The United States continued its surge up the Olympic medal rankings Friday with a record-breaking victory in the women's 4x100-meter relay. 
 
 Ethiopia's Meseret Defar holds up a picture to her face after she won gold in the women's 5000-meter final during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug.... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Aug. 18, 2004, file photo, Tyler Hamilton holds up his gold medal after the men's road individual time trial of the 2004 Olympic Games in the outskirts of Athens. The IOC is set to formally... (Associated Press) 
 
 United States' women's 4 x100-meter relay team members, from left, Carmelita Jeter, Bianca Knight, Tianna Madison and Allyson Felix, celebrate their gold medal win during the athletics in the Olympic... (Associated Press) 
 
 Ethiopia's Meseret Defar reacts as she crosses the finish line to win the 5000-meter final during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja... (Associated Press) 
 
 Jamaica's Usain Bolt celebrates winning the gold medal in the men's 200-meter final during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Matt... (Associated Press) 
 
 Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba, right, and Ethiopia's Meseret Defar compete in a women's 5000-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Turkey's Asli Cakir Alptekin celebrates her gold medal in the women's 1500-meter during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. Bulut won the silver... (Associated Press) 
 
 Venezuela's Omart Longart, left, and South Africa's Oscar Pistorius, center, wait for the batons during the men's 4x400-meter relay final during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer... (Associated Press) 
 
 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, 200-meter champion Allyson Felix and Bianca Knight gave the U.S. a big lead heading into the anchor leg by 100 silver medalist Jeter. 
 
 "I was already pointing at the clock, saying 'there it is!'" Jeter said after the race. "There was a cloud hanging over us with people saying 'they cannot do this, they are going to drop the stick,' but we did it." 
 
 Heading into the final weekend of the London Games, the U.S. tops both the gold and overall medals races after trailing the Chinese for most of it. 
 
 It was yet another remarkable night in the main Olympic stadium as double amputee Oscar Pistorius of South Africa ran his last race of these Olympics in the men's 4x400-meter final. The U.S. just missed that gold, however, which went to the Bahamas. Pistorius _ the first amputee runner in track and field to compete at the Olympics _ received the South African baton in last place and was last crossing the line. 
 
 The man known as "Blade Runner" because of his prosthetic carbon fiber blades came close to not running at all Friday after a Kenyan runner on Thursday knocked over South Africa's Ofentse Mogawane on the final bend in the second leg of the race. 
 
 But the judges later ruled that the Kenyan runner had cut across Mogawane, causing the collision, and advanced the South African team to the final anyway. 
 
 In other track finals, an Olympic record was set as France's Renaud Lavillenie won the pole vault gold medal with a games mark of 5.97 meters. 
 
 In the women's 5,000 meters, Meseret Defar beat fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba to win the gold. Defar, the 2004 Olympic champion, overtook Dibaba in the final stretch and took the gold medal in 15 minutes, 4.25 seconds. 
 
 Later, Asli Cakir Alptekin of Turkey also crossed the line ahead of her teammate Gamze Bulut to win the gold medal in women's 1,500-meters. European champion Alptekin, who served a two-year suspension for doping after the 2004 world junior championships, won the gold medal in 4 minutes, 10.23 seconds. 
 
 Russia's Tatyana Lysenko earned a gold in women's hammer throw. 
 
 Away from the track, the Netherlands had a 2-0 win over world champion Argentina to hold on to their women's Olympic field hockey title. In the bronze medal match, Britain won its first women's field hockey medal in 20 years with a 3-1 victory over New Zealand. 
 
 Earlier Friday, Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page of Australia held off their British rivals to win the men's 470 class, the country's third on the English Channel at Weymouth, ensuring that the Australians will finish with more sailing golds than Britain. 
 
 "I suppose I am an old man now," the 40-year-old Page said. "I have been campaigning in 470s for 15 years. To go out like this is incredible." 
 
 Sailing is just about the only place where Australia is excelling, particularly over the host country. After surprisingly winning just one gold medal in the swimming pool _ in a women's relay _ the games were an early disappointment for a team hoping to finish in the top five in the gold medal race. 
 
 They won't achieve that, but gold medals to 100-meter hurdler Sally Pearson and cyclist Anna Meares, along with the triple gold performance from its sailors in the past five days have taken some of the sting out of what has been an under-par games for Australia. 
 
 Most depressingly for Australia, its seven gold medals overall have been dwarfed by the 25 _ and counting _ won by their traditional and often bitter sporting rivals from Britain. 
 
 In a later race at Weymouth, Australia's trans-Tasman neighbor New Zealand won gold in the women's 470 class. Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie clinched the Kiwis' second sailing medal and fourth overall. 
 
 Maris Strombergs of Latvia won his second straight Olympic gold medal in BMX, taking the lead out of the starting gate and never relinquishing it. Strombergs won the inaugural competition at the Beijing Games, but has struggled with injuries the past of couple years. 
 
 Carlos Mario Oquendo Zabala made it a good afternoon for Colombia with his bronze. His teammate Mariana Pajon _ the flag bearer for Colombia in the opening ceremony _ won gold in the women's race earlier in the day. 
 
 Squel Stein of Brazil crashed heavily during the semifinals of the race and was carried off the course on a stretcher. 
 
 At a murky Serpentine Lake in London's Hyde Park, Ous Mellouli showed his versatility in the water, winning the 10-kilometer open water race less than a week after taking bronze in the 1,500 in the Aquatic Centre pool, the first swimmer to achieve that feat at the same Olympics. 
 
 It was the second gold of Mellouli's Olympic career, having won the 1,500 at the 2008 Beijing Games. 
 
 He overcame shoulder and elbow injuries before the games, plus a virus two days ago. Now, he's considering retirement. 
 
 "Only those close to me know how much I struggled to get here today," Mellouli said. "I don't think there's a better way to go out than this. I can just leave it all behind and have no regrets." 
 
 Russia won the synchronized swimming team final, giving the country its fourth consecutive gold medal in the event. China and Spain took the other podium spots, leaving Japan without a medal in synchro swimming for the first time since the sport was added to the Olympics in 1984. 
 
 ____ 
 
 AP sports writer Dennis Passa contributed to this story. ||||| On Day 8, Michael Phelps swam and won what’s expected to be the last race of his storied Olympic career: the 4×100 medley relay. Double-amputee Oscar Pistorius made Olympic history when he competed in the heats of the 400 meters. Serena Williams won her first individual Olympics medal. 
 
 What else should you be watching? Consult today’s viewer guide here. 
 
 Miss anything? Read past live blogs: Opening Ceremonies | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 
 
 Join in the conversation. 
 
 TV schedule 
 
 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Men’s soccer quarterfinals: Japan vs. Egypt (Live, 7 a.m.) Mexico vs. Senegal (Live, 9:30 a.m.) Brazil vs. Honduras (Live, noon) Britain vs. South Korea (Live, 2:30 p.m.) Replays of the best two games of the day (4:15 p.m., 5:45 p.m.) 
 
 4 a.m. – 7 p.m. Men’s basketball: Tunisia vs. France (Live, 4 a.m.) Russia vs. Spain (Live, 6:15 a.m., Replay 8 a.m.) United States vs. Lithuania (Live, 9:30 a.m., Replay 1:30 p.m.) China vs. Brazil (Live, 11:45 a.m.) Britain vs. Australia (Live, 3 p.m.) Nigeria vs. Argentina (Live, 5:15 p.m.) 
 
 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Men’s soccer – Japan vs. Egypt in a quarterfinal match (Live, 7 a.m.) Men’s water polo – Montenegro vs. Romania (8:45 a.m.) Men’s soccer – Mexico vs. Senegal in a quarterfinal match (Live, 9:30 a.m.) Badminton – women’s singles gold medal final (1:45 p.m.) Men’s soccer – Britain vs. South Korea in a quarterfinal match (Live, 2:30 p.m.) Weightlifting – men’s 94kg gold medal final (4:15 p.m.) Track and field – men’s 20k race walk (4:45 p.m.) 
 
 4 a.m. – 8 p.m. Women’s Triathlon (Live, 4 a.m.) Men’s basketball – Russia vs. Spain (Live, 6:15 a.m.) Beach volleyball – a round-of-16 elimination match (Live, 8 a.m.) Cycling – Track events (9 a.m.) Men’s basketball – United States vs. Lithuania (Live, 9:30 a.m.) Tennis – men’s doubles gold medal match (Live, 11:30 a.m.) Women’s field hockey – United States vs. New Zealand (Live, 2 p.m.) Equestrian – jumping qualifying (3:30 p.m.) Shooting – women’s trap gold medal final (4:30 p.m.); Men’s volleyball – Brazil vs. Serbia (Live, 5 p.m.) 
 
 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tennis – women’s singles gold medal match (Live, 9 a.m.) Trampoline – women’s gold medal final (11 a.m.) Track and field – men’s 100-meter and 400-meter qualifying, women’s pole vault qualifying (11:15 a.m., 1:30 p.m.) Men’s volleyball – United States vs. Russia (Live, 11:45 a.m.) Cycling – track gold medal final (2 p.m.) Men’s water polo – United States vs. Serbia (Live, 2:40 p.m.) Rowing – gold medal finals in women’s single sculls, men’s four, men’s and women’s lightweight double sculls (3:45 p.m.) Track and field – men’s 10,000-meter gold medal final (Live, 4:15 p.m.) Beach volleyball – a round-of-16 elimination match (Live, 5 p.m.) 8 p.m. – midnight Swimming – gold medal finals in men’s and women’s 4×100 medley relays, women’s 50-meter freestyle and men’s 1500-meter freestyle Track and field – gold medal finals in women’s 100-meter dash, women’s heptathlon and men’s long jump Women’s diving – springboard semifinals; Beach volleyball – a round-of-16 elimination match 12:35 a.m. – 1:35 a.m. Track and field – women’s discus gold medal final Cycling – track gold medal final 
 
 12:02 AM Signing Off That’s it for me, tonight. Thanks for joining us on The Washington Post live blog of the Olympics. Insomniacs can keep watching at their own peril. 
 
 11:58 PM Jerusalem (And did those feet...) My thanks to Peter Breiner for joining us tonight. If you remember that gorgeous melody from the opening ceremony, “Jerusalem,” sung by the boy soprano, here’s Peter conducting a version of it. It almost makes an American wish we were still part of the old empire. 
 
 11:55 PM Sun Yang breaks the record This was the most exciting and significant race of the night. And a Chinese swimmer won it. I wonder if that explains why it was broadcast so late? Will we hear the Chinese national anthem? 
 
 11:44 PM Small Anthems So Peter Breiner’s take away from listening to the anthems of 2012 is this: Why did the Brits use such a small ensemble to record them? “For an event of this scope, it just sounds a bit thin.” When Breiner orchestrated them for Athens, they used an 80-piece orchestra. But in London, “all they did was use this small group that just can not create a really substantial sound. It’s once in a century – why to waste it?” 
 
 11:23 PM Basketball: Lithuania vs. U.S.A. Finally, but just in passing, NBC acknowledges the exciting (and somewhat shocking) close contest between the U.S.A. men’s basketball team and Team Lithuania. A nail biter. But all we get is a brief notice. And Serena Williams’ crip walking, after taking gold in tennis, is just a foot note. Too bad. Tonight’s prime time coverage is a bit of a bore. 
 
 11:16 PM The Star Spangled Banner Does the national anthem as heard in this year’s medal ceremonies sound a bit thin, a bit fast, a bit boring? Breiner, whose arrangement (for Athens 2004) was criticized for being too free (and I’d argue too interesting), says this: “I can’t help it, but it feels kind of sad. It bears the label “recorded by London Symphony Orchestra” but they did it with a 36-piece band, and it still sounds like some guy banging a synthesizer in his garage. I like to have fun with my arrangements – while writing them and while recording them (I don’t want musicians to get bored). And the same goes for the listeners. However – this 2012 batch is just boring.” 
 
 11:15 PM Favorite National Anthem Reader kacd asks: “For Peter Breiner: Do you have a favorite anthem?” Breiner answers: “No, I do not. Despite the fact that anthems are usually not any little treasures of the music literature, there are a few that are decent, but I can not pick a single one.” 
 
 11:12 PM Phelps takes his 22nd As the announcer says: “It’s just not often in a career that you accomplish every goal…” Indeed. 
 
 10:59 PM Beijing and the anthems A reader asks: “For Peter Breiner: For the Olympics in Beijing, your arrangements of the national anthems were stolen. Did the IOC and the Chinese officials ever admit it?” More on the controversy here. Peter responds: “Chinese never officially did…but the IOC settled with me and the label. Draw your conclusions.” The label would be Peter’s record label. 
 
 10:39 PM Olympics Superlatives The fastest man on earth. The fastest island on the planet. Olympics announcers never tire of the superlatives. But what to make of this comment: “No one has had more fun than this U.S. Olympic swim team”? A hard statement to disprove. Or prove. 
 
 10:08 PM The Best Key for the National Anthem Read Kacd asks, “How terrible is the key they picked for SSB? C Major? Really?” That would be the Star Spangled Banner, the infamously hard-to-sing U.S. national anthem. Peter Breiner responds: “C major is indeed not the best for US anthem,which is hard to sing along anyway. Something around G would work way better. But….they have to take a revenge on colonies, I guess.” Ouch. 
 
 9:59 PM Millennium Dome seen anew I love the way we keep seeing the Millennium Dome, with its porcupine supports sticking up above the white roof. The assumption must be (for people who haven’t been to London recently) that this is one of the new venues created for the 2012 games. In fact, it was built as a London-boosting folly to celebrate the turn of the millennium in 2000. And it was hugely controversial thereafter, when its exhibits and attractions proved uninteresting to the public, with financial losses and political consequences for its supporters. 
 
 9:17 PM Misty vs. The Dutch I dislike the way the announcers refer to the American volleyball players on a first-name basis–Misty, Misty, Misty–while the opposing team is simply “the Dutch.�? That’s bad form, impolite and reveals the all-too-apparent bias towards Team USA. Do the Dutch have names? 
 
 8:52 PM Peter Breiner on Olympic Music Now that NBC is wasting time on bagpipes and other postcard filler, now is a good time to introduce a guest for tonight’s live coverage. I’ve invited Peter Breiner, the composer and highly accomplished master of orchestration, to join us via email. Peter arranged all the national anthems for the Athens games in 2004. You also heard his arrangements in Beijing, where they were used by the Chinese without permission or compensation, a case that was settled out of court by the IOC, according to Breiner. He’ll give us his take on all things musical, and the Star Spangled Banner, too, if the United States wins anything. Feel free to post questions in the comments, and I’ll forward them to Peter. 
 
 8:46 PM Oscar Pistorius advances Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee runner, finishes in second place to move ahead to the next round in the 400 meter. The announcers take note of the controversy about his prosthetic legs, and whether they give him an advantage over other runners. But how would one determine that? He’s obviously an athlete of exceptional talent, and when you’re that exceptionally good at something, it becomes almost impossible to make comparisons. Perhaps his prosthetics actually slow him down compared to how he would run if he had the legs other runners have. What sort of objective test could settle the question? The semi-final in this event is tomorrow. 
 
 8:19 PM Wind in the stadium As the men run the 100 meter, the announcers keep talking about the winds inside the stadium. I wish NBC would show us a good view of the full stadium, so we could get a sense of the space. It’s fascinating that there is enough wind at ground level in this structure to impact the time of the runners. 
 
 8:01 PM Tonight's events Bob Costas has just given us the run down for tonight: Phelps’ last race (maybe), plus Missy Franklin, the fastest women in the world (track), and beach volley ball. He didn’t mention all the grumbling on Twitter (#nbcfail) about not broadcasting Phelps’ race live when it happened earlier today. The grumblers who spent today day in front of the television were not happy to learn that the drama of the race would be reserved for tonight’s telecast. 
 
 7:50 PM Phelps' last race, weekly recap Good evening. This is Philip Kennicott, Washington Post Art and Architecture critic, manning the Post’s Olympics live blog for the evening. You may well ask what is the art guy doing in a sports venue? Good question. Most likely answer: Making an utter fool of himself. But having fun along the way. So don’t expect expert commentary. Think of tonight as a bit like Mystery Science Theater 3000, just not as funny and without the robots. And here we go, with Michael Phelps’ last race a likely highlight of the evening. 
 
 6:35 PM Oregon training partners 1-2 in 10,000 meter Since 1988, every Olympic medal in the men’s 10,000-meter race has gone to a runner from an African nation, including eight alone to Ethiopians. That certainly wasn’t the case in Saturday’s final at Olympic Stadium, where Britain’s Mo Farah and American Galen Rupp were the first two across the finish line. “It’s still a little weird to see Great Britain and United States on the medal stand in a distance race,�? said Rupp, 26. “I’m still on cloud nine. It hasn’t sunk in yet. I can’t believe how the race went.�? Farah, 29, was born in Somalia but moved to the United Kingdom when he was 8 years old. He now trains in Oregon with Rupp. “To be able to be first and second with my training partner, one of my best friends, I couldn’t be more thrilled,” Rupp said. “Just thankful for the way this race went.” Farah and Rupp are both coached by Alberto Salazar. Rupp said he’s been talking to Salazar about the Olympics since he was still in high school. “I’m forever indebted to him,” Rupp said. “He’s been like a father-figure to me. …I’ve been real fortunate to reap the benefits of his training and his philosophies from the start. “”He said, ‘It’s going to take a long time. We’re not going to take any shortcuts. We’re not gonna do anything to go after short-term rewards. There have definitely been bumps in the road along the way.’” 
 
 6:34 PM How close was the women's 100-meter final? Here’s a great image from the finish line. All eight competitors were separated by only 0.26 of a second. The three medal winners were all within 0.06 of a second of each other. 
 
 GALLERY: Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce lunges across the finish line for the gold medal. Click on the image above for more of the best photos from the Olympics. 
 
 6:06 PM Rosenthal, Gibb advance in beach volleyball Sean Rosenthal and Jacob Gibb kept the American men in the beach volleyball medal hunt with a 21-14, 22-20 victory at Horse Guards Parade. One night after 2008 Beijing gold medalists Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser saw their dreams of defending their title dashed by Italy’s Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo, the “B-team” picked up the mantle for the United States. They advance to face Latvia’s Martins Plavins and Janis Smedins in Monday’s quarterfinals. 
 
 5:54 PM Allyson Felix turns attention to 200 American sprinter Allyson Felix ran a personal-best 10.89 seconds in Saturday’s 100 meter final, and it was still only good enough for fifth place. She’ll now turn her attention to the women’s 200, which begins with first-round heats Monday and concludes with Wednesday’s finale. Felix hopes her performance in Saturday’s 100 carries over into her next race. “It makes me a little more confident,” she said, “just that everything is where it needs to be. Now it’s just on me. I need to execute.�? Felix has won silver in the 200 at the past two Olympics. 
 
 5:29 PM South Korea beats Britain on penalties Not even the magic of hosting an Olympic Games on home soil could end England’s run of rotten luck in penalty shootouts at major soccer tournaments. The combined Great Britain team – made up primarily of Englishmen – fell to South Korea, 5-4 in a riveting penalty shootout. With the win, the Koreans advance to face Brazil in Tuesday’s semifinals. The shooters were confident, and the first four attempts from either side punctured the back of the net. But as the pressure mounted, it was the hosts who cracked first. Forward Daniel Sturridge’s stutter-step didn’t fool Korean goalkeeper Sungryong Jung, who dove to his left to stop Sturridge’s left-footed effort and give his teammates a chance to seal the win. Sungyueng Ki came through with a solid strike that sent South Korea through and silenced the crowd in Cardiff. But Sturridge’s miss wasn’t Britain’s only failed conversion from the penalty spot. Mere moments after his successful penalty knotted the score at 1 in the 36th minute, Welshman Aaron Ramsey was stoned by Jung to keep the score level. It remained that way through two periods of extra time, forcing the first penalty shootout at the Olympics in 12 years. The second semifinal features Japan and Mexico – two nations that have not reached the semifinal round since the 1968 Games in Mexico City. Japan beat Mexico 2-0 to win bronze. 
 
 5:07 PM Fraser-Pryce edges Jeter in women's 100 Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took the gold medal in the women’s 100 meters, finishing in 10.75 seconds. American Carmelita Jeter earned silver, finishing .03 of a second behind Fraser-Pryce. “I left my heart and soul on that track,” Jeter said. “And when you do that, you definitely can’t be upset. I know I worked hard and I pushed myself all year. When you cross the finish line and you know that you went from start to finish, you can’t be upset at all.” In 2008, Jeter didn’t even make the finals at the U.S. Olympic trials. Four years later, she finds herself wearing silver. “I took track and field as a profession instead of just playing around with it,” Jeter said. “I got more serious with it. I got more devoted with it. It wasn’t just, I go to practice and I was done. I definitely made it a lifestyle.” Fraser-Pryce is just the third woman to defend her gold medal in the 100 meter and the first since Gail Devers at the 1992 and ’96 Summer Games to win in back-to-back Olympics. “I’m honored to be part of the club. …It feels good to be in that category,” she said. Four years ago in Beijing, Usain Bolt won his 100-meter gold before the women’s final took place at the Bird’s Nest. In London, the women’s final was staged one night before the men’s. “Now a woman is in charge,” Fraser-Pryce said. “And I’m happy I’m the woman who did it.” Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica received the bronze medal with a time of 10.81 while Americans Tianna Madison and Allyson Felix were fourth and fifth, respectively. Six of the eight runners finished in under 11 seconds. In the 2008 Olympic Games only the top three runners broke the 11-second barrier. 
 
 5:05 PM Britain, S. Korea headed to PKs The final men’s soccer quarterfinal will be decided by penalty kicks. After 120 minutes on the pitch in Cardiff, Great Britain and South Korea are still knotted at 1 – in part because of the host country’s success and failure from the penalty spot in the first half. Hometown hero Aaron Ramsey converted a penalty to equalize way back in the 36th minute but moments later missed from the same spot as Korean keeper Sungryong Jung stymied his shot toward the lower right corner. Brazil awaits the winner. And here we go… 
 
 4:54 PM Farah wins men's 10,000, American gets silver Britain’s Mo Farah triumphed in in the 10,000 meters in 27 minutes 30.42 seconds. American Galen Rupp took the silver medal with a time of 27:30.90. Winning the bronze was Tariku Bekele in a time of 27:31.43. Farah, who was born in Somali, trains with Rupp. 
 
 4:41 PM Will Claye wins bronze in long jump American Will Claye flew 26 feet, 8 inches in the long jump Saturday to capture a bronze medal. Britain’s Greg Rutherford won gold in the event with his jump of 27 feet, 3 inches, and Australia’s Mitchell Watt took silver by jumping 26 feet, 9 inches. Claye, a 21-year old student at the University of Florida, is also scheduled to compete in the triple jump here next week. 
 
 4:25 PM Britain's Ennis captures heptathlon gold As Olympic Stadium shook, British star Jessica Ennis collapsed to the ground in tears, winning the heptathlon and sending tens of thousands of hoarse Brits home with a night they won’t soon forget. In the day’s final event, the 800 meter, Ennis chased down the pack in the final 100 meters with most in the stadium on their feet cheering. She won the heat, finishing with event’s top time (2:08.65). Ennis finished the competition with 6,955 points, a new national record for Great Britain, winning gold by more than 300 points. In addition to winning the 800, Ennis took first in the 100-meter hurdles, second in the 200 meter, second in the long jump and fifth in the high jump. Russia’s Tatyana Chernova took silver (6,628 points) and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Yosypenko (6,618) won bronze. Sharon Day was the top American finisher, concluding her Olympics with 6,232 points, good enough for 15th place. 
 
 4:04 PM U.S. women miss chance for field hockey medal The United States lost a crucial match to New Zealand, 3-2, Saturday at Riverbank Arena, putting them out of the medal chase with one game remaining in pool play. Katie O’Donnell (University of Maryland) and Claire Laubach (Centreville) scored for the United States, which desperately needed a win – and the three points in the standings that would come with it. Instead, Clarissa Eshuis’s goal with less than eight minutes remaining dashed the Americans’ hopes. They pulled their goaltender and pulled out all the stops, but they could not score a second-half goal against New Zealand. The Americans are 1-3 with one game remaining Monday against South Africa. Even a win wouldn’t be enough to catch pool leaders Australia and New Zealand, both 3-1. Germany and Argentina, who play later Saturday, are 2-1. The top two teams in each pool qualify for the semifinals, with the winners of those games playing for gold and the losers for bronze. The United States will be relegated to a placement game once pool play is complete. 
 
 3:58 PM Croatia's Perkovic wins discus gold Croatia’s Sandra Perkovic won Olympic gold in the women’s discus with a throw of 224 feet in Saturday’s final. Russian Darya Pishchalnikova’s throw of 222 feet was good enough for silver and China’s Yanfeng Li took bronze with a throw of 221 feet. The top American finisher was Stephanie Brown Trafton, who finished in eighth with a throw that measured 207 feet. 
 
 3:50 PM Phelps's career finishes with one final gold Michael Phelps’s unprecedented Olympic career ended Saturday night with one last medal, a gold in the medley relay that left the crowd at the Aquatics Center on its feet, and Phelps with 22 medals for his career — including 18 gold. “I’ve been able to do everything I’ve wanted. I’ve been able to put my mind to the goals that I wanted to achieve. … If you can say that about your career, there’s no need to move forward,” Phelps said after the race. Phelps dove into the water for his butterfly leg, the third in the race, with the U.S. team trailing by 0.21 of a second. At the 50-meter mark of his swim, the Americans trailed by 0.26 of a second. But Phelps completely turned that around with a stunning second half of his race, destroying Japan’s Takeshi Matsuda and handing anchor Nathan Adrian a lead of 0.26 of a second. Adrian easily brought the race home, with the U.S. winning handily in a time of 3 minutes 29.35 seconds. Japan took silver, and Australia — whose men had a disappointing meet — won bronze. The U.S. men’s relay team was heavily favored because it featured not only Phelps — who won one of his gold medals in the 100 butterfly on Friday — but gold-medal winners Matt Grevers, who led off the race in the backstroke, and Adrian, who finished it in the freestyle. Brendan Hansen has represented the U.S. on the breaststroke leg in each of the past three Olympics, and he won bronze in the 100 breast earlier in the meet. Phelps’s meet here started poorly, with a fourth-place finish in the 400-meter individual medley, the first time he had failed to medal in an event since he made his Olympic debut as a 15-year-old at the 2000 Sydney Games. But he finished with six medals in his remaining six events, including four golds in his final four races — the 4×200-meter freestyle relay, the 200 backstroke butterfly, the 100 butterfly and the medley relay. 
 
 3:37 PM Men's soccer: Britain, South Korea tied at half Britain and South Korea are knotted at 1-1 in the final men’s soccer quarterfinal with the second half set to get underway at Millenium Stadium. Dongwon Ji gave the Koreans the lead in the 29th minute, but it was short-lived. A handball in the box led to Aaron Ramsey’s penalty to tie the score and barely one minute later the referee whistled South Korea for another foul in its own box. But Ramsey’s strike was far less confident and Sungryong Jung dove to his left for the save. The winner of this match will face Brazil – a 3-2 winner over Honduras – in Tuesday’s semifinals. 
 
 3:36 PM All three American women qualify for 400 final Americans will account for three of the eight participants in the women’s 400-meter final Sunday at Olympic Stadium. Sanya Richards-Ross posted the top time in Saturday’s first heat, finishing in 50.07 seconds, her third-best 400 time of the year. In the day’s second heat, Francena McCorory’s 50.19 was good enough for second place. And DeeDee Trotter’s 49.87 was the second-best time in the third heat. It was also Trotter’s best time of the year. Rounding out the 400 field Sunday are: Russia’s Antonina Krivoshapka (49.81 in the semis), Jamaica’s Novlene Williams-Mills (49.91), Botswana’s Amantle Montsho (50.15), Britain’s Christine Ohuruogo (50.22) and Jamaica’s Rosemary Whyte (50.98). 
 
 3:29 PM Field set for women's 100-meter final Saturday’s final in the women’s 100-meter race is shaping up to be historically fast. Four years ago, only the top three sprinters in the Olympic final broke the 11-second barrier. This year six of the eight were under 11 in the semifinal heats — and the other two were within one-hundredth of a second of the mark. With two hours to rest between the semis and the final race (scheduled for 4:55 p.m. ET), the fast track at Olympic Stadium should lend itself to a memorable race for gold. All three American sprinters and two Jamaicans reached the final, led by Carmelita Jeter, who won her semifinal heat in 10.83 seconds, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the defending gold medalist who won her heat in 10.85. Fraser-Pryce’s 10.7-second finish at the Jamaican trials is the year’s fastest 100 time. She won gold at the Beijing Games with a 10.78. The world record is still Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 10.49, set in 1988. Rounding out the field in Saturday’s final are: Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown (10.89 in the semis), Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare (10.92), American Tianna Madison (10.92), American Allyson Felix (10.94), Trinidad and Tobago’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste (11.0) and Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast (11.01). 
 
 3:23 PM A final gold -- and world record -- for U.S. women The U.S. women’s swimming team finished off a dominant meet with a sublime performance, setting a world record in the 4×100 medley relay, in which it had no competition. The team — Missy Franklin in the backstroke, Rebecca Soni in the breaststroke, Dana Vollmer in the butterfly and Allison Schmitt in the freestyle — was made up of four swimmers who had each won individual gold medals at these Games. Three of them set world records, with Schmitt the only exception. Their time of 3 minutes 52.05 beat the old world record, set by China at the 2009 World Championships, by 0.14 of a second. The Australians, though, were a clear threat, because only Vollmer won her gold at the distance she swam Saturday. But they finished second by more than two seconds. Japan took bronze. 
 
 3:19 PM Williams sisters advance to gold medal match in doubles With help from her sister Venus as dusk settled in Saturday, Serena Williams put herself in position to leave London with two Olympic gold medals, defeating Russia’s Nadia Petrova and Maria Kirilenko, 7-5, 6-4, to advance to Sunday’s women’s doubles final. The match began just three hours after Serena had throttled Russia’s Maria Sharapova, 6-0, 6-1, on Centre Court of the All England Club to win her first singles gold medal — something she confessed afterward that she had desperately wanted to add to an already sterling resume. Kirilenko and Petrova put up an impressive fight, dropping their serves only once in each set. But that was all the sisters needed to compile a victory, and they shared a warm embrace upon clinching it. The final game offered riveting tennis, with the Russians fending off five match points before Venus closed with a forehand winner. The Williams sisters will face the Czech tandem of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in Sunday’s gold-medal match at 7 a.m. ET. 
 
 3:11 PM Serbia water polo leads U.S. at half The United States water polo team cut into Serbia’s lead in the second quarter but still trails 5-3 at the half. Jeff Powers and Ryan Bailey scored for the Americans who trailed 3-0 early in the first quarter. The U.S. will have to pick things up defensively in the third to keep its perfect record intact Group B. 
 
 3:03 PM Sun crushes his world record, wins gold in 1,500 China’s Sun Yang obliterated the world record he set last year in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle final Saturday night, dominating from start to finish in a race he won in 14 minutes 31.02 seconds. At last year’s world championships, Sun broke the 10-year-old world record of Grant Hackett in the event, winning the gold in 14:34.14. When he finished Saturday, he pounded the water with his fists and broke down in tears. Canadian Ryan Cochrane got the silver in 14:39.63 and Tunisia’s Oussama Mellouli got the bronze in 14:40.31. 
 
 3:03 PM Tianna Madison also reaches 100 final A third U.S. sprinter has earned her way into the women’s 100-meter final. Tianna Madison led for most of Saturday’s third semifinal heat but was caught by Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare at the end. Both Madison and Okagbare officially finished in 10.92, though the Nigerian nipped Madison at the finish line. With all three semifinal heats now finished, two more runners are added to the start list for the final by virtue of their finish time: Kelly-Ann Baptiste, of Trinidad and Tobago (11.0) and Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahoure (11.01) American Carmelita Jeter, the reigning world champion, had the fastest qualifying time (10.83) and Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the defending gold medalist, had the second-fastest (10.85). The final is scheduled for 4:55 p.m. ET. 
 
 2:56 PM Water polo: Serbia leads U.S. after 1st quarter Serbia is out to a 4-1 lead on the United States after the opening quarter. Vanja Udovicic has two goals for the Serbians, who scored the first three goals of the match before Tony Azevedo finally got the Americans on the board. The U.S. is the lone unbeaten team in Pool B and is coming off a 13-7 rout of Britain after a pair of close wins to start the London campaign. The Americans won silver at the 2008 Beijing Games while Serbia took bronze. 
 
 2:53 PM Russia rallies past U.S. men in five sets Down two sets to none, the Russian men’s volleyball team fought their way back to take a 3-2 victory over the United States Saturday at Earls Court. The previously unbeaten Americans had the game well in hand, taking the Russians to match point in the third set, before the Russians came storming back. Russia’s 27-29, 19-25, 26-24, 25-16, 15-8 decision drops the Americans to 3-1 in Pool B. Russia has the same record. Fellow Pool B power Brazil is 2-1 with a game against Serbia later Saturday. The United States, gold medalists four years ago in Beijing, faces winless Tunisia in its final Pool B game. Brazil faces Germany and Russia will take on Serbia. A team must score 25 to win a set until the fifth set, when it must score 15. A team must also win by two points. 
 
 2:50 PM Allyson Felix joins Jeter in 100 final American sprinter Allyson Felix finished second in the second of three 100-meter semifinals, which earned her a spot in night’s final. Felix finished with a time of 10.94 seconds, her second-best mark of the year. Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce moved a step closer to defending her 2008 Olympic gold in the 100. She eased up at the finish but still won the second heat with a time of 10.85, which was also her second-best mark of the year. Felix finished tied for third at the U.S. trials with a time of 11.07 seconds but earned her way to London when her training partner Jeneba Tarmoh declined to compete in a run-off. 
 
 2:43 PM Kromowidjojo gets second gold in 50 free Dutch swimmer Ranomi Kromowidjojo won a gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle Saturday night at the Aquatic Center, setting an Olympic record with her finish in 24.05 seconds. Kromowidjojo, who also won the 100 free, beat Belarussian Aliaksandra Herasimenia, who got the silver in 24.28, and Netherlands’ Marleen Veldhuis, who claimed bronze in 24.39. 
 
 2:39 PM Carmelita Jeter advances to 100 final Carmelita Jeter won the first heat of the women’s 100-meter semifinals with an impressive 10.83-second finish. It’s Jeter’s second-fastest time of the year. Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown was second to Jeter but also advanced the final with her 10.89 mark. 
 
 2:38 PM Hardy places seventh in women's 50 free American Jessica Hardy finished the women’s 50 freestyle in 24.62 seconds, taking seventh place. The Netherlands’ Ranomi Kromowidjojo won gold in 24.05, an Olympic record. Aliaksandra Herasimenia of Belarus took silver in 24.28 and Marleen Veldhuis earned bronze in 24.39. We’ll have more shortly. 
 
 2:33 PM U.S. runners reach men's 400 hurdles final All three Americans advanced to Monday’s final of the 400-meter hurdles. Michael Tinsley, who won the U.S. trials last month, won his heat with a time of 48.18 seconds, his best time of the year. Angelo Taylor’s 47.95-second finish was second in his heat, only two-hundredths of a second behind Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson, who’s run the two fastest times the world has seen this year. Kerron Clement finished third in the first heat (48.12) but advanced to Monday’s final by virtue of his finishing time. 
 
 2:29 PM Williams sisters take opening set of doubles semifinal After steamrolling Maria Sharapova for Olympic gold in women’s singles, Serena Williams has got her hands full against another pair of Russians who are mounting an impressive fight for a place in the women’s doubles gold-medal match. Luckily sister Venus, with whom she has won two doubles golds, is her partner. The sisters won the first set, 7-5. Nadia Petrova and Maria Kirilenko are not to be taken lightly. Petrova, 30, reached No. 3 in the world in 2006. And Kirilenko, 25, has been ranked as high as No. 5 in the world in doubles. So far, they’re handling the Williams’s sisters big serves well. And, unlike Sharapova, they’ve done a great job holding their own serve. But in a must-hold game, serving at 5-6 in the first set, the Russians were finally broken on a blistering crosscourt forehand. Credit Serena with the winner. So we move on to the second set, with the Williams sisters one set away from advancing to Sunday’s gold-medal final. 
 
 2:21 PM Watkins advances in men's sprint Jimmy Watkins won his head-to-head race with Pavel Kelemen of the Czech Republic in the round of eight sprint races Saturday at the Velodrome. Watkins will advance to the quarterfinals on Sunday. American Bobby Lea is in 11th place after two phases of the men’s Omnium. Lasse Norman Hansen of Denmark leads with six points; Lea has 22 points. The Omnium consists of six events. In each, the winner gets a point, the second-place finisher gets two, and so on. At the end, the rider with the lowest score wins. Saturday’s events were the flying lap — a race against the clock – and a points race. 
 
 2:08 PM U.S. women's epee team wins bronze by one touch The U.S. women’s epee team won the bronze medal Saturday at ExCeL South with a 31-30 victory over Russia. In team competition, each of three fencers faces each of her opponent’s fencers, for a total of nine bouts. Russia had built a 15-11 lead when Kelley Hurley met Anna Sivkova in the fifth match. Hurley outscored Sivkova, 4-1, to cut the gap to 1. Entering the eighth match, between Maya Lawrence and Lyubov Shutova, the score was tied at 23. Lawrence outscored Shutova, 4-2, to give the United States a 27-25 lead. In the final match, Sivkova outscored Kelley’s sister, Courtney Hurley, 5-4, but it wasn’t enough to take the match from the Americans. 
 
 2:01 PM Brazil edges short-handed Honduras Brazil advanced to the men’s soccer semifinals with a 3-2 win over Honduras – but not without a fight. Mario Martinez gave the Honduras a stunning opener just 12 minutes in and after Brazil equalized, Roger Espinoza’s left-footed strike in the 48th minute put his team on top once again. But Neymar answered for the heavy favorites with a converted penalty kick and Leandro Damiao’s second goal of the match provided the final margin. Honduras was forced to plan with 10 men from the 33rd minute on after Wilmer Cristano earned a pair of yellow cards in as many minutes. And with the game all but decided in the 90th minute, Espinoza joined him in the locker room with his second yellow — but not before the Sporting Kansas City player received a standing ovation from the Newcastle United-based crowd at St. James’ Park crowd. It was a spirited effort from the Hondurans, who reached the quarterfinals with a 1-0 upset of Spain in group play. Brazil advances to face the winner of Britain and North Korea, which gets underway shortly at Millennium Stadium. Mexico and Japan both advanced earlier in the day and will meet in one semifinal on Tuesday in London. 
 
 2:01 PM U.S. women win pursuit silver, Britain sets world record The U.S. trio of Sarah Hammer, Dotsie Bausch and Jennie Reed nabbed a silver medal in the team pursuit Saturday at the Velodrome. Britain’s team of Dani King, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell won the gold in world-record time, 3 minutes 14.051 seconds. The U.S. finished in 3:19.727. The United States defeated Australia in a head-to-head competition and Britain defeated Canada to advance to the gold medal final. Canada finished with bronze. Sir Paul McCartney, who memorably helped close the Opening Ceremonies, was in the crowd at the Velodrome. Orla Chennaoui, an Olympics correspondent for Sky Sports, tweeted, “GB girls hugging each other, their families and high fiving crowds, with Sir Paul and Stella cheering on. Fans on their feet.” She added, “Now Paul McCartney’s conducting the crowd with his flag as everyone sings Hey Jude. This is bonkers. Brilliant.” 
 
 1:39 PM Americans jump cleanly, except Madden Rich Fellers and McLain Ward had clear rounds and Reed Kessler had just one time fault, sending the U.S. equestrian team into Sunday’s team competition in good shape. Teammate Beezie Madden, who won bronze in this event in Beijing, fell out of the running in the individual event when her horse, Via Volo, refused to complete a combination jump. Madden is not eliminated from the team competition, however; Saturday’s scores are used only to determine the order of the draw for the team event. The United States has won the last two golds in the team competition. Meanwhile, Canadian rider Ian Millar made history when he competed in his 10th Olympics – the most of any athlete. The 65-year-old first competed in the 1972 Games in Munich and since has only missed one Olympics – the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games. “I am better now than I was then in knowledge and experience,�? he said. “The age of the top riders tends to be older because it takes a lot of time to be consistent.�? 
 
 1:34 PM China's Chen Ding wins men's 20-kilometer race walk China’s Chen Ding, 19, won the men’s 20-kilometer race walk, setting an Olympic record with his time of 1 hour, 18 minutes 46 seconds. China, which had never before won a medal in men’s race walking, took three of the top four spots: Wang Zhen won the bronze medal in 1:19.25, and Cai Zelin was fourth in 1:19.44. Errick Barrondo of Guatemala won the silver medal in 1:18.57; it was the first Olympic medal of any kind for his country. Saturday, spectators lined the race-walking course, which is a two-kilometer loop that goes past Buckingham Palace, around the Victoria Memorial and up Constitution Hill toward Hyde Park Corner. The men’s 50-kilometer race walk and women’s 20-kilometer race walk are August 11. 
 
 1:29 PM American boxer gets a second chance Errol Spence thought he was out of the Olympics Friday night after a loss to Krishan Vikas of India. But roughly five hours after he left the ExCeL London Exhibition Centre Friday evening, officials overturned his loss following a protest by the Americans. Officials determined Vikas had committed nine holding fouls in the third round, but was given only one caution. Now Spence will face Russia’s Andrey Zamkovoy Tuesday in the quarterfinals. “I am obviously thrilled that the competition jury overturned my decision and I can continue chasing the gold medal I came here to win,�? Spence told the Associated Press. Read the full account here. 
 
 1:24 PM Williams sisters face Russian pair in semifinals Three hours after utterly eviscerating Maria Sharpova for the Olympic singles gold medal, Serena Williams returned to Centre Court Saturday to team with her elder sister Venus for a place in Sunday’s women’s doubles final. The Williams sisters are two-time Olympic champions in women’s doubles, having teamed up for gold at the 2000 Sydney Games and in Beijing in 2008. With her singles gold medal Saturday, Serena matched the Olympic achievements of her sister, whose single gold came in 2000. And if Serena keeps playing the way she has been since the 2012 Olympic Games began, each sister should leave London with a fourth gold medal. It’s impossible to imagine a more favorable setting for the Williams sisters’ assault on a third Olympic women’s doubles title than the grass of the All England Club’s Centre Court, where they have each won five Wimbledon championships. Serena captured her fifth, which was the 14th major title of her career, just four weeks ago. They’ll face Russians Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova for the right to advance to Sunday’s final. Earlier in the day, Kirilenko lost the bronze-medal singles match to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who’ll keep her No. 1 world ranking following her 6-3, 6-4 victory. The victor will face the Czech tandem of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in the gold-medal match. 
 
 1:16 PM Honduras, Brazil tied at 2 We’ve got a wild one going at St. James’ Park. Roger Espinoza scored just three minutes into the second half, tucking a low, left-footed shot inside the left post to give Honduras a stunning 2-1 lead on heavy favorites Brazil. But just as they did in the first half, the Brazilians struck back. Leandro Damiao drew a penalty and Neymar blasted home the free kick to knot the score at 2. Espinoza’s tally was all the more surprising considering the Hondurans are down to 10 men after Wilmer Crisanto saw two yellow cards one minute apart in the opening half with his team leading 1-0. Leandro Damiao pulled Brazil level going into the half with a goal in the 38th minute. Honduras has already been handed five yellow cards, and if they somehow find away to advance, they’d be without multiple players for a potential semifinal matchup with the winner of South Korea and Great Britain. Not surprisingly, the Brazilians – Neymar in particular – are taking every opportunity to embellish contact and draw cards. But playing with only 10 men for the entire half, it’ll be difficult for Honduras – which beat Spain in pool play – to pull the monumental upset. 
 
 1:00 PM Italy's Rossi takes trap gold medal Jessica Rossi of Italy won gold in trap shooting Saturday at Royal Artillery Barracks, scoring a final world record of 99 while missing only one shot. According to the Associated Press, the former Olympic record was a 91 set by Satu Makela-Nummela of Finland in 2008. Zuzana Stefecekova of Slovakia won silver and Delphine Reau bronze. 
 
 12:52 PM LaShawn Merritt hasn't ruled out relay Struggling with a hamstring injury, LaShawn Merritt is apparently not ready to pull out of the 4×400 relay. But he says his left leg will need to improve if he’s to run again in these Olympics. “I can move it,” Merritt said after pulling up in Saturday’s 400-meter first-round heat. “It’s not dead.” Merritt said he aggravated the injury in Monaco two weeks ago and had been receiving treatment since he arrived here. He was disappointed it prevented him from defending his Olympic gold medal in the 400. “This was my life’s race. …When you want it so bad, you do what it takes,” he said “But I did not want it to end my career.” Merritt is not retiring and wants to compete at next year’s world championships and maybe even the 2016 Games. He hasn’t ruled out competing in the relay next week. The first round of the 4×400 relays are scheduled for next Thursday with the finals the next day. “I have some more time before the relay,” he said. “If I still feel it, I will let someone else run.” 
 
 12:45 PM Bryan brothers earn gold in men's doubles Bob and Mike Bryan claimed their first Olympic gold medal, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra of France, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). The Bryans finished the match with only two unforced errors while Tsonga and Llodra had 15. The French duo had the edge in winners, 31-24. “We have always dreamed about standing on the podium, seeing the flag go up,” said Mike Bryan, who has won nearly every other doubles title of significance with his brother. “It feels kind of surreal. We could end tomorrow, and we’re going to be happy for the rest of our lives.�? Added Bob: “There’s no bigger match we’d rather win than that one. Centre Court, Wimbledon, for our country, for each other. We’re 34 years old, and we’ve played tennis since two years old. That’s a lot of balls going across the net, and this is it! This is the top of the mountain.�? France took the bronze medal as Richard Gasquet and Julien Benneteau defeated Spain’s David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2. 
 
 12:17 PM Honduras strikes first vs. Brazil Surprise quarterfinalists Honduras have stunned Brazil with an early opening goal on a brilliant volley from Mario Martinez. Martinez blasted a airborne ball in the box with his right foot and it curled over Brazilian goalkeeper Gabriel and into the top right corner to get the heavy underdogs on the board in the 12th minute. Honduras finished second in Group D and reached the knockout stages on the strength of a stunning 1-0 upset of Spain. But Brazil has been here before. Belarus struck first in their second Group C match but the Brazilians stormed back to win 3-1. There’s a long way to go in this one. 
 
 12:13 PM Li takes gold in women's badminton China’s Li Xuerui claimed gold in the women’s singles, defeating countryman and world champion Wang Yihan, 21-15, 21-23, 21-17. Li emerged this year after winning 30 straight matches from February to June. Saina Nehwal secured bronze after Wang Xin retired in their match. Nehwal is only the second woman from India to win a medal in the Olympics. Read the full account from the Associated Press here. 
 
 12:12 PM Mexico beats Senegal to reach soccer semis Mexico survived a furious late rally from Senegal and took advantage of some seriously sloppy defending in extra time to advance to the men’s soccer semifinals with a 4-2 win at Wembley Stadium. Jorge Enriquez got the Mexicans on the board early with a 10th minute tally and Javier Aquino doubled their advantage midway through the second half. But Senegal, which advanced to quarterfinals thanks to a late draw against host Britain, stormed back when Moussa Konate and Ibrahima Balde struck seven minutes apart to equalize. In overtime, however, Senegal suffered a pair of disastrous defensive lapses. The first gave Giovani dos Santos an easy goal in the first of two additional periods, and the second sealed Senegal’s fate. A poor header back toward the Senegalese box gave Mexico a two-man breakaway on Senegal goalkeeper Ousmane Mane, who made the initial deflection but was helpless as Hector Herrera headed home the final marker. Mexico advances to face Japan, a 3-0 winner against Egypt, in Tuesday’s semifinals. The rest of Saturday’s quarterfinal slate features Brazil vs. Honduras and Britain vs. South Korea. 
 
 11:49 AM Bryan brothers take first set Americans Bob and Mike Bryan won the first set in the men’s doubles gold-medal match on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, 6-4, over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra of France. The twin brothers won bronze at Beijing in 2008. They have won 11 Grand Slam titles, but are seeking their first Olympic gold medal. 
 
 11:48 AM Mexico leads Senegal 3-2 in extra time Giovani dos Santos scored in the 98th minute to give Mexico a 3-2 lead heading into the second of two extra time periods in the men’s soccer quarterfinals. It’s been a wild one at Wembley Stadium with Mexico taking a 2-0 lead in the 62nd minute on Javier Aquino’s goal and Senegal coming right back with a pair of goals in a seven-minute span to equalize. The match has already seen five yellow cards. The winner moves on to face Japan in the semifinals, which easily advanced past Egypt, 3-0. 
 
 11:20 AM LeBron James helps U.S. hold off Lithuania -- barely So much is made, during the NBA season, of LeBron James’s abilities as a closer. Saturday afternoon, when the U.S. men’s basketball team needed someone to close out its hotly contested game against Lithuania, James did just that. James scored nine of his 20 points with less than four points remaining, finishing off Lithuania in a 99-94 U.S. victory that kept the Americans perfect at 4-0 in Group A — but barely. Carmelo Anthony also scored 20 for the U.S. Linas Kleiza, who starred at Montrose Christian, led all scorers with 25 for Lithuania, which fell to 1-3. With just under seven minutes remaining, Kleiza finished off a 10-0 Lithuania run by burying a three-pointer from the left wing that provided an 82-80 lead. Though Kevin Durant came back with a dunk, the U.S. had itself more than a game. It had a near-crisis. But in the key moments, James delivered. He hit a 3-pointer with just under four minutes remaining, then followed with a fast-break dunk off a Lithuania turnover to put the U.S. up 92-86. Then, with 2:10 left, he abused his defender on a spin move, finishing with his left hand and forcing a timeout by Lithuania, which was suddenly down nine. 
 
 11:09 AM Krug, Loukas dive into Sunday's 3m springboard finals Americans Cassidy Krug and Christina Loukas qualified for the final in women’s 3-meter springboard, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, in Saturday’s semifinals. China’s Wu Minxia, who won gold earlier in the synchronized event, had the top score – 394.40 – after five rounds of diving in the semifinals. Wu won bronze in Beijing four years ago in this event. Wu is so dominant that the next diver, Tania Cagnotto of Italy, was more than 30 points behind her, at 362.10. Wu’s countrywoman, He Zi, was third with 354.50. The top 12 divers in the semifinals advanced to Sunday’s final. 
 
 11:00 AM U.S. men trailed in third quarter, lead narrowly If the U.S. men’s basketball team thought it needed to be pushed to prepare for the medal round, today is the day. The Americans take a 78-72 lead over Lithuania into the fourth quarter, when they will be pressed later than they have in three other games in this Olympic tournament. Less than a minute into the second half, Sarunas Jasikevicius, the former Maryland Terrapin, buried a three-pointer that gave Lithuania a 56-55 lead. When the Americans responded with two LeBron James drives sandwiched around a Kevin Durant three-pointer, order seemed restored. But Lithuania was persistent. With less than three minutes left in the quarter, Renaldas Seibutis hit two free throws to tie the game at 69. The Americans, who have shot poorly throughout, closed the quarter on a 9-3 run, punctuated by Deron Williams’s drive at the buzzer. 
 
 10:59 AM Maclennan bounces to gold in trampoline Rosannagh Maclennan of Canada won the women’s trampoline gold medal Saturday with a score of 57.305, edging two Chinese gymnasts who led after qualifying. Maclennan was fourth in qualifying but her degree of difficulty — 15.400 – was the highest among the eight finalists, meaning that if she executed her routine, she could finish in the medals. China’s Shanshan Huang and Wenna He won silver and bronze, respectively. American Savannah Vinsant, 19, finished sixth. In the final, the eight athletes with the top qualifying marks perform one routine with 10 required skills. 
 
 10:29 AM Vinsant makes trampoline final American Savannah Vinsant, 19, finished seventh in trampoline qualifying and advances to the final (10:30 a.m. ET). Vinsant ranked just 11th after her first routine, but a higher degree of difficulty helped her move up in her second routine. In qualifying, athletes perform two routines. The first focuses on execution and simplicity; the second has no limitation on difficulty – the higher the degree of difficulty of the moves, the higher the score. The eight athletes with the highest combined score from qualifying advance to the final, where they perform one routine. China’s Wenna He and Shanshan Huang had the top qualifying marks. 
 
 10:25 AM Serena Williams wins Olympic tennis gold Serena Williams became only the fourth player in tennis history to complete a career “Golden Slam�? by winning Olympic singles gold Saturday at the All England Club, crushing Russia’s Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1, in 63 minutes to claim the one title that has eluded her. Williams joins Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Rafael Nadal as the only players in tennis history to win all four of the sport’s majors and the Olympic gold medal in singles. “It’s too much. I just never expected gold in singles. I was so happy with my doubles,” said Williams, referring to her gold medals in doubles from the 2000 Sydney and 2008 Beijing Games. “I have my gold medal [in singles], and now I have everything, literally. I have singles, doubles — actually everything there is to win in tennis. Where do I go from here?�? Saturday’s match was a reprise of the 2004 Wimbledon final, in which Sharapova, then just 17, did what seemed impossible by toppling the defending champion to win her first major. This time, the Russian didn’t have a chance, with a gusty wind vexing her already shaky serve and Williams simply playing out of her mind. “I never played better,” Williams said. “Playing against someone like Maria, you have to be at your best. I know that, so it was like I had nothing to lose.” Read the full story here. 
 
 10:22 AM Suhr vaults into finals Olympic silver medalist Jenn Suhr needed only one jump of 14 feet 11 inches to tie for first and advance to the finals in the pole vault. Seven women in Group A, including Suhr, cleared the height and moved on to Monday’s finals, including Yarisley Silva of Cuba. American Becky Holliday didn’t clear the bar until her third try, but finally made 14-11 as well to take 4th in group B. Teammate Lacy Janson failed to advance to the finals. 
 
 10:21 AM U.S. men's basketball in a tight game at halftime The U.S. men’s basketball team hasn’t won a game by fewer than 27 points at the London Olympics. But at halftime of their Pool A game against Lithuania, the Americans are being pushed, leading only 55-51. Linas Kleiza dominated the U.S. underneath with 16 points to lead all scorers, and the Americans haven’t shot nearly as well as they did against Nigeria, when they made 29 of 46 three-pointers. Carmelo Anthony leads the U.S. with 14 points, while Kevin Durant has nine. The U.S. used a James Harden three-point play to take a 12-point advantage early in the quarter. But Lithuania closed the half on a 7-2 run to keep things competitive. As American fans chanted “USA! USA!” late in the second half, several fans at the sold-out arena booed or whistled, showing support for the underdog Lithuanians. 
 
 10:11 AM Sharapova finally wins a game Russia’s Maria Sharapova has finally won a game against Serena Williams in the women’s tennis singles final. Williams won the first nine games of the gold medal match and leads, 6-0, 3-1. 
 
 10:08 AM Krug, Loukas in good position after two semifinal dives After two of five dives, Americans Cassidy Krug and Christina Loukas were in fourth and fifth places, respectively, in the women’s springboard semifinals. The top 12 divers will advance to Sunday’s final. China’s Wu Minxia, who won gold earlier in the synchronized event, was in the lead. Wu won bronze in Beijing four years ago in this event. 
 
 10:07 AM Oscar Pistorius inspires fellow competitors One by one, the 400-meter runners met with reporters, facing more questions about Oscar Pistorius’s historic day than their own races. There was no expressed outrage or chatter of any competitive advantage; most, in fact, praised the South African runner, who Saturday became the first athlete to compete in the Olympics with prosthetic legs. “I felt inspiration to see him – emotion and inspiration,�? said Dominican sprinter Luguelin Santos. “It takes a lot of courage,” said Kirani James, of Grenada. �?A lot of people when they don’t have legs, they give up. They don’t continue to work for their dream.” That last quote was from American Bryshon Nellum and needless to say, he won’t soon take his own legs for granted. Nearly four years ago, Nellum, a 23-year old Los Angeles native, was leaving a Halloween party when admitted gang members opened fire, mistaking Nellum for a rival. Gunfire hit both of Nellum’s legs and he required surgery on both. He couldn’t get on his feet for three weeks, slowly graduating from wheelchair to crutches, then from walking to jogging. “I wasn’t able to compete,” he said, “but I knew how it felt not to be able to use your legs.” The assailants pleaded no contest to attempted murder and were sentenced to 15 years in state prison. As for Nellum, his legs healed and he again became an elite competitive runner. His 45.29-finish in Saturday’s 400 heat qualified him for the Sunday’s semifinals. He’ll run in the third heat Sunday, one race after Pistorius. “I have my legs, so I can’t really relate to it,” Nellum said. “Like I said, he’s out here running the same distance we’re running. We’re all human.” “I’m definitely inspired,” he added. 
 
 10:04 AM Serena Williams takes 6-0, 3-0 lead for tennis gold Following the rules of tennis, the chair umpire called for new balls after the first seven games of today’s Olympic women’s singles final. But the change didn’t alter the dynamic of the match a bit. It remains a display of utter dominance by Serena Williams, who raced through the first set against a misfiring Maria Sharapova, 6-0, and proceeded to take a 3-0 lead in the second. Williams is so dominant that it’s hard to believe that Sharapova trounced her, 6-1, 6-4, on this same hallowed court to win Wimbledon’s 2004 title. It’s also hard to believe that Sharapova has won all four majors and was within reach of reclaiming the world No. 1 today. She is being steamrolled. And Williams, as is a champions right, is utterly unapologetic. After ripping a forehand winner down the line to break Sharapova yet again and take a 2-0 lead in the second set, Williams shrieked, “C’mon!�? with a clenched right fist. 
 
 9:56 AM U.S. men lead Lithuania after first quarter The U.S. men’s basketball team, scarcely tested in this tournament, hasn’t yet pulled away from Lithuania in Saturday’s preliminary round game, taking a 33-25 after the first quarter, which ended when Carmelo Anthony poured in a three-pointer at the buzzer. Linas Kleiza kept the Lithuanians close throughout, leading all scorers with 13 points. Former Maryland guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, a regular in the Lithaunian lineup, hit one jumper that cut the Americans’ lead to 24-20, and former Wake Forest and Washington Wizards forward Darius Songaila added three points. Anthony led the U.S. with 10 points. Kevin Durant, the Suitland, Md., native and Oklahoma City forward, hit a pair of three-pointers. 
 
 9:53 AM Williams blitzes Sharapova, 6-0, to take opening set It took just 30 minutes for Serena Williams to take the opening set, 6-0, against Russia’s Maria Sharapova in their quest for Olympic singles gold today. Trailing 0-4 and facing three break points, Sharapova blasted a backhand winner down the line. But it only briefly staved off what appears increasingly inevitable. Serena Williams held serve yet again — and may not be broken today — despite gusty conditions on Centre Court. That gave Williams a 5-0 lead in the battle for the 2012 Olympics women’s singles gold — a title that neither Williams nor Sharapova possesses. Staring at a 5-0 deficit, the Russian finally mustered a 40-love lead on her serve. Then the yips returned. She double-faulted, then looked on helplessly as Williams ripped a second-serve return past for a winner. On her fourth game point, she hit a first serve out by a yard and a second serve wide by five feet. The crowd fell silent with empathy and embarrassment, then started clapping to urge the Russian on. But after squandering so many opportunities, she botched one more. 
 
 9:45 AM U.S. epee team loses semifinal, will fight for bronze The U.S. women’s epee team lost its semifinal match to Korea, 45-36, and will play for the bronze medal against Russia (3 p.m. ET). The Americans — Susie Scanlan, Courtney Hurley and Maya Lawrence – had beaten Italy in the quarterfinals. Korea will face China for the gold medal. In the team competition, each of three fencers faces her three opponents and the scores accumulate. 
 
 9:43 AM Britain's Ennis leads heptathlon after six events Jessica Ennis of Britain extended her lead to 188 points in the heptathlon Saturday after two of the final three events Saturday. The heptathlon will end with the 800-meter run (3:35 p.m. ET) before 80,000 partisan fans at Olympic Stadium. Austra Skujyte of Lithuania was second and Lyudmyla Yosypenko of Ukraine third, 270 points behind. Skujyte won the silver in this event in Athens in 2004. Although this is Ennis’s first Olympics, she won the world championship in 2009 and finished second in 2011. Sharon Day is the top American, 685 off the lead in 17th place. 
 
 9:39 AM Serena Williams races to 4-0 lead Serena Williams has gotten off to a blistering start in her gold-medal final against Maria Sharapova at the All England Club this afternoon, bolting to a 4-0 lead in a match that so far is bedeviled by gusting winds. Williams, seeking the only title to elude her, raced to a 2-0 lead without allowing Sharapova a single point. Williams blasted three aces in the opening game, while Sharapova double-faulted to open her first service game. Clearly the whipping wind is going to be a huge factor. And Williams, who boasts the best serve in women’s tennis, is smart about lowering her toss when competing in such conditions. And she can do so without losing its effectiveness. Sharapova, at 6-2, can only lower her unusually high toss so much. And her serve is a liability to start with, so things could get ugly. The crowd seems decidedly behind Sharapova, who announced herself to the tennis world by stunning Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final, 6-1, 6-4, when only 17. Williams has exacted revenge, winning all seven of their matches since. And she looks formidable so far, playing tremendous defense on points in which Sharapova can stay in a rally. But so far, most of the action is being decided by serves — whether aces, service winners or double faults. 
 
 9:32 AM Men's 100 final should be unusually fast race There were no surprises in the men’s 100-meter first-round races Saturday morning at Olympic Stadium, but the finishing times seemed to confirm one thing: Sunday’s final should be one of the fastest races ever. In the seven first-round heats, Americans Ryan Bailey (9.88 seconds) and Justin Gatlin (9.97) both broke the 10-second barrier and posted the day’s top times. Eight of the 24 sprinters who advanced to the semifinal round posted faster times than Jamaican Usain Bolt (10.09). Worth remembering: Bolt ran a 10.2 in his first race in Beijing, lowering to 9.92 and 9.85 in the later rounds, winning all three heats. He won gold with a record-setting time of 9.69. “It’s gonna take a dominating race,�? Gatlin said of Sunday’s final. “You have to dominate from the beginning.�? Bailey posted the fastest first-round time of any sprinter, as all three American sprinters advanced to Sunday’s semifinal heats. All three Jamaicans also cruised through their initial races. Though it has little bearing on tomorrow’s races, Bolt’s time was actually the slowest of the three Jamaicans. Yohan Blake, the defending world champion won his heat (10.00), as did Asafa Powell (10.04). But all eyes at Olympic Park were focused on the 2008 gold medalist, who was a slow out of the blocks but was still able to cruise for the final 20 meters or so. “I can’t complain. I’ve been doing a lot of work on that,�? Bolt said of his start. “But we have come to the conclusion we shouldn’t worry about the start we should just focus on the rest of the race, which we always do. So I am working the last 50 meter, that is my strong point. That is what I am focusing on.�? Bailey, 23, placed third at the U.S. trials in Eugene, Ore., with a 9.93. His time Saturday marked his new personal best in the 100. “There’s no pressure on me whatsoever,�? he said. “If I go out there and fail, nobody was expecting me to medal anyways. I figure if I go out there and medal, steal a medal for somebody, it’s good for me.�? Both the semifinal and final rounds are held Sunday. 
 
 9:20 AM U.S. men's basketball takes on Lithuania The only drama for the American men’s basketball team after three games of the Olympic tournament has surrounded the particulars of their victories. How much would they lead by? How much would they win by? The U.S. is 3-0 in Pool A, beating France, Tunisia and Nigeria by an average of 55.7 points. Today, the men face Lithuania, which is 1-2 after beating Nigeria and losing to France and Argentina. The Lithuanians are led by forward Linas Kleiza, their only double-figure scorer at 16.7 points per game. Kleiza was the 2003 All-Met Player of the Year at Montrose Christian. Carmelo Anthony leads the U.S. with 20.7 points per game, needing to average all of 14 minutes of playing time to do it. Kevin Durant leads the Americans in playing time, averaging more than 22 minutes, just ahead of point guard Chris Paul. Team USA should be able to use its whole bench again. The U.S. concludes group play Monday with what’s likely to be its toughest test before the medal round, Argentina. 
 
 9:05 AM Two U.S. women make steeplechase final Americans Emma Coburn and Bridget Franek advanced to the final of the 3000-meter steeplechase Saturday. Hiwot Ayalew of Ethiopia had the fastest time in three first-round heats, 9 minutes 24.01 seconds. The final will be Monday. Coburn was third in her heat in 9:27.51. Franek qualified in 9:29.86. American Shalaya Kipp did not qualify for the final. 
 
 8:59 AM Russia clips Spain in men's basketball Russia continued its dominating and surprising run through Group B Saturday with a 77-74 victory over perennial power Spain. The game wasn’t decided until late in the fourth quarter after Russia charged back from an 18-point deficit. A dunk with 18 seconds left by Russian’s Timofey Mozgo broke a tie, and Vitaliy Fridzon hit two free throws with 4.8 seconds to clinch the victory. Fridzon led Russia with 24 points. Pau Gasol had 20 points for Spain. Spain jumped to a 28-11 start after one quarter, but Russia quickly fought back, trailing by eight at halftime and outscoring the Spaniards 24-13 in the third quarter before the back-and-fourth fourth quarter. Russia is 4-0 in Group B, putting it in position to avoid meeting the United States — if both teams win their groups and remain unbeaten — until the gold medal game. The Americans are expected to win Group A. 
 
 8:55 AM Serena Williams faces Maria Sharapova for Olympic gold If desire and high stakes determine the competitiveness of a match, expect a thrilling battle for Olympic gold today on Centre Court at the All England Club, where Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will reprise their 2004 Wimbledon final. But if recent history dictates the ebb and flow, it will be Williams in a romp. Williams has beaten Sharapova all seven times they’ve met since the the 17-year-old Russian upstart won their 2004 Wimbledon final. In fact, Williams hasn’t allowed Sharapova a single set in the last four years. Without doubt, they’re the two fiercest competitors in women’s tennis. And Olympic singles gold is a prize both particularly covet because it would complete a rare “Golden Slam.�? Only three players in history have won all four of the sport’s majors and Olympic gold in singles: Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Rafael Nadal. Switzerland’s Roger Federer could join their ranks Sunday, when he takes on overwhelming home-court favorite Andy Murray for gold in a reprise of their Wimbledon final just four weeks ago. Federer, 30, teamed with Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Beijing Games for doubles gold, but the Olympic singles gold is the one prize to elude him in a brilliant career. Following today’s women’s gold-medal match, Americans Bob and Mike Bryan take on Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau of France for what would be their first Olympic men’s doubles gold. And Serena will return to the court to team with her sister Venus to complete their women’s doubles semifinal that was scheduled for Friday. They face Russians Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova. In short: A very busy day at the All England Club, where the morning’s rain has given way to glorious sunshine and whipping winds. 
 
 8:52 AM Gray gets rifle gold for United States Jamie Lynn Gray won the gold medal in the 50m rifle three positions event Saturday at the Royal Artillery Barracks, setting an Olympic record for the finals of 691.9 points. Ivana Maksmovic of Serbia won silver (687.5) and Adela Sykorova of the Czech Republic took the bronze with 683. Gray set up her win earlier in the day, setting an Olympic qualifying record of 592. That record, added to her score of 99.9 in the finals, was good for gold. Gray was fifth in this event four years ago in Beijing, where she also finished fourth in the 10m air rifle competition. 
 
 8:18 AM Yohan Blake posts 10.00 in men's 100 qualifying Jamaican Yohan Blake, the reigning world champion, also took it easy during his first round heat of the men’s 100 meters, cruising to the finish in 10.00 seconds.Teammate Asafa Powell won his heat in 10.04. 
 
 8:06 AM U.S. women miss target in trap shooting qualifying Americans Kim Rhode and Corey Cogdell were eliminated in qualifying in women’s trap Saturday at Royal Artillery Barracks. Jessica Rossi of Italy had the top score in qualifying, followed by Zuzana Stefecekova of Slovakia. Rhode, who won gold last weekend in skeet shooting, was ninth and Cogdell 11th; only the top six shooters advance to the final. 
 
 8:00 AM Usain Bolt runs a 10.09 in 100 meter qualifying Usain Bolt of Jamaica, the defending gold medal winner and one of the biggest stars of the London Games, was greeted with huge cheers when he finally took the track in the men’s 100 meter qualifying. He easily won his preliminary heat in 10.09, easing up in the final meters and coasting to the finish line. 
 
 7:55 AM Czech wins final rowing gold Miroslava Knapkova of the Czech Republic won the gold in single sculls, the final rowing event at Eton Dorney. Fie Udby Erichsen of Denmark won the silver and Kim Crow of Australia added a bronze to the silver she won in double sculls. American Genevra Stone finished first in Final B, giving her a seventh place finish. 
 
 7:53 AM Ryan Bailey surpasses Gatlin with 9.88 in 100 qualifying One heat after Justin Gatlin ran the fastest time first-round time ever in the men’s 100 at the Olympics, fellow American Ryan Bailey surpassed him with a time of 9.88 to win his preliminary heat. Gatlin ran a 9.97 to win heat 2, and then Bailey followed by equaling his personal-best time to win heat 3. The three Jamaican stars are still to come: Usain Bolt in heat 4, Asafa Powell in heat 5 and Yohan Blake scheduled to run in heat 6. 
 
 7:48 AM Rowing: British add silver to medal haul Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter added to Britain’s rowing medal haul Saturday morning on the final day of racing at Eton Dorney, winning silver in the lightweight double sculls. Purchase and Hunter settled for silver by a narrow margin, finishing six-tenths of a second behind Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist of Denmark. Storm Uru and Peter Taylor of New Zealand took the bronze. Britain earlier won gold in women’s lightweight double sculls and men’s four. Overall, the host country won nine rowing medals, including four golds. 
 
 7:46 AM Justin Gatlin runs 9.97 in men's 100 qualifying As the Olympic Stadium track and field crowd awaited the London debut of Usain Bolt in the men’s 100 meters, it watched Tyson Gay win his preliminary heat in 10.08 seconds and then saw Justin Gaitlin run away from his competition with a 9.97 in his preliminary heat. Gatlin’s time was the fastest first-round 100 in the history of the Olympic Games. The next closest finisher in his heat was Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas with a 10.22. 
 
 7:24 AM U.S. men's four wins bronze The U.S. men’s four crew won bronze Saturday at Eton Dorney, finishing behind Britain and Australia. The American quarter of Glenn Ochal, Henrik Rummel, Charlie Cole, Scott Gault posted a time of 6 minutes 7.20 seconds, well behind the 6:03.97 posted by the winning British team. 
 
 7:17 AM Sculls pair gives Britain yet another gold The British did it again, this time winning gold in the women’s lightweight double sculls Saturday on the final day of competition at Eton Dorney. Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hosking won in seven minutes 9.30 seconds, ahead of Dongxiang Xu and Wenyi Huang of China (7:11.93) and Christina Giazitzdou and Alexandra Tsiavou of Greece (7:12.09). Americans Kristin Hedstrom and Julie Nichols finished fifth in Final B, putting them in 11th place overall. 
 
 7:10 AM Oscar Pistorius: 'To be here is a dream come true' With the crowd at Olympic Stadium cheering him on, Oscar Pistorius crouched in the starting blocks Saturday and couldn’t help but smile. “The experience to be here is a dream come true,�? said the South African sprinter. “I’ve worked for six years to try and make the 400 standard, and to come out today is just an unbelievable experience.�? Pistorius became the first athlete to compete in an Olympic track race on a pair of prosthetic blades and was a crowd favorite from the moment he stepped onto the track Saturday morniing. While he knew gold in the 400-meter here wasn’t likely, he still wasn’t content to simply show up in London. “It’s one thing being here and another thing performing here… My goal was to make the semifinal tomorrow,�? he said. And he did that, finishing second in Saturday’s qualifying heat. Pistorius had no problem advancing, finishing in 45.44 seconds, his second-best mark of the year. “It’s very difficult to separate the occasion from the race. …Just being here is a tremendous experience,�? he said. “You draw enough from the crowd and the occasion.�? 
 
 7:04 AM U.S. women's epee team reaches semis The U.S. women’s epee team defeated Italy, 45-35, in the quarterfinals Saturdayat ExCeL South. Susie Scanlan, Courtney Hurley and Maya Lawrence advance to the semifinals, where they will face Korea, 45-38 winners over Romania. That match will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET. In the team competition, each of three fencers faces her three opponents and the scores accumulate. 
 
 6:49 AM LaShawn Merritt out with injury LaShawn Merritt will not be defending his Olympic gold at these London Games. Merritt pulled up with an apparent hamstring injury in his first 400-meter heat Saturday morning and was unable to finish the race. In Beijing, Merritt won the 400 with a time of 43.75 and was a favorite here in London. At the U.S. trials in Eugene, Ore., Merritt posted the year’s fastest time and was the top American qualifier with his 44.12-second finish. It was not immediately clear whether Merritt would be available for the 4×400 relay next week. The other two U.S. runners both qualified for Sunday’s semifinals. Tony McQuay finished second in his heat with a 44.58-second time. Bryshon Nellum was also second, posting a 45.29-second finish. 
 
 6:44 AM 100 prelims expand the field Ten athletes qualified for the first round of the men’s 100 meters by posting top times in the preliminaries Saturday morning at the Olympic Stadium. Gerard Kobeane of Burkina Faso had the fastest time — 10.42 seconds. None of the runners from the prelims has a chance at a medal, but there’s something about seeing athletes from non-sporting powers get their shot at glory that’s nice. Runners from Bolivia, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Suriname, Indonesia, Central African Republic, Singapore, Maldives and Mauritius all advanced. The prelims — a mini-Parade of Nations. 
 
 6:38 AM American makes rifle final Jamie Lynn Gray was the top qualifier in the 50m rifle three positions event Saturday at Royal Artillery Barracks. Gray scored an Olympic record 592, just ahead of Ivana Maksmovic of Serbia (590) and Daria Vdovina of Russia (585). Gray advanced to the final, which begins about 7:45 ET. American Amanda Furrer (581) did not make the final. 
 
 6:13 AM Pistorius advances in 400 South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius finished second in his first-round heat of the 400 meters Saturday at Olympic Stadium to advance to the next round. He ran a season’s best 45.44 second in the first of seven heats in the 400. American Bryshon Nellum also advanced, running in Heat 4. Pistorius, the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics, is known as the Blade Runner because he wears blade-shaped prosthetics. He has competed in the Paralympics but fought for years to be included in the Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the blades do not give him an advantage over other runners. (Curious as to how Pistorius runs? Check out this graphic.) Pistorius was coming to London to help as one of the runners in the pool for the 4×400 relay, but at the last minute the South African Olympic Committee named him to the 400 individual roster as well. Pistorius will also compete in the Paralympics in London, which immediately follow the Olympics. ||||| 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
– 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.