There was home joy at Yokohama Baseball Stadium on Saturday as Japan beat the United States to the baseball gold medal.
Elsewhere, the diving board brought further Chinese success, and Sifan Hassan was among the familiar winners on the track.
Stats Perform breaks down the best of the action from Tokyo.
JAPAN JOY AGAIN AGAINST USA
Japan's women had beaten the United States 2-0 in the softball final and it was the turn of the men to achieve an identical result against the same opposition in the baseball.
The sport will not return for the 2024 Games, but the hosts seized their opportunity.
Japan stopped their major league season to make a number of leading players available and were rewarded with a first baseball gold medal.
Munetaka Murakami's third-inning home run put the hosts in control, before Tetsuto Yamada profited on an error in the eighth to complete the win.
USA manager Mike Scioscia said: "This tournament has been as intense as anything I've been a part of.
"Nineteen years managing the [Anaheim/Los Angeles] Angels, World Series and I don't know how many playoff games with the [Los Angeles] Dodgers. There's an intensity here. There's a focus."
CHINA DOMINATE BUT DALEY DELIGHTED
Cao Yuan's gold and Yang Jian's silver in the men's individual 10m platform completed a remarkable Games in the diving for China.
Cao became the first Olympic diver to win gold in three different disciplines (3m, 10m synchronised and 10m individual), while the one-two incredibly meant China won both gold and silver in every individual diving event.
Yang joined his team-mate on the podium after registering the highest score in Olympic history, with a forward four and a half somersaults in a pike position earning 112.75 points.
That performance left Tom Daley in third, but he was in awe of the dive.
"Honestly, Yang Jian is almost superhuman; he does the hardest dives in the world," Daley said. "I think if lots of other people tried to do that dive, you'd see quite a few catastrophes, so it's very impressive to see him do that dive."
Daley, who took gold in the 10m synchronised, was delighted all the same, telling BBC Sport: "I am so happy this Olympics has gone the way it has.
"I feel I am a different athlete and to finally get here... I always dreamed I would but if someone told me I was going to win a gold and a bronze I would have laughed in their faces."
HASSAN 'NEEDED' BRONZE HEARTBREAK
Hassan was going for an outstanding hat-trick at these Games, aiming to triumph in the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m.
The Dutchwoman made a fine start in the 5000 but then had to settle for bronze in the 1500 on Friday, meaning she was determined to top the charts in her last outing.
A time of 29:55.32 ensured Hassan did just that, and she said: "Today I'm grateful for [the bronze], because yesterday I was number three. That was not what I wanted, but what I needed.
"If I had won yesterday – if I raced smart and won the race – today I [could not have finished]. It was so hot. From the beginning I was really tired. I felt like I was sprinting.
"I was thinking about yesterday the whole race, and I've never gone deep like I did today."
BOWING OUT ON A HIGH
Allyson Felix was asked whether she had passed the torch after her Olympic career wound down in typical fashion with victory as part of a star-studded United States 4x400m team, their time of 3:16.85 the quickest since 1993.
"I just came out really at peace and wanting to soak it all in," she said after a record-extending 11th medal. "Obviously, I had complete confidence in the team.
"I think that is a really special team because we're not 400-metre runners – I don't see myself as a 400-metre specialist.
"We all do different things and it was really cool to come together, to get to close out the Olympic Games and, for me, my Olympic career."
Sydney McLaughlin added: "I think we were excited. An amazing group of women right here, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I think we all just knew going in it's going to be fast and just have fun."
BOOMERS BREAK THE BARRIER
After the United States won yet another gold earlier in the day, it was time for a new medallist in the men's basketball.
Olympic debutants Slovenia, led by Luka Doncic (22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, eight turnovers), went down 107-93 to Australia, who have had far more experience of this stage.
The Boomers reached the semi-finals for the fifth time in Tokyo but only now collected a medal.
Dante Exum said: "We're just ecstatic to get that one out of the way. Getting on the podium is not only huge for us as a team but for Australian basketball.
"We're definitely going to set this standard, that that's where we've got to be, and we're expected to be there every time."
Patty Mills contributed an outstanding 42 points to conclude his fourth Games, and Exum added: "Patty, I mean what do you say about Patty Mills?
"It's unbelievable what he brings on the court, off the court, to the culture of the Boomers. I hope that I can just carry that on when he steps down."
MLB: Red-hot Mets lose Senga but beat reeling Braves
J. D. Martinez highlighted a seven-run third with a grand slam and Kodai Senga won his season debut before leaving with an injury as the New York Mets remained red hot with an 8-4 win over the
struggling Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
Senga allowed two runs – both on Adam Duvall’s second-inning home run – and two hits over 5 1/3 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts after spending the first four months of the season on the injured list with a right shoulder strain.
He left in the sixth when he strained his left calf after throwing 73 pitches. Senga will have an MRI on Saturday.
New York won its fifth straight and moved past the Braves for the NL’s top wild card. The Mets (55-48) are a season-high seven games over .500 following their 11th win in 14 games.
The Mets reached Charlie Morton for seven runs in the third.
After Tyrone Taylor reached on an error by third baseman Austin Riley, Francisco Lindor was hit by a pitch and Brandon Nimmo walked. Martinez then belted his ninth career grand slam to give the Mets a 4-2 lead. Morton retired Pete Alonso, but Jeff McNeil doubled and Vientos followed with his 14th home run. One out later, Francisco Alvarez homered to make it 7-2.
Duvall hit his second home run of the game in the ninth and Marcell Ozuna added his 29th, but the Braves lost their season-high sixth straight. That is their longest slide since another six-game skid from Sept. 25-30, 2017.
Profar’s blasts power streaking Padres
Jurickson Profar hit his second two-run homer to snap a ninth-inning tie and the San Diego Padres won their sixth straight, 6-4 over the Baltimore Orioles.
Profar took struggling Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel deep in the ninth to score Luis Campusano, who singled with one out.
Kimbrel blew saves in two of his previous three appearances and has allowed eight runs in his last 3 2/3 innings.
Profar hit his first two-run shot of the game off Grayson Rodriguez in the sixth to erase a 2-0 deficit.
San Diego had 13 hits and used eight pitchers one day after Dylan Cease threw a no-hitter at Washington.
Anthony Santander and Jordan Westburg homered for the first-place Orioles, who have lost four of five and nine of 13.
Red Sox rally, overcome Judge’s long home run
Masataka Yoshida capped a three-run eighth with a two-run single and the Boston Red Sox overcame Aaron Judge’s major league-leading 36th home run in a come-from-behind 9-7 win over the reeling New York Yankees.
Judge’s three-run blast in the seventh gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead and was measured at 470 feet. It landed in a small section of stands above a back wall and below a videoboard.
Austin Wells followed with a solo shot to make it 7-4.
The Red Sox got two runs back in the bottom half on Ceddanne Rafaela’s two-run homer off Luke Weaver that went over the Green Monster and out of Fenway Park.
Weaver allowed Rob Refsnyder’s third hit of the game to lead off the eighth and walked Connor Wong.
Clay Holmes relieved with one out and allowed Wilyer Abreu’s tying double before Yoshida singled home two runs.
The Yankees have lost five of six and are 10-23 since a 50-22 start.
“The favourite is Thompson”-Boldon highlights Jamaican champion as man to beat in 100m in Paris
Trinidadian four-time Olympic medallist Ato Boldon has named Jamaican sprinting sensation Kishane Thompson as his favourite to take 100m gold at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Thompson, 23, is currently the world leader in the event after running a personal best 9.77 to win the 100m title at the JAAA/Puma National Senior Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston in June.
The MVP Track Club-trained sprinter also produced times of 9.82 and 9.84 in the heats and semi-finals, respectively, at those national championships and, most recently, ran 9.91 shutting down to win at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Hungary on July 9.
“Thompson is the favourite,” Boldon said in an interview with LetsRundotcom on YouTube on Friday.
“I know Noah (Lyles) is the World champion. I think Noah made it a little bit more interesting by running that 9.81 into a headwind which kind of almost converts to a 9.77 but there’s no way you can look at the way in which Thompson ran that 9.77 and just go ‘Oh Noah will beat him.’ Noah has his hands full with that guy,” Boldon said.
Blazing speed acknowledged, one thing that Thompson lacks that his other competitors don’t is experience competing at the highest level of the sport with this being his first time representing Jamaica at any level.
If there is anything to prevent Thompson from delivering on the form that he’s shown so far this season, Boldon believes that would be this lack of experience on a stage like the Olympic Games compared to his peers.
“There are things which I see people completely ignoring. Kishane Thompson has not been under the microscope of Olympic favourite. Rounds are a great equalizer. Noah has the medals that he does because of how well he runs rounds. Is Noah suddenly a lock for the silver? No but he does have his hands full,” he said.
“There are others who are going to be in the 100m that are used to the pressure and pressure is a big thing. If he’s able to pull this off, you write books about stuff like that,” he added.
Thompson's quest for Olympic glory will begin in the heats of the men's 100m beginning on Saturday' August 3.
Jamaica and France sign landmark MOU for bilateral sports cooperation
As the world eagerly anticipates the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Jamaica and France have marked the occasion with a significant step towards enhancing their bilateral relations in the field of sport. On July 24, the Honourable Olivia Grange, Jamaica's Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, and His Excellency Olivier Guyonvarch, the Ambassador of France in Jamaica, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Bilateral Cooperation in Sport.
Minister Grange highlighted the symbolic timing of the agreement, stating, “It is certainly significant that it is happening at the time of the 2024 Olympics in the French capital, Paris. It embodies the importance of sport in establishing cooperation and friendship between the two countries."
The agreement outlines several areas of cooperation aimed at enhancing both nations' sports capabilities. One key aspect of the MOU is the sharing of experiences and the development of joint initiatives in sports. This includes promoting common standards for organizing major sporting events and developing high sports performance through the exchange of best practices, coaching training, and research.
Additionally, the agreement focuses on boosting the sports economy and sports tourism in both countries by sharing valuable information and insights. A significant emphasis is also placed on promoting sports ethics, with both nations committing to collaborate in the fight against doping.
Minister Grange commended the diligent efforts of Ambassador Guyonvarch and the teams from both the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, in finalizing the MOU. She also referenced the ongoing friendship between Jamaica and France, demonstrated by events like the "2024 Road to Paris Olympics," which featured a symbolic relay baton passed globally and included French students from schools across Jamaica.
The MOU also aims to facilitate exchanges in seminars, conferences, and symposia involving experts in various sports disciplines such as fencing, rugby, handball, athletics, canoe-kayak/sprint, sailing, and skateboarding, among others.
Ambassador Guyonvarch expressed his enthusiasm about the agreement, stating, “On the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, the signing of this MOU on sports cooperation is a milestone in our bilateral relations, being the most ambitious and comprehensive agreement between our two countries in a strategic field of excellence. The implementation of this agreement, initiated by the Centre for Research on Sports Performance of Guadeloupe and the Faculty of Sports of UWI, will allow us to develop sports science, new practices, and more intense human exchanges between our two countries.”
The follow-up on the cooperation outlined in the MOU will be ensured by a Bilateral Steering Committee, which will meet annually in either of the two countries, ensuring that the goals and initiatives set forth are actively pursued and achieved.
This agreement not only strengthens the bond between Jamaica and France but also paves the way for enhanced sports performance, education, and ethical standards in both nations, promising a bright future for sports collaboration and excellence.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
