TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on the Tokyo Olympics, which are taking place under heavy restrictions after a year’s delay because of the coronavirus pandemic:
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MEDAL ALERT
China’s Mengya Sun and Shixiao Xu have won the country’s first medal in women’s canoe sprint by winning the gold in the canoe double 500 at the Sea Forest Waterway.
The 2019 world champions finished 2 seconds clear of Ukraine’s Anastasiia Chetverikova and Liudmyla Luzan. It was the second medal for Luzan, who took bronze in the single 200.
Canada’s Laurence Vincente Lapointe and Katie Vincent took the bronze medal in third. Vincent won the silver medal in the 200.
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MEDAL ALERT
Qatar has won the bronze medal in men’s beach volleyball, the first medal in the sport for the country — or any country in the Middle East.
Cherif Younousse Samba and Ahmed Tijan beat Latvia 21-12, 21-18 in the third-place match on Saturday morning at the Shiokaze Park venue. Younousse knuckled the winning point over Edgar Tocs’ block attempt, then ran toward the stands pointing at the few fans who were there to cheer him on.
Then he dropped to his knees and planted his forehead in the sand.
Martins Plavins was trying to earn his second bronze medal, to go with the one he won in London. Instead, he and Tocs finish fourth — just as the Latvian women did a day earlier.
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MEDAL ALERT
Peres Jepchirchir led a 1-2 Kenyan finish in the women’s marathon, withstanding the heat and humidity while running through the streets of Sapporo.
Jepchirchir finished in a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes, 20 seconds in a race moved up an hour to avoid the heat. A smattering of fans lining the course applauded as the Tokyo Games moved north for the marathons and race walks. Her teammate Brigid Kosgei was second and American Molly Seidel, a relative newcomer to the marathon stage, took home the bronze.
A race that was moved to Sapporo to avoid the extreme heat in Tokyo found little relief on a winding course through the city. The starter’s gun went off a minute after 6 a.m. local time under sunny skies and with a temperature reading of 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 Celsius). It climbed to nearly 86 degrees (30) near the finish, with a humidity of around 65%.
There were 88 runners entered in the field, with more than a dozen recording a did not finish. That included world champion Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya.
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The women’s marathon started along the streets of the northern city of Sapporo just after 6 a.m. local time under sunny skies and with a temperature reading of 77 Fahrenheit (25 Celsius).
There were around 90 runners embarking on what was expected to be a hot trip through the streets of Sapporo. The time of the start was moved up an hour to avoid some of the heat. Spectators were asked not to attend, but some showed up to sneak a glimpse of the action.
Athletes were expected to stay cool any way possible. Before the race, they could use cooling ice vests. On the course, there were plenty of water stations and crushed ice, along with towels soaked in cold water.
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More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics
