The U.S. women's soccer team plays for the gold medal, while a team of NBA stars comes another step closer to a medal in men's basketball. Modern pentathlon, wrestling, and sailing highlight early action on Day 13 of the Athens Olympics.
The U.S. men's Olympic basketball team kept its gold medal hopes alive with a 102-94 quarter-final win over Spain. Stephon Marbury led the U.S. squad with a game-high 31 points. Allen Iverson added 16 points for the U.S. men. Pau Gasol led Spain with 29.
Spain, which was undefeated in opening-round play, will now play in the seventh-place game. The Americans face a semi-final match against the winner of the game between Greece and Argentina.
In other quarterfinal action, Lithuania has defeated China 95-75, with the help of 32 points from Arvydas Macijauskas. The Lithuanians play the winner of a match between Italy and Puerto Rico.
New Zealand kicked off the 13th day of medals competition at the Athens Olympics by taking the gold and silver medals in the men's triathlon.
Hamish Carter won the swimming, cycling and running event Thursday, followed by countryman Bevan Docherty.
The Spanish duo of Iker Martinez and Xavier Fernandez won the Olympic gold medal in the 49er class of sailing. Martinez and Fernandez were pre-Olympic favorites to win the double-handed dinghy competition.
The duo finished seventh in Thursday's final race, good enough to keep the lead they built up in races one through 15. The team of Rodion Luka and George Leonchuk of Ukraine finished second to win the silver medal. Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks of Britain got third place and the bronze.
Torben Grael and Marcelo Ferreira of Brazil clinched the gold medal in sailing's Star class with one race remaining. The silver and bronze medals will be determined on Saturday.
Gold medals will also be awarded in the women's team sports of football, field hockey and water polo.
All-time top-scorer Mia Hamm of the U.S. team plans to retire after Wednesday's title football contest against Brazil.
The Netherlands and Germany meet for the hockey gold medal. In matches completed so far today, two-time defending champion Australia defeated New Zealand, 2-0, to finish in fifth place. For the hockeyroos (the Australian team), it was the worst ever showing in an Olympics. Australian captain Katrina Powell finished her international career by scoring two goals in the game.
Meanwhile, South Korea beat Japan, 3-1 for seventh place. South Africa downed Spain, 4-3 in extra time for ninth place.
Greece faces Italy in only the second women's water polo final at an Olympics.
Alexandr Dokturishivili of Uzbekistan won the gold medal in 74 kg Greco-Roman wrestling Thursday, beating Marko Yli-Hannuksela of Finland 4-1. Varteres Samourgachev of Russia won the bronze.
Andrey Moisev of Russia won the gold medal in the men's modern pentathlon Thursday. Andrejus Zadneprovskis of Lithuania won silver, while Libor Capalini of the Czech Republic took bronze.
Three gold medals are up for grabs in men's track and field events - the long jump, 400-meter hurdles and 200-meter sprint. American Justin Gatlin will try to become the first sprinter since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win both the 100 and 200-meter races in the same Olympic games.
Gold medals will also be awarded in the women's three-meter springboard and one weight class each of men's and women's taekwando.