Team USA Clear, Felix and Chopra for Date…

There were no surprises in the men’s basketball final on Saturday with the fourth consecutive crown for the United States against France (87-82), while Alisson Felix with his 11th Olympic medal, and Neeraj Chopra, the first Indian Olympic champion. In athletics, in javelin throwing, the Tokyo Games and history were marked.

Despite its NBA superstars and unparalleled record, the US team no longer takes any opponents from high gear, even less when it comes to France who inflicted them two defeats in their last two games: one two years ago in the 2019 World Cup quarter-finals and the other In the group stage at the Tokyo Olympics. If they had started their matches with diesel, before entering the steam-strike mode, to outright eliminate Spain in the quarter-finals, and then Australia in the semi-finals, then the Americans did not expect much in front of the Blues this time. It was Kevin Durant who put them on the right track by tying baskets in all positions and giving the wings to Team USA. With 29 points, Durant, even if he was more conservative after returning from the locker room, certainly managed to catch the French fortunes, which are held by two players who play in the NBA, Rudi Gobert and Yvan Fournier (16 points each). For Durant, this is his third Olympic title after London and Rio. That title is also Greg Popovich who, at 72, adds an Olympic gold to five rings for the NBA champion he won with the San Antonio Spurs.

In golf, American Nelly Korda, who was crowned Olympic champion on Saturday at the age of 23, was ranked number one in golf. The youngest daughter of former Czech tennis player Petr Korda, who has been on top since the second round, failed to win a thrilling final over Japan’s Moon Inami and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko.

Few expected the javelin to be the highlight of the athletics night of this Olympics at the Olympic Stadium, but Neeraj Chopra pulled it off. With 87.58 meters in his first attempt, he awarded India its first gold medal in athletics and only the tenth in its history in all sports. With his partners in the 4x400m relay, Alison Felix for her part was disgusted with the competition and offered herself 35 11 medals the day after his third place in the 400m, allowing him to conquer another monument. Athletics, Karl Lewis, and the place behind Finn Paavo Nurmi (12 medals between 1920 and 1928). The Dutchman, Sivan Hassan, who has already won the 5000m title and bronze in the 1500m, added 10,000m to her record by defeating Bahraini Kalkidan Jezahin in the sprint. So Hassan will not have achieved the coveted triple, but at the age of 28 he won three medals in the long and middle distances, and played a total of six races. Russia’s Maria Lasitskene, competing under a neutral flag, won the Olympic high jump title on her Olympic debut, after three world championship titles in a row. Lasitskene rose 2.04 metres, ahead of Australian Nicola McDermott (2.02 metres) and Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahochic (2.00 metres).

On Saturday evening, Japan presented itself with one of the most beautiful Olympic titles in the eyes of its residents, baseball, the king of sports for many Japanese, by defeating the country that invented it, the United States (2-0). Finally, at the end of the night and by a stifling stretch, Brazil, as in 2016 and without stars, won the men’s soccer championship against Spain (2-1).

Source: Agence France-Presse