TOKYO — Chase Kalisz led a medal haul by the powerhouse American team at the Olympic pool, taking gold Sunday in the men’s 400-meter individual medley.
There was room for others to shine, as well.
Host Japan claimed its first swimming gold, and Tunisia also got a stint atop the medal podium.
Kalisz was the first U.S. medal winner of the Tokyo Games, and Jay Litherland made it a 1-2 finish for the Americans by rallying on the freestyle leg to claim the silver. Brendon Smith of Australia earned the bronze.
Kieran Smith grabbed another medal for the American men with bronze in the 400 freestyle. Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui was the surprising winner from lane eight, while Australia’s Jack McLoughlin settled for silver after leading much of the race.
The American women also did their part. Japan’s Yui Ohashi won gold in the women’s 400 IM with a dynamic breaststroke leg, but two Americans were right in her wake.
Emma Weyant earned the silver, while the bronze went to Hali Flickinger.
U.S. women’s soccer rebounds from opening loss with 6-1 win over New Zealand
SAITAMA, Japan — After a stunning loss in the opener, the U.S. women’s soccer team vowed to be ruthless against New Zealand.
And they rebounded in a big way.
The Americans cruised to a 6-1 rout of New Zealand in front of First Lady Jill Biden at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
With the United States leading 2-0 at the break, Biden arrived in time to watch the team put the game away in the second half at Saitama Stadium.
The United States was blanked by Sweden 3-0 in the opener. It was the team’s first loss since January 2019 and snapped a 44-game unbeaten streak. The Americans had not been held scoreless since 2017.
But the Americans vowed to regain control of the tournament. Defender Kelley O’Hara said the United States needed to be “ruthless” against New Zealand.
“Sweden was a very good team and we didn’t play our best, and when you do that up against a top opponent, they’re going to punish you. So that wasn’t our best performance,” Crystal Dunn said. “I think we came into Game 2 knowing that we don’t go from being a really great team two days ago to not being a great team anymore.”
Naohisa Takato claims Japan’s first gold with win in judo
TOKYO — Naohisa Takato spent the past five years fixated on a vision.
He saw himself standing on the podium at the Nippon Budokan alongside Funa Tonaki with judo gold medals around their necks, basking in the cheers of their adoring home crowd on the opening night of the Tokyo Olympics.
When the moment finally arrived, Takato had the gold, but he wasn’t joined by Tonaki or the fans.
The feisty judoka still felt the virtual love from a nation that just might warm up to these trouble-plagued Tokyo Games after watching his brilliance in Japan’s beloved, homegrown martial art.
Takato won Japan’s first gold medal at its home Olympics, beating Taiwan’s Yang Yung-wei in the men’s 60-kilogram judo final to cap a series of dramatic victories that could erase some of his nation’s profound ambivalence about these trouble-plagued games.
Kosovo hails Distria Krasniqi’s gold in judo at Tokyo Games
PRISTINA, Kosovo — The whole of Kosovo celebrated Saturday after Distria Krasniqi won the Olympic gold medal in judo, the second-ever Olympic medal for the tiny western Balkan country that became independent only 13 years ago.
Krasniqi beat Funa Tonaki of Japan in the women’s 48-kilogram judo final at the Tokyo Games.
In 2016, Majlinda Kelmendi became the first Kosovar athlete to win a medal at the Olympic Games when she claimed gold in the women’s 52-kg category in Rio de Janeiro.
After winning, Krasniqi was quoted by Kosovo’s public television RTK as saying: “This medal goes to my country, my family, to all those who supported me … It has been a very difficult fight against the Japanese because Japan has the best judo in the world.”
President Vjosa Osmani congratulated the 25-year-old athlete.
“Through Distria today, Kosovo excelled to the world. Today and forever Kosovo will be proud of you,” Osmani wrote on Facebook.
Osterman pitches U.S. softball over Mexico for 3-0 start
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Turned down for a job in the U.S. coaching pool in 2016 after she retired as a player, Cat Osterman found she was not angry.
“I had to do a gut check,” she said. “If I’m not upset about not being selected, why do I want to be in the coaching pool? And then if I don’t want to be in the coaching pool, why is that?”
So she’s back in the Olympics at age 38, and not just throwing but dominating.
Osterman pitched six innings of one-hit ball and Monica Abbott struck out the side in the seventh, helping the top-ranked U.S. shut out No. 5 Mexico 2-0 on Saturday.
Ali Aguilar provided a two-run single in the third that was just enough for the Americans to improve to 3-0 as the country tries to regain the Olympic gold medal.
“I’m here so they can win a gold medal because I already have one,” said Osterman, the last player remaining from the 2004 champions. “I want to see how they feel and how they react after we are able to possibly do that.”
Positive COVID test knocks DeChambeau out of the Olympics
KAWAGOE, Japan — Bryson DeChambeau tested positive for COVID-19 before leaving the United States for the Olympics and will miss the Tokyo Games. He’ll be replaced by Patrick Reed.
DeChambeau, last year’s U.S. Open champion, becomes the highest-profile athlete to test positive for the virus. He said he was “deeply disappointed not to be able to compete in the Olympics for Team USA.”
Reed was scheduled to undergo testing Sunday and Monday to clear himself to compete in Tokyo. The the first round at the Kasumigaseki Country Club is set for Thursday.