CLOSE USA Today Sports' Rachel Axon tells you the 5 things to watch for during the final day of competition at the Rio Olympics on Sunday, August 21st. USA TODAY Sports 
 
 Aug 20, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; USA celebrates after beating Spain in the women's basketball gold medal match during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: USATSI-322390 ORIG FILE ID: 20160820_pjc_su1_267.JPG (Photo: Bob Rosato, RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports) 
 
 RIO DE JANEIRO — Two days before the U.S. women’s basketball team would win its sixth consecutive gold medal, downing Spain 101-72, Diana Taurasi was asked about its unprecedented dominance and whether there was enough mainstream recognition. 
 
 “Hey, we’ll see after Saturday,” the 34-year-old guard had quipped after a semifinal win over France. “Run around naked. We’ll all get attention, win or lose.” 
 
 Instead, they undressed yet another would-be opponent and showed yet again why they’re so deserving of global attention. The win brought its eight-game margin of victory average to a whopping 37.2 points in what was a 49th consecutive win 
 
 By the time their latest dominant deed was done, Taurasi wasn’t quite as consumed with the notion of how many people had tuned in. She was too busy sharing a tearful hug with her old college coach, Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma, who took over the national program in 2010 and has been there for two of the four Olympic golds Taurasi won alongside point guard Sue Bird and forward Tamika Catchings. Young Brittney Griner hoisted fellow first-time Olympian, Elena Delle Donne, into the air as they soaked it all in on the court. All around Taurasi, it was more of the same. 
 
 Reflection. Appreciation. Celebration. No matter the ratings. 
 
 “I mean you guys are here now,” Taurasi, who had 17 points (including five three pointers), said to a mass of media. “We’re doing something, and basketball is really important to a lot of people in the U.S., and no one takes it more serious than women. We play year round. We sacrifice a lot of things to make sure that we bring this home. And you know what? It’s ok. We’re happy.” 
 
 Her premise is on point, though. 
 
 Even for fans who may not enjoy the WNBA action that all 12 of these women will now resume, theirs is the rare super team that more than lives up to the billing. The chemistry issues that dogged their U.S. male counterparts during these Games did not apply to the women, Auriemma blending the best in a seamless and collectively selfless way. Taurasi is nothing short of electric, having spent the past 16 years on the global stage showcasing the rare combination of play and personality that makes her such the entertainer. 
 
 It was all there to see in the finale. 
 
 Taurasi and guard Lindsay Whalen shared the team-high in scoring with 17 points, while forward Maya Moore had 14 points, six assists and five rebounds. Eleven of the 12 players scored. As a group, Team USA shot a scorching 59% from the field against a Spain team they downed 103-63 in group play. 
 
 As is always the case with this team, there was little doubt about the final outcome. Spain trailed by just three points midway through the second quarter, but back-to-back Taurasi three-pointers helped sparked Team USA during a 22-8 that put them by 49-32 at halftime. By the time the fourth quarter arrived – thanks to a 39-25 edge in that period - it was nothing but their latest laugher as they led 88-57. 
 
 If this were Taurasi’s last Olympics – and she’s not quite sure yet if that’s the case – it was the perfect way to go. 
 
 “A couple of those threes, I just had to laugh and shake my head,” said Delle Donne, the 26-year-old small forward and reigning MVP in the WNBA who came off the bench throughout the Games and had 10 points against Spain. “It’s just fun to watch. I idolized her so much growing up, and to be able to play alongside her and see some of that craziness that I saw when I was a young kid falling in love with the game, was really cool for me.” 
 
 And therein lies the scary part. Even if Taurasi, Bird and Catchings all call it quits, this shelf is still plenty stocked for this run to continue. 
 
 “I keep talking to ‘E’ (Delle Donne) about how we’ve got to do what ‘D’ (Taurasi) and Sue did – that could be us, with Stewie (21-year-old forward Brianna Stewart) as well,” the 25-year-old Griner said. “That could be us. … We’re still young. We’re still learning. We just got our diapers off.” 
 
 From the old to the new, worth watching indeed. 
 
 PHOTOS: EVERY U.S. MEDAL ||||| Cuba's Arlen Lopez, left, fights Uzbekistan's Bektemir Melikuziev during a men's middleweight 75-kg final boxing match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. (AP... (Associated Press) 
 
 Cuba's Arlen Lopez, left, fights Uzbekistan's Bektemir Melikuziev during a men's middleweight 75-kg final boxing match at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian) (Associated Press) 
 
 RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The latest on the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (all times local): 
 
 5:10 p.m. 
 
 The dominant U.S. women's basketball team won a sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal in impressive fashion, routing Spain 101-72 on Saturday. 
 
 Diana Taurasi and the Americans played nearly flawless basketball in Rio, and were never challenged. They have won 49 consecutive games in the Olympics with only one of those decided by single digits. 
 
 They won by nearly 40 points a game, but fell short of the record 102.4 points the 1996 team averaged. 
 
 The U.S., which beat Spain by 40 in a preliminary round game, got off to a slow start and only led 21-17 after the first quarter. Then the Americans got going with a 16-3 run in the second that blew the game open and the rout and celebration was on. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:40 p.m. 
 
 MEDAL ALERT: Arlen Lopez gave Cuba its second boxing gold medal of the day, beating Uzbekistan's Bektemir Melikuziev by unanimous decision in the middleweight final. 
 
 Lopez swept the scores 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. 
 
 He joined bantamweight Robeisy Ramirez as Cuba's two gold medalists of the day. Cuba finished the boxing tournament with three golds and six total medals. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:20 p.m. 
 
 Karch Kiraly's top-ranked U.S. women's volleyball team has earned an Olympic bronze medal, hardly the color the Americans planned for when they came to Brazil chasing the program's first gold in history. 
 
 The U.S. topped the Netherlands 25-23, 25-27, 25-22, 25-19 Saturday, bouncing back for bronze two days after a heartbreaking five-set defeat to Serbia in the semifinals. 
 
 After Kim Hill's ace on match point, the U.S. women fell into an embrace and Kiraly hugged his coaches and brought his team together for a cheer. 
 
 The Netherlands shined playing in its first Olympics since 1996 in Atlanta, where they finished fourth and surprised many as the Dutch put women's volleyball on the map with their gutsy, never-give-up style. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:15 p.m. 
 
 Sadiq Umar scored a pair of goals and Nigeria won the Olympic bronze medal by holding off Honduras 3-2 on Saturday in Belo Horizonte. 
 
 It was Nigeria's third overall Olympic medal in soccer. The West African nation won gold at the 1996 Olympics with a 3-2 victory over Argentina, and won the silver in 2008, falling to Argentina 1-0 in the final. 
 
 The medal was a reward for an Olympic tournament that got off to a rocky start. Nigeria's arrival in Brazil was delayed until just hours before the team's opening match because of a flight mix-up in Atlanta. 
 
 Honduras, which challenged with a pair of late goals, heads home from Brazil empty-handed but the team's appearance in the medal round was its best-ever finish at the Olympics. 
 
 Brazil plays Germany in the gold-medal match later Saturday at Rio's famed Maracana Stadium. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:15 p.m. 
 
 Two-time world champion Aleksander Lesun of Russia has surged to the lead in men's modern pentathlon through the bonus fencing round. 
 
 The favorite to win gold in Rio, Lesun won the one-touch fencing event to build a commanding lead after two of five events. Lesun has 592 points, with Egypt's Omar El Geziry and Great Britain's Joseph Choong tied for second with 569. 
 
 Lesun is the current world record holder for overall points and fencing. He has never finished worse than third in seven world championships, but was a disappointing fourth at the 2012 London Games. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3 p.m. 
 
 MEDAL ALERT: Cuban boxer Robeisy Ramirez used a strong third round to finish off top American prospect Shakur Stevenson and win Olympic boxing gold in the bantamweight final. 
 
 The fight was even on the scorecards through two rounds. Ramirez, now a two-time Olympic gold medalist, won 29-28 on two scorecards. The 19-year-old Stevenson, fighting out of Newark, New Jersey, won one card 29-28. 
 
 Ramirez celebrated gold with a backflip in the ring. 
 
 Stevenson, who had been cheered on by retired great Floyd Mayweather earlier in the tournament, pulled his vest over his face and walked off to a railing to compose himself. With a towel over his head, Stevenson sobbed and was consoled by his family. He lost an international bout for the first time in his career. 
 
 ___ 
 
 3 p.m. 
 
 Christian Presciutti scored four goals to help Italy beat Montenegro 12-10 in the bronze-medal match in men's water polo. 
 
 It's the second straight Olympic medal for Italy, which lost to Croatia in the London final. Coupled with the silver for Italy's women's team on Friday, it's the only country to medal in both water polo tournaments in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
 Montenegro finished fourth for the third straight Olympics. 
 
 Aleksandar Radovic scored with 1:57 left to get Montenegro within one. But Matteo Aicardi, wearing a mask to protect his broken nose from earlier in the tournament, connected on a long-range skip shot to help close it out for Italy. 
 
 Valentino Gallo added three goals for Italy, which lost 10-8 to Serbia in the semifinals. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:50 p.m. 
 
 The Tonga flag-bearer who became an unexpected sensation at the Rio Games after marching shirtless into the opening ceremonies has lost his chance for a gold medal in the men's taekwondo heavyweight division. 
 
 Pita Taufatofua, ranked 157th in the world, had an unfortunate pairing in the first round with the division's No. 2 seed, Sajjad Mardani of Iran. Mardani demolished Taufatofua 16-1 amid fans chanting "Tonga!" in the arena. 
 
 Taufatofua described his opponent's attacking leg as "a nightmare" and said his slow start in the fight cost him. 
 
 Taufatofua said he wasn't expecting the enormous reaction to his appearance in the opening ceremony and hinted that he might have something special — but quick — planned for the closing celebrations. 
 
 "Don't blink or you'll miss it," he warned. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:30 p.m. 
 
 MEDAL ALERT: British fighter Nicola Adams has won her second-straight Olympic boxing gold medal. 
 
 Adams, the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title at the London Games, made it back-to-back gold with a unanimous decision victory over French boxer Sarah Ourahmoune. 
 
 Adams swept the scorecards 39-37 to win lightweight gold and become the first two-time women's Olympic boxing champion. 
 
 Ourahmoune had a big rally in the second and third rounds to keep the fight a bit closer than expected. But Adams won the decisive fourth round on all three cards and thumped her chest and pointed toward the sky when the decision was announced. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:20 p.m. 
 
 MEDAL ALERT: Jenny Rissveds of Sweden pulled away late from Maja Wloszczowska of Poland to win gold at the women's mountain bike race. 
 
 The riders were alone together at the head of the field starting the last of the six-plus lap race. Rissveds then powered away on the first long uphill of the 3-mile course, building an insurmountable lead on Wloszczowska. 
 
 Rissveds finished with a time of 1 hour, 30 minutes, 15 seconds — which was 37 seconds faster than the silver medalist. Catharine Pendrel held off Canadian teammate Emily Batty for the bronze. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:05 p.m. 
 
 Tom Daley of Britain has stunningly failed to qualify for the men's 10-meter platform diving final. 
 
 He finished 18th and last in the semifinals, when 12 divers moved on to the final later Saturday. Daley was first after the preliminaries on Friday, with China's two divers in second and third. Those scores didn't carry over to the semis. 
 
 Aisen Chen of China topped the semis with 559.90 points. His teammate, Qui Bo, was second at 504.70. Ivan Garcia of Mexico was third at 497.55. Bo earned silver four years ago in London. 
 
 Defending Olympic champion David Boudia of the United States was in jeopardy, but finished 10th to advance. His teammate, Steele Johnson, finished 13th, six points out of the last qualifying spot. 
 
 Daley earned bronze in 2012 and was well positioned to upset the Chinese in Rio. But he botched his second and third dives before rallying in the fourth and fifth rounds. He needed high scores on his sixth and last dive to grab a spot in the semis, but his score of 50.40 was the lowest of anyone in the round. 
 
 ___ 
 
 2:05 p.m. 
 
 Inbee Park's first victory of the season might just be the biggest of her career — a gold medal in women's golf. 
 
 Park made three straight birdies early in the final round Saturday, never let anyone closer than three shots the rest of the way and closed with a 5-under 66 for a five-shot victory at Olympic Golf Course. 
 
 Lydia Ko of New Zealand didn't stand a chance, and neither anyone else. 
 
 Ko, the No. 1 player in women's golf, made an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 69 to claim the silver. Shanshan Feng of China shot 69 and took the bronze. 
 
 Park, battling a thumb injury all year that led to speculation she was going to retire, had not faced top competition in two months and missed the last two majors on the LPGA Tour. She took time off to prepare for the Olympics, but when she missed the cut in a Korean LPGA event, the 28-year-old from South Korea heard chatter that she should give up her spot to another player in better form. 
 
 Instead, she reminded her golf-mad nation why she ranks among the best. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:40 p.m. 
 
 MEDAL ALERT: Inbee Park of South Korea wins the gold medal in women's golf with a 5-under 66 for a five-shot victory. Lydia Ko holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 18th to take the silver. Shanshan Feng of China wins the bronze. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:40 p.m. 
 
 Serbia counted down the final minute before running to midcourt to celebrate, capping off its first Olympics in women's basketball with a bronze medal by beating France 70-63 on Saturday. 
 
 Jelena Milovanovic scored 18 points for the Serbs, who were jumping up and down on the bench with hands clasped waiting for the final horn. The crowd helped count down the final seconds and after the game the Serbia team tossed coach Marina Maljkovic into the air a couple of times. 
 
 France leaves its third Olympics without any hardware after taking silver at the 2012 London Games. 
 
 The Serbs appeared stunned after their loss to Spain in the semifinals Thursday. They rebounded well, racing out to a 12-3 lead and were up 18-10 after the first quarter. When France went up 40-37, Serbia finished the third quarter scoring on an 18-2 run and never trailed again. 
 
 Endy Miyem led France with 18 points. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:40 p.m. 
 
 A three-cyclist pack led the women's mountain bike race halfway through. 
 
 Jenny Rissveds of Sweden, Jolanda Neff of Switzerland and Maja Wloszczowska of Poland were bunched up at the head of the 31-woman field about halfway through the six-plus lap race. 
 
 Each lap is just more than 3 miles. Reigning world champ Annika Langvad of Denmark was in ninth, 34 seconds behind the leaders. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:35 p.m. 
 
 The U.S. protest in the men's 4x100 meter relay has been rejected, and Canada will keep the bronze medal. 
 
 The Americans were disqualified from the final, won by Jamaica, for an illegal baton exchange in the first passing zone. 
 
 Officials ruled Mike Rodgers handed the stick to Justin Gatlin before it reached the 20-meter zone. 
 
 The United States finished third, but minutes later, the team was disqualified, and the U.S. protested. 
 
 It marked the ninth time since 1995 that the U.S. men have either been disqualified or failed to finish the 4x100 at world championships or the Olympics. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:30 p.m. 
 
 They came for a third-straight Olympic gold, but Norway's women's handball team had to settle for bronze. 
 
 After being defeated in the semifinals by Russia, Norway recovered well to beat the Netherlands 36-26 in Saturday's bronze medal game. 
 
 Nora Mork scored seven goals for Norway, which led 19-13 at half time and played strong defense in the second half to hold off a Dutch fightback. 
 
 Norway has now won a women's handball medal at six of the last eight Olympics, including gold in 2008 and 2012. 
 
 __ 
 
 1:25 p.m. 
 
 Serbia's defending Olympic taekwondo champion Milica Mandic is through to the quarterfinals at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics after a commanding performance in her first-round match Saturday morning. 
 
 Mandic overpowered Norwegian fighter Tina Skaar, using a series of head kicks in the third round that gave her a significant lead. Mandic won by a score of 8 to 2. 
 
 Mandic won the gold medal in the women's heavyweight category at the London Games and also took a silver at the European championships in May. She is seeded sixth at the Olympics and will next face Britain's Bianca Walkden, the current world champion in the quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon. 
 
 In the men's division, Anthony Obame, who won Gabon's first Olympic medal in London, a silver, lost to Britain's Mahama Cho in the first round. Obame still could have a chance to fight for a bronze medal in the repechage competition. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:15 p.m. 
 
 Gwen Jorgensen gave the U.S. its first Olympic triathlon gold medal Saturday, crushing the field at breezy Copacabana Beach in 1 hour, 56 minutes and 16 seconds. 
 
 Nicola Spirig of Switzerland, who won gold in London four years ago when Jorgensen was bamboozled by a flat tire, crossed 40 seconds later for the silver medal. Vicky Holland outsprinted British teammate Non Stanford to win the bronze. 
 
 Jorgensen was drafting with Spirig for the entire run after they dismounted their bikes together but after smiling at Spirig with about two kilometers left, Jorgensen made her breakaway and wouldn't be challenged. 
 
 As she approached the blue ribbon, the former All-American track athlete and swimmer at the University of Wisconsin turned and Spirig wasn't anywhere in site. Jorgensen flipped up her goggles, acknowledged the cheers with a wide smile and grabbed the tape above her head after crossing the finish. 
 
 Then, she broke down in tears. 
 
 The only other American to win an Olympic triathlon medal was Susan Williams, the silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Games. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:05 p.m. 
 
 MEDAL ALERT: Gwen Jorgensen of the U.S. wins the women's Olympic triathlon at Copacabana Beach in 1 hour, 56 minutes, 16 seconds. Nicola Spirig of Switzerland, who won gold in London, takes the silver and Vicky Holland of Britain wins bronze. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1 p.m. 
 
 FAILED TO QUALIFY: Tom Daley of Britain has failed to qualify for the men's 10-meter platform diving final. He finished 18th and last in the semifinals. He led after the preliminaries. Four years ago, Daley earned bronze on home soil in London. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1 p.m. 
 
 Great Britain's James Cooke has set an Olympic modern pentathlon record in swimming to lead after one event. 
 
 Cooke finished the 200-meter race in 1 minute, 55.60 seconds, breaking the record of 1:55.70 set by Egypt's Amro El Geziry at the 2012 London Games. 
 
 Cooke has 354 points, one ahead of El Geziry with four events to go. 
 
 ___ 
 
 AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap ||||| With a surge of medals in track and field, the United States has sprinted ahead of China and is poised to finish atop the medals table at the London Olympics _ maybe with the most golds ever collected by the Americans on foreign soil. 
 
 United States' Ashton Eaton gestures from the podium after being presented with a gold medal in the men's decathlon during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Members of the team from China reacts as they see their score during the synchronized swimming team free routine final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London,... (Associated Press) 
 
 United States' Will Claye, silver, Italy's Fabrizio Donato, bronze, and United States' gold medal winner Christian Taylor, from left, celebrate after the men's triple jump final during the athletics in... (Associated Press) 
 
 United States' Ashton Eaton listens to the U.S. national anthem after being presented with a gold medal in the men's decathlon during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Heading into the final weekend of competition, the U.S. leads both the gold and overall medals races after trailing the Chinese most of the games. 
 
 The Americans pulled further ahead Friday. At the end of the day's events, the U.S. led China 94 to 81 in total medals and 41 to 37 in golds. 
 
 Bill Mallon, a veteran American medals prognosticator, believes the U.S. will win the overall race by 12 to 15 medals and the gold count by three to five. 
 
 Four more golds would equal the highest U.S. total on foreign territory in Olympic history _ 45 at both the 1968 Mexico City Games and the 1924 Paris Games. 
 
 The gold haul in London is already the best for the United States since it won 44 in 1996 in Atlanta. Its highest gold count was 83 at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, which were boycotted by the Soviet Union. 
 
 The late U.S. charge in London has been spurred by the track and field team, with 26 medals, including eight golds, through Friday. 
 
 The Americans picked up four medals Thursday night with 1-2 finishes by Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee in the decathlon and by Christian Taylor and Will Claye in the triple jump. They grabbed two more Friday night _ gold in the women's 4x100-meter relay and silver in the men's 4x400 relay. 
 
 Away from the track, wrestler Jordan Burroughs won gold in the men's 74-kilogram freestyle. 
 
 The success could validate the projection of 30 medals by USA Track & Field, the national governing body for the sport, which had been widely maligned as too ambitious. 
 
 With two more relays and a few other chances coming up, the United States could exceed 30 medals _ even after being shut out in the men's 200 and 400 meters, two events where the Americans usually excel. 
 
 "A lot of people thought 30 medals was crazy," said Steve Roush, the U.S. Olympic Committee's former chief of sports performance, who served on USA Track & Field's "Project 30" panel. 
 
 He added: "It was the big question mark coming in. It turns out we are going to be right there. If there is a surprise, it's just how well the U.S. has done in track and field." 
 
 Though closely tracked by Olympic teams, fans and the media, the medals race is an unofficial competition. The International Olympic Committee doesn't even recognize the medal count. 
 
 The U.S. Olympic Committee has also been reluctant to talk up the medals chase _ until the end of the games, anyway. It stresses that its job is to enable as many Americans as possible to stand on the podium and represent the country. 
 
 "We are fortunate to have had success in both team and individual sports," spokesman Patrick Sandusky said. "The Olympic Games is a competition between athletes, not nations. With that said, we are very proud of our American athletes in London." 
 
 China beat the U.S. in gold medals, 51 to 36, on home soil at the 2008 Beijing Games, while the Americans prevailed 110 to 100 overall. 
 
 Many thought China would sweep both lists in London. And the Chinese started strong, racking up medals in their traditional sports of badminton, table tennis and diving. But medal chances are drying up in the final days, and China can't compete with the U.S. in track and field. 
 
 "China's big challenge is in swimming and track and field," Roush said. "There are so many medals at stake." 
 
 This is still China's best gold medal showing outside Beijing, better than the 32 it collected at the 2004 Athens Games. But there is a clear sense of disappointment back home. 
 
 The Communist Party's official Guangming Daily newspaper complained of unfair judging. Several papers cited the result in the men's gymnastics rings event, in which Chen Yibing settled for silver behind Brazil's Arthur Zanetti. 
 
 "We need to shout out loud: London Olympics, under the Olympic rings, please view all participants equally," the paper said. 
 
 In interviews with Chinese newspapers, the country's deputy sports minister, Cai Zhenhua, has also accused judges of discriminating against Chinese athletes. 
 
 "We need to solve the problem now or risk more judges adopting a biased view," Cai said. 
 
 Britain, meanwhile, is assured of finishing third in gold medals, benefiting from a home-country boost that has produced its best medal performance in more than a century _ 25 golds and 57 overall. 
 
 Not since the 1908 London Olympics has Britain racked up medals at this pace. Back then, only 22 nations showed up, compared with 204 today. 
 
 Britain, heavily promoting its athletes as Team GB, has excelled particularly in rowing and track cycling, thanks in large part to generous funding from the national lottery and the government-backed U.K. Sport body. U.K. Sport allocated $470 million for sports federations and athletes ahead of the London Games. 
 
 "GB cycling is a model of what can be done, and the rowing is phenomenal," Roush said. "It's been a combination of home-field advantage and U.K. Sport support." 
 
 Britain's rise has come at the expense of once-powerful Russia, which will finish out of the top three in golds for the first time since before the Soviet Union began competing at the Olympics. 
 
 In 1912, the Russian team had no golds and five total. The Soviet Union began competing at the 1952 Helsinki Games. Since then, the Soviet or Russian team has finished in the top three in golds every time _ until now. 
 
 The Russians had only 15 golds through Friday, compared with 23 in Beijing. They have won plenty of silver and bronze and are third in the overall count with 62, but that's not good enough for a country that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. 
 
 "The Russians are rebuilding," Roush said. "The old Soviet system produced such strong talent and coaches, but the coaches and athletes are starting to retire." 
 
 Perhaps the biggest surprise has been South Korea. The country of 50 million people _ roughly the population of California, Washington and Oregon put together _ has charged into fourth place with 13 golds, asserting itself as an Asian power. 
 
 The South Koreans have invested heavily in Olympic sports, coaches and training and will do even more as they prepare to host the 2018 Winter Games in the city of Pyeongchang. 
 
 Japan has performed strongly, with 35 medals, but has failed to turn them into gold, picking up only five. 
 
 Australia and Germany have been among the biggest disappointments. The Australians had hoped to finish in the top five in both golds and total medals, but are lagging that pace with only seven and 31. Germany, which had a target of 28 golds and 86 medals, has only 10 golds and 42 total. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap.
– One more for the gold, and seemingly nothing can prevent it. This US men's basketball team might not slow down until it's standing at the center of the medals platform again. Kevin Durant scored 19 points, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony added 18 apiece, and the US powered its way back to the gold-medal game by beating Argentina 109-83 today. The Americans play Spain on Sunday in the title game. Also today: The US scored a record-breaking victory in the women's 4x100-meter relay. The crowd cheered wildly as Carmelita Jeter crossed the line as the clock marked 40.82 seconds—well below East Germany's 41.37 record from 1985. Teammates Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, and Bianca Knight gave the US a big lead heading into the anchor leg. Olympic silver medalist Bryshon Nellum was picked to carry the US flag at Sunday's closing ceremony. With a surge of medals in track and field, the United States has sprinted ahead of China and is poised to finish atop the medals table—maybe with the most golds ever collected by the Americans on foreign soil. The US led China 94 to 81 in total medals and 41 to 37 in golds. It needs four more golds to tie the mark.