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Eliud Kipchoge defends Olympic marathon gold

August 8, 2021

The Kenyan is the first marathoner in four decades to win back-to-back gold medals. USA won its seventh straight gold in women's basketball and struck gold in women's volleyball. Follow the latest from Tokyo with DW.

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Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge holds up two fingers after winning back-to-back gold medals
Marathoner Eliud Kipchoge holds up two fingers after winning back-to-back gold medalsImage: Shuji Kajiyama/AP Photo/picture alliance

Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge successfully defended his Olympic gold medal in the men's marathon, cementing his place among the sport's all-time greats

He held up two fingers as he crossed the finish line to signify his two gold medals, winning Sunday's race with a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 38 seconds. Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands took silver, and Belgium's Bashir Abdi edged Kenyan Lawrence Cherono by two seconds to snatch the bronze.

Kipchoge, 36, is just the third marathoner to win back-to-back gold medals at the Olympics after Abebe Bikila (1960 and 1964) and East Germany's Waldemar Cierpinski (1976 and 1980).

"I think I fulfilled the legacy by winning the marathon for the second time," Kipchoge said after the race. "That's my total happiness, my inspiration for the next generation."

The Kenyan distance runner now has four Olympic medals to his name — he won silver in 5,000 meters at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and bronze in the same event at the 2004 Games in Athens.

Here's a roundup of the latest news and results from the Tokyo Olympics.

Other gold medals

Brittney Griner (second from right) high fives her Team USA teammates
Brittney Griner (second from right) high fives her Team USA teammatesImage: Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo/picture alliance

Team USA won gold in women's basketball for the seventh straight Olympics. After jumping out to a nine-point lead over hosts Japan in the first quarter, they coasted to a 90-75 victory to take the gold. Brittney Griner capped off an impressive games with a 30-point performance.

The US also won its first gold in women's volleyball, defeating Brazil in straight sets 25-21 25-20 25-14. Andrea Drews, filling in for injured ace spiker Jordan Thompson, led the Americans with 15 points.

France won its first gold medal in women's handball, beating the Russian Olympic Committee's team 30-25 in the final. The win makes France the first country since the 1984 Los Angeles Games to win gold in both men's and women's handball.

In the ring, Andy Cruz won Cuba's fourth boxing gold medal when he beat USA's Keyshawn Davis to take the men's lightweight title. Uzbekistan's Bakhodir Jalolov won the men's super heavyweight gold, defeating American Richard Torrez Jr.

Ireland's Kellie Anne Harrington won the women's lightweight title, defeating Brazilian Beatriz Ferreira in a close bout. Great Britain's Lauren Price beat China's Li Quan to take the women's middleweight gold medal.

In the pool, Serbia successfully defended their gold medal in men's water polo, defeating Greece 13-10 in the final.

In track cycling, Canadian Kelsey Mitchell took gold in the women's sprint while Great Britain's Jason Kenny won his seventh career Olympic gold in men's keirin to become the most decorated British Olympian of all-time.

dv (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)