Olympics:
The Rio Olympics are officially over following a closing ceremony that was a bit more subdued than the opener. The athletes danced, smiled and took selfies as they entered the stadium and walked around the arena's floor during the flag procession. Simone Biles had the honor of carrying the U.S. flag for the ceremony after winning four gold medals. Once the Olympic cauldron's flame was extinguished, the stadium turned into a samba-fueled Carnival-like party. Athletes got up from their chairs and danced alongside the costumed performers and a giant float featuring birds.
Carmelo Anthony had one last thing to teach his young teammates. On the podium wearing his third Olympic gold medal, Anthony, who led this inexperienced U.S. team from the moment it first gathered weeks ago in Las Vegas, pointed toward one end of Carioca Arena, to the spot where the American flag was about to rise.
"I just told them, 'Look at the highest flag,'" Anthony said, "and that's what we did."
Now there's nothing left to do for Anthony, whose Olympic career began in disgrace and ends with him being the most decorated player to ever wear a USA jersey. It's a comeback almost hard to believe.
The only U.S. male player to be chosen for four Olympic teams, Anthony became the first to win three golds as the Americans saved their best for last and crushed Serbia 96-66 on Sunday. The blowout win capped a remarkable 12-year journey around the five interlocking rings for Anthony, only 20 and fresh off his rookie year in the NBA when he played on a 2004 team remembered for failure.
Also on the final day of the Rio Games:
— Claressa Shields is the first American boxer to win two gold medals. The 21-year-old Flint, Michigan, native earned a unanimous decision over a Dutch fighter to wrap up back-to-back middleweight gold. Shields ran her Olympics record to 6-0 ans stayed unbeaten since the 2012 London Olympics, winning two world championships and a Pan-American Games title.
— Kyle Snyder won gold in the 97 kilogram class to become the youngest Olympic wrestling champion in U.S. history. The 20-year-old is the second straight American wrestler to win Olympic gold in his weight class, four years after Jake Varner won in London. Snyder beat Varner at the U.S. Olympic team trials in April.
— The U.S. has its first marathon medal since 2004 after Galen Rupp captured the bronze, finishing behind Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya and Feyisa Lelisa of Ethiopia. The winning time was 2 hours, 8 minutes and 44 seconds.
— The United States men's volleyball team rallied from a two-sets deficit against Russia to capture the bronze medal. The fifth-ranked Americans won 23-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-13. The gold medal match was won by the host country, beating Italy in three sets, 25-22, 28-26, 26-24.
— U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun says further action is coming in the matter of 12-time swimming medalist Ryan Lochte and his three teammates whose story of a robbery overshadowed the Rio de Janeiro Games. Blackmun offered no details on what disciplinary action may be coming, but he made no effort to hide his frustration with the situation. Blackmun said the swimmers let down other U.S. athletes and the country.
— The United States dominated the overall medal count with 121, finishing first overall in each category. The Americans racked up 46 gold medals, 37 silver and 38 bronze. China collected 70 medals overall, while Britain had 67. The 51-medal margin over runner-up China is the largest in a non-boycotted Olympics in nearly a century.
MLB:
In baseball, in the American League, Detroit doubled up Boston 10-5, the Angels blanked the Yankees 2-0, Cleveland edged Toronto 3-2, Tampa Bay won against Texas 8-4, Kansas City beat Minnesota 2-1, the White Sox beat Oakland 4-2, and it was Houston over Baltimore 5-3.
In the National League, the Mets blanked San Francisco 2-0, San Diego blasted Arizona 9-1, Colorado topped the Cubs 11-4, Miami slid past Pittsburgh 3-2, St. Louis shut out Philadelphia 9-0, Atlanta edged Washington 7-6 in 10 innings, and it was the Dodgers over Cincinnati 4-0.
In interleague play, Milwaukee beat Seattle 7-6.
The Blue Jays have optioned right-hander Aaron Sanchez to Class A Dunedin (duh-NEE'-dehn) in an effort to limit his innings. Sanchez ranks fifth in the American League with a 2.99 ERA and is 12-2 in a career-high 156 1/3 innings. He started Saturday against the Indians but couldn't hold an early 5-0 lead.
NCAA:
Syracuse and Army have agreed to resume their football series with four games in the next decade. The Orange will host the Black Knights in the Carrier Dome in 2023 and 2025. Syracuse travels to West Point for games in 2024 and 2026. All four games will be played in September. Syracuse and Army have played 21 times since 1899. The Orange lead 11-10 in the series, including a 4-1 mark in the last five meetings, and a 3-0 record in games played in the Carrier Dome. In the most recent meeting between the teams, quarterback Donovan McNabb led No. 19 Syracuse past No. 22 Army 42-17 in the Carrier Dome in 1996. It was Army's first loss of the season after nine wins.
The defending national champions are No. 1 in The Associated Press college football preseason poll. Alabama received 33 of 61 first-place votes and 1,469 total points from the media panel. Clemson is ranked second with 16 first-place votes, 7 ½ months after the Tigers lost to the Crimson Tide in the title game. Oklahoma is third, followed by Florida State and LSU. Ohio State, Michigan, Stanford, Tennessee and Notre Dame round out the top 10.
MLS:
Marcelo Sarvas and Patrick Mullins scored three minutes apart in the second half and D.C. United rallied for a 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls Sunday in a game delayed 75 minutes because of lightning. The comeback was unexpected for the lowest scoring team in the MLS, especially after the Red Bulls, ranked third in the East, took the lead at a soggy RFK stadium.
NFL:
Todd Bowles declines to say whether Geno Smith remains the New York Jets' Number 2 quarterback behind Ryan Fitzpatrick or if Bryce Petty has surpassed him on the depth chart. The Jets coach said earlier in training camp there was no change in the pecking order, but Petty had a strong showing in New York's 22-18 loss at Washington on Friday night. Meanwhile, Smith struggled in the game and appeared to perhaps lose his stranglehold on the backup job.
Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey may miss the start of the season with a left hip injury suffered in Friday's exhibition game at Dallas. Head coach Adam Gase says Pouncey isn't expected to play in the final two exhibition games.
Horse Racing:
At Saratoga Race Course, in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes, Songbird took home the number one spot with Jockey Mike Smith for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Earlier horse Tourist won the Fourstardave H. Grade 1 Stakes with Jockey Joel Rosario for trainer William Mott.
PGA:
Si Woo Kim has earned his first career PGA victory by capturing the Wyndham Championship by five shots over Luke Donald. The 21-year-old South Korean player closed with a 3-under 67 to finish at 21-under 259 at Sedgefield Country Club, tying the tournament 72-hole record set by Carl Pettersson in 2008. Donald shot a 67 for a one-shot edge over Hideki Matsuyama (hih-DEH'-kee maht-soo-YAH'-mah) and Brandt Snedeker.
IndyCar:
The IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway has been postponed until Monday because of rain. A steady midafternoon rain drenched the 2.5-mile track. IndyCar officials say the race will go off at 12:09 p.m. Monday afternoon. Mikhail Aleshin, the first Russian-born driver to win an IndyCar pole, will lead the field to green when the race begins.
NASCAR:
Kevin Harvick passed Denny Hamlin for the lead with 70 laps to go and stayed in front until he saw the checkered flag at Bristol Motor Speedway. Harvick led 128 laps for his second Sprint Cup victory of the season and his second at the high-banked, half-mile concrete bullring. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was second, followed by Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher. Kyle Busch led 256 laps, but was knocked out in a crash on lap 373. The race was finished a day behind schedule following bad weather on Saturday night.
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