Norway's Karsten Warholm smashed the world record in the men's Olympic 400 metres hurdles final, breaking the 46-second barrier on the way to gold medal glory.
Warholm finished in 45.94 seconds, well ahead of his own previous record mark of 46.70. USA's Rai Benjamin claimed silver in 46.17, also beating the old world record, with Alison dos Santos taking bronze in 46.72.
"It's by far the biggest moment of my life," Warholm said. "It defines everything, all the hours I put in, everything that my coach has been working for.
"With all the respect for all the athletes, there are athletes that were not good that will get an Olympic gold. Rai running 46.17 would deserve a gold medal. It is crazy, it is just an honour to be a part of it. I never thought in my wildest imagination that this would be possible."
Asked about his dash to the line in the closing metres, Warholm added: "I couldn't even feel my legs. I knew I had a crazy American trying to catch me, so I ran for my life."
Germany's Malaika Mihambo admitted she could not watch the finale to the women's long jump as she won gold.
Mihambo took the lead with a jump of 7.00m with her final attempt before USA's Brittney Reese and Nigeria's Ese Brume had their last jumps.
Neither could better the leading mark, with Reese settling for silver with 6.97 metres on countback ahead of Brume.
"It was really hard to watch, so I tried to just have a sneak peek on the display and see how far it was," Mihambo said.
"I really don't like this position where you cannot do anything about it, and you just have to let the girls do what they're able to do. You have to wait, so it was a horrible moment, but at least it was short.
“I feel overwhelmed. It was, I think, the most exciting women’s long jump competition in history."
DURANT DOMINATES AS USA SURVIVE SCARE
The United States did not have it all their way but triumphed 95-81 over Spain to seal a spot in the men's basketball semi-finals.
Spain led by as much as 10 points in the second quarter before USA drew level by half-time and accelerated in the second half. Spain again closed within four points of the gold medal favourites in the final quarter, inspired by Ricky Rubio's 38 points.
Kevin Durant excelled for Team USA, with 29 points and four assists, while Jrue Holiday contributed 12 points and five assists as they capitalised on a 17-9 turnover differential.
USA lost to Australia and Nigeria in exhibition games prior to Tokyo 2020 before losing their Olympics opener to France but have since steadied.
The winner of Australia-Argentina will play USA in the semi-finals on Thursday.
NBA duo Zoran Dragic (27 points, six rebounds and four assists) and Luka Doncic (20 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists) starred as Slovenia also progressed to the semi-finals with a 94-70 win over Germany.
CARRINGTON'S GOLD KAYAKING DOUBLE
New Zealand's Lisa Carrington had a golden day in the kayaking, remarkably winning two gold medals within an hour.
Carrington won her third straight gold in the women's kayak single 200m with an Olympic best time of 38.12 seconds, ahead of Spain's Teresa Portela and Denmark's Emma Jorgensen.
The New Zealander backed up alongside Caitlin Regal to win the women's kayak double 500m final with a world best time of 1:35.785.
Carrington joined fellow kayakers Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald and equestrian great Sir Mark Todd as the only New Zealanders to have won five medals at the Olympic Games.
The 32-year-old may win more medals too, competing in the K1 500 event which starts on Wednesday.
“Today was about taking just one race at a time," Carrington said. "There's a plan, and it was just about executing it. For me, it was just trying to stay in the moment and doing the best I can. We've worked really hard and knew today was going to be a big day.”
HENDRICKX POWERS BELGIUM INTO HOCKEY FINAL
World champions Belgium qualified for the gold medal match of the men's hockey after a commanding final quarter sealed a 5-2 win over India.
Belgium piled on three fourth-quarter goals to guarantee a medal in the decider where they will face either Australia or Germany.
Alexander Hendrickx scored a hat-trick including two of the Red Lions' goals in the final quarter after India had fought back from an early deficit to lead 2-1 at quarter-time.
Drag flick expert Hendrickx has scored an unrivalled 14 goals during Belgium's Tokyo 2020 campaign, eight clear of the next best, Australia's Blake Govers.
Hendrickx said: "It's really a team job that comes together. It's my name on the scoresheet, but it's a team job."
World number one Australia and sixth-ranked Germany meet later on Tuesday to determine the other gold medal match finalist.
Wembanyama 'flips the switch' to down Curry and Warriors
Victor Wembanyama said he had flipped a switch upon his return to action on Saturday, as the San Antonio Spurs managed an impressive 104-94 win over the Golden State Warriors.
San Antonio found themselves trailing by 17 points near the end of the third quarter and in danger of seeing their winning streak snapped at two games.
However, they rallied for the biggest comeback win by any team facing the Warriors this season, with Wembanyama the driving force.
Returning after sitting out three games with a right knee contusion, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year had 25 points, seven rebounds and nine assists while also shooting 2-of-3 from 3-point range after half-time.
"I did find my rhythm physically," Wembanyama said afterwards. "It was a little hard to come back in terms of conditioning in the first half.
"There's a switch I'm trying to flip on demand.
"Strong catches, quick moves, not holding the ball, but also taking my time, taking shots with confidence, good feet and good preparation for the shot."
Point guard Chris Paul always knew a tough first half – in which Wembanyama went 2-of-6 from 3-point range – would not impact his team-mate's confidence.
"Vic's confidence never wavers, and it's so dope to see," Paul said. "He's confident. He knows the next one's going in.
"Vic was huge, just being his first game back. The defense, the shots. The plays that he made tonight were all winning plays. He's an alien. He's just so unique."
Golden State coach Steve Kerr was also left in awe of Wembanyama's all-round display, saying: "He was amazing, blocking shots, thwarting others, just being a presence in the paint.
"It was an impressive performance by him and by the whole team, defensively."
NBA: Bucks overcome Ball's 50 points in win over Hornets
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 11 rebounds and the resurgent Milwaukee Bucks overcame LeMelo Ball’s career-high 50 points in a 125-119 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.
Milwaukee opened the fourth quarter with a 14-5 spurt for a 110-90 lead, but the Hornets got it to 121-119 on Brandon Miller’s 3-pointer with 15 seconds left.
Taurean Prince answered with a pair of free throws for the Bucks to make it a two-possession game, and Charlotte missed a pair of 3-pointers on the ensuing possession. Antetokounmpo hit two free throws with 4.5 seconds left to make it 125-119.
Ball hit 17 of 38 shots, including 6 of 17 from beyond the arc, and 10 of 13 free throws to surpass his previous personal best of 38 points, done twice.
Brandon Miller added 32 points for the Hornets, who have lost five of seven.
Milwaukee, which completed a 4-0 homestand, has won six of its last seven. The only loss in that span was a 115-114 loss to the Hornets on Nov. 16 following a controversial foul call.
Charlotte’s Grant Williams went to the locker room late in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury and did not return.
Milwaukee hit four consecutive 3s for a 12-3 run and a 96-83 lead late in the third quarter.
Nuggets use dominant 2nd half to rout Lakers
Nikola Jokic scored 34 points and Michael Porter Jr. added 24 as the Denver Nuggets used a strong second half to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102.
Russell Westbrook had 14 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for Denver against his former team.
Austin Reaves scored 19 points and LeBron James added 18 for the Lakers, who lost consecutive home games after starting the season 7-0 at home. Rui Hachimura, back in the starting lineup after he missed the previous five games with a left ankle sprain, scored 10 points in 22 minutes.
It was the teams' first meeting since the Nuggets beat the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs earlier this year. Denver also swept them in the Western Conference final the previous year.
Denver trailed by six points at halftime but outscored Los Angeles 37-15 in the third quarter and 70-39 for the second half while dominating inside and outside.
Westbrook had a putback dunk at the end of the third quarter to put the finishing touches on an authoritative quarter and extend the lead to 94-77. Westbrook then twirled his arms around emphatically in celebration as he ran back down the floor.
Magic down Pistons to continue surge
Franz Wagner continued his hot stretch with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and the Orlando Magic defeated the Detroit Pistons 111-100 for their eighth win in nine games.
Wagner, who has scored 30 or more points in five of his last seven games, sat out the fourth quarter while the Magic’s bench stretched Orlando's lead to 22 with 7:19 remaining.
He has averaged 27.7 points in the 11 games since the Magic lost star Paolo Banchero to a torn oblique.
Mo Wagner had 18 points and seven rebounds off the Orlando bench, and Jonathan Isaac added five points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with 19 points and seven rebounds. Malik Beasley, starting in place of the injured Cade Cunningham, added 18 points.
Orlando remained unbeaten at home (8-0) despite playing without Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. and losing Jalen Suggs to a sore left hamstring in the first half.
After Beasley’s 3-pointer pulled the Pistons even at 56 at the outset of the second half, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope answered with a 3 and the Magic went off on a 20-9 run that included nine straight Magic points from Franz Wagner.
Boyz striker Antonio recounts passport mishap after missing decisive Nations League quarterfinal clash
Jamaican striker Michail Antonio recently opened up about a bizarre and frustrating series of events that caused him to miss the Reggae Boyz's crucial Concacaf Nations League second-leg clash against the United States.
Speaking candidly on a podcast, Antonio detailed how losing his British passport set off an unexpected chain reaction that kept him grounded in Ghana and ultimately sidelined him from the decisive game.
The England-born player, who switched allegiance to Jamaica in 2021, explained that the trouble started when he misplaced his British passport just before traveling. Despite the setback, the West Ham striker decided to proceed with his plans, using his Jamaican passport to travel to Ghana to visit his academy, Samba Stars.
“I lost my passport before I left, but I thought, 'I'm English, so it's not gonna be a problem getting back into the UK,'" Antonio said on the Rest is Football podcast.
Antonio shows off his Jamaican passport during the podcast.
Confident that his Jamaican passport would suffice, Antonio spent three days in Ghana conducting media work and meeting players at his academy.
However, the real challenge came when the 34-year-old attempted to fly back to England, as immigration officials at the airport in Ghana dropped a bombshell—he required a visa to re-enter England using his Jamaican passport.
“I get to the airport, and they're like, ‘Where’s your visa?’” Antonio shared.
“I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ They said, ‘You need a visa to get back to the UK.’ I was like, ‘No, I don’t. I’m English. I’ve been living in the UK my whole life,’” he added.
What Antonio hadn’t realized was that using his Jamaican passport—a foreign document in this case—meant he was subject to the same entry requirements as any other Jamaican citizen, including a visa to enter the United Kingdom.
His disbelief quickly turned into frustration as Antonio realized he wouldn’t be allowed to board his flight back to England. Instead, he was forced to remain in Ghana for an additional three days while he arranged for an emergency British passport.
“I’ve never needed a visa in my life, but because I was using my Jamaican passport for the first time to get back to England, I needed one,” he stated with a broad smile.
That delay threw Antonio’s travel plans into disarray. While he eventually returned to England, he missed the opportunity to secure a visa to fly to the United States for Jamaica’s Nations League second leg in St Louis, Missouri.
Antonio’s absence proved costly for the Reggae Boyz, who suffered a 4-2 loss to their rivals at Energizer Park, sealing a 5-2 aggregate defeat in the two-legged tie.
Antonio, who has been pivotal in Jamaica's recent campaigns and has five goals in 21 appearances, could only watch from afar as the Reggae Boyz fell short of the Nations League semi-final and, by extension, the next edition of the Concacaf Gold Cup.
They are now left to contest the preliminary round in March in order to book a spot in the prestigious tournament.
For Antonio, the ordeal was a learning experience, as his story highlights the challenges faced by dual-national athletes navigating complex travel requirements.
Still, the West Ham striker is back in England, ready to focus on club and country, but will likely double-check his passport before his next trip.
"In the times we’re in with AI and everything, you’re telling me I can’t leave the UK, where I was born, and fly to Ghana using my Jamaican passport, and I can’t come back to England without a visa?” he joked.
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