Usain Bolt is in the house for his final Olympic race!
U.S.A. takes 2nd in the 1st 4x400m heat and will advance to the final!
U.S.A. and Jamaica will face off in the men & women's 4x100 Relays TONIGHT....Hopefully they don`t sweep us.
Tears Of A Champion: Jordan Burroughs Loses Bid For Second Straight Olympic Gold Medal.
RIO DE JANEIRO – After his shocking elimination at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Jordan Burroughs tearfully recounted all that he lost in trying to become the greatest freestyle wrestler of all time.
It added up to much more than the two defeats in one day that cost Burroughs a second straight Olympic gold medal and doubled the loss column in his 130-4 record.
To his dismay, Burroughs missed important milestones in his children’s lives and perhaps saw his legacy slip away.
“I didn’t see my son walk for the first time,” said Burroughs, who lost in the quarterfinals of the men’s freestyle wrestling 74 kg. category Friday, erasing his gold-medal hopes, and then lost again in the repechage match that could have paved the way to the bronze medal.
“I left my wife at home with two kids in Nebraska for long periods of time to go to training camps and tournaments in foreign countries,” Burroughs said. “But she did that joyfully, not begrudgingly, because she knew on days like these I always performed. Now I feel like I let her down and I let my family down.”
Burroughs arrived in Rio as a three-time world champion and defending Olympic champion who made no secret that his goal was eventually winning three Olympic gold medals to surpass the legendary Team USA wrestler John Smith, who won four world and two Olympic titles.
“I wanted to be amongst the greats,” Burroughs said, pausing often to take deep breaths and compose himself as he gamely faced reporters. “I wanted to be a Simone Biles, Michael Phelps.
“It’s unfortunate, you watch the women’s soccer team and the women’s volleyball team and Serena (Williams) and all these amazing athletes and you think, ‘That won’t be me. I come prepared.' And then life shows you otherwise.”
Due to a random draw, the No. 1-ranked Burroughs, who came in considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world, faced a formidable opponent in the quarterfinals. Russia’s Aniuar Geduev, ranked No. 2 in the world, defeated Burroughs 3-2, giving him a bloody cut on the forehead in the process.
Burroughs, 28, was then in the uncomfortable position of pulling for Geduev to advance to the final, which he did, putting Burroughs into the repechage. However, Burroughs lost convincingly to No. 10 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov of Uzbekistan 11-1, and suddenly the Games were over for him.
“This is supposed to be my year,” Burroughs almost whispered, a tear streaking down his cheek. “This is supposed to be my breakthrough performance, cementing me as a legend in the sport. And I almost retracted my position in the sport. It hurts me. It hurts a lot, man.”
Burroughs has been the face of USA Wrestling since winning the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, thanks in part to an avid social media presence. Recently, he has touted a documentary about him called “My Name is Jordan.” His Twitter handle is @alliseeisgold.
“I had so many expectations, things that I wanted to do, records that I wanted to set, precedents that I wanted to be a part of,” Burroughs said, “and now I just feel a lot of disappointment, embarrassment, disgrace. But I let myself down most. I love the sport of wrestling because it’s a testament of your will and what you’re capable of and what you can do as a man. As nervous and afraid as I was coming into this tournament, I knew that I was equally as confident and prepared.
“And so now I face it. I face the fans. The criticism. The backlash. The trolls. I’ve always made my goals public. That’s the hard thing about being an Olympian. Your failures are public.”
Prior to Friday, Burroughs’ only loss at either an Olympic Games or world championships came in the 2014 world semifinals to three-time world champion Denis Tsargush of Russia. Burroughs was injured at that tournament, yet still wrestled back for the bronze. Then he won his third world championships gold in 2015.
Burroughs said at the London 2012 Games, just a year out of college, he was too young to know what he was getting himself into. This time, he knew. Even after marrying his wife Lauren and having two children, and becoming assistant coach at the University of Nebraska, he kept his goals in sight.
“I felt ready,” Burroughs said. “I felt good, my weight cut was good. That’s the hardest part of this. I live my lifestyle the right way. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I don’t go out and party. I’m a family man. I take care of business, I train hard, I’m an ambassador for the sport of wrestling and a lot of people were counting on me today.
“This is the pivotal moment within my career. There’s not a lot of defining moments for a young individual in life. This was going to be ultimately a catalyst for propelling me for where I wanted to do. You might say, ‘You can come back in 2020.’ My life is altered indefinitely. At some point I’ll find out why, what I did wrong, learn a lesson from this.”
Burroughs said he couldn’t even remember the last time he lost twice in one day, but it had to be 10 years, maybe longer.
“I lost a lot of things today, but my integrity and my character remain,” he said. “Until 48 hours ago, I had done a good job of handling the pressure and the burden and the responsibility of being the face of USA Wrestling. And I’d like to continue to do so, but this today isn’t indicative of who I am as an individual, as an athlete, and I think anyone who knows me truly understands that.
“That’s the difficult thing about this. ‘You say, ‘OK, you didn’t win gold and achieve your ultimate goal. You come back and you finish bronze.’ It’s not that easy. These guys are good. I’m still Jordan Burroughs, whether it’s in the quarterfinals or the repechage. People want to beat me and it’s a big victory for those guys.”
Burroughs said if the quarterfinal had gone differently – he scored two points late, then ran out of time – perhaps he would have gone on to the gold medal “and I wouldn’t be crying and we’d be in a different room (for the championship press conference).
“The Olympic Games is (held in) such high esteem and shame on me for thinking that what I had done would be enough. Obviously I wasn’t prepared.
“This is revealing and it’s necessary. I’ll get stronger because of it. It’s going to hurt though for a long time. I spent so much time this year promoting my personal brand. And I said I was capable of being the greatest wrestler ever. God said, ‘Prove it.’”
RIO DE JANEIRO – After his shocking elimination at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Jordan Burroughs tearfully recounted all that he lost in trying to become the greatest freestyle wrestler of all time.
It added up to much more than the two defeats in one day that cost Burroughs a second straight Olympic gold medal and doubled the loss column in his 130-4 record.
To his dismay, Burroughs missed important milestones in his children’s lives and perhaps saw his legacy slip away.
“I didn’t see my son walk for the first time,” said Burroughs, who lost in the quarterfinals of the men’s freestyle wrestling 74 kg. category Friday, erasing his gold-medal hopes, and then lost again in the repechage match that could have paved the way to the bronze medal.
“I left my wife at home with two kids in Nebraska for long periods of time to go to training camps and tournaments in foreign countries,” Burroughs said. “But she did that joyfully, not begrudgingly, because she knew on days like these I always performed. Now I feel like I let her down and I let my family down.”
Burroughs arrived in Rio as a three-time world champion and defending Olympic champion who made no secret that his goal was eventually winning three Olympic gold medals to surpass the legendary Team USA wrestler John Smith, who won four world and two Olympic titles.
“I wanted to be amongst the greats,” Burroughs said, pausing often to take deep breaths and compose himself as he gamely faced reporters. “I wanted to be a Simone Biles, Michael Phelps.
“It’s unfortunate, you watch the women’s soccer team and the women’s volleyball team and Serena (Williams) and all these amazing athletes and you think, ‘That won’t be me. I come prepared.' And then life shows you otherwise.”
Due to a random draw, the No. 1-ranked Burroughs, who came in considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the world, faced a formidable opponent in the quarterfinals. Russia’s Aniuar Geduev, ranked No. 2 in the world, defeated Burroughs 3-2, giving him a bloody cut on the forehead in the process.
Burroughs, 28, was then in the uncomfortable position of pulling for Geduev to advance to the final, which he did, putting Burroughs into the repechage. However, Burroughs lost convincingly to No. 10 Bekzod Abdurakhmonov of Uzbekistan 11-1, and suddenly the Games were over for him.
“This is supposed to be my year,” Burroughs almost whispered, a tear streaking down his cheek. “This is supposed to be my breakthrough performance, cementing me as a legend in the sport. And I almost retracted my position in the sport. It hurts me. It hurts a lot, man.”
Burroughs has been the face of USA Wrestling since winning the gold medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, thanks in part to an avid social media presence. Recently, he has touted a documentary about him called “My Name is Jordan.” His Twitter handle is @alliseeisgold.
“I had so many expectations, things that I wanted to do, records that I wanted to set, precedents that I wanted to be a part of,” Burroughs said, “and now I just feel a lot of disappointment, embarrassment, disgrace. But I let myself down most. I love the sport of wrestling because it’s a testament of your will and what you’re capable of and what you can do as a man. As nervous and afraid as I was coming into this tournament, I knew that I was equally as confident and prepared.
“And so now I face it. I face the fans. The criticism. The backlash. The trolls. I’ve always made my goals public. That’s the hard thing about being an Olympian. Your failures are public.”
Prior to Friday, Burroughs’ only loss at either an Olympic Games or world championships came in the 2014 world semifinals to three-time world champion Denis Tsargush of Russia. Burroughs was injured at that tournament, yet still wrestled back for the bronze. Then he won his third world championships gold in 2015.
Burroughs said at the London 2012 Games, just a year out of college, he was too young to know what he was getting himself into. This time, he knew. Even after marrying his wife Lauren and having two children, and becoming assistant coach at the University of Nebraska, he kept his goals in sight.
“I felt ready,” Burroughs said. “I felt good, my weight cut was good. That’s the hardest part of this. I live my lifestyle the right way. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I don’t go out and party. I’m a family man. I take care of business, I train hard, I’m an ambassador for the sport of wrestling and a lot of people were counting on me today.
“This is the pivotal moment within my career. There’s not a lot of defining moments for a young individual in life. This was going to be ultimately a catalyst for propelling me for where I wanted to do. You might say, ‘You can come back in 2020.’ My life is altered indefinitely. At some point I’ll find out why, what I did wrong, learn a lesson from this.”
Burroughs said he couldn’t even remember the last time he lost twice in one day, but it had to be 10 years, maybe longer.
“I lost a lot of things today, but my integrity and my character remain,” he said. “Until 48 hours ago, I had done a good job of handling the pressure and the burden and the responsibility of being the face of USA Wrestling. And I’d like to continue to do so, but this today isn’t indicative of who I am as an individual, as an athlete, and I think anyone who knows me truly understands that.
“That’s the difficult thing about this. ‘You say, ‘OK, you didn’t win gold and achieve your ultimate goal. You come back and you finish bronze.’ It’s not that easy. These guys are good. I’m still Jordan Burroughs, whether it’s in the quarterfinals or the repechage. People want to beat me and it’s a big victory for those guys.”
Burroughs said if the quarterfinal had gone differently – he scored two points late, then ran out of time – perhaps he would have gone on to the gold medal “and I wouldn’t be crying and we’d be in a different room (for the championship press conference).
“The Olympic Games is (held in) such high esteem and shame on me for thinking that what I had done would be enough. Obviously I wasn’t prepared.
“This is revealing and it’s necessary. I’ll get stronger because of it. It’s going to hurt though for a long time. I spent so much time this year promoting my personal brand. And I said I was capable of being the greatest wrestler ever. God said, ‘Prove it.’”
Germany clinches women's soccer gold with 2-1 win over Sweden.
In the women’s soccer gold medal match, Germany defeated Sweden 2-1.
Both teams had missed scoring opportunities in the first half.
Sweden had the first chance as Olivia Schough got on the end of the ball in the box, sending her shot over the goal.
Then in the 21st minute, Germany’s Melanie Leupolz won a header in the box, but she could not put her attempt on frame.
The best chance of the first half fell to Germany midway through the opening 45 minutes. Leonie Maier took a shot that was deflected away by Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl and the ball fell to Anja Mittag right in front of the goal. Mittag somehow was unable to get her shot on net.
The teams went into halftime scoreless.
The goals started coming early in the second half as Germany took the lead in the 48th minute. Dzsenifer Marozsan got on the ball at the top of the box and sent a curling effort just out of the reach of Lindahl to make it 1-0.
Germany doubled its lead 14 minutes later off a Sweden own goal. Marozsan struck a free kick that deflected off the post and back toward a scrum of players in the box. Swedish defender Lisa Sembrant tried to clear the ball, but she mishit her clearance and sent it into her own goal.
Sweden got one goal back in the 67th minute as substitute Stina Blackstenius slide into the box and knocked the ball into the back of the net.
Following the goal, Sweden continued to press for the equalizer, but could not find a second goal as the match ended 2-1.
With the victory, Germany wins its first Olympic women’s soccer gold medal. Sweden clinches the silver for its first Olympic medal in women’s soccer.
In the women’s soccer gold medal match, Germany defeated Sweden 2-1.
Both teams had missed scoring opportunities in the first half.
Sweden had the first chance as Olivia Schough got on the end of the ball in the box, sending her shot over the goal.
Then in the 21st minute, Germany’s Melanie Leupolz won a header in the box, but she could not put her attempt on frame.
The best chance of the first half fell to Germany midway through the opening 45 minutes. Leonie Maier took a shot that was deflected away by Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl and the ball fell to Anja Mittag right in front of the goal. Mittag somehow was unable to get her shot on net.
The teams went into halftime scoreless.
The goals started coming early in the second half as Germany took the lead in the 48th minute. Dzsenifer Marozsan got on the ball at the top of the box and sent a curling effort just out of the reach of Lindahl to make it 1-0.
Germany doubled its lead 14 minutes later off a Sweden own goal. Marozsan struck a free kick that deflected off the post and back toward a scrum of players in the box. Swedish defender Lisa Sembrant tried to clear the ball, but she mishit her clearance and sent it into her own goal.
Sweden got one goal back in the 67th minute as substitute Stina Blackstenius slide into the box and knocked the ball into the back of the net.
Following the goal, Sweden continued to press for the equalizer, but could not find a second goal as the match ended 2-1.
With the victory, Germany wins its first Olympic women’s soccer gold medal. Sweden clinches the silver for its first Olympic medal in women’s soccer.
The women's 5000m final is underway.
The Final Game As Team USA Head Coach – And A Third Gold Medal – Is In Sight For Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
RIO DE JANEIRO – The end is in sight for U.S. men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, and it could be golden.
Krzyzewski will coach his final game as the head coach of USA Basketball in the gold-medal game against Serbia at 3:45 p.m. Sunday at Carioca Arena 1 in Barra’s Olympic Park. Krzyzewski could become the first U.S. men’s basketball coach to lead teams to three Olympic gold medals.
The U.S. advanced to the gold-medal game by defeating Spain, 82-76, on Friday. With points at a premium, Klay Thompson paced the U.S. with 22, leading the team in points for the second time in three games.
DeAndre Jordan tied the U.S. Olympic record with a 16-rebound performance. He added nine points and four blocks.
“The key of the game was their defense, their athleticism, their size,” said Spain coach Sergio Scariolo. “The difference of athleticism was what made the difference. Rebounds, blocks, intimidation.”
The defense has carried the U.S. in knockout play, holding Argentina to 78 points and Spain to 76, after a trio of close games to close out group play. The 101.6 points per game scored and 21.5 per-game scoring differential are the lowest marks in the three Olympic Games Krzyzewski has coached.
The U.S. (7-0) has played three single-digit games in Rio after only two such wins in Krzyzewski’s first 16 Olympic games. The fewest points his teams had previously scored were 92 in a 23-point blowout over Greece at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
“I think it’s the most different game I’ve coached internationally for the United States,” Krzyzewski said. “It was a very hard game. It wasn’t easy flowing. Both teams had to make big plays. I thought our guys did that a little bit more than they did, and that’s why we won.”
The U.S. has won gold in five of the six Olympics since NBA players were first allowed to play at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. They won bronze and went 5-3 at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games under coach Larry Brown, which prompted a restructuring of USA Basketball.
In 2005, Jerry Colangelo was chosen as USA Basketball’s managing director and Krzyzewski was named the head coach. Krzyzewski’s national teams are on a 70-game win streak, including a 23-0 record in the Olympics, following the semifinal win over Spain.
His teams have gone 82-1 since 2005 with the lone setback a 101-95 loss to a Greece squad without any NBA players in the semifinals of the 2006 World Basketball Championships.
Krzyzewski coached the U.S. to Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012, plus world titles in 2010 and 2014. Henry Iba is the only other U.S. coach to win two Olympic gold medals, at the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games and Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games.
The gold-medal game will be the final game as the U.S. coach for Krzyzewski, who’s stepping down after a run of nearly 11 years. San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich will succeed the Duke coach.
Serbia (4-3) defeated Australia, 87-61, in a semifinal Friday night. The U.S. beat Serbia in the fourth game of group play, 94-91, after a last-second 3-point attempt by Bogdan Bogdanovic to tie the game was off the mark. Six U.S. players scored in double digits and the team made 33 of 42 free-throw attempts, while Serbia’s Nikola Jokic led all players with 25 points.
As Krzyzewski looks to close his Olympic coaching career with a third gold medal, 10 of the 12 players are looking to win their first.
“We’ve been together for maybe two months, and I feel like I know these guys and have played with these guys for my whole career,” Jordan said. “It’s a lot of guys who are great character guys and guys who get along and who want to sacrifice and adapt to win a gold medal. It’s amazing. It makes the game a lot easier.
“Now, we have an opportunity to win a gold medal. Coach has an opportunity to win his third. It’s an amazing feeling. We really want to accomplish this.”
RIO DE JANEIRO – The end is in sight for U.S. men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, and it could be golden.
Krzyzewski will coach his final game as the head coach of USA Basketball in the gold-medal game against Serbia at 3:45 p.m. Sunday at Carioca Arena 1 in Barra’s Olympic Park. Krzyzewski could become the first U.S. men’s basketball coach to lead teams to three Olympic gold medals.
The U.S. advanced to the gold-medal game by defeating Spain, 82-76, on Friday. With points at a premium, Klay Thompson paced the U.S. with 22, leading the team in points for the second time in three games.
DeAndre Jordan tied the U.S. Olympic record with a 16-rebound performance. He added nine points and four blocks.
“The key of the game was their defense, their athleticism, their size,” said Spain coach Sergio Scariolo. “The difference of athleticism was what made the difference. Rebounds, blocks, intimidation.”
The defense has carried the U.S. in knockout play, holding Argentina to 78 points and Spain to 76, after a trio of close games to close out group play. The 101.6 points per game scored and 21.5 per-game scoring differential are the lowest marks in the three Olympic Games Krzyzewski has coached.
The U.S. (7-0) has played three single-digit games in Rio after only two such wins in Krzyzewski’s first 16 Olympic games. The fewest points his teams had previously scored were 92 in a 23-point blowout over Greece at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
“I think it’s the most different game I’ve coached internationally for the United States,” Krzyzewski said. “It was a very hard game. It wasn’t easy flowing. Both teams had to make big plays. I thought our guys did that a little bit more than they did, and that’s why we won.”
The U.S. has won gold in five of the six Olympics since NBA players were first allowed to play at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. They won bronze and went 5-3 at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games under coach Larry Brown, which prompted a restructuring of USA Basketball.
In 2005, Jerry Colangelo was chosen as USA Basketball’s managing director and Krzyzewski was named the head coach. Krzyzewski’s national teams are on a 70-game win streak, including a 23-0 record in the Olympics, following the semifinal win over Spain.
His teams have gone 82-1 since 2005 with the lone setback a 101-95 loss to a Greece squad without any NBA players in the semifinals of the 2006 World Basketball Championships.
Krzyzewski coached the U.S. to Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012, plus world titles in 2010 and 2014. Henry Iba is the only other U.S. coach to win two Olympic gold medals, at the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games and Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games.
The gold-medal game will be the final game as the U.S. coach for Krzyzewski, who’s stepping down after a run of nearly 11 years. San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich will succeed the Duke coach.
Serbia (4-3) defeated Australia, 87-61, in a semifinal Friday night. The U.S. beat Serbia in the fourth game of group play, 94-91, after a last-second 3-point attempt by Bogdan Bogdanovic to tie the game was off the mark. Six U.S. players scored in double digits and the team made 33 of 42 free-throw attempts, while Serbia’s Nikola Jokic led all players with 25 points.
As Krzyzewski looks to close his Olympic coaching career with a third gold medal, 10 of the 12 players are looking to win their first.
“We’ve been together for maybe two months, and I feel like I know these guys and have played with these guys for my whole career,” Jordan said. “It’s a lot of guys who are great character guys and guys who get along and who want to sacrifice and adapt to win a gold medal. It’s amazing. It makes the game a lot easier.
“Now, we have an opportunity to win a gold medal. Coach has an opportunity to win his third. It’s an amazing feeling. We really want to accomplish this.”
Congrats to the Kenyans......Gold and Silver!
Good luck Ladies!
Yes @)
....Speed :aktion033
....Speed :aktion033
Take those Jamaicans down.....Beautiful job
