Sports

(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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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 8, Boston 1
LA Angels 5, Texas 0
Toronto 3, Cleveland 0
NY Yankees 5, Seattle 3
Kansas City 3, Chi White Sox 2
Minnesota 5, Houston 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami 4, NY Mets 2
Colorado 6, Chi Cubs 5
San Francisco 5, Arizona 4
Philadelphia 7, Washington 6
Cincinnati 7, Pittsburgh 4
Atlanta 8, St. Louis 4

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Pittsburgh 16, Dallas 3

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(HOUSTON) — J.R. Richard, a Houston Astros legend, has died at the age of 71, the team announced Thursday. 

Richard played ten years for the team and struck out 600 batters, but had his career cut short by a stroke in 1980. 

During his career, Richard had a 107-71 record with a 3.15 ERA. In 1979, he struck out 313 batters. That record stood until Gerrit Cole surpassed it in 2019. 

“Today is a sad day for the Houston Astros as we mourn the loss of one of our franchise icons, J.R. Richard,” the Astros said Thursday. “J.R. will forever be remembered as an intimidating figure on the mound and as one of the greatest pitchers in club history. He stood shoulder to shoulder with club icons Larry Dierker, Joe Niekro and Nolan Ryan, to form a few of the best rotations in club history. Sadly, his playing career was cut short by health issues, but his ten years in an Astros uniform stand out as a decade of excellence. We send our heartfelt condolences to J.R.’s wife, Lula, his family, friends and countless fans and admirers.”

On the franchise’s all-time list, Richards ranks third in ERA and strikeouts, fourth in complete games, and fifth in wins and shutouts. 

He was elected to the team’s inaugural Astros Hall of Fame in 2019.

“I’ve known J.R. for a long time,” said Enos Cabell, an Astros teammate, said in a statement. “In the Minor Leagues, I played against him and then we were teammates with the Astros for many years. He was one of the greatest pitchers we ever had and probably would have been in the Hall of Fame if his career was not cut short. On the mound, he was devastating and intimidating. Nobody wanted to face him. Guys on the other team would say that they were sick to avoid facing him. This is very sad news. He will be missed.”

In 1980, Richard was named the National League’s starting pitcher in the All-Star game. He suffered a stroke on July 30th.

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(BARCELONA) — Soccer star Lionel Messi will not be staying at FC Barcelona, the club announced Tuesday. 

“Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations),” the club said in a statement.

Messi’s contract ended after the season and has been a free agent since. 

“FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life,” the club said. 

The Argentine national has spent his entire 17 year career with Barcelona winning ten La Liga titles, 4 Champion’s league titles, and scored 474 goals in 464 appearance’s. 

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(ATLANTA) — The SEC has agreed to extend commissioner Greg Sankey’s contract through at least 2026, the conference announced Thursday. 

Sankey has been at the helm of the SEC since 2015. 

“College athletics is in the midst of a transformational period, and the SEC is fortunate to have a highly impactful leader to guide us forward at this critical time in our history,” said Jere Morehead, President of the University of Georgia and current President of the SEC, in a statement. “He has effectively introduced change and advancement for the conference while respecting the institutional traditions that make the SEC unique. His leadership and ability to foster collaboration through the COVID-19 pandemic helped establish a framework for all of college sports, and those leadership skills will be critical as we move forward with change in the years ahead.”

The extension comes just days after the conference welcomed the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma to the conference in 2025. 

“I am grateful for the support of the SEC’s presidents and chancellors, and for the continuing opportunity to serve our universities while supporting the student-athletes of the Southeastern Conference,” said Sankey in a statement. “We are in the midst of a time of change for college athletics, and I look forward to working with the SEC’s campus leaders to identify a path forward that will sustain the incredible success of our Conference and provide opportunities for young people to grow academically and challenge themselves athletically.”

During the 2020-2021 academic year, nine SEC team’s won national championships. Since being named commissioner in 2015, 32 SEC teams have won national titles. 

Sankey came to the SEC in 2002 as the Associate Commissioner for Governance, Enforcement, and Compliance. He was promoted to the Executive Associate Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer for the league office in 2012.

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(NEW YORK) — Former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III will join ESPN as a college football analyst this fall, according to a report byFront Office Sports.

He could also contribute to ESPN’s NFL coverage, according to the report.

The former Baylor star was drafted second overall by Washington in the 2012 draft and started 28 of 32 games his first two seasons before injuries derailed his career. Griffin threw for 6,403 yards and 36 touchdowns his first two seasons.

Griffin, who is a free agent, spent the past three seasons with Baltimore, appearing in 14 games and starting two.

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(NEW YORK) — New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has agreed to a four-year, $117 million contract extension, his agents told ESPN. 

The extension includes a player option in 2025-2026, according to ESPN. 

Randle was named the NBA’s most improved player and a second-team All-NBA selection after averaging 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists last season. 

He led the Knicks to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. As the fourth seed, the Knicks lost to fifth the fifth-seeded Hawks 4-1. 

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(TOKYO) — Team USA’s Matthew Centrowitz, the defending Olympic champion in the men’s 1500, will not repeat after failing to make it out of the semifinal round in Tokyo. 

Centrowitz became the first American to win the men’s 1500 since 1908 during the 2016 Rio games. He won in 3:50.00, the slowest 1500 meter final since 1932. 

Centrowitz finished ninth, 3:33.69, in a blistering fast second semifinal, which saw the Olympic 1500 meter record fall with Kenya’s Abel Kipsang taking the win in 3:31.65. 

Team USA’s Cole Hocker made the final after finished second in the first semifinal with a time of 3:33.87. 

Hocker edged out Centrowitz to win the USA trials. 

The final will be at 7:40 am ET on Saturday.

Finalists

1. Kenya’s Abel Kipsang: 3:31.65 
2. Norway’s Jacob Ingrebristen: 3:32.13 
3. Great Britan’s Josh Kerr: 3:32.18 
4. Spain’s Adel Mechall: 3:32.19
5. Australia’s Stewart McSweyrn: 3:32.54
6. Great Britain’s Jake Heyward: 3:32.82
7. Luxembourg’s Charles Grethen: 3:32.86
8. Great Britain’s Jake Wightman: 3:33.48
9. Team USA’s Cole Hocker: 3:33.87
10. Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot: 3:33.95 
11. Australia’s Oliver Hoare: 3:34.35
12. Spain’s Ignacio Fontes: 3:34.49
13. Poland’s Michael Rozmy: 3:54.53* Advanced To Next Round By Referee

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(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 Standard 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.

Sydney McLaughlin wins gold, sets a new world record in 400m hurdles

Team USA’s Sydney McLaughlin set a new world record of 51.46 seconds for the 400m hurdles and picked up the gold medal along the way. She was congratulated by teammate Dalilah Muhammad who won the silver in the event.

The previous world record for the men’s 400m hurdles was also smashed yesterday by Norway’s Karsten Warholm.

U.S. women’s basketball heads to semifinals, win streak extended to 53

The United States women’s basketball team has now won 53 straight games at the Olympics, a streak extending from the 1992 Olympic Games. Team USA defeated Australia 79-55 in an effort led by Breanna Stewart with 23 points.

USA baseball sets sights on gold after 3-1 win over Dominica

The U.S. baseball team beat the Dominican Republic 3-1 to stay in the hunt for gold. Triston Casas hit his third home run of the Olympic Games and Team USA will play the loser of Japan-South Korea next on Thursday.

COVID-19 cases at Tokyo Olympics rise to 327

There were 28 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday, including four athletes, three of whom were staying at the Olympic Village at the time of the positive test. The total now stands at 327, according to data released by the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee.

The surrounding city of Tokyo reported 4,166 new cases on Tuesday, a seven-day average increase of 178.0%, according to data from the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Allyson Felix one step closer to making history

U.S. sprinter Allyson Felix finished second in her heat and advanced to the semifinals of the women’s 400m, putting her one step closer to reaching a record 10 Olympic gold medals.

If Felix wins the 400m, she would have the record for most gold medals of any female track and field athlete with 10. If she also wins the 4x400m relay, she would surpass legend Carl Lewis with the most track and field gold medals ever. The Tokyo Games are the fifth Olympics for the 35-year-old track star.

Japan extends domination in skateboarding events

Japan’s Sakura Yosozumi won the gold in the first ever Olympic skateboarding park event, followed by 12-year-old Kokona Hiraki, Japan’s youngest medalist.

For more Olympics coverage, see: https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/Olympics

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(INDIANAPOLIS) — Indianapolis Colts left guard Quenton Nelson will have foot surgery Tuesday afternoon, head coach Frank Reich announced on Tuesday. 

It is the same procedure that starting quarterback Carson Wentz had on Monday. 

Reich said this injury was likely something Nelson was born with, unlike Wentz, who had a high school foot injury.

Nelson will be out 5-12 weeks, the same length as Wentz. 

The third-year pro has been named an All-Pro each year of his career. He is the fifth player in the past 50 years to achieve that feat.

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