Day 14: US media hurls criticisms vs Ryan Lochte; says he is “everything the world hates about Americans”
Sometimes, you see someone like Ryan Lochte open his mouth.
And when you hear what comes tumbling out, it all makes perfect sense.
That’s the worst part of what Lochte and his stable of stumble-bumbling swimmer pals have done the past few days, now that it’s apparent that whatever might have happened to them late one night — actually, early one morning — in Rio, it wasn’t exactly the way Lochte described it the first time around. In fact, it seems apparent that Lochte and his cohorts in chaos — Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and Jimmy Feigen, all swimmers representing the US in a decidedly different way than Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps did — were using the old “robbed-at-gunpoint” chestnut as cover for what was apparently a gas station encounter with a security guard and, quite hilariously, a bathroom door.
(http://nypost.com/2016/08/18/ryan-lochte-is-everything-the-world-hates-about-americans/)
Day 14: It’s the Bender Brothers of Germany vs Neymar and host Brazil in men’s football final
Horst Hrubesch’s Germany side ensured European representation in the gold-medal match with a goal in either half of Wednesday’s second semi-final. Leipzig defender Lukas Klostermann made it advantage Germany by converting Max Meyer’s ninth-minute cross at the end of a sweeping move. Substitute Nils Petersen later removed any doubt about the outcome at the Arena Corinthians, angling home the 89th-minute clincher following Davie Selke’s cross-shot. It put the seal on a clinical German performance.
Day 15: Chinese fume at US relay re-run after being bumped out of final
China’s chequered run of luck at the Rio Olympics took an especially cruel turn after its sprinters were bumped from the women’s 4x100m relay final after the US were allowed a re-run despite dropping the baton in their heat.
The highly fancied Americans were handed a second chance despite a botched baton change in their heat, with race judges ruling that second-leg runner Allyson Felix was unfairly impeded by a Brazilian runner in the next lane. The reprieve meant the surreal sight of the US quartet running another heat with the track all to themselves on Thursday, racing only against the clock.
Day 15: Germany Defeats Sweden for First Olympics Women’s Football Gold Medal
Germany has won its first Olympic gold medal in women’s football after defeating Sweden 2-1 in a tense final at the famed Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Dzsenifer Marozsan scored a fantastic goal and had a hand in an own goal to account for Germany’s scoring, while Sweden pulled one back through Stina Blackstenius and threatened late, but couldn’t quite find an equalizer and settled for the first silver medal in its nation’s women’s football history.
(http://time.com/4460108/germany-sweden-olympics-gold-medal-soccer-women/)
Day 16: Tom Daley fails to qualify for 10m platform diving final
Britain’s Tom Daley said he was “heartbroken” after a shock semi-final elimination in the Olympic 10m platform diving competition.
In an error-strewn display, the 2012 bronze medallist needed 102 points from his closing dive to reach the final.
However, he managed only 50.40 to finish in last place with 403.25 – well short of the personal best of 571.85 he set in Friday’s preliminary round.
“It’s really hard to accept. I’ve worked so hard,” said Daley, 22.
(http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/36691447)
Day 16: Italy defeat USA to reach Rio 2016 men’s volleyball final against Brazil.
Italy have ended the gold-medal aspirations for the USA men’s volleyball team in a second straight Olympic Games with a 30-28, 26-28, 9-25, 25-22, 15-9 victory at the Maracanãzinho. After the game, David Lee brought his American team-mates into a huddle and embrace, then Matt Anderson and Taylor Sander clapped to the crowd in appreciation as the US players waited at the net to shake hands after a memorable match. In the fifth set, Osmany Juantorena served an ace for 12-8 and Aaron Russell let a ball drop in for 13-9 as Max Holt covered his face with his uniform shirt.
Day 16: Serbia wins waterpolo gold medal
The men decorated with scratches and red marks trickled through a hallway at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium and insisted the past didn’t matter.
Their countries, Croatia and Serbia, share a 150-mile border and a bloody history. They battled in the early 1990s as part of the conflagration ignited by the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. They traded claims of genocide. Their sporting events against each other became about much more than who won or lost and regularly led to unseemly chants, riots, even diplomatic incidents.
(http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-oly-croatia-serbia-20160820-snap-story.html)
Day 16: Neymar lifts Brazil to its first Olympics gold medal by beating world champions Germany 1-1 (5-4 pens) in a tense penalty shoot-out.
If the script writer had offered this up before kick-off in Saturday night’s Brazil v Germany Olympic final here at the Maracana they’d have been sacked for being too fanciful. It was fairytale, make-believe, hard to fathom stuff as Neymar, the darling of the Selecao, scored the 10th and decisive penalty in a shootout to win it 5-4 and to seal gold for his country.The match ended 1-1 in normal time as Neymar, (who else?), scored a brilliant free-kick that looked like it would lead Brazil to glory. But the Germany captain Max Meyer equalised on 58 minutes. There were chances – nothing golden – but the two couldn’t be separated…until the incredible drama of the penalties.
When Brazil’s long nightmare finally ended Saturday, the captain of its soccer team dropped to his knees and spread his arms in celebration.
If “Christ the Redeemer” is Rio de Janeiro’s iconic emblem, the image of a kneeling, sobbing Neymar, eyes looking to the heavens, will be how Brazilians remember the city’s Olympics.
The Rio Games have been plagued by crime, polluted water and venue problems. v There were half-empty stadiums, overcrowded streets and little approaching the excitement of past Olympics.
Day 17: Brazil’s men beat Italy for third gold
Brazil’s men’s volleyball team defeated Italy on Sunday to win their third gold medal in the sport and cap their country’s best Olympic performance with a total of seven golds in the Rio Games.
The Brazilians had lost to the Italians in a pool match but won the final in straight sets 25-22 28-26 26-24, handing Italy its third silver medal in men’s volleyball.
Brazil struggled in the pool stage, losing two matches, to the U.S. and Italy, and only making it into the knockout rounds after a tense victory over France in the last game.
(http://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-rio-volleyball-m-idUSKCN10W0LC)
Day 17: The Great Fall of China: Britain claims second place as China drops to third in medal table topped by USA.
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