The U.S. women's basketball team is a win away from its seventh straight gold medal. Sue, Diana, Breanna, Tina, Napheesa, and company played against Serbia early Friday morning. Plus, U.S. beach volleyball superstars April Ross and Alix Klineman take gold.
U.S. women's basketball beats Serbia, will play for gold
The U.S. women's basketball team is one win away from a seventh straight gold medal.
After a 79-59 win over Serbia in the semifinals, Team USA advances to face the winner of Japan and China in the final on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET. The team will look to tie the U.S. men's basketball team's record for most consecutive gold medals in a team sport.
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The U.S., which won its 54th straight game, held Serbia to 30 percent shooting in a strong defensive performance.
Brittney Griner finished with 15 points and nine rebounds and Chelsea Gray added 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting to lead the United States.
Tokyo Olympics
April Ross, Alix Klineman take the gold
April Ross and Alix Klineman will go home with gold.
The pair beat Australian duo Mariafe Artacho and Taliqua Clancy in the women’s beach volleyball gold medal match Thursday. Ross and Klineman took the first set, 21-15, before sealing gold in the second set, 21-16. The American duo finishes out the tournament with a perfect 7-0. Watch the replay here.
Allyson Felix, Team USA’s 4x100m relay highlight stacked track and field action
The stars were under the bright lights of Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium on Friday.
The session, which began at 6:50 a.m. ET, features six intriguing finals: women’s javelin throw, men’s 5000m, women’s 400m, women’s 1500m, women’s 4x100m relay and the men’s 4x100m relay.
Felix, who won silver in the women’s 400m in Rio, takes bronze in Tokyo.
The Jamaican women went a level above the American men in the 100m, sweeping the podium.
Maggie Malone is the United States’ lone competitor in the women’s javelin final after she posted the second-best overall result in qualifying, trailing only Poland’s Maria Andrejczyk. Malone is making her second Olympic appearance and attempting to become the first American woman to medal in the event since 1976.
Paul Chelimo, who posted the second-fastest overall time in the men’s 5000m heats, came in third. There are no American racers in the women’s 1500m final.
Watch on Peacock, or stream live here.
Team U.S.A women's volleyball beats Serbia to advance to gold medal match
The United States women's indoor volleyball team will play in the gold medal match after a semifinal win over Serbia early Friday morning.
Team USA beat Serbia in straight sets, winning the first frame 25-19, the second 25-15 and the third 25-23.
The U.S. will face the winner of Brazil-Korea's semifinal game in the gold medal match on Sunday at 12:30 a.m. ET.
Brooke Raboutou looks to climb Olympic podium
Brooke Raboutou has a chance to make history during the first-ever Olympic women’s sport climbing final, which begins at 4:30 a.m. ET on Friday.
The 20-year-old climber placed fifth overall in Wednesday’s qualification at Tokyo’s Aomi Urban Sports Park. She finished 12th in speed, second in bouldering and eight in lead, totaling 192 points along the way.
Raboutou has some catching up to do if she wants to win an inaugural Olympic women’s sport climbing medal. Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret, South Korea’s Seo Chae-Hyun, Japan’s Miho Nonaka and Japan’s Akiyo Noguchi finished above her in qualifying. Nonaka, who placed third overall in qualifying, had half the points of Raboutou with 96, while Garnbret held the lead with 56.
The action began with the speed final, and Raboutou came in seventh. Then it transitioned to the bouldering final and Raboutou came in second.
It ends with the lead final at 8:10 a.m. ET. While the climbers take on three different disciplines, the medals will be awarded to the three highest finishers on the overall leaderboard.
