In her final Olympic race, Allyson Felix has become the most decorated American track and field athlete of all time.
On Saturday, Felix cemented her legendary status as she nabbed her 11th Olympic medal in the 4×400-meter relay to surpass the 10 medals won by Carl Lewis.
Felix ran the second leg of the relay in which a superstar U.S. team crushed the international field in 3:16.85 — the fifth-fastest time in history — to cross the line in first place.
The star-studded relay squad consisted of Felix, 400m hurdle-winner Sydney McLaughlin, 400m hurdle-runner-up Dalilah Muhammad, and 800m champion Athing Mu. Together, they successfully preserved an American winning streak in the event that has been unbroken since 1996.
🥇 for the United States of America! 🇺🇸
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 7, 2021
The US quartet dominates the women's 4x400m in 3:16.85 – the fifth fastest time in history – and are the #Tokyo2020 champions.
Their unofficial splits are unreal 🤯@GoSydGo 49.96@allysonfelix 49.58
Dalilah Muhammad 48.97@athiiing 48.34 pic.twitter.com/AFHFUHG1eW
The 35-year-old Felix won bronze in the 400 meters on Friday with a time of 49.46 seconds to bring her total medal count to 10.
With Felix already stating that Tokyo will be her final Games, the American legend ensured that her last race as an Olympian was both memorable and historic.
THE MOST DECORATED AMERICAN TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE OF ALL TIME 🐐
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 7, 2021
With a gold in the women's 4x400m relay, Allyson Felix wins her 11th Olympic medal, passing Carl Lewis for the most by a runner. pic.twitter.com/KO3FSDpseX
Molly Seidel, the 27-year-old American, had only run two marathons before arriving to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. But on Friday night, Seidel pulled off a historic upset and is leaving Japan with a bronze medal.
Seidel’s bronze makes her only the third American woman to medal in the Olympic marathon ever — which includes storied distance runners Deena Kastor and Joan Benoit Samuelson.
Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir took gold in 2:27:20, while world record holder Brigid Kosgei won the silver in 2:27:36. Siedel was close behind and let out a well-deserved scream as she crossed the line in 2:27:46 to round out the Olympic podium.
HEAR. HER. ROAR.@ByGollyMolly12 x #TokyoOlympics
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2021
📺 NBC
💻 https://t.co/KUtVmoSGW5
📱 NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/bLWs7lJK06
Seidel finished second at the U.S. Olympic trials in February 2020 in her first-ever competitive marathon, behind her teammate Aliphine Tuliamuk, who dropped out of the Olympic race because of an injury.
In a post-race interview, Seidel was overcome with a mix of exhaustion and emotion after seeing her family celebrate.
“I’m so tired,” said Seidel. “Please, please drink a beer for me!”
"I'm so tired. Please drink a beer for me!"
— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) August 7, 2021
Olympic marathon bronze medalist @ByGollyMolly12 has one post-race request for her family 🍻#OlympicHERstory | #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/lRhpWA0XKj
Following the marathon, several legendary distance runners and fellow Olympians sent their congratulations to Seidel on social media.
Way.
— Deena Kastor (@DeenaKastor) August 6, 2021
To.
Go.
Molly.
🇺🇸
Olympic marathon medalist!#TokyoOlympics
MOLLY 🤬 SIDEL!!!! Omg, one of the absolute honors of my life to call that race. @ByGollyMolly12 you are an inspiration for the ages!!! Cheers!! 🍻
— Kara Goucher (@karagoucher) August 6, 2021
“It takes 10 years to become an overnight success.” - marathoners
— des_linden (@des_linden) August 6, 2021
“Hold my beer.” - Molly Seidel #TeamUSA
Following Canada’s historic Olympic gold-medal win, veteran striker Christine Sinclair had a heartfelt message for Sweden’s Caroline Seger.
Seger had a chance to win the championship game for the Swedes, but she skied her penalty kick over the crossbar.
Julia Grosso subsequently converted hers for Canada, sealing the 3-2 shootout win after 120 minutes wasn’t enough to decide the outcome.
“I had the honor of playing with Seger in New York, we actually lived together,” Sinclair told reporters after the game. “She’s one of my friends, and my heart breaks for her. She’s done so much for soccer in Sweden. … My heart hurts for her.”
Sinclair: "I had the honor of playing with Seger in New York, we actually lived together. She's one of my friends and my heart breaks for her. She's done so much for soccer in Sweden. ... My heart hurts for her."
— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) August 6, 2021
“I hope that we’ll see some investment in the women’s game. I think it’s time Canada gets a professional league or some professional teams,” Sinclair continued. “And if a gold medal and three Olympic medals doesn’t do that, nothing will, so I think it’s time for Canada to step up.”
Sinclair: "I hope that we'll see some investment in the women's game. I think it's time Canada gets a professional league or some professional teams. And if a gold medal and three Olympic medals doesn't do that nothing will, so I think it's time for Canada to step up."
— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) August 6, 2021
When asked if Sweden’s silver medal was an opportunity lost, coach Peter Gerhardsson said: “Football isn’t history. It isn’t a tale; it’s nothing like that; it’s reality. And reality is brutal.”
“When we were in France [in 2019] and won the bronze medal, we won the last game and we were happy for that,” Gerhardsson went on to say. “Today, after a silver medal, I don’t myself get the same feeling. Silver is more than bronze, but my feelings today [are] not that way.”
Read Gerhardsson’s full quote here:
Full quote from Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson regarding the disappointment of the loss in the #Olympics gold-medal game. pic.twitter.com/eOMjkL0BrZ
— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) August 6, 2021
Rui Machida has quickly become the breakout star of the women’s Olympic basketball tournament.
The 28-year-old has magnificently propelled her host nation of Japan to the Olympic gold-medal game for the first time in the team’s history where they will square off against a legendary U.S. team.
Machida, who also competed for Japan in the 2016 Rio Olympics, set the Olympic record for assists in a single game Friday, recording 18 in Japan’s 87-71 semifinal win over France.
町田瑠唯!最高!この言葉しか出てきません!#東京2020 | #バスケットボール
— FIBA | #Basketball #Tokyo2020 (@FIBA) August 6, 2021
🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵
Rui Machida. That's it. That's the tweet.#Tokyo2020 | #Basketball pic.twitter.com/Ut8kJePZC0
Japan lost to Team USA in group-stage play, but only after the host country scored 30 points in the first quarter and put up a fight in defeat. Machida recorded 11 assists during the contest.
Machida’s Japan and the U.S. will meet again in the gold-medal game on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The National Women’s Hockey League has released the details for the 2021-22 regular season, the seventh season in league history.
Teams will play a total of 60 games over a 19-week period, with all six teams competing a total of 20 times. Each team will have 10 home and 10 away contests, with four games against each opponent.
The first puck is set to drop on Saturday, Nov. 6, launching a big opening weekend with every team in action.
The opening games include a rematch of the Isobel Cup Championship final between the Boston Pride and the visiting Minnesota Whitecaps. Also that weekend, the Buffalo Beauts will host the Toronto Six and the Metropolitan Riveters will take on the visiting Connecticut Whale.
More information on the season seven broadcasts, in addition to the pre-season schedule, playoff dates, and special event information, will be announced in the coming weeks.
The FULL 2021-22 NWHL Season Schedule is HERE! 60 games beginning on November 6th 🚨
— NWHL (@NWHL) August 5, 2021
Details 🗓: https://t.co/foH9HF5qx2 pic.twitter.com/82ePOG8LE2
Coach Noelle Quinn has signed a multi-year extension to remain the head coach of the Seattle Storm, the team announced Thursday.
Quinn assumed the role in May after long-time coach Dan Hughes retired, becoming the 19th Black female head coach in WNBA history.
Quinn, who won a WNBA championship with the Storm as a player in 2018, spent the two seasons prior as a Storm assistant coach. With her at the helm this season, Seattle has gone 10-4 and leads the WNBA with an overall record of 16-5 heading into the second half of the season after the Olympic break.
The Storm will face the Connecticut Sun in the first-ever WNBA Commissioner’s Cup championship game on Aug. 12 before resuming regular season play.
Congratulations to Noelle Quinn on being named the seventh head coach in Seattle Storm history! ⛈👊#TakeCover pic.twitter.com/DIFV0jjY9d
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) May 30, 2021
After defeating Australia to win gold in beach volleyball Friday, Team USA’s April Ross spoke candidly about her Olympic journey with partner Alix Klineman by her side.
Ross said she was at a “loss for words” when asked by a reporter how it felt to be an Olympic gold medalist.
“I couldn’t have done this without Alix,” Ross went on to say. “To get a gold medal finally, this just feels so amazing.”
The two then addressed their evolution as teammates. Klineman had less than a year of beach volleyball experience when she partnered with Ross in late 2017.
“This is what we dream of, and this is why we sacrificed so much and worked so hard,” Klineman said. “It feels like such a fairytale, and I’m so grateful for April and the rest of our team.”
Ross, who won silver with Jen Kessy in 2012 and bronze with Kerri Walsh Jennings in 2016, completed her Tokyo Olympic run with the gold medal that had previously eluded her.
Hear from Ross and Klineman after their Olympic victory:
GOLD MEDALISTS!
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2021
Hear from @AprilRossBeach and @AlixKlineman after their Olympic dreams came true. #TokyoOlympics x @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/JLbzRMZvqK
Quinn has already made Olympic history — and now, they are an Olympic champion.
The 25-year-old midfielder from Toronto became the first openly transgender and non-binary athlete to win an Olympic gold medal on Friday after Canada beat Sweden in penalty kicks.
This medal is Quinn’s second after winning a bronze for Canada at the 2016 Rio Games.
Earlier, Quinn, who came out as transgender in September 2020 and uses the nonbinary pronouns they/them, was the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Summer Games.
Quinn also plays professionally for Washington’s OL Reign and formerly played college soccer at Duke University.
Italy’s Antonella Palmisano took gold in the Olympic 20km race walk in a commanding victory on Friday.
Palmisano crossed the finish line 25 seconds ahead of the next competitor to win her country its first gold medal in the event.
The Italian athlete, who turned 30 on race day, dominated the international field with not a single technical infringement against her name.
Colombia’s Sandra Lorena Arenas squeaked through to win silver, avoiding a final red card for technique infringement, which would have resulted in a penalty stop or disqualification.
Defending champion and world record holder Liu Hong from China came through to complete the Olympic podium, which was previously predicted to be a Chinese 1-2-3.
For the second time in as many days in Sapporo, the #Olympics 20km race walk title is claimed by Italy.
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 6, 2021
🇮🇹 Antonella Palmisano's dominating racing in the second half secured the nation's fourth 🥇 at #Tokyo2020
The Juventus women’s soccer team is in hot water after posting an extremely racist tweet on Thursday from the team’s official Twitter account.
The tweet, which featured an image of a Juventus women’s player — Italian defender Cecilia Salvai — making a slanted-eye gesture while wearing an orange training cone as a hat, was up for about 20 minutes before it was deleted.
How to lose your job as a social media manager in one post.
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) August 5, 2021
For 20 minutes the official Juventus Women's account had this post up. Awful. pic.twitter.com/eehjorYg1q
The tweet containing the racist image did not share any information other than three emojis which seemed to replicate the offensive gesture in the photo.
After a stream of outrage on social media, the Juventus Twitter account issued an apology saying: “We sincerely apologise that our tweet, which was not meant to cause controversy or have any racial undertones, may have offended anyone. Juventus has always been against racism and discrimination. #DifferencesMakeTheDifference”
We sincerely apologise that our tweet, which was not meant to cause controversy or have any racial undertones, may have offended anyone. Juventus has always been against racism and discrimination. #DifferencesMakeTheDifference
— Juventus Women (@JuventusFCWomen) August 5, 2021
On Friday, Juventus released a second statement on their official website which read: “We would like to express our deepest apologies for the social post that read as racially discriminatory content on the Juventus Women’s Football Twitter account yesterday.”
“Juventus immediately realised that the Club had committed an unforgivable mistake, and this mistake has seriously hurt the feelings of all people who oppose racial discrimination.”
“For such a mistake, the Club assumes full responsibility for the occurrence of the incident and its serious impact. Opposing racial discrimination and supporting the common development of multiple cultures are the principles that Juventus as a Club has always adhered to and continues to put into practice.”
“Juventus acknowledges this mistake, and the Club will make the most profound reflection and thorough review to prevent similar things from happening again.”