Day 11 - July 31, 2021
So, I fell off the pace this weekend, but I did watch the Olympics, and I do have my notes, so I will be catching up with a vengeance today! Probably not a lot of pictures, just narrative to help me catch up.
Since we are closing to the end of swimming and diving, I might as well start with them again. In the pool, Katie Ledecky won her third straight Olympic gold in the 800 meter freestyle, and her 10th overall medal (7 gold). Ledecky beat Australia's Ariarne Titmus, who earned silver, and Simona Quadarella of Italy, winning bronze.
In the 4x100 mixed medley relay, Great Britain set a world record for gold, followed by China and Australia for silver and bronze respectively. The United States finished in 5th, but was never in it as Lydia Jacoby, swimming the breastroke second leg, knocked her goggles off her eyes and down into her mouth as she dove into the pool to start her race. This easily cost the US two to three seconds, and a possible medal.
The track also had its mixed relay, as the 4x400 mixed relay was held. In a surprising result, Poland won gold in an Olynpic record time (well, this is the first time the race was competed at the Olympics,) with the Dominican Republic earning silver and the United States winning the bronze.
In a highly-anticipated race on the track, Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah defended her 2016 gold medal in the 100 meter dash, setting an Olympic record as she led a Jamaican sweep of the podium. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (double-hypen should be her nickname) came in second and Shericka Jackson finished third. Thompson-Herah's 10.61 is the fastest in Olympic history, and the second-fastest of all time. I don't know where Sha'Carri Richardson would have finished, but she definitely would have made this race way more exciting.
USA Men's basketball defeated the Czech Republic in a not very exciting 119-84 blowout. This game gets mention here because Kevin Durant finally showed up, scoring 23 points on 8-11 shooting, with 8 rebounds and 6 assists. If Durant starts playing, watch out.
New Zealand defeated France 26-12 in the women's rugby gold medal game, and Fiji, fresh off the men's gold medal, beat Great Britain 21-12 in the bronze medal game.
But, some of the most interesting action on this day occurred in tennis. After losing yesterday in the men's semifinals to Germany's Alexander zverev 1-6, 6-3, 6-1, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the number 1 player in the world who has won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon already this year, lost in the bronze medal match to Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4, 6-7, 6-3. After being denied a medal, Djokovic then withdraw from the mixed doubles bronze medal match, leaving his teammate Nina Stojanovic without the ability to play for a medal, and handing women's world number 1 Ashleigh Barty and John Peers of Australia the bronze medal.
In the most exciting match of the day, Brazil's team of Laura Pigossi and Luisa Stefani fought off four match points in a row to win the bronze medal in women's doubles defeating the Russian Olympic Committee's Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina 4-6, 6-4, 11-9.
In the women's singles gold medal match, the only gold medal match of the day, Switzerland's Belinda Bencic defeated Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
Staying in racket sports, in a mtach with world-wide geopolitical implications, Chinese Taipei's Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin defeated China's Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen 2-0, to win the gold medal in badminton men's doubles. I sure hope the Chinese government doesn't attempt to retaliate against Li and Liu for losing to Taipei, but my guess is the government will just take credit for this gold medal.
Athlete of the Day - Belinda Bencic, Tennis, Switzerland
Well earned gold medal, all earned while also playing doubles for Switzerland (her gold medal game for that is tomorrow).
Olympic Term of the Day: Shido In judo, a penalty which is equal to a koka score; 3 shidos equals one point for your opponent
Olympic Events Watched: Athletics (Track & Field), Badminton, Baseball, Golf, Handball, Swimming, Triathlon
USA Potential Closing Ceremony Flag-Bearer (Alphabetically): Caleb Dressel, Phillip Dutton, Brady Ellison, Robert Finke, Lee Kiefer, Katie Ledecky, Sunisa Lee, Kelsey Plum, Anastasija, Zolotic
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