Update on the latest sports
APOLYMPICS
Felix wins bronze in 400 for her 10th Olympic medal
TOKYO (AP) — Allyson Felix has won her record 10th Olympic track medal with a bronze in the 400 meters. The 35-year-old American finished two spots behind gold medalist Shaunae Miller-Uibo. Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic finished second. Felix now has more Olympic track and field medals than any woman in history, passing Jamaican runner Merlene Ottey. She’s also tied with Carl Lewis for the most by an American athlete. She has a chance to top that mark Saturday in the 4×400 relay.
Friday’s U.S. medal grab at the Tokyo Games began with beach volleyball. Americans April Ross and Alix Klineman beat an Australian duo, 21-15, 21-16 for the championship. It’s Ross’ third medal in as many Olympics, to go with the silver she won in London and a bronze from Brazil. Klineman is a first-time Olympian.
Also at the Tokyo Games:
— The U.S. women’s basketball team is one win away from its seventh consecutive gold medal following a 79-59 thumping of Serbia. Brittney Griner had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Americans, who trailed 4-3 before going on a 20-4 run. The Americans will face Japan on Saturday. The U.S has won 54 consecutive Olympic games dating back to the 1992 semifinals in Barcelona.
— The United States women’s volleyball team has made it to the gold medal match for the fourth time ever after avenging a semifinal loss five years ago to Serbia with a 25-19, 25-15, 25-23 victory. The Americans will play Brazil, which swept South Korea. It will be the third time in the past four Olympics that the U.S. and Brazil will meet in the gold medal game. Brazil beat the United States for gold in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012. The Americans are seeking their first gold medal ever. They also lost the gold medal game to China in 1984. Serbia will play South Korea for bronze.
— The Jamaican women have added the 4×100-meter relay title to their Tokyo Olympic collection after sweeping the podium in the 100-meter final. The Jamaican team won in a national record 41.02 seconds. It was the second-fastest time in history and ended the U.S. team’s push for a third consecutive Olympic gold in the event. The American team of Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels, Jenna Prandini and Gabrielle Thomas won silver in 41.45. Britain took bronze in 41.88.
— Canada won its first Olympic gold medal in women’s soccer, beating Sweden 3-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. Julia Grosso converted the winning penalty kick, putting her shot off the right hand of goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl. This match was moved from Tokyo’s National Stadium to Yokohama’s Nissan Stadium and kickoff time pushed back 10 hours to 9 p.m. local time because of the oppressive heat.
— American Nelly Korda will carry a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the women’s golf event. Korda finished with 12 straight pars for a 2-under 69 that leaves her 15 under for the tournament. With a tropical storm in the forecast, Olympic golf officials plan to start play as early as possible Saturday in hopes of squeezing in 72 holes before the weather gets bad.
— American Gable Steveson has defeated Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili 10-8 to claim wrestling gold in the men’s freestyle 125-kilogram class. Georgia challenged the final points, to no avail. Steveson, as is customary after his biggest wins, celebrated with a backflip.
— The Russian Olympic Committee’s Zaurbek Sidakov has defeated Belarus’ Mahamedkhabib Kadzimahamedau 7-0 to win wrestling gold in the men’s freestyle 74-kilogram class. American Kyle Dake defeated Italy’s Frank Chamizo 5-0 for bronze.
— Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda won the gold medal in the men’s 5,000-meter race a week after earning silver in the 10,000. He was in the leading pack for most of the race and won in 12 minutes, 58.15 seconds. Mohammed Ahmed of Canada surged into second place to get the silver medal and Paul Chelimo of the United States picked up bronze.
— Italy has surprisingly won the men’s 4×100-meter relay to give Marcell Jacobs his second gold medal of the Tokyo Games. Jacobs won the men’s 100-meter title last Sunday in the first Olympics in the post-Usain Bolt era and was part of the team that won the sprint relay in a national record 37.50 seconds. The Italians edged Britain by 0.01 and Canada took bronze in 37.70. It’s Italy’s first Olympic medal in the relay since a bronze at the 1948 London Olympics.
— Jessica Springsteen and the U.S. equestrian jumping team has qualified for the finals and will compete for a second straight medal Saturday night. She will join teammates Laura Kraut and McClain Ward as the Americans try to improve on their silver from 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Springsteen is the daughter of rocker Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band wife Patti Scialfa.
— The statue of a life-sized sumo wrestler that may have spooked the horses has been knocked out of the Olympic equestrian ring. The statue and a nearby patch of cherry trees that riders thought might be scaring the animals during the individual jumping event were among the obstacles swapped out for the start of the team competition.
— The number of Games-related COVID-19 infections has risen to 387 as Tokyo records more than 5,000 cases in one day for the first time during the pandemic. No athletes or residents of the Olympic Village are among the new cases.
— The International Olympic Committee says it has removed two Belarus team coaches from the Olympics, four days after they were involved in trying to send sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya back to Belarus. The IOC linked them to taking Tsimanouskaya in a car to the airport to put her on a plane to Belarus. Tsimanouskaya had criticized team coaches on social media and is now in Poland on a humanitarian visa.
— Cycling’s governing body says it suspended a German cycling official through the rest of the year for using a racial slur during the Olympic men’s trial race. Patrick Moster, the national cycling federation sports director, used the slur while a German rider chased opponents from Algeria and Eritrea during the July 28 race. The comment was heard on TV broadcasts.
NFL-NEWS
Bills and QB Allen agree on 6-year extension
UNDATED (AP) — The Buffalo Bills have secured their future at quarterback, agreeing with Josh Allen on a six-year contract extension that locks him up through the 2028 season.
The team announced the agreement Friday shortly after their training camp session ended. It comes a few days after general manager Brandon Beane said he wanted to get a deal done before the start of the season or put talks off until next year.
Allen was under contract through the 2022 season. In May, the Bills picked up the player’s fifth-year option, worth nearly $23 million.
In other NFL news:
— Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores says the team has no intention of trading Xavien Howard despite the All-Pro cornerback’s desire to play elsewhere. Howard is unhappy about his contract. Flores says talks with Howard and his agent to resolve the dispute are ongoing. Howard requested a trade via Instagram on July 27, the day Dolphins reported for training camp. Howard signed a five-year extension in May 2019 and is signed through 2024. Howard, who led the NFL with 10 interceptions last year, has been sidelined in recent practices because of an ankle injury.
— Even with a pandemic forcing empty stadiums in most franchise cities, NFL team values increased by 14% in the past year. According to Forbes, they are now worth an average of nearly $3.5 billion. New media rights deals that brought in nearly $112 billion led to the largest value increase in five years. So even with a 20% fall in revenue and average operating income dropping from $109 million in 2019 to just over $7 million during the pandemic season, the 32 clubs are profiting. The Dallas Cowboys have the highest value for the 15th straight year: $6.5 billion.
NBA-NEWS
Nets send Shamet to Suns for Carter and rights to Sharpe
UNDATED (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets have acquired backup guard Jevon Carter and the draft rights to center Day’Ron Sharpe from the Phoenix Suns for guard Landry Shamet.
Shamet was acquired by the Nets from the Clippers in November. In his lone season in Brooklyn, he played in 61 games, averaging 9.3 points and 1.6 assists. Carter spent three seasons with Phoenix and Memphis, averaging 4.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Sharpe was the 32nd pick overall in the draft after playing one year at North Carolina.
In other NBA news:
— Free agent forward Nemanja Bjelica (NEH’-mahn-yah bee-uh-LIHT’-sah) signed a one-year contract with the Golden State Warriors on Friday that will pay him the league minimum. The veteran big man from Serbia is set to earn $2,089,448 given his six years of NBA experience.
NHL-ISLANDERS-PELECH
Islanders, defenseman Adam Pelech agree on 8-year contract
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Islanders and defenseman Adam Pelech (PEH’-lehk) have agreed on an eight-year contract. The team did not disclose financial terms.
Pelech had four goals and 10 assists in 56 games last season. He added a goal and four assists in 19 Stanley Cup playoff games in helping New York advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second consecutive year.
In other NHL news:
— Brandon Hagel is staying in Chicago after his solid rookie season, agreeing to a three-year contract with the Blackhawks. The deal with the restricted free agent has an average annual value of $1.5 million.
— The New York Rangers have agreed to one-year contracts with forwards Tim Gettinger and Ty Ronning and goaltender Adam Huska. The restricted free agents spent most of this past season with Hartford of the AHL.
