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Tokyo Olympics Day 15: Durant does it again

Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant lets his emotions show Saturday as the U.S. men close out the Olympic final win over France.

By: Beau Dure

Posted at 10:48 PM, Aug 06, 2021

and last updated 2021-08-07 08:45:27-04

Remember when the U.S. men's basketball team lost an exhibition to Nigeria? And then the Olympic opener against France?

All is forgotten, more or less, now that Kevin Durant has once again put the team on his back to clinch the team's fourth straight gold medal, a feat that is getting progressively more difficult as the NBA grows more international and the EuroLeague continues its growth, giving teams like France plenty of tough, experienced players who make things interesting. Durant and Jayson Tatum led the scoring as the USA withstood run after run to win 87-82. (STORY)

In 2012, playing alongside Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, Durant had 30 points and nine rebounds as the USA beat Spain 107-100 in the Olympic final. In the 2016 final, Durant again had 30 in a 96-66 win over Serbia. This time, if had just made the one free throw he missed (out of nine), he would've had 30 again.

Also repeating on Saturday: the U.S. women's water polo team, which routed Spain 14-5 to take gold behind a balanced attack and goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson. (STORY)

On the golf course, Nelly Korda gave up her lead with a double-bogey but rallied with three straight birdies and kept her poise after a thunderstorm delay to make it two wins in two events for the USA. (STORY)

The U.S. basketball team plays Japan for gold later today. The Dominican Republic took bronze. (STORY)

SEE MORE: Team USA men extend basketball gold medal streak to four

Track and field

Women's marathon: A bit of a pleasant surprise here, as the USA's Molly Seidel claimed bronze behind Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir and Brigid Kosgei. Kenya has won at least one women's marathon medal from 2000 forward. The USA hadn't earned a medal in the arduous event since 2004, and Seidel was running just her third career marathon. Imagine if Kevin Durant was playing just his third basketball game. (STORY)

Women's 10,000m: Remember when Sifan Hassan was known to a casual audience as the person who fell in her 1500m heat but got up to win it? She's now the first person to win three medals at the three races from 1500m on up, and with Saturday's effort, she made it two golds to go with the 1500m bronze. (STORY)

Women's 4x400m: Allyson Felix closed out her Olympic career with another gold medal as she, 800m winner Athing Mu, 400m hurdles winner Sydney McLaughlin and 400m hurdles runner-up Dalilah Muhammad looked like a dream team, with Mu finishing the anchor leg a solid 50 meters in front.

Men's javelin: India's Neeraj Chopra took the win, with the Czech Republic occupying the other two steps on the podium.

Men's 1500m: Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen won a blazing-fast race in which half the field, including American Cole Hocker in sixth, beat the previous Olympic record.

Still to conclude: the women's high jump and the men's 4x400m.

SEE MORE: Kenya wins marathon gold, silver; USA's Seidel earns bronze

Wrestling

Defending gold medalist Kyle Snyder took silver this time around in the 97kg freestyle class, dropped a 6-3 decision in the highly anticipated rematch with the ROC's Abdelrashid Sadulaev, who won gold at a lower weight class in 2016 and was 1-1 against Snyder in world championships since moving up.

Sarah Hildebrandt threw aside the heartbreak of her last-second semifinal loss with an emphatic win for bronze. (ROUNDUP)

SEE MORE: Breakthrough Moments: Steveson wins gold in final seconds

Around the Games

Beach volleyball: Norway's Anders Mol and Christian Sorum became the youngest duo (and the first Norwegians) to win beach volleyball gold. (STORY)

Diving: China's Cao Yuan and Yang Jian finished 1-2 in the men's platform and British diver Thomas Daley, the bronze medalist in 2012 in his home country and a gold medalist in synchronized platform earlier in these Olympics, took another bronze. (STORY)

Modern pentathlon: American Amro Elgeziry set an Olympic record in the swim phase of the competition. (STORY)

SEE MORE: Norway's Mol, Sorum win men's beach volleyball gold

Medalists

Artistic swimming, team: Gold - ROC, Silver - China, Bronze - Ukraine

Baseball: Gold/Silver - tbd (United States vs. Japan), Bronze - Dominican Republic

Basketball, men's: Gold - United States, Silver - France, Bronze - tbd (Slovenia vs. Australia)

Beach volleyball, men's: Gold - Mol/Sorum (NOR), Silver - Krasilnikov/Stoyanovskiy (RUS), Bronze - Cherif/Ahmed (QAT)

Boxing, men's flyweight: Gold - Galal Yahai (GBR), Silver - Carlo Paalam (PHI), Bronze - Tanaka Ryomei (JPN), Bronze - Saken Bibossinov (KAZ)

Boxing, women's flyweight: Gold - Stoyka Krasteva (BUL), Silver - Buse Naz Cakiroglu (TUR), Bronze - Huang Hsiao-Wen (TPE), Bronze - Namiki Tsukimi (JPN)

Boxing, men's middleweight: Gold - Hebert Conceicao (BRA), Silver - Oleksandr Khyzhniak (UKR), Bronze - Eumir Marcial (PHI), Bronze - Gleb Bakshi (ROC)

Boxing, women's welterweight: Gold - Busenaz Surmeneli (TUR), Silver - Gu Hong (CHN), Bronze - Oshae Jones (USA), Bronze - Lovlina Borgohain (IND)

Canoe/kayak, men's double canoe 500m: Gold - China, Silver - Ukraine, Bronze - Canada

Canoe/kayak, men's single canoe 1000m: Gold - Isaquias Queiroz (BRA), Silver - Liu Hao (CHN), Bronze - Serghei Tarnovski (MDA)

Canoe/kayak, women's kayak four 500m: Gold - Hungary, Silver - Belarus, Bronze - Poland

Canoe/kayak, men's kayak four 500m: Gold - Germany, Silver - Spain, Bronze - Slovakia

Cycling, men's madison: Gold - Denmark, Silver - Great Britain, Bronze - France

Diving, men's platform: Gold - Cao Yuan (CHN), Silver - Yang Jian (CHN), Bronze - Thomas Daley (GBR)

Equestrian, team jumping: Gold - Sweden, Silver - United States, Bronze - Belgium

Golf, women's: Gold - Nelly Korda (USA), Silver - Mone Inami (JPN), Bronze - Lydia Ko (NZL)

Handball, men's: Gold/Silver - tbd (France vs. Denmark), Bronze - Spain

Karate, women's 61+ kg: tbd

Karate, men's 75+ kg: tbd

Modern pentathlon, men's: Gold - Joseph Choong (GBR), Silver - Ahmed Elgendy (EGY), Bronze - Jun Woong-Tae (KOR)

Rhythmic gymnastics, individual: Gold - Linoy Ashram (ISR), Silver - Dina Averina (ROC), Bronze - Alina Harnasko (BLR)

Soccer, men's: Gold/Silver - tbd (Brazil vs. Spain), Bronze - Mexico

Track and field, women's marathon: Gold - Peres Jepchirchir (KEN), Silver - Brigid Kosgei (KEN), Bronze - Molly Seidel (USA)

Track and field, women's high jump: tbd

Track and field, women's 10,000m: Gold - Sifan Hassan (NED), Silver - Kalkidan Gezahegne (BRN), Bronze - Letesenbet Gidey (ETH)

Track and field, men's javelin: Gold - Neeraj Chopra (IND), Silver - Jakub Vadlejch (CZE), Bronze - Vitezslav Vesely (CZE)

Track and field, men's 1500m: Gold - Jacob Ingebrigtsen (NOR), Silver - Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN), Bronze - Josh Kerr (GBR)

Track and field, women's 4x400m: Gold - United States, Silver - Poland, Bronze - Jamaica

Track and field, men's 4x400m: tbd

Volleyball, men's: Gold/Silver - tbd (ROC vs. France), Bronze - Argentina

Water polo, women's: Gold - United States, Silver - Spain, Bronze - Hungary

Wrestling, men's 65kg free: Gold - Otoguro Takuto (JPN), Silver - Haji Aliyev (AZE), Bronze - Gadzhimurad Rashidov (ROC), Bronze - Bajrang Punia (bahj-rang poo-neye-ah) (IND)

Wrestling, men's 97kg free: Gold - Abdelrashid Sadulaev (ROC), Silver - Kyle Snyder (USA), Bronze - Reineris Salas (CUB), Bronze - Abraham Conyedo (ITA)

Wrestling, women's 50kg: Gold - Susaki Yui (USA), Silver - Sun Yanan (CHN), Bronze - Mariya Stadnik (AZE), Bronze - Sarah Hildebrandt (USA)

SEE MORE: Queiroz finally gets gold with C–1 1000m victory