and she could tie Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for most gold medals for a female athlete with nine.

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