By Canadian Press

Ledecky, Dressel star for US; Japan’s baseball team advances

Jul 31, 2021 | 3:50 AM

TOKYO — Katie Ledecky made more history for the U.S. in the pool. Same for Caeleb Dressel.

And Japan won again in baseball’s return to the Olympics.

Ledecky won the 800-meter freestyle, finishing her grueling Olympic program with a third straight victory in a race she hasn’t lost since 2010. Dressel captured his third gold medal of the Tokyo Games with a world record in the 100-meter butterfly.

The 24-year-old Ledecky became the first female swimmer to earn six individual gold medals in her career. She won two golds and two silvers in Tokyo.

Dressel still has some work to do.

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The world’s greatest swimmer advanced in the men’s freestyle semifinals with the top final time of 21.42 seconds. But Dressel lost out on another medal opportunity when he had to rally the U.S. to a fifth-place finish from the anchor leg of the new 4×100-meter mixed medley.

The Australian women added another gold when Kaylee McKeown completed a sweep of the backstroke events with a victory in the 200. Britain’s team of Kathleen Dawson, Adam Peaty, James Guy and Anna Hopkin claimed the gold in the new mixed relay with a world record of 3:37.58.

Japan’s baseball team beat Mexico 7-4 on Saturday to win Group A in the sport’s first appearance at the Olympics since 2008.

Former Central League MVP Tetsuto Yamada broke it open with a three-run homer in Yokohama, and Hayato Sakamoto went deep off former big league pitcher Manny Bañuelos. Yamada finished with four RBIs.

Joey Meneses, a 29-year-old in Double-A with Boston and the 2018 International League MVP, had three RBIs for Mexico, including a two-run homer in the eighth off Kaima Taira.

EMPTY-HANDED

Novak Djokovic is leaving the Tokyo Olympics without any medals.

The top-ranked Djokovic lost his cool and abused his racket several times during a 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 loss to Pablo Carreño Busta of Spain in the bronze medal match of the tennis tournament.

It was Djokovic’s third defeat in two days and it came less than 24 hours after he was beaten by Alexander Zverev of Germany in the semifinals. That ended his bid for a Golden Slam, which is winning all four Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold in the same year.

Djokovic, who also lost with Serbian partner Nina Stojanovic in the mixed doubles semifinals on Friday, played a total of 16 sets over seven matches in four days.

He was due back on court later Saturday for one final match in Tokyo. He and Stojanovic were scheduled to face the Australian duo of Ash Barty and John Peers for the bronze medal in mixed doubles. But Djokovic withdrew from that match citing a left shoulder injury — handing the bronze medal to Australia.

OH SO CLOSE

Xander Schauffele is 18 holes away from a gold medal, and the podium still feels a long way off.

Schauffele, a 27-year-old American golfer whose mother was raised in Japan, didn’t have a lot go his way until he finished on a strong note, firing a 9-iron to within 3 feet for a birdie and a 68 to keep his one-shot lead at Kasumigaseki Country Club.

Hideki Matsuyama is right behind Schauffele after the Japanese star finished a 7-under 64 in the rain-delayed second round and then posted a 67. Joining them in the final group is Paul Casey, who shot a 66 in his bid to keep the Olympic gold medal in golf with Britain.

Justin Rose won the gold in Rio de Janeiro, marking golf’s return to the Olympic program after a 112-year absence. It came down to Rose and Henrik Stenson in Rio. This time, eight players were separated by three shots. 

SCARY SITUATION

BMX rider Connor Fields was transferred from the intensive care unit at a Tokyo hospital to a high-level care wing one day after a horrific crash during the semifinals of the Olympic race left him laying motionless on the asphalt.

The 28-year-old from Las Vegas sustained a brain hemorrhage in the crash, and the Olympic neurosurgeon was on standby in case surgery was needed to relieve pressure on his brain. But the most recent CT scan showed no additional brain injury, USA Cycling said in a statement, and doctors are confident that Fields will not need surgery.

The gold medalist at the Rio de Janeiro Games, Fields also sustained a collapsed lung and broken ribs in the crash.

IN FORM

China had another dominant day at the diving pool, taking the top two spots in the semifinals of the women’s 3-meter springboard.

In a repeat of the preliminaries, defending Olympic champion Shi Tingmao posted the highest score over five dives and teammate Wang Han ranked second. The pair already teamed up to win the 3-meter synchronized event.

Shi led the way with 371.45 points. Wang (346.85) and Canadian Jennifer Abel (341.40) were the only ones even close to the leader, stamping China as a huge favorite to earn its fourth diving gold in five events at these games.

Americans Krysta Palmer and Hailey Hernandez also finished in the top 12 to advance to Sunday’s final, where the scores will be wiped clean and the final standings settled with another five more dives.

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Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

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More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jay Cohen, The Associated Press