Nigerian Okagbare suspended for doping Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare was in the 100 heats on the opening day of track provisionally suspended for doping Satur- competition at the Olympic Stadium in To- Alise Willoughby of the day, hours before she was due to run in the kyo, the AIU said. United States, (center), semifi nals of the women’s 100 meters at the She won her heat in 11.05 seconds. and Sae Hatakeyama of Olympics. The AIU informed Okagbare of her sus- Japan, (left), compete in Okagbare tested positive for human pension on Saturday morning, it said. Under the women’s BMX Racing quarterfi nals at the 2020 growth hormone in an out-of-competition doping regulations, she is now allowed to re- Summer Olympics, on test on July 19, the Athletics Integrity Unit quest that a “B” sample - or backup sample July 29, in Tokyo, Japan. said, prompting a mandatory provisional - is tested to double-check the results. (AP) suspension. The 32-year-old Okagbare won a silver The results of that test were only received medal in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing by track and fi eld’s anti-doping body late Olympics and the 2013 world champion- Friday and after Okagbare had already run ships. (AP) ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, AUGUST 1, 2021 Page 15 French, Australia advance US rout Czechs to Djokovic leaves Tokyo empty-handed, clinch playoff spot Bencic captures women’s singles gold SAITAMA, Japan, July 31, (AP): The U.S. lost its fi rst two exhibition games of the summer in Las Vegas, dropped its opening game at these Olympics and had a diffi cult time shaking free of the Czech Republic in their group-play fi nale. Pigossi, Stefani win bronze medal for Brazil None of that matters now. The Americans are headed to the quarterfi nals at the To- TOKYO, July 31, (AP): kyo Games - with a shot of being good as gold once again. Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Kevin Durant added 23 Novak Djokovic came to and set a pair of USA Basketball men’s Olympic records, the Tokyo Olympics aim- and the U.S. defeated the Czechs 119-84 on Saturday to ing for a Golden Slam. clinch a berth in the knockout stage. Zach LaVine scored 13 points, Jrue Holiday had 11 and He’ll leave without a medal JaVale McGee fi nished with 10 points for the U.S. The and will need some time to Americans shot 7 for 20 in the fi rst quarter - then made 33 recover from a draining of 44 shots over the next 26 minutes, including a stagger- ing 21-for-25 start to the second half. performance in extreme The U.S. (2-1) fi nished second behind France in Group conditions that didn’t meet A, but will join the French, Australia and the winner of expectations. Sunday’s game between Slovenia and Spain as a top-four The top-ranked Djokovic lost his seed for Tuesday’s quarterfi nals based on FIBA’s tie- cool and abused his racket several breaker system that includes point differential. Pablo Carreno Busta, of Spain, re- times during a 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 loss Those quarterfi nal matchups will be decided in a draw acts after defeating Novak Djoko- on Sunday night, but the U.S. has now assured itself of not vic, of Serbia, in the bronze medal to Pablo Carreño Busta of Spain in having to face any of the three group winners until at least match of the tennis competition at the bronze-medal match of the ten- the semifi nals. the 2020 Summer Olympics, on nis tournament on Saturday. Blake Schilb scored 17 for the Czech Republic (1-2), July 31, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP) It was Djokovic’s third defeat in two which led by 10 early and was still within 60-54 midway days and it came less than 24 hours af- through the third quarter. ter he was beaten by Alexander Zverev In a fl ash, the Czech hope of a stunner ended there. of Germany in the singles semifi nals. Durant - who passed Carmelo Anthony as both the U.S. That ended his bid for a Golden Slam, Olympic men’s all-time points and all-time fi eld goals which is winning all four Grand Slam leader during the game - hit a 3-pointer to end the third titles and Olympic gold in the same quarter, capping a 22-6 run that put the Americans up by year. 22 going into the fi nal quarter. “I just didn’t deliver yesterday and today. The level of tennis dropped. Also due to exhaustion - mentally and BASKETBALL physically,” Djokovic said. “I gave it all, whatever I had left in the tank, The outcome was not in doubt again, and Durant said which was not so much.” the scoring record was “special” to him on a night where the Americans engineered a 48-point turnaround from be- TENNIS ing down 10 to leading by as many as 38. United States’s Jayson Tatum (10) Ondrej Balvin scored 15, Jan Vesely had 13 and To- grabs a rebound over Czech Repub- mas Satoransky added 12 points for the Czechs, who were Djokovic’s frustration was evident lic’s Jan Vesely (24) during a men’s in his on-court behavior as the match eliminated. The U.S., France, Australia, Spain, Slovenia, basketball preliminary round game Germany, Italy and the winner of Sunday’s game between Belinda Bencic of Switzerland poses with the gold medal in the women’s singles of the tennis wore on. at the 2020 Summer Olympics, on Having saved a match point in the Argentina and host Japan will be playing on Tuesday, their July 31, in Saitama, Japan. (AP) competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics, on Aug. 1, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP) medal hopes still intact. second-set tiebreaker, Djokovic threw Once in the quarters, it is win-or-else time. And the his racket into the empty stands - up quarterfi nals were the round where it all went awry for the and over fi ve rows of seats - after he U.S. at the last major international competition, the Bas- Schauffele clings to lead, 3 medals up for grabs couldn’t get to a stop-volley winner from Carreño Busta to conclude a long ketball World Cup in China two years ago. The Americans KAWAGOE, Japan, July 31, (AP): Just over was a three-way tie among Schauffele, Matsuy- par-3 16th hole and made triple bogey. lost to France, ending all hope of a medal and eventually rally in the opening game of the third. three weeks ago, Hideki Matsuyama was in iso- ama and Carlos Ortiz of Mexico going down Thomas Bach, the International Olympic A couple of games later, when Car- fi nished seventh. lation for COVID-19 and desperate to record a the 18th when the American made birdie. Committee president, joined PGA Tour Com- Here, it’s all about the medal - that is, one medal, and reño Busta had broken his serve to negative test to have any chance of competing That left Schauffele 18 holes away from an missioner Jay Monahan under a tent next to the take control of the decisive set, Djoko- one medal only. in his home Olympics. Olympic gold medal, and the podium still felt fi rst tee to watch the fi nal group start. Even with This U.S. team - which lost to France to open the Olym- vic again lost his cool and slammed Even when he cleared that hurdle, it was a like it was miles away. no spectators, Matsuyama still attracted some his racket into the net post during a pics before posting a 54-point win over Iran and a 35-point matter of building endurance for stifl ing heat He was at 14-under 199. 250 people, most of them volunteers, all of win on Saturday - hasn’t looked much like that World Cup change of ends. He then picked up the and shedding rust from not having played a full Schauffele has been trying to treat this as any them hanging on every shot by Matsuyama. Ac- mangled racket and tossed it into the team did two years ago, though it needed some time to fi nd tournament since the U.S. Open six weeks ago. other tournament, and it felt like one Saturday. tion came from every corner of Kasumigaseki. its best stride against the Czechs. photographers’ pit. And on Sunday, he steps onto the tee in the Joining them in the fi nal group is Paul Casey, Rory McIlroy, indifferent about the Olym- “It’s part of, I guess, who I am,” The Czechs led by as many as 10 in the fi rst quarter, fi nal group, one shot behind Xander Schauffele, who shot a 66 in his bid to keep the Olympic pics until he arrived in Tokyo and already look- shooting 65% to the Americans’ 35% in the opening 10 Djokovic said. “I don’t like doing a gold medal within his reach for a country with gold medal in golf with Britain. He was two ing forward to Paris in 2024, made an early these things. I’m sorry for sending this minutes. With a roster featuring just one current NBA high hopes for its Masters champion. shots behind along with Ortiz, who made bogey move until he was slowed by a poor pitch that player - Satoransky - they did not look the least bit intimi- kind of message but we’re all human “I defi nitely could not have believed it,” from the bunker on the 18th hole.