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Dressel brings home fifth gold in single Olympics

By Bruce Kropp Aug 1, 2021 | 8:26 AM

TOKYO (AP) — Caeleb Dressel has completed his drive for five at the Tokyo Games.

Dressel became the fifth swimmer and fourth American to win five gold medals in a single Olympics, finishing first in the 50-meter freestyle and anchoring the victorious 4×100 medley relay.

Dressel cruised to a relatively easy victory in the 50 meters with a frenetic dash from one end of the pool to the other in 21.07 seconds. He later swam the butterfly leg as the Americans set a world record in the 4×100-meter medley relay with a time of 3 minutes, 26.78 seconds.

Ryan Murphy, Michael Andrew, and Zach Apple joined Dressel on the winning team following a race the U.S. has never lost in the Olympics.

Also in Tokyo:

— Fifth-ranked tennis player Alexander Zverev of Germany has won the gold medal in men’s singles at the Olympics. Zverev beat Karen Khachanov of the Russian Olympic Committee for the biggest title of his career. It follows a comeback victory for Zverev over top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. IOC president Thomas Bach watched his fellow German win the title.

— The top-seeded Czech team of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova has won gold in women’s doubles at the Tokyo Games. The Czechs beat the Swiss team of Belinda Bencic and Viktorija Golubic. Bencic won gold in singles a day earlier by beating Czech player Marketa Vondrouova. Laura Pigossi and Luisa Stefani of Brazil took the bronze in doubles.

— Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade has added a gold medal on vault to go with the silver she earned in the all-around. Andrade put together a pair of soaring vaults to post an average of 15.083. The medals Andrade has won in Tokyo are the first and second ever for Brazil in gymnastics at the Games. American MyKayla Skinner won silver. She entered the competition after defending Olympic champion Simone Biles pulled out to focus on her mental health. Yeo Seojeong of Korea took the bronze.

— China’s Shi Tingmao has captured her second straight gold medal in women’s 3-meter springboard diving at the Tokyo Olympics. Shi romped to an easy win over teammate Wang Han with 383.50 points. Wang took the silver, while American Krysta Palmer grabbed the bronze.

— American Bobby Finke displayed a strong finishing kick in winning the grueling men’s 1,500-meter freestyle race. Just as he did in winning the 800-meter freestyle, Finke stayed closed throughout the 30-lap race and turned on the speed at the end. He touched in 14 minutes, 39.65 seconds.

— Australian Emma McKeon captured gold in the team relay to become the first female swimmer to medal in 7 events at a single Olympics. Cate Campbell closed strong on the freestyle, touching in an Olympic record of 3 minutes, 51.60 seconds to edge the two-time defending champion Americans. Abbey Weitzeil touched in 3:51.73 to give the United States a silver.

— Another American team is out at the Olympic beach volleyball tournament. A Qatari pair that is ranked No. 1 in the world beat Nick Lucena and 2008 gold medalist Phil Dalhausser 14-21, 21-19, 15-11 in the first round of knockout play. The U.S. women’s team of Sarah Sponcil and Kelly Claes also lost in three sets after winning the first set.

— American Hannah Roberts was a silver medalist in BMX freestyle’s Olympic debut, an event won by Britain’s Charlotte Worthington. Worthington crashed on her first run, but pulled out all the stops in her second, delivering the first-ever 360 backflip in the competition.

— China’s Gong Lijiao has won her first Olympic gold medal in the shot put with a personal best of 20.58 meters. Raven Saunders of the United States took the silver medal with 19.79.

— U.S. gymnast Simone Biles has pulled out of the individual floor exercise. That leaves her with only the balance beam for a chance to come away with a medal at the Olympics. Biles hasn’t competed since withdrawing during the team event last weekend.

— Americans Sarah Sponcil and Kelly Claes are out of the beach volleyball tournament after a three-set loss to Canada in the knockout round opener. Heather Bansley and Brandie Wilkerson beat the U.S., 22-24, 21-18, 15-13.

— A Qatari beach volleyball pair that is ranked No. 1 in the world ousted Nick Lucena and 2008 gold medalist Phil Dalhausser 14-21, 21-19, 15-11 in the first round of knockout play.

— Aidan Walsh has been forced out of his semifinal bout at the Tokyo Olympics after the Irish welterweight injured his ankle while celebrating his quarterfinal victory.

— Artem Dolgopyat won Israel’s first-ever Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics. Dolgopyat captured gold in the men’s floor exercise by edging Rayderley Zapata of Spain on a tiebreak.

— The president of the Russian Olympic Committee says his team’s medals are the “best answer” to critics who questioned why Russian athletes were allowed to compete following doping scandals. Stanislav Pozdnyakov says critics “supposed that as a matter of fact, our athletes can’t compete without doping.” But he says that Russian athletes in Tokyo “proved the opposite not just with words but with their deeds and results.” Russian athletes have won 38 medals in Tokyo, 11 of them gold.

— Tokyo Olympics organizers say they have banished six people, including two silver medalists from the country of Georgia, for breaking rules designed to protect against COVID-19 cases. The other four were accredited contractors from Britain and the United States arrested for allegedly using cocaine before the Games opened.

— Korean shooter Song Jong-Ho has been disqualified from men’s 25-meter rapid fire pistol for failing velocity testing at a post-competition check.