U.S./World Sports category, Page 200

SAITAMA, Japan — Brittney Griner had 15 points and 12 rebounds to help the U.S. beat Serbia 79-59 on Friday to advance to the gold medal game of the Olympics. The Americans are now one win away from a seventh consecutive gold medal, which would match the U.S. men’s team...

TOKYO — April Ross now has the complete set of Olympic beach volleyball medals: silver in London, bronze in Rio de Janeiro and a gold she won with Alix Klineman at the Tokyo Games on Friday with a victory over Australia. The Americans beat Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua...

TOKYO — The U.S. women’s volleyball team made it to the gold medal match for the fourth time by avenging a semifinal loss five years ago to Serbia with a 25-19, 25-15, 25-23 victory Friday. The Americans easily dispatched the team that denied them a chance at their elusive first...

MADRID — Lionel Messi’s time at Barcelona appears to be over. Barcelona announced Thursday that Messi will not stay with the club, saying that the Spanish league’s financial regulations made it impossible to sign the Argentina star to a new contract. He is leaving after 17 successful seasons in which...

CHIBA, Japan — David Taylor seized the most important moment of his wrestling life. The American scored a double-leg takedown with 17 seconds remaining to beat Iran’s Hassan Yazdani, 4-3, on Thursday night and win the gold medal in the freestyle 86-kilogram class. “There was no way I wasn’t going...

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Eddy Alvarez became only the third American to earn medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics when the United States beat defending-champion South Korea, 7-2, Thursday night to gain a berth into this weekend’s gold medal baseball game against host Japan. The former U.S. speedskater-turned-infielder wept...

KASHIMA, Japan — Although the color of their medal wasn’t what they wanted, the mettle of the team came through in the end. The United States salvaged a rocky tournament by winning bronze in women’s soccer at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd scored two goals...

SAITAMA, Japan — Kevin Durant and the Americans still have their grip on gold and it’s going to take more than a few bad minutes for anyone to take it away from them. They were awful early, then awesome afterward against Australia. Durant scored 23 points, Devin Booker had 20...

TOKYO — The first time U.S. sprinter Ronnie Baker tried to grab the baton, he found himself holding a handful of Fred Kerley’s jersey. The second time, Baker whiffed. By the third try, Kerley was side-by-side with Baker, practically using both hands to shovel the stick into his teammate’s palm....

TOKYO — Ryan Crouser broke his own Olympic record on his way to defending his shot put title Thursday on a hot day in Tokyo. On his last attempt, Crouser went 23.30 meters (76 feet, 5½ inches) to earn the first track and field gold medal for the American men...

Unvaccinated college athletes should be tested weekly for covid-19, wear masks in most situations and be quarantined if exposed to the virus, while vaccinated individuals should not be tested routinely, according to the NCAA’s latest health and safety recommendations released Wednesday. The updated guidance mostly follow CDC recommendations and come...

TOKYO — Five years after their quest for a first Olympic gold medal was denied in the semifinals, the United States women’s volleyball team has returned to that stage after a relatively easy quarterfinal win. The short-handed Americans overcame the absence of two starters to beat the Dominican Republic, 25-11,...

NEW YORK — Naomi Osaka. Simone Biles. Both are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever know. Both have faced major career crossroads at the Tokyo Games. Both cited pressure and mental health. The glare is even hotter for these...

American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco vehemently denied that his league has ever “plotted” with ESPN to undermine another conference by poaching its schools. Aresco addressed conference realignment Wednesday during the AAC’s virtual football media day, saying the league is not actively looking to add schools. “Our conference has never...

TOKYO — Sydney McLaughlin broke the world record. Dalilah Muhammad broke it, too. Only one of the world’s best hurdlers could win the Olympic gold medal — and McLaughlin came out ahead in the latest installment of the best rivalry in track. The 21-year-old from New Jersey won the 400-meter...

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Triston Casas hit his third home run of the Olympics, a two-run drive in the first inning off Boston Red Sox Double-A teammate Denyi Reyes, and the United States beat the Dominican Republic, 3-1, on Wednesday to stay in gold medal contention. Tyler Austin, a former major...

SAITAMA, Japan — Breanna Stewart and the U.S. women played their best basketball of the Tokyo Games, putting on a dominant performance that team has been known for over the years en route to winning six consecutive Olympic gold medals. The Seattle Storm star was a big reason why the...

SAITAMA, Japan — They believe they are the best basketball team at the Olympics, too good to consider anything but gold. “If we do what we do well, we bring the intensity on defense, we play our roles but we’re ourselves in our roles, we’re free, we’re the best players...

1945 — Byron Nelson wins his 11th consecutive PGA Tour event, beating Herman Barron by four strokes. Nelson finishes the year with a record for most tournament wins (18) in a season. 1982 — Joel Youngblood becomes the only player in major-league history to get hits for two teams in...

SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry landed the second $200 million-plus contract of his career, reaching agreement on a $215 million, four-year extension with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday that takes him through the 2025-26 season. Curry’s agent, Jeff Austin of Octagon, confirmed the new deal for the star point...