U.S. wins discus gold
![Associated Press Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva clears the bar to break her world record as she wins gold in the women’s pole vault final. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)](https://thumb.spokesman.com/IcKh5AfPWUJ7NLDl0cZVy3a_07g=/1200x0/media.spokesman.com/photos/2008/08/19/polepiccccc19_08-19-2008_ILE296C.jpg)
BEIJING – Stephanie Brown Trafton was a bit surprised to find herself atop the podium after the discus competition at the National Stadium.
“There are expert throwers here that have a lot more experience than I do,” she said Monday. “I’m 27 years old, which is young compared to the field. I don’t have as much experience as they do, and I think it’s an awesome thing to have the peace of mind to go out and throw like I did.”
Brown Trafton, who didn’t make the finals four years ago in Athens, tossed the discus 212 feet, 5 inches on her first throw. The toss easily outdistanced Cuban silver medalist Yarelys Barrios’ 208-9. The gold is the first international title for Brown Trafton. It’s also the United States’ first discus gold medal since Lillian Copeland won one in 1932.
“This is by far the best competition I’ve ever been to, and obviously the best results I’ve ever gotten,” Brown Trafton said. “I mean, what more can you want other than a gold medal at the Olympic Games? I hope that we can continue to be on the world level in terms of competition.”
Men’s 400-meter hurdles
The 400-meter hurdlers are doing their part to keep the U.S. on top of the track world. Holding off a field that included two Jamaicans, the American trio, led by Angelo Taylor’s personal-best of 47.25 seconds, swept the medal stand.
Taylor’s teammates, Kerron Clement (47.98) and Bershawn Jackson (48.06), won silver and bronze.
It was the first U.S. multiple-medal finish in the event since a gold and bronze in the 1996 Games. It was the Americans’ first sweep in the event since 1960. It was the fifth time the U.S. has swept the event. No other country has accomplished the sweep.
Women’s pole vault
Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia broke her own world record in winning a second consecutive Olympic pole vault gold medal.
Already assured victory over rival Jenn Stuczynski of the United States, Isinbayeva set the mark of 16 feet, 6 3/4 inches (5.05 meters) on her third and final attempt at that height Monday night.
After eclipsing her old record by a quarter of an inch (1 centimeter), Isinbayeva did a somersault on the mat before jogging around the Bird’s Nest track with a Russian flag. It was the third track and field world record at these Olympics.
Stuczynski’s top height was 15-9 (4.80 meters), while bronze medalist Svetlana Feofanova of Russia, the 2003 world champion, topped out at 15-7 (4.75 meters).
Women’s gymnastics
China’s He Kexin won a tiebreaker over all-around champion Nastia Liukin of the United States for the uneven bars gold medal.
Both scored 16.725, but He got the nod because her execution marks were closer to a perfect 10 than Liukin’s.
He, at the center of an age-eligibility controversy throughout the games, was fast and furious on the bars. Her twists and flips went by in the blink of an eye, and she won by about that short a margin.
Liukin, who sat stone-faced for much of the competition, now has four medals, two of them silver.
Monday’s bronze went to China’s Yang Yilin, her third medal, including bronze in the all-around.
Baseball
The U.S. notched an emotional 9-1 victory over China in round-robin play at Wukesong Baseball Field.
The U.S. outhit China 9-3 with bats and 2-0 in home-plate collisions. China’s pitchers outdid Team USA’s in hitting batters, 5-2.
China lost starting catcher Wang Wei to a leg injury.
Team USA lost right fielder Matt LaPorta, who was nailed by a pitch in the head.
“Emotions run high in the game of baseball,” said Davey Johnson, Team USA’s manager.
No kidding.
Lost in the commotion was that the United States (3-2) virtually clinched a spot in the semifinals, joined by Cuba, South Korea and Japan. China, Canada, the Netherlands and Chinese Taipei are virtually eliminated, all with 1-4 records.
Men’s basketball
The U.S. Olympic basketball team completed an undefeated march through pool play with a 106-57 victory against Germany.
Dwight Howard scored 22 points and LeBron James had 16 Monday night for the United States (5-0), which will play Australia on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. The Americans beat the Australians by 11 points two weeks ago in an exhibition game, their only close contest yet.
Dallas Mavericks All-Star Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 points for Germany, which finished 1-4.
Men’s long jump
Irving Saladino won the men’s long jump, giving Panama its first gold medal at any Olympics.
The 2007 world champion had a best jump of 8.34 meters (27-4 1/2).
Khotso Mokoena of South Africa won the silver medal at 8.24 (27-0 1/2) and Ibrahim Camejo of Cuba was third at 8.20 (26-11).
Equestrian
The U.S. won the gold medal in equestrian team jumping, knocking out Canada, which took silver.
Norway won the bronze.
The U.S. got clear rounds from their first three riders in the jump-off. One Canadian rider knocked down a fence, and since Canada only had three riders to the Americans’ four, that clinched the U.S. gold.
The U.S. also won team jumping in 2004 in Athens and has two returning combinations on the 2008 team, McLain Ward on Sapphire and Beezie Madden on Authentic.
Ian Millar, riding in his ninth Olympics, forced the jump-off with a clear round on In Style. The team silver is Millar’s first Olympic medal.
Women’s soccer
In a commercial for a Dodge SUV that has aired for several months, members of the U.S. women’s soccer team take a fictitious road trip to South America and find the Brazilian national team in the middle of a training session.
That’s when Abby Wambach yells, in Portuguese, “We want a rematch.”
Wambach and her broken leg won’t be a part of it, but the Americans will get their chance to avenge last September’s embarrassing 4-0 loss to Brazil in the World Cup semifinals on a significantly large stage.
The U.S. and Brazil will face off in the gold medal match on Thursday after both teams put up four goals in semifinal wins.
The U.S. beat Japan 4-2 at Worker’s Stadium behind two goals from midfielder Angela Hucles. The Brazilians, in their own revenge game, defeated defending World Cup champs Germany 4-1. The Germans beat Brazil in the World Cup final.
Beach volleyball
Defending Olympic champions Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor of the United States will play for another gold medal after advancing to the beach volleyball championship game with a straight-sets victory over Brazil.
The Americans beat Renata and Talita 21-12, 21-14 for their 107th consecutive victory on Tuesday, clinching at least a silver medal. The United States has now reached the podium in all four Olympic tournaments since beach volleyball was added to the games in 1996.
Walsh and May-Treanor will play the winner of the other semifinal between a pair of Chinese teams: Top-seeded Tian Jia and Wang Jie or Xue Chen and Zhang Xi.
Water polo
Jeff Powers’ two goals led the United States past Germany 8-7 and straight into the semifinals.
The win at the Yingdong Natatorium secured the U.S. a bye through the quarterfinals as they finished pool play with a 4-1 record.