TOKYO (AP) — Tamyra Mensah-Stock of the United States defeated Blessing Oborududu of Nigeria 4-1 in the women’s 68-kilogram freestyle wrestling final to claim the second Olympic gold medal ever for an American female wrestler.
Mensah-Stock defeated 2016 Olympic gold medalist Sara Dosho 10-0 in the first round and beat Feng Zhao of China 10-0 by technical superiority in the quarterfinals. She defeated former world champion Alla Cherkasova of Ukraine 10-4 in the semifinals.
Mensah-Stock joins Helen Maroulis as American women to win gold. Maroulis won the 53kg class in 2016.
ELSEWHERE, Malaika Mihambo of Germany took the top spot in the women’s long jump with a 7-meter leap on her final attempt and edged U.S. veteran Brittney Reese for the Olympic gold medal.
Mihambo won the world championship title in 2019 and finished just off the podium in fourth place at the 2016 Olympics.
The 34-year-old Reese now has back-to-back Olympic silver medals at the Tokyo Games and from Rio de Janeiro after winning the title at London in 2012.
The four-time world champion had the chance to win with the final jump of the competition but couldn’t improve on her best mark of 6.97 meters.
Ese Brume of Nigeria, who led after the first round and was in top spot again after the fourth, also finished on 6.97-meters and took bronze on a countback.
SIMONE Biles has won a bronze medal in balance beam, her first of the Tokyo Olympics.
The American gymnastics star finished behind gold medalist Guan Chenchen and silver medalist Tang Xijing both of China.
A week after taking herself out of several competitions to focus on her mental health, Biles drilled a slightly altered routine.
Biles, using a routine that ended with a double-pike dismount — no twisting required — posted a score of 14.000.
KEVIN Durant scored 29 points to keep his quest for a third Olympic title alive, and the Americans are headed to the medal round after ousting Spain 95-81 today in the men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal
Jayson Tatum scored 13 and Jrue Holiday added 12 for the U.S., which will play either Australia or Argentina in the semifinals on Thursday.
Ricky Rubio was brilliant for Spain, scoring 38 points and Sergio Rodriguez added 16.
