Virginia Thrasher of the United States reacts after winning the gold medal in the 10m Air Rifle Women’s Finals on Day 1 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Shooting Centre on August 6, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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OLYMPICS – Australian world champion cyclist Melissa Hoskins was taken to hospital by ambulance after a training crash.
Venus and Serena fall: In a stunning upset, three-time gold medalists Venus and Serena Williams were eliminated during the first round of the women’s doubles by the Czech duo of Barbora Strycova and Lucie Safarova.
Swimmer Katie Ledecky added another gold medal to her already stellar Olympics. She won her gold in the 10-meter air rifle shooting competition – and set a new Olympic record while she was at it. Thrasher, who was not expected to contend for a medal at this year’s Olympics, stunned the field by beating out the heavily favored and previous gold medal winning Chinese contender.
The team jumping final starts at 11:00pm on Tuesday, with the individual jumping final from 3:00am Wednesday.
After an emotional medal ceremony, Thrasher was whisked away for a media tour that she said “lasted a very long time”. In the men’s 100m backstroke, David Plummer and Ryan Murphy are medal contenders.
But Lilly King temporarily turned all of the attention to the women’s 100-meter breaststroke with her interview after Sunday night’s semifinal. Thrasher won by 208 points, while Du (a two-time gold medalist) got 207 points and Yi (also a gold victor at the 2012 London Games) scored 185.4.
Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first U.S. Olympian to compete while wearing a hijab, made her Olympic debut during the fencing competition.
Thrasher’s gold-medal performance also resonated with WVU rifle coach Jon Hammond, who is in Rio.
Growing up black and Muslim in the US state of New Jersey, 28-year-old Ibtihaj Muhammad says she loved sports, but often struggled to find her place. It’s safe to say, however, the days of her showing up as an underdog are over, and future competitors sights will now be set on her, metaphorically of course.
A native of Springfield, Va., Thrasher won her first career medal with an Olympic record 208.0 final total, edging China’s Li Du, who finished second with a 207.0 mark.
BASKETBALL: Australia has defeated France 89-71 to remain unbeaten in the women’s basketball competition and be placed in a strong position to win its pool.
The men’s team will pick up play in the preliminary round again Wednesday against an Australia team that is also 2-0.
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WATER POLO: Our men’s water polo side has kept its finals hopes alive after a gutsy 9-9 draw against powerhouse Hungary, the most successful team in Olympic history.
