Long jump favourite Juan Miguel Echevarria was left in despair after injury prevented him from chasing the gold won by Miltiadis Tentoglou on countback at Tokyo 2020 on Monday.
Tentoglou said he was lucky to win gold in a shock result over Echevarria with a last-ditch sixth-round leap of 8.41m, beating Echevarria on countback, while Cuba also claimed bronze thanks to Maykel Masso's jump of 8.21m.
Echevarria, who had topped qualifying, had a final chance to beat the mark with his sixth attempt but could not make the jump due to injury, slumping to the floor on his knees in despair, consoled by compatriot Masso.
"It was very, very painful. I couldn't do what I usually do," Echevarria said.
"I have no words to express how I feel because I couldn't achieve what I wanted, what I have been fighting for so many years.
"I am personally not very happy with the result. I have always tried to go further."
The Greek had earlier registered a second-best jump of 8.15m compared to Echevarria's 8.09m to have the countback advantage, with his final attempt putting him ahead.
"Last attempt, I told myself to calm down and do a normal jump. I didn't expect it could be so big," Tentoglou said.
"I consider myself lucky. I was not lucky to jump 8.41m the last attempt but I was lucky to win."
The winning distance of 8.41m was well short of Mike Powell's world record of 8.95m, which has stood since 1991.
Tentoglou backed Echevarria to move on from his Olympic disappointment and one day reach the milestone.
"If someone can do the world record, it's Juan Miguel," he said. "I don't know for me. I need to do the national record first. I am not the national record holder."
Puerto Rico's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn triumphed in the women's 100m hurdles a day after setting a new Olympic record in the semi-finals.
Camacho-Quinn won in 12.37 ahead of USA's Kendra Harrison (12.52) and Jamaica's Megan Tapper (12.55), who had an anxious wait to find out if she had claimed bronze ahead of Nigeria's Tobi Amusan (12.6) in fourth.
The Puerto Rican admitted afterwards she had her sights set on Harrison's world record of 12.2 but clipped a hurdle to thwart her.
TEAM USA AVOID BASKETBALL SHOCK
The United States bounced back after trailing to France in the last quarter to record a 93-82 win in the women's basketball.
France had headed the US 72-71 in the fourth quarter, but the gold medal favourites rallied with a 7-0 run to assert their dominance.
A'ja Wilson was huge in the final quarter, finishing with a game-high 22 points, along with seven rebounds and three assists, while Breanna Stewart had 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Japan booked their quarter-final spot with a 102-83 win over Nigeria, while the US will go through in top spot from Group B ahead of the quarter-finals.
HOCKEYROOS HEARTBREAK, INDIAN JOY
Australia's Hockeyroos had a perfect group phase with five wins from as many games but were stunned by India in the quarter-finals 1-0 in women's hockey.
Gurjit Kaur scored the winner from a 22nd-minute penalty corner to stun the Australians, who have not medalled in women's hockey since Sydney 2000.
Australia also lost in the quarter-finals at Rio 2016 but were far better placed in Tokyo after their exceptional group form.
India have never claimed an Olympic medal in women's hockey, finishing fourth in 1980, and will face world number five Argentina in the semi-finals.
Argentina, who have won medals at four of the past five Olympics, overcame Germany 3-0 aided by two goals late in the first half.
INDONESIA WINS FIRST TOKYO GOLD
Indonesia won its first gold medal of Tokyo 2020 as Greysia Polii and Rahayu Apriyani combined to triumph in the women's badminton doubles.
The Indonesian pair defeated China's Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan 2-0, in a triumph that was the country's first in women's doubles, having won all other badminton events.
Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong won the all-South Korean bronze medal match against Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan 2-0.
Munro’s Hendricks, JC’s Penn, Israel secure victories on day two at Penn Relays
Munro College’s Chad Hendricks and JC’s Chavez Penn and Balvin Israel all secured wins on day two of the 128th Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.
Hendricks, a silver medallist at both the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships and the Carifta Games, threw an excellent 66.17m to take top spot in the High School Boys’ discus ahead of Bergen Catholic’s Benjamin Shue (61.55m) and Christian Brothers’ Ashton Hearn (58.42m).
Penn, who won the high jump and triple jump double at both the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships and Carifta Games, produced 15.38m to comfortably win the triple jump ahead of Wolmer’s Boys’ Nicardo Grey-Clarke (14.52m) and Cornwall College’s Obrien Bowen (14.49m).
Israel added to his long jump gold medal at Champs with 7.24m to take top spot Friday. KC’s Nathan Wade, who took silver at Champs, was once again second with 7.09m while Calvert Hall College’s Antoine McNair Jr was third with 7.09m.
Excelsior headlines finalists for Boys Championships of America 4x100m final at Penn Relays
A host of Jamaican schools will line up in the final of the High School Boys Championships of America 4x100m final, as they successfully navigated the qualifiers on day two of the 128th Penn Relays at the Franklin Field in Philadelphia on Friday.
Leading the qualifiers was the Excelsior quartet of Ryeem Walker, Damor Miller, Malike Nugent and Lennon Green, which clocked a brisk 40.62 seconds to top their heat.
They will be joined by local rivals Kingston College (41.30s), St Jago (41.35s), St George’s College (41.42s), Calabar High (41.70s) and Jamaica College (41.73s), and Wolmer’s Boys (41.84s). The other two lanes in the medal event will be occupied by Washington DC-based Archbishop John Carroll (41.49s) and Virginia-based West Springfield (41.77s).
Meanwhile, the High School Boys International final, also scheduled for Saturday, will see six Jamaican schools going up against those from Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines and The Bahamas, respectively.
St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) headlines that field, after they posted the fastest qualifying time of 42.26s, followed by Cornwall College (42.53s) and the Bahamian school Queens College (42.61s). St Benedict’s, of out the twin island republic, and Munro College, both clocked 42.83s, while St Vincent Grammar (43.11s), Petersfield (43.14s), St Catherine (43.26s) and Vere Technical (43.55s), are the other qualifiers.
Elaine Thompson-Herah was never booked for USATF Bermuda Grand Prix, says agent
Speculation surrounding the participation of five-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah at the highly anticipated USATF Bermuda Grand Prix has been dispelled by her agent, Marvin Anderson of Andi Sports Management. Despite earlier excitement and anticipation, Thompson-Herah was never officially booked or confirmed for the track meet scheduled for this Sunday at the Flora Duffy Stadium.
The revelation comes after recent reports sparked fervent anticipation among fans, particularly within Bermuda's Jamaican community, who were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to witness the "fastest woman alive" compete alongside other elite Caribbean athletes.
Yackeisha Weir, president of the Jamaican Association of Bermuda (JAB), expressed the community's high expectations and emphasized the honor of hosting Thompson-Herah ahead of the Paris Olympics. However, Anderson's statement to Sportsmax.TV on Friday shattered these hopes, clarifying that Thompson-Herah's presence at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix was never confirmed.
"She was never booked. She was never confirmed," Anderson asserted, addressing the confusion surrounding Thompson-Herah's potential appearance.
“I asked the meet organizers if they had put out something and they said no, so I don’t know where that was leaked from. I know they had an interest way back, but no.”
Despite this setback, Anderson assured fans that Thompson-Herah has been diligently training and is gearing up for a successful upcoming season. While Thompson-Herah's name was notably absent from the start lists for Sunday's meet, other Jamaican athletes, including Alana Reid and Kemba Nelson, are set to showcase their talents in the 100m event. Ashanti Moore is the only Jamaican down to contest the 200m.
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