Italy beat the defending champion US team Sunday to win gold in women’s volleyball at the Paris Olympics. The victory came in straight sets, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17. The Italians ended a dominant tournament having lost just a set.
It’s the first medal in the sport for top-ranked Italy and sends the Americans home in disappointment after they won their first Olympic title in Tokyo. It’s a huge win for the Italians, whose previous best Olympic finish was fifth.
Basketball thriller
The US captured their eighth consecutive Olympic title in women’s basketball by beating France 67-66. Australia edged Belgium earlier on Sunday to claim the bronze.
On Saturday, the US men’s basketball team did as expected, grinding out a 98-87 win over France to claim a fifth consecutive gold medal.
With the French sporting spotlight locked on the Bercy Arena, the American showmen crushed Gallic hearts led by Stephen Curry and a fired-up LeBron James, the ‘King’ wearing shiny golden sneakers to mark the occasion.
“I’m just living in the moment,” said 39-year-old James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. “I’m super humbled that I can still play this game.”
Japan on song
Wrestling powerhouse Japan bagged two freestyle golds through Kotaro Kiyooka and Yuka Kagami to boost their bumper harvest at the Champ de Mars Arena.
The Asian nation finished their campaign with eight gold medals — three more than in Tokyo three years ago — with Iran, Bulgaria and the United States all trailing far behind on the medal table with two apiece.
Bahrain’s Akhmed Tazhudinov, who competed for Russia until 2022, won Sunday’s other gold confirming his growing stature in the 97kg class.
Kiyooka was under pressure to deliver having beaten Tokyo gold medallist Takuto Otoguro in the wrestle-off for a place in Paris. The 23-year-old with a mop of bristling hair did not disappoint as he beat Iran’s Rahman Amouzadkhalili 10-3 in the gold medal bout.
Kagami, who trains with male wrestlers at Toyo University to be at her sharpest, won the women’s 76kg gold by beating Kennedy Blades of the US 3-1.
Kagami scored a takedown out of bounds in the second period and hung on to it despite desperate efforts by her opponent in the remainder of the bout.
Li Wenwen won the women’s +81 kilogram division to give China five gold medals in weightlifting in Paris. Li lifted a total of 309kgs ahead of silver medalist Park Hye-jeong of South Korea at 299.
