(TOKYO) — Each day, ABC News will give you a roundup of key Olympic moments from the day’s events in Tokyo, happening 13 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time. After a 12-month delay, the unprecedented 2020 Summer Olympics is taking place without fans or spectators and under a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. beach volleyball takes home the gold
U.S. beach volleyball players April Ross and Alix Klineman beat Australia 21-15, 21-16 to win the gold medal and complete the set of Olympic medals for April Ross, who won a silver in 2012 and a bronze in 2016.
In the last 48 hours, the U.S. has faced Australia in the women’s basketball quarterfinals, the men’s basketball semifinals, the women’s soccer bronze medal game and the beach volleyball gold medal game. The U.S. has won every match.
U.S. women’s basketball advances to gold medal game
The United States women’s basketball team beat Serbia 79-59 in the semifinals and will advance to the gold medal game. The effort was led by Brittney Griner, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds. The team is after its seventh consecutive gold medal and will take on the winner of Japan and France, who play later this morning.
COVID-19 cases at Olympics rise to 387, Tokyo hits record high again
There were 29 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday. No new cases involved athletes. The total now stands at 387, according to data released by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.
The surrounding city of Tokyo reported 4,515 new cases on Friday, a new record for the second straight day. The seven-day average increased by 152.7%, according to data from the Tokyo metropolitan government.
Belarusian coaches removed from Olympics
The International Olympic Committee announced it was investigating the actions of Artur Shimak and Yury Maisevich surrounding the incident with sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya. The two coaches had their credentials canceled and were removed from the Olympics.
The incident started when Tsimanouskaya criticized her coaches on social media. She was quickly removed from her event and taken to the airport against her will to depart for Belarus. Tsimanouskaya said team officials intimated she would face punishment upon her return and, fearing for her safety, she hailed airport police.
Tsimanouskaya was granted a humanitarian visa at the Polish embassy in Tokyo and is currently in Poland.
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