U.S. Softball team goes for Olympic gold Monday
ATHENS, Greece, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- The United States softball team plays Australia Monday for an Olympic championship..
The U.S. has won the first two gold medals since softball was brought into the Olympics in 1996, and this year the Americans have steam rolled through their competition, winning all eight games by a 46-0 total.
The United States women's soccer team has not played particularly well at the Olympic Games so far. Still, they are in the semifinals with their dream of a gold medal alive. The Americans are coming off a 2-1 win over Japan in the quarterfinals, but Monday play the reigning World Cup champion Germans..
The U.S. men's basketball team has been playing under a microscope, and for good reason. Entering these Olympics they had never lost with NBA players, but now they've been beaten twice, by Puerto Rico and Lithuania. On Monday, the Americans take on winless Angola and it should be an easy victory.
The track and field portion of the Games will feature six more finals - the 20km walk, the women's triple jump, the men's discus throw, the women's 800 meters, the men's 400 meters and the women's 5000 meters.
Heading into Monday's competition the United States leads the medal count with 57 total - 21 gold, 21 silver and 15 bronze. China is second with 46 medals, followed by Russia with 36 and Australia with 32.
Sunday's Olympic Highlights
ATHENS, Greece, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Sunday's highlights at the Olympics:
-- American Justin Gatlin won the battle of the world's swiftest men, claiming the 100-meter gold medal by .01 of a second.
-- Japan's Mizuki Noguchi won the women's marathon by 12 seconds. Deena Kastor of the United States rallied from 18th place for the bronze and cried during the entire final lap.
-- The American softball team, which beat Australia for the second time in these Games, will play Australia again for the gold medal Monday.
-- Matt Emmons of the United States had a shooting gold within his reach but a lapse of concentration caused him to fire his final shot at the wrong target. He finished last among the eight finalists.
-- Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis was stripped of the bronze medal he won last week for failing an anti-doping test.
-- The U.S. women's volleyball team shocked three-time defending champion in straight sets to earn a quarterfinal berth.
-- There were 11 medal winners from the United States, five more than any other country. But China won four golds to two for the United States and now has 22 to the Americans' 21.
Stewart Cink wins NEC Invitational
AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Stewart Cink birdied the 72nd hole Sunday for an even-par 70 and a four-shot victory at the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational.
Cink had a four-round total of 11-under-par 269.
This past Monday, Hal Sutton chose Cink as one of his captain's selections for the United States Ryder Cup team. This week, Cink became the first player in 2004 to go wire-to-wire with no other player sharing a piece of the lead after any round.
Cink won in Hilton Head earlier this year and became the seventh multiple winner this season, joining Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Todd Hamilton, Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia.
This was Cink's fourth victory on the PGA Tour.
Tiger Woods had a one-under 69 and a share of second place with Rory Sabbatini, who carded a final-round 68. The two were knotted at seven-under 273.
Hewitt beats Muller for DC tennis title
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Lleyton Hewitt took the Legg Mason Tennis Classic title Sunday with a straight-set victory over Gilles Muller.
The second-seeded Hewitt posted a 6-3, 6-4 triumph for his third title of the year and the 22nd of his career. He also won at Sydney and Rotterdam earlier this year. He lost to Andre Agassi two Sundays ago in the Cincinnati final.
Muller, the No. 1 junior player in 2001, had spoiled a potential heavyweight rematch between Hewitt and Agassi, beating the top-seeded American in Saturday's semifinals.
"I played the best tournament of my career and beat Andre Agassi," said Muller. "I have some regrets from today. I could have played better, but I can't have everything."
The 21-year-old Muller, who won a pair of Challenger series titles earlier this year, became the first player from Luxembourg to reach an ATP final. The big-serving lefty used 11 aces to beat Agassi.
Tewell wins Greater Hickory Classic
CONOVER, N.C., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Doug Tewell birdied the last hole Sunday to close a round of eight-under 64 and win the Greater Hickory Classic by one stroke over Bruce Fleisher.
Tewell finished the event at 14-under-par 202.
Fleisher also birdied the last for a final-round 68 to end at 13-under-par 203.
Tewell, 54, got off to a hot start when he birdied the first three holes to quickly jump to minus-nine.
He made his fourth birdie at the par-five seventh. After dropping in an 11-foot birdie try at the 10th, Tewell sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the 11th to take the lead from Fleisher, who bogeyed the same hole.
Tewell ran off four straight pars, while Fleisher joined him in the lead at minus-12 with a six-foot birdie putt at 13. Fleisher then dropped one shot back at the par-three 15th.
Morris Hatalsky was third at 10-under 206.
