Fiji ensures first Olympic medal, now aims for gold (Yahoo Sports) The Fiji rugby sevens squad has secured the country's first Olympic medal, achieving the first target the world series champions set for Rio. Fiji beat tournament upstart Japan 20-5 in the semifinals to secure the medal and will play later Thursday against Britain, aiming to make it gold. The Fijians had too much size and … [Read more...]

Olympics-Cycling-Britain set Olympic record in team sprint qualifying (Reuters) (Adds quote, detail) RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Britain set a new Olympic men's team sprint record to top qualifying as action started at the velodrome on Thursday, edging out world champions New Zealand. The trio Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner clocked 42.562 seconds for the three laps to … [Read more...]

Olympics-Where did the crowd go? Rio organizers battle empty seats (Reuters) There was no surprise in the score: Talita Rocha and Larissa Franca won in straight sets. The surprise was that the arena on Copacabana beach was only about 70 percent full. For a sport in which Brazil has a storied tradition, played in a stunning venue with a view over the Atlantic, the empty seats are a major … [Read more...]

Star Belgian sailor takes sick after racing on polluted bay (Yahoo Sports) A Belgian woman who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics has become sick after racing on polluted Guanabara Bay, the first sailor to fall ill from the waters that were subject to great scrutiny leading to the Rio Games. Evi Van Acker reported feeling sick after Wednesday's races, the governing body World Sailing … [Read more...]

Olympics-Police release Namibian boxer accused of attempted sex assault (Reuters) A Namibian boxer who was accused of attempting to sexually assault a maid at the Olympic Village has been released and is free to compete, a spokesman for the Rio 2016 organizers said on Thursday. Jonas Junius, who is competing in the light welterweight division and was the flagbearer for his country at the … [Read more...]

HIGHLIGHTS-Olympics-Day six at the Rio Olympics (Reuters) RIO DE JANEIRO Aug 11 (Reuters) - Latest news from the sixth day of competition at the Rio Olympics on Thursday (all times GMT): 1236 CHOI THROUGH TO ARCHERY QUARTER-FINALS South Korea's Choi Mi-sun, the world number one in recurve, battled past Russia's Inna Stepanova 7-3 to move into the quarter-finals of the women's individual … [Read more...]

Kazakh weightlifter wins gold, sparks more doping concerns (Yahoo Sports) Nijat Rahimov of Kazakhstan was a surprise gold medalist in weightlifting on Wednesday, but immediately faced questions over doping. Rahimov, who only returned from a doping ban last year, and the rest of Kazakhstan's team had almost been excluded from the Rio Olympics entirely after repeated failures in retests of … [Read more...]

Blood and guts: Olympic boxers dealing with facial cuts (The Associated Press) Olympic boxing is bloody again. Algerian middleweight Ilyas Abbadi was unsure how he got the 1 1/2-inch gash outside his left eye during his victory over Congo's Mpi Ngamissengue on Tuesday, but blood trickled down his face during the bout. ''Now I know the value of the headgear,'' Abbadi said through a … [Read more...]

Katie Ledecky wins 3rd gold medal with dominating relay swim (Yahoo Sports) Katie Ledecky was the fastest swimmer in the pool, and she brought her American teammates along for the ride. The 19-year-old turned in another overpowering performance to carry the United States to victory in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, capturing her third gold and fourth medal overall at the Rio Olympics. … [Read more...]

Olympic cyclists go out with time trial gold medals (The Associated Press) Fabian Cancellara couldn't imagine competing at the highest level of cycling another eight years, which is how long it would take him to match American rider Kristin Armstrong's longevity. The 35-year-old Cancellara confirmed he is sticking with his plan to retire this season after winning the gold medal in the … [Read more...]