OLYMPICS ROUNDUP: Russia tops team event | Americans move on | UA's Plum hits game-winner

Russian Olympic Committee's artistic gymnastics men's team, from right, Denis Abliazin, right, Nikita Nagornyy, David Belyavskiy and Artur Dalaloyan celebrate after winning the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Russian Olympic Committee's artistic gymnastics men's team, from right, Denis Abliazin, right, Nikita Nagornyy, David Belyavskiy and Artur Dalaloyan celebrate after winning the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

MEN'S GYMNASTICS

Russia tops team event

Russia's long climb back to the top in men's Olympic gymnastics is over. The team representing the Russian Olympic Committee rode remarkable performances by Artur Dalaloyan and Nikita Nagornyy to edge Japan and China in a taut men's team final. The victory marked the first Olympic title for the Russians since 1996 in Atlanta. Russia's total of 262.500, capped by Nagornyy's rock-solid floor routine set with victory on the line, was just good enough to hold off the sport's other two superpowers. Japan used a brilliant high bar routine by Daiki Hashimoto in the final rotation to surge past China for second with a score of 262.397. The Chinese were undone by a fall from Lin Chaopan on floor exercise during the first rotation. They were forced to play catch-up all evening. Down by more than 3.3 points halfway through, they managed to pull within fractions of the Russians before a couple of form breaks on high bar in the final rotation cost them a shot at the top of the podium. The three teams have spent the past five years in a tug-of-war at the top of the sport. The Japanese won gold at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. The Chinese edged Russia at the 2018 world championships, with the Russians returning the favor in 2019. Great Britain came in fourth. The U.S. appeared poised to come in fourth before a messy floor exercise in the final rotation, the only real mistake in an otherwise solid meet for the Americans in three-time Olympian Sam Mikulak's final meet before retiring.

WOMEN'S TRIATHLON

First gold for Bermuda

Flora Duffy won the Olympic women's triathlon, earning Bermuda's first Olympic gold medal and its first medal of any kind since 1976. Duffy is a two-time former world triathlon series champion. She's competing in her fourth Olympics and is one of two athletes representing Bermuda in Tokyo. The start of the race was delayed 15 minutes because of storm conditions around Tokyo Bay. Duffy pumped her arms over her head as she finished the swimming, cycling and running course in 1 hour, 55:36 minutes. The 33-year-old Duffy had never finished higher than eighth in her previous three Olympic triathlons. Bermuda hadn't medaled at the Olympics since boxer Clarence Hill's bronze in heavyweight boxing in Montreal. Great Britain's Georgia Taylor-Brown won the silver medal and American Katie Zaferes won bronze.

WOMEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Americans move on

The American "A-Team" of April Ross and Alix Klineman have guaranteed themselves at least one more beach volleyball match at the Tokyo Olympics. The U.S. women beat Spain 21-13, 21-16 for their second consecutive victory. With one more game in the preliminaries left, they can do no worse than a three-way tie for first, which would be broken during a "lucky loser" matchup after the round-robin. Ross, a three-time Olympian who has already won silver and bronze, and first-timer Klineman will play the Dutch team of Sanne Keizer and Madelein Meppelink on Friday.

[OLYMPICS: Keep up with the latest schedules, results + medals » arkansasonline.com/21olympics/]

SURFING

U.S. women in semifinals

Brazilian men and American women are leading heading into the final day of competition in surfing, which is making its Olympic debut. Following the quarterfinals, Brazilians Gabriel Medina and Italo Ferreira will face off against hometown hero Kanoa Igarashi of Japan and Australian Owen Wright respectively. In the women's game, champion Carissa Moore of the U.S. and Japan's Amuro Tsuzuki will face off in the semifinals. The young American phenom Caroline Marks will go up against Bianca Buitendag of South Africa. Moore seems to have finally found her footing after struggling the first two days to find momentum in a modest beach break that's unlike the big waves back home in Hawaii. The finals will be held later today, weather permitting.

WOMEN'S 3X3 BASKETBALL

Plum hits game-winner

The U.S. women have won all six of their games through the first three days of 3-on-3 basketball's debut at the Olympics. Kelsey Plum, who served as a graduate assistant for the University of Arkansas' women's basketball team last season, spotted up behind the arc for the game-winning two-pointer in a 21-19 victory over China to close out the day's action for the Americans. The U.S. will be the top seed for Wednesday's semifinals and medal games. Serbia is the lone undefeated team on the men's side. Shots from inside the arc are worth one point and shots from outside the arc are worth two in 3-on-3. The team that's ahead gets the victory in that case. The U.S. men did not qualify for the eight-team tournament.

WEIGHTLIFTING

Family reunion awaits

From a bamboo pole to Olympic gold, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz's arduous buildup to the Tokyo Games culminated on the top step of the podium. Diaz won the first gold medal for the Philippines, a triumphant result for a country that has competed at every Summer Olympics except one since 1924. Diaz, who upset world record holder Liao Qiuyun of China with her final lift, was training in Malaysia when the coronavirus pandemic hit and has been separated from her family for quite some time. "I'm looking forward to going home to the Philippines and being with my family, because I really miss them," Diaz said. "I'm looking forward to enjoying life because I've been in Malaysia for almost three years, so I'm really thankful that I can go home now and celebrate with my family." Diaz is four-time Olympian who carried her country's flag during the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Games and won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. "It's a dream come true," Diaz said. "I just want to say that we Filipino are strong. We Filipino can compete here at the Olympics. We can do it. To all the young generation in the Philippines, please dream high. That's how I started. I dreamed high and finally I was able to do it." Diaz, who holds the rank of sergeant in the Philippines Air Force, offered a salute on the podium. She also said her faith played a large part in a win she called "a miracle."

The Russian Olympic Committee's Nikita Nagornyy celebrates after winning the gold medal in the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The Russian Olympic Committee's Nikita Nagornyy celebrates after winning the gold medal in the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
FILE - Nikita Nagornyy of Russia performs on the rings in the men's all-around final at the Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, in this Friday, Oct. 11, 2019, file photo. Russia, China and potentially host Japan figure to be in a fight for the top of the podium in the team event at the Tokyo Games. Nagornny, the 2019 world all-around champion, leads the field in the men's all around. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
FILE - Nikita Nagornyy of Russia performs on the rings in the men's all-around final at the Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, in this Friday, Oct. 11, 2019, file photo. Russia, China and potentially host Japan figure to be in a fight for the top of the podium in the team event at the Tokyo Games. Nagornny, the 2019 world all-around champion, leads the field in the men's all around. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
Artur Dalaloyan, of the Russian Olympic Committee, performs on the horizontal bar during the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Artur Dalaloyan, of the Russian Olympic Committee, performs on the horizontal bar during the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Artur Dalaloyan, of the Russian Olympic Committee, performs on the parallel bars during men's artistic gymnastics team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Artur Dalaloyan, of the Russian Olympic Committee, performs on the parallel bars during men's artistic gymnastics team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Daiki Hashimoto, of Japan, celebrates his performance on the horizontal bar during the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Daiki Hashimoto, of Japan, celebrates his performance on the horizontal bar during the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Daiki Hashimoto, of Japan, celebrates his performance on the horizontal bar during the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Daiki Hashimoto, of Japan, celebrates his performance on the horizontal bar during the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Sun Wei, of China, performs on the parallel barsduring the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Sun Wei, of China, performs on the parallel barsduring the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
China's artistic gymnastics men's team, Lin Chaopan, Sun Wei, Xiao Ruoteng and Zou Jingyuan celebrate  after winning the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
China's artistic gymnastics men's team, Lin Chaopan, Sun Wei, Xiao Ruoteng and Zou Jingyuan celebrate  after winning the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Samuel Mikulak, of the United States, performs on the parallel bars during the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Samuel Mikulak, of the United States, performs on the parallel bars during the artistic men's team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

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