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As the Tokyo Games came to a close Sunday, American women helped the country take the lead in total gold medals thanks to victories in basketball, volleyball and cycling omnium.
It was American Jennifer Valente's victory in the latter, in which she survived a frightening multi-racer crash that included a previous two-time gold medalist, that earned the United States both its first win in the sport and its 39th gold medal of the Games.
Her win capped off an Olympics in which female athletes deservedly grabbed headlines for their excellence on the field, court, mat and in the pool.
Women accounted for 66 of the United States' medals in the Tokyo Games, a record for any nation in Olympic history.
Final Medal Count
Complete list at Olympics.com.
7 Straight Golds for Team USA in Women's Hoops
Team USA women's basketball won its seventh straight Olympic gold medal Sunday, defeating host country Japan 90-75. It was a win that further solidified the country's dominance in international play and, for two of its most respected players, established their legacies as the most decorated.
Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi each won her fifth gold medal, making them the most decorated basketball players in United States Olympic history, regardless of gender.
"They've done so much for USA Basketball that the rest of us players are just continuing to try and return the favor and make sure that they realize how much we appreciate them," teammate Breanna Stewart said, per ESPN's Mechelle Voepel.
Their leadership and superb play from Stewart, Brittney Griner and reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson fueled the team in a mostly uncontested competition.
Griner and Wilson dominated the middle Sunday to the tune of 30 and 19 points, respectively, while Stewart added another 14.
The game marked Dawn Staley's final as head coach as she stepped down following the win. "Our country has a lot of great coaches that can get the job done. Me, being a part of I believe six, that's enough. I'm full, I'm full," she said, per USA Today's Dan Wolken.
Takada Maki, arguably Japan's best during these Games, scored 17 points for the host country en route to a silver medal.
US Volleyball Makes History with 1st Gold
Team USA women's volleyball didn't just defeat Brazil to capture the organization's first gold medal Sunday in the Olympics, it blanked the runners-up, beating them in straight sets. A dominant team throughout the Games, it had lost only one of its eight total matches over the course of the competition.
Jordan Larson, in her third Olympics, delivered the final kill to send Brazil to its first loss. She spoke on her emotions following the victory, per Olivia Reiner of USA Today. "I've cried more in the last 24 hours than I think I have in my career. I'm not an emotional player, emotional person, but I think just the emotions got the best of me. I'm now in kind of this euphoria and like shock state."
Also in shock? Brazil, which entered the contest unbeaten but was soundly defeated.
American coach Karch Kiraly touted the credibility of Brazil and its history of denying the U.S. in Olympic competition. "Brazil is a legend in indoor volleyball, both on the women's side and the men's side...we lost to them in the final in 2008 in Beijing and in 2012 in London."
Team USA accomplished the goal without star spiker Jordan Thompson, who also missed Friday's semifinal against Serbia, making the team's victories in both rounds that much more impressive and memorable.
Showing grit and tenacity, a trademark of the United States' efforts in this year's Games, the women of Team USA volleyball now take their place in the history books.
France completed one of the best underdog stories of the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday by winning the men's volleyball gold medal.
France had not finished higher than eighth place in any of its four previous appearances at the Summer Olympics.
The gold-winning side busted out a two-set lead over the Russian Olympic Committee before the match was forced into a fifth set. The first four sets in Olympic volleyball are played to 25. The final set is a race to 15 points.
France used the first of its two match points to finish off the Russians and capture the nation's first-ever gold and overall medal in men's volleyball.
France 3, Russian Olympic Committee 2
France took the early control of the gold-medal match by winning the first two sets 25-23 and 25-17.
The ROC bounced back with two straight-set victories by a 25-21 score, but France regained control in the final set.
France broke away on the scoreboard after the final set was tied at 11. The European side used a 4-1 advantage in the final five points to capture the gold medal.
The French were powered by Earvin Ngapeth, who was responsible for a match-high 26 points. Jean Patry contributed 15 points and Trevor Clevenot chipped in 11 points.
The win looks even more shocking when you consider the volleyball histories of both sets of athletes. Russia medaled in men's volleyball in five of the last six Olympics.
The Russian athletes are competing under the Russian Olympic Committee name because the Russian flag and anthem are banned from the Tokyo Olympics due to the results of a doping scandal.
France's victory may set up a lengthy run at, or near, the top of the sport. The French will host the next Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024 and should use the success in Tokyo to further grow the success of the program.
Argentina 3, Brazil 2
Argentina bested its South American rival to come away with its second-ever bronze medal.
The Argentines won the opening set 25-23, but then Brazil rallied back for a pair of 25-20 results to earn a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth set.
Argentina rallied back to earn the largest margin of victory in a set in the bronze-medal match. It took the fourth set 25-17.
The bronze medalists carried that momentum into the fifth set that they won 15-13. The five-set victory secured the country's first men's volleyball medal since it won the bronze medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
Argentina earned four of its five victories in Tokyo by 3-2 margins. The only win of another type came in a straight-set group-stage victory over the United States.
Saturday's win over Brazil avenged a 3-2 loss that occurred in the group stage. Brazil won the gold medal at the 2004 and 2016 Olympics, but it could not come away from Tokyo with a medal.
The Tokyo Olympics concludes Sunday with what will undoubtedly be an awe-inspiring closing ceremony, but before that, there are still several dozen medals to be earned by world-class athletes on the grandest stage in sports.
The United States' women's basketball team will look to cap off a tournament it has dominated by winning its seventh consecutive gold medal.
Team USA's women's volleyball will also look to add to the country's gold-medal count in its final against Brazil.
Women's Basketball Seeks Historic Gold Against Home Team
In order for the U.S. women's basketball team to capture a seventh straight Olympic gold medal, it will have to defeat host nation Japan.
Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson will celebrate her 25th birthday as she takes the court for the game. The Las Vegas Aces forward has been among the best players in the Olympics, scoring double digits in every game but one.
She saw a reduced role in the semis against Serbia, but that only served to freshen her up and allow her to focus on a gold-medal game, wherein the U.S. will need her in order to win.
Wilson and fellow Olympic rookie Chelsea Gray know exactly what they are playing for.
"Legacy. It's a standard that USA Basketball has set," Gray told the media following her team's victory over Australia. "There's a lot of great people who have come through this program, some that are still playing."
Two such people are Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi who, at 40 and 39, respectively, may well be competing in their final Games. Their veteran leadership has been invaluable.
Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner have come up big for the team too in just their second Olympics.
The team will look to utilize what has been a stifling defense throughout the competition to thwart a Japan team that is vastly superior from beyond the arc and touts similar stats. The teams met before in the group stage in a game won by the Americans.
Bird, Taurasi, Wilson, Stewart, Griner and the rest of the team take the court Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Team USA Women's Volleyball Battles Brazil for Gold
U.S. women's volleyball head coach Karch Kiraly choked up as he stood in front of the microphone following his team's victory over Serbia, with tears welling up in his eyes. "I want them to experience standing at the top of the podium," he told reporters.
This was a coach whose love for his team and players was evident. He had just watched them overcome the world champions in game that showed their maturity and determination.
The team put away Serbia in decisive fashion, winning in straight sets, thanks to strong showings from opposite Andrea Drews and outside hitter Jordan Larson. The team will hope to have spiker Jordan Thompson back for the final after she sat out the Serbia match with an ankle injury.
The U.S. will need her if it hopes to keep alive its gold-medal aspirations.
Brazil has not been as convincing throughout the tournament, but it has found success through its blocks.
Four players on the team have managed three blocks each.
The U.S. team is surprisingly loose given the enormity of the moment facing them Sunday, though.
"People say we're going to be under so much pressure because we've never won the gold medal," Larson said, per Steve Drumwright of Team USA. "But we're under no pressure because we've never done it. Why not go out swinging?"
The U.S. competes for volleyball gold Sunday at 12:30 a.m. ET.
The men's volleyball tournament at the 2016 Rio Olympics concluded Sunday, with the United States facing Russia in the bronze-medal game and Italy taking on host nation Brazil for the gold.
Below, we'll break down all of the day's action and medal winners.
| Country | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 22 | 26 | 24 |
| Brazil | 25 | 28 | 26 |
The Brazilians gave their countrymen and women another thrill on Sunday, earning the gold medal with a dominant straight-sets victory over Italy.
It was the country's third gold medal in the sport and their first since the 2004 Athens Games.
Wallace De Souza continued his epic Olympics, leading the Brazilians with 17 points off spikes. He added two blocks, but it was his point-scoring that was historically good, per the FIVB:
Bruno Mossa Rezende was the facilitator for many of those points, with 33 sets in the match.
Ivan Zaytsev led Italy with 15 spikes and three digs, while Emanuele Birarelli registered four blocks and Simone Giannelli posted 32 sets.
The win offered the Brazilians a bit of revenge, as they had lost to Italy in the preliminary rounds. The country had also come up just short of winning the gold in the past two Olympics, instead earning bronze in 2008 and 2012.
But Sunday in front of their home fans, they earned gold medals to wear over their distinct golden shirts.
| Country | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 23 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 15 |
| Russian Federation | 25 | 25 | 19 | 19 | 13 |
The United States battled all the way back from a two-set deficit Sunday to earn the bronze medal in men's volleyball.
The game, in a sense, was a microcosm of the team's Olympics in general. The Americans lost their first two games of this tournament before rattling off four straight wins. Italy beat them for a second time in the semifinals, but the United States recovered to win the bronze against Russia.
Matthew Anderson led the way for the United States, winning 18 points on spikes (34.2 percent efficiency). Reid Priddy was efficient, meanwhile, winning 61.5 percent of his spike attempts for 17 points total.
After the contest, both the team's captain and coach had nothing but praise for Priddy, per the FIVB:
Anderson, David Lee and Maxwell Holt had two blocks apiece, while Erik Shoji led the team with nine digs. And Micah Christenson was the table-setter with 60 total sets.
In total, the United States held the advantage in spikes (72-52) and serves (8-5), while Russia had more blocks (12-8). Russia also committed more errors (32-21), a major factor in its blown lead.
But it was also a gutsy comeback on a day that didn't appear it would go the Americans' way before the match even began, as Tony Andracki of NBCOlympics.com reported:
The Americans were just three points away from the gold medal match in the fourth set of the semifinal Friday, but Italy rattled off six straight points and then took the fifth set to send the U.S. to a devastating loss.
Russia, meanwhile, lost in three sets to host Brazil in the semifinal.
To add insult to injury, the U.S. team not only had to psychologically move past the heartache of missing out on gold, but then had a traveling snafu Sunday morning where their bus didn't have the right credentials and they were forced to walk several blocks to the Maracanazinho arena in the pouring rain in advance of the bronze medal match.
Egor Kliuka led the way for Russia with 13 spikes, while Alexey Verbov and Sergey Tetyukhin notched seven digs apiece and Sergey Grankin finished with 45 sets. Russia coach Vladimir Alekno looked on the bright side after the loss.
"We didn't win a medal but we have a good team and a bright future," he said, per the FIVB.
All stats via Rio2016.com. You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.
Women's indoor volleyball took the spotlight at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday with two matches to determine the three countries that will take home medals.
The United States and Netherlands were the opening act in the bronze-medal match. Team USA entered the matchup in search of its third straight medal at the Olympics after winning silver in 2008 and 2012.
The gold-medal match between China and Serbia features two teams that got hot at the right time. They combined for a 5-5 record in pool play but dazzled during the knockout phase to earn the right to compete for the highest honor.
Here are the results from Saturday's two matchups as they go final, as well as a recap of the action.
| Medal | Country |
|---|---|
| Gold | China (def. Serbia, 3-1) |
| Silver | Serbia |
| Bronze | United States (def. Netherlands, 3-1) |
Team USA proved its tenacity and mental toughness in a hard-fought four-set victory over Netherlands to secure the bronze medal.
This match was as close and tense as a four-set battle can be. The United States jumped out to an early advantage with a 25-23 victory in the first set. The Netherlands responded with a narrow 27-25 win in the second set and was up three at one point in the third.
After falling behind in that third set, the United States began putting things together on the way to a 25-22 set win and a 25-19 romp in the final set to take home the bronze.
Jordan Larson-Burbach, Kimberly Hill and Foluke Akinradewo led the U.S. with 13 spikes apiece. Rachael Adams was terrific on the defensive side of things with five kill blocks and seven rebounds.
After the victory, another female volleyball star congratulated the Americans:
The parallels between Team USA's indoor volleyball team and Kerri Walsh Jennings this year were clear. Walsh Jennings had just 24 hours to rebound from her first-ever loss in Olympic competition to win a bronze medal with her partner April Ross.
The United States, which went through pool play undefeated at 5-0, was stunned by Serbia in the knockout phase. Instead of getting down, the women responded in exhilarating fashion.
ESPN Stats & Info noted the historical significance of Team USA's third straight medal in indoor volleyball:
The ultimate result wasn't exactly what USA was hoping for when the tournament started, but being able to win another medal is an impressive achievement for the country after struggling in this event prior to 2008.
The Netherlands also has nothing to be down about after the loss. The country last qualified for the event in 1996. Taking one of the world's top teams to the limit in a medal match is an excellent way to tell the world you are back.
China failed to medal in women's volleyball four years ago at the 2012 Olympics in London, but it responded in a big way on Saturday with a 3-1 win over Serbia to claim gold.
The gold medal is China's first in women's volleyball since 2004 and third overall. All told, China now owns six medals in the sport dating back to 1984.
As for Serbia, the silver is its first medal ever in the sport of women's volleyball at the Olympics.
The Serbians actually won the first set convincingly, 25-19, and they appeared determined to push China as much as possible following the thorough throttling in the first frame.
However, China struck right back in the second set with a commanding 25-17 win that appeared to spark its effort.
The Chinese then went on to take the third set, 25-22, before closing things out for good in the fourth set with a 25-23 victory.
China benefitted from 27 errors from its Serbian opponents, but a more complete effort that included more dynamic blocks and extra determination at the net paved the way to gold.
The women's indoor volleyball matchup between the United States and Serbia is under way.
This is the third group play game for both teams with each squad entering the day with a perfect 2-0 record. Even with two more contests in the preliminary round, the winner will be in good shape to win Group B and earn a favorable draw in the knockout stage.
You can stay right here throughout the match for the latest updates and analysis from start to finish.
April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings make up one of the top beach volleyball teams in the world. Will they leave the 2016 Rio Games with a gold medal, or is another team the favorite?
Watch the video above to see what Time Warner Cable SportsNet's Kelli Tennant thinks will happen in Rio de Janeiro.
Who is favored to win the gold medal in indoor volleyball at the Olympics? Can the USA men and women win it all? Does Brazil have the home-court advantage?
Watch Kelli Tennant give her predictions in the video above.
