Irie makes boxing history for Japan, Walker shocks Mirzakhalilov

Fiji continued their Olympic males’s rugby sevens dominance with a 27-12 win over New Zealand to retain the title they received at Rio 2016.

Their shorter-form rugby success represents their second gold in Video games historical past, with Fiji’s sevens crew but to lose on the Olympics after extending their unbeaten run to 12 video games.

In April, COVID-19 compelled the Fiji squad into isolation within the capital Suva earlier than travelling to Australia in June for a pre-Video games warm-up match.

Head coach Gareth Baber revealed some gamers, who had by no means been on a airplane earlier than nor performed at an elite degree, had not seen their households in “practically 20 weeks”.

“We locked them down for 5 months, principally,” Baber stated. “They got here right into a coaching camp on Easter Monday pondering they have been going again on the Friday, and on the Tuesday they have been advised they could not return and haven’t seen their households since. That takes a particular type of individual to make that dedication.

“We have been successfully locked up in a Christian hostel. We constructed a gymnasium, principally within the storage of the hostel, and we have been there for about 12 weeks.

“In reality, when the gamers return and do their quarantine, it would have been about 20 weeks since they have been final with their households.”

Gold medal winner Asaeli Tuivuaka, whose strive sealed the all-important last win, additionally spoke of the sacrifices concerned for the sevens success.

“This gold medal is particular to me. Again at house, their sacrifice and prayer motivated me by way of every part,” Tuivuaka stated. “I didn’t see them, solely spoke to them on the cellphone, and that’s why it’s significant to me.

“I’ve not seen my household for months. They’re praying for me, they provide me quite a lot of encouragement to maintain on shifting ahead in order that I could be right here right now.

Runners-up New Zealand claimed their first medal in a males’s rugby occasion on the Video games, although Nice Britain misplaced out to Argentina, who claimed their first medal of the Olympics, for bronze.

ZHIYONG BREAKS OWN WORLD RECORD

China’s Shi Zhiyong broke his personal world report to safe gold within the males’s 73kg weightlifting occasion.

The three-time world champion turns into the second weightlifter, after Waldemar Baszanowski in 1964 and 1968, to win back-to-back titles on the Video games within the light-weight class, given his earlier gold within the 69kg at Rio 2016.

“I ready 5 years for Olympics so I actually need to carry out at the most effective,” Zhiyong defined in Mandarin. “So if I did not make to interrupt my very own report, only a gold medal, I’d really feel remorse.

“I need myself to interrupt the report within the Olympics… Despite the fact that I did not make the 192kg [on my first attempt], I’m nonetheless assured that I am fairly certain I’m going to interrupt my report so I did the 198.”

A 166kg raise within the snatch achieved an Olympic report earlier than a 198kg clear and jerk took his whole to 364kg – one kilo greater than his earlier world report.

HASHIMOTO CONTINUES JAPAN’S GYMNASTIC DOMINANCE

Daiki Hashimoto captured a 3rd straight males’s gymnastics all-around title for Japan as he adopted up Kohei Uchimura’s back-to-back victories at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Throughout all six occasions, the 19-year-old totalled 88.465 to win gold by a whisker, with China’s Ruoteng Xiao and Russia’s pre-event favorite Nikita Nagornyy, the reigning world and European champions, successful silver and bronze respectively.

Hashimoto, who might solely handle third behind Nagornyy’s Russians within the crew occasion on Monday, was in third once more earlier than a near-flawless routine gained 14.993 factors to place him prime.

Japan additionally claimed extra gold in judo as Chizuru Arai defeated Austria’s Michaela Polleres to convey the host nation its eighth judo medal of the Video games to date.

LATVIA AND USA CLAIM FIRST EVER 3X3 BASKETBALL TITLES

The USA dictated proceedings all through the five-day girls’s match, successful 9 video games and shedding just one as they etched their names in basketball historical past with the primary ever 3×3 Olympic basketball triumph.

Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Grey, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Younger did the exhausting yards early earlier than securing an 18-5 victory over the Russian Olympic Committee within the debut of 3-on-3 basketball on the Video games.

Within the males’s version, Latvia have been the primary winners as Karlis Lasmanis’ two-point shot with 28 seconds left clinched a 21-18 win over the Russian Olympic Committee.

Although, basketball fanatics really feel the true winner of the three-aside debut occasion is the game itself.

“I feel it should continue to grow,” the USA coach Kara Lawson stated. “I feel it is bought a terrific future world wide, it is quite a lot of enjoyable to play. Being an Olympic sport now, there’s extra converts in all probability than we have ever seen earlier than.”

SOUTH KOREA’S KIM MAKES EMPHATIC RETURN

Fencer Kim Jung-Hwan received gold at London 2012 however stop the game earlier than making a comeback from retirement in 2019.

After taking bronze within the males’s particular person sabre on Saturday, the 37-year-old might have felt destiny wouldn’t be on his aspect.

Nevertheless, Kim was a part of South Korea’s crew that received the boys’s sabre on Wednesday as they coasted previous Italy 45-26 in a one-sided last to defend their London 2012 title – after the self-discipline didn’t characteristic at Rio 2016.

Kim additionally turns into the primary Asian fencer to assert 4 Olympic medals within the subject, whereas Italy’s silver medal mirrored a record-extending twenty first Olympic medal within the males’s crew sabre occasion.