MEDAL ALERT
Ulugbek Rashitov won Uzbekistan’s first Olympic taekwondo gold medal in dramatic fashion by beating Bradly Sinden of Britain.
The 19-year-old Rashitov landed a four-point turning body kick inside the final 15 seconds to turn a two-point deficit into a two-point lead and the featherweight hung on for a 34-29 victory to claim Uzbekistan’s first-ever medal in taekwondo.
Rashitov is relatively inexperienced on the world stage but his success echoes Uzbekistan’s major strides in combat sports, including the Uzbek boxing team’s breakthrough performance in Rio de Janeiro.
Sinden fell agonizingly short of becoming Britain’s first male Olympic gold medalist in taekwondo, a popular domestic sport with an impressive list of international women’s champions. Two-time Olympic champion Jade Jones failed in her bid for a third straight gold earlier Sunday with a shocking loss to the Refugee Olympic Team’s Kimia Alizadeh.
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, wipes sweat from his brow as he competes Hugo Dellien, of Bolivia, during the tennis competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 24 in Tokyo. (AP Photo)
Intense heat and humidity could force competition schedule changes at the Tokyo Olympics and the International Olympic Committee said on Sunday it would back any such plans if needed.
Athletes across several sports have complained that competing in midday heat, where temperatures regularly hit or exceed 33 degrees Celsius (91.4°F), has hampered their performances.
High humidity has added to discomfort, and athletes have failed to find much relief from ice bags and hoses blowing cool air, part of a series of contingency measures brought in by organizers to battle the stifling heat.
Japan s Yuto Horigome wins Olympics first-ever skateboarding gold medal
TOKYO Had the first-ever Olympic skateboarding champion ridden his board out of the venue where he made history Sunday at the Tokyo Games, he quickly would have come face-to-face with clear evidence that his sport still has a way to go to winning hearts and minds.
Just a quick skate from the Ariake Urban Sports Park, next to a school, a sign reads: No skateboarding.
Good luck telling Yuto Horigome to move on. The Tokyo native now has a weighty argument that he should be left alone: a shiny gold Olympic medal won in the city where he learned to skate as a kid and honed his derring-do skills on its teeming streets where skateboarders sometimes aren t welcome.
Olympics Latest: Rashitov wins taekwondo gold at Tokyo Games
July 25, 2021
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