LONDON, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Friday's highlights at the London Olympics:
-- In what has become standard fare for the men's United States basketball team, a late push produced an eventually comfortable win in the semifinals. The Americans defeated Argentina for the second time in the Olympics, this time by a score of 109-83, setting up a gold medal meeting Sunday against Spain. Kevin Durant's four 3-pointers in the third quarter broke open the game after the Americans held only a seven-point lead at the break.
-- A sprint relay world record set by East Germany in 1985 finally fell and it was a foursome of American women who broke it. Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight and Carmelita Jeter combined to run a 40.82 in defeating Jamaica by more than half a second. It was the eighth U.S. track and field gold medal at these Olympics, one more than the Americans had in Beijing.
-- The United States also equaled its entire win total in freestyle wrestling from the 2008 Olympics. To equal that mark the Americans just needed one gold medal and that was achieved when Jordan Ernest Burroughs defeated an Iranian opponent for gold in the 74-kilogram class.
-- The U.S. gold medal total reached 41, four more than China's total and the largest accumulation for the Americans since they claimed 44 at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. With a lead of 13 in the overall medal category, it appears the United States will leave these Olympics with more medals than anybody else for the fifth straight Games. That streak began with the breakup of the Soviet Union.
-- Russia won three gold medals to boost its total to 15. But it looks as if the Russians will experience a reduction in golds for the third straight Olympics. They need eight more over the final two days of competition to equal their total from Beijing.
-- Semifinals were held in all 10 boxing weight classes and at the end of a long afternoon and evening there were 14 countries with at least one fighter in the gold medal bouts. Ukraine led the way with three. Cuba, Italy, Britain and Kazakhstan had two each and nobody else had more than one.
-- The United States is in position to win four of the six gold medals available in women's team sports at these Olympics. They already have won the gold in water polo and soccer and will try to do the same Saturday in volleyball and basketball. A basketball victory would give the U.S. women their fifth straight gold. A win in volleyball would be an Olympic first for the American women.
-- The Bahamas and Bahrain became the 81st and 82nd countries to win an Olympic medal. There are 45 countries with at least one gold medal. In Beijing there were 54.
