OLY-Tokyo Olympics Digest
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Your support makes all the difference.Here are AP’s Olympic coverage plans. All times are Eastern. For questions, please email Shelley Acoca at sacoca@ap.org. Find the latest Olympics coverage plans on Coverage Plan. For expanded content, visit AP’s Olympics hub on AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 877-836-9477.
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TOP STORIES
OLY-SWM-SWIMMING — Caeleb Dressel got started on his quest for six gold medals in swimming, while Katie Ledecky found herself in a very unusual position: Second place. Dressel led off an American victory in the men’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the Tokyo Olympics. That eased a bit of the U.S. sting from Ledecky’s first Olympic loss. Australia’s Ariarne Titmus lived up to her billing as the “Terminator” when she chased down Ledecky in the 400 freestyle, winning one of Tokyo’s most anticipated races. Ledecky settled for the silver — the first time she’s failed to win an individual race in three Olympics. By Sports Writer Paul Newberry. SENT: 1040 words, photos.
TEN-TENNIS — Naomi Osaka reached the third round of the Olympic tennis tournament. The host country’s superstar stepped up her game when she needed to in a 6-3, 6-2 win over 49th-ranked Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland to reach the last 16 at Ariake Tennis Park. By Sports Writer Andrew Dampf. SENT: 600 words, photos.
OLY--BKO-ARGENTINA-SLOVENIA — Luka Doncic made a spectacular Olympic debut with 48 points, tied for the second-highest total in men’s basketball history, to lead Slovenia to a 118-100 victory over Argentina. By Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney. SENT: 527 words, photos.
GLF-GOLFERS OUT -- Positive COVID-19 tests knocked Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau out of the Olympic golf tournament, in a pair of surprises that reinforced the tenuous nature of holding a massive sports event during a global pandemic. Word of Rahm’s positive test came from the Spanish Olympic committee about four hours after USA Golf delivered the same news about DeChambeau. By National Writer Eddie Pells. SENT: 760 words, photos.
JAPAN-THE RIGHT PLACE? — Staging an Olympics during the worst pandemic in a century? There’s a widespread perception that it couldn’t happen in a better place than Japan. A vibrant, open democracy with deep pockets, the host nation is known for its diligent execution of detail-laden, large-scale projects, its technological advances, its consensus-building and world-class infrastructure. All this, on paper, at least, gives the strong impression that Japan is one of the few places in the world that could even consider pulling off the high-stakes tightrope walk that the Tokyo Games represent. By Foster Klug. SENT: 1200 words, photos.
VOL-US MEN-DAD’S CLUB: Family and fatherhood are an integral part of the U.S. volleyball team with five of the 12 players on the team being dads. That includes four who became fathers since the last Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. By Sport Writer Josh Dubow. SENT: 780 words, photos.
BVL-COLLEGE TO THE BEACH — Beach volleyball’s future was on display at the Shiokaze Park venue for the Olympic debut of Americans Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil. Three of the four players in the U.S. victory over Latvia came up through an NCAA beach volleyball program that has only been around since 2012. By Sports Writer Jimmy Golen. SENT: 580 words, photos.
SOF-JAPAN-US — Kelsey Stewart homered leading off the seventh inning to cap a late rally that gave the United States a 2-1 victory over Japan to win the group stage at the Olympics and the right to bat last in the gold medal game. By Ronald Blum. SENT: 580 words, photos.
TV-NBC’S OPENING — NBC says an estimated 17 million people in the United States saw the opening of the Tokyo Olympics on Friday. That’s a 36% decrease from the kickoff to the Rio de Janeiro Games five years ago SENT: 189 words, photos.
CYC-CYCLING’S ARMS RACE -- One thing that sets cycling apart from most other sports at the Olympics is the importance of technology. With the exception of a few other sports, such as sailing and rowing, most events that take place at the Summer Games come down solely to the performance of the athlete. By Sports Writer Dave Skretta. SENT: 790 words, photos.
RGU-RUGBY SEVENS — Fiji began its Olympic title defense by scoring in the opening 30 seconds of the rugby sevens competition and having to rally with two late tries for a 24-19 win over 2016 semifinalist Japan. By John Pye. SENT: 630 words, photos.
BKL--SOUTH KOREA-SPAIN — Astou Ndour scored 28 points and had 10 rebounds as Spain held on to beat South Korea 73-69 Monday in the first game of the women’s Olympic basketball tournament. SENT: 200 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
SWM-TITMUS-COACH-CELEBRATION — Australia's Ariarne Titmus was thrilled with her victory over Katie Ledecky. Her coach, Dean Boxall, was even more excited after the 400-meter freestyle. In the stands at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, yanked off his mandatory mask, let out a scream that echoed through the largely empty arena, pumped his fists and grabbed at a glass railing like he wanted to rip it apart. Boxall’s emotional display became an instant hit on social media. SENT: 245 words, photos.
OLY-TRI-TRIATHLON RESTART — The Olympic men’s triathlon needed a do-over when a bizarre start sent dozens of competitors into the water only to have others stuck on the dock, helplessly blocked by a boat containing cameras that got in the way. SENT: 375 words, photos.
OLY-GYM-UNITARDS — The German women’s gymnastics team took the floor for their first competition at the Tokyo Olympics wearing unitards with leggings that stretched down to the ankle. The gymnasts have said the wardrobe choice is intended to push “against sexualization” in women’s gymnastics. 600 words, photos.
SKB-SKATEBOARDING-WOMEN’S STREET -- On the Olympic podium, three teenage girls — 13, 13 and 16 — with weighty gold, silver and bronze medals around their young necks, rewards for having landed tricks on their skateboards that most kids their age only get to see on Instagram. By John Leicester. SENT: 300 words, photos.
OLY-MEDALISTS-UNMASKED — The faces of victory will be a bit more visible for the rest of the Tokyo Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has relaxed its health rules and said medalists can remove their masks on the podium for photos — for 30 seconds. SENT: 200 words, photos.
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EXPLAINERS
OLY—EXPLAINER-OCCASIONAL SOCCER TEAM — Britain is back in Olympic soccer for the first time since 2012 with a women’s squad in Japan. It’s the only time the team exists. SENT: 1075 words, photos.
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DAILY FIXTURES
— OLYMPICS ROUNDUP — Highlights of the day from the 2000 Summer Games.
— TOKYO OLYMPICS-THE LATEST — Real-time updates and photos from every venue around the 2020 pandemic-delayed Summer Games.
— TOKYO OLYMPICS-WHAT TO WATCH — A guide to key storylines each day. Moves after 1 a.m.
— MEDAL BRIEFS — A roundup of the day's gold medals.
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GRAPHICS
— TOKYO OLYMPICS-MEDAL COUNT — Keep track of who’s ahead in the medal race with our nation-by-nation medal tabulation.
— TOKYO OLYMPICS-MEDAL BRIEFS — A roundup of the day’s medals at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
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FEATURED IMAGES
OSWM177 — United States men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team celebrate after winning the gold medal.
OLYAS123 — Indonesia’s Rio Waida crashes on a wave during third round of the men’s surfing competition.
OLYVT101 — Somon Makhmadbekov, of Tajikistan, and Ahmad Alikaj, of the Refugee Olympic Team, compete during their men’s 73kg elimination round of the judo match.
OLYCO132 — Julia Brueckler of Austria competes in the women’s street skateboarding finals
OLYGH241 — Kristian Blummenfelt of Norway lies on the ground wrapped in the finish line tape after winning the gold medal, as silver medal winner Alex Yee of Great Britain hugs bronze medalist Hayden Wilde of New Zealand during the men’s individual triathlon.