Rose wins first Olympic golfing gold since 1904
RIO DE JANEIRO – Justin Rose won the first golfing gold medal at the Olympics in 112 years Sunday, beating Henrik Stenson by two strokes, and Simone Biles added a third gold in gymnastics, capturing the women’s vault title.
Usain Bolt became the first person to win three straight Olympic 100-meter titles, blowing down the straightaway in 9.81 seconds for his seventh overall Olympic gold.
American Justin Gatlin, Bolt’s closest pursuer over the past four years, finished second, .08 seconds behind. Andre de Grasse of Canada won the bronze.
Bolt came into the Olympics not having run a 100 since June 30, when he pulled out of Jamaican national championships with a bad left hamstring.
The rehab began immediately, and on a muggy Sunday night in Rio, the shining star of track and field showed no signs of distress.
After a typically clunky burst out of the starting block, he started pulling away from Gatlin with about 30 meters left.
He’s not done. Qualifying for the men’s 200, his favorite race, starts Tuesday, with the relay on Friday.
In the golf competition, as Rose’s birdie putt on the 18th green fell into the cup, the 36-year-old thrust his fist into the air and popped the British crest on his shirt before embracing Stenson.
Klay Thompson ended an Olympic-long slump with 30 points, and the U.S. needed almost all of them to hold off France 100-97 in basketball. It was the third straight close call for the favorites, who are looking as beatable as ever under coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain beat Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina for his second consecutive Olympic singles tennis gold medal. His 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory halted the resurgent run of the 141st-ranked del Potro, who knocked off No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the first round and No. 3 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.
Among many other embarrassments are empty seats, long lines and green water in some of the Olympic pools.
Synchronized swimmers were greeted Sunday by clear blue water in the pool after officials worked through the night to replace the murky green water that prompted competitors to dub it “The Swamp.”
Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock won the Olympic tennis title in mixed doubles, denying Venus Williams a record fifth gold medal.
Other highlights from Day 9:
Sumgong’s sidestep: Jemima Jelagat Sumgong had to evade a protester on her way to delivering Kenya’s first gold in Rio, one which may have been saved by the swift intervention of security forces with a kilometer to go in the women’s marathon. A man leapt over the railings waving a sign and two police motor bikes instantly cut him off.
Nomadic Neymar: Brazil’s men’s soccer team, led by superstar Neymar, has arrived in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil played in Brasilia, Salvador and Sao Paulo. Soccer is the only competition that is played outside of the Olympic host city. Seeking its first soccer gold medal, Brazil plays Honduras in the semifinals Wednesday at the Maracana Stadium.
Wrestling with wrestling?: Shinobu Ota of Japan stunned seven-time Greco-Roman world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Hamid Soryan of Iran 5-4. The world’s oldest sport has undergone major changes. Matches now feature two 3-minute periods with cumulative scoring instead of the best-of-three format that could be a snooze.
Choppy waters: While worries about water pollution marked the run-up to the Rio Games, it was really the whipping wind that stirred up trouble during Olympic rowing. For the first time since 1996, the Olympic regatta was not held in a purpose-built lake, but a natural lagoon that left rowers exposed to the elements in new ways.
Japanese jamboree: Kei Nishikori gave Japan its first Olympic tennis medal in 86 years, overcoming a mid-match lull to beat 2008 champion Rafael Nadal for the bronze in men’s singles. Nishikori won the third-place match 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-3 after blowing a 5-2 lead in the second set. Nadal leaves Brazil with a gold medal from men’s doubles for Spain.
Golden Max: Max Whitlock delivered Britain’s first gold medal in gymnastics – but he wasn’t able to savor the moment. He had to quickly turn his attention from the floor exercise to the pommel horse competition. He won gold there, too.