US Sweeps Medals in Men's 200 Meter Run
American Shawn Crawford has led a U.S. sweep of the medals in the men's 200-meter run at the Olympics in Greece.
Crawford raced across the finish line Thursday in 19.79 seconds. Bernard Williams won the silver medal in 20.01 seconds, and Justin Gatlin took the bronze in 20.03.
Gatlin, who won the 100-eter race, was trying to become the first sprinter since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win both the 100 and 200 meter races in the same Olympic games.
Earlier, the United States finished one and two in the long jump, as Dwight Phillips captured the gold medal with a leap of 8.59 meters, and John Moffitt took the silver. Spain's Joan Lino Martinez claimed the bronze.
US Men's Basketball Team Defeats Spain, Advances to Olympic Semifinals
The United States men's Olympic basketball team has kept its gold medal hopes alive with a 102-94 quarterfinal win over Spain.
Playing Thursday, before a crowd of 19,000 in Athens, 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.
The game was the best performance yet by the Americans, who lost two games in the qualifying round and had appeared far weaker than the United States' gold medal-winning "Dream Teams" of the past.
Spain, which was undefeated in opening round play, will now play in the seventh place game.
The Americans face a semifinal 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. Later, Puerto Rico plays Italy.
Hungarian Weightlifter Expelled from Olympics, Ukraine Stripped of Bronze Rowing Medal
A Hungarian weightlifter has become the 10th lifter to be expelled from the Athens Olympics in a doping controversy, while Ukraine's rowing team has been stripped of its bronze medal after a rower tested positive for a banned stimulant.
Olympic officials said Thursday that Hungary's Zoltan Kovaks was expelled for refusing to take a drug test. He competed but did not finish his 105-kilogram weight class event on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Olena Olefirenko has been found to have taken medication containing a banned substance. She was a member of the four-woman rowing team that finished in third place on Sunday. Australia will now be awarded the bronze medal for the event.
New Zealand Takes Olympic Gold, Silver in Men's Triathlon
New Zealand has doubled its total of medals at the Athens Olympics by placing first and second in the men's triathlon.
Hamish Carter took the gold in the swimming, cycling and running event Thursday with a combined winning time of 1:51:07.73. He was followed nearly eight seconds later by countryman and world champion Bevan Docherty, who won the silver medal.
The third place bronze went to Switzerland's Sven Riederer.
The grueling event includes a 1,500 meter swim, followed by 40 kilometers of cycling, capped by a 10-kilometer run.
Spain Takes Gold in 49er Sailing Competition
The Spanish duo of Iker Martinez and Xavier Fernandez has 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.
South Korean Wrestler Upsets Bulgarian in Olympic Semi-Finals
South Korean Greco-Roman wrestler Jung Ji-hyun has upset defending Olympic champion Armen Nazarian of Bulgaria in the semi-finals of the 60-kilogram event in Athens.
Jung out-pointed Nazarian 3-1 to reach the gold-medal match later Thursday, where he will meet Cuban Roberto Monzon.
Two other weight classes will also award medals Thursday.
Egypt's Karam Ibrahim faces Ramaz Nozadze of Georgia in the final of the 96-kilogram class.
Alexandr Dokturishivili of Uzbekistan goes up against Marko Yli-Hannuksela of Finland for the title in the 74-kilogram weight division.
Russia's Moiseev Wins Olympic Pentathlon
Andrey Moiseev of Russia has won the Olympic gold medal in the men's modern pentathlon.
Moiseev was in 19th place after the shooting competition, but took the overall lead by winning the fencing and swimming events.
After losing some ground in the horse-riding stage, he clinched the gold with a strong performance in the cross-country run.
Andrejus Zadneprovskis of Lithuania finished second overall to win the silver medal, while Libor Capalini of the Czech Republic came in third for the bronze.
Wrestling Wins Give Egypt, Uzbekistan First Athens Gold
Egypt and Uzbekistan have each claimed their first gold medals of the Athens Olympics with victories in men's Greco-Roman wrestling Thursday.
Karam Ibrahim of Egypt triumphed in the men's 96-kilogram division, defeating Ramaz Nozadze of Georgia in the final. The bronze went to Turkey's Mehmet Ozal.
The Uzbeks' triumph came in the 74-kilogram division, where Alexandr Dokturishivili beat Marko Yli-Hannuksela of Finland. Russia's Varteres Samourgachev won the bronze.
In the 60-kilogram division, South Korea's Jung Ji-hyun claimed the gold with a victory over Cuba's Roberto Monzon. The bronze was won by Armen Nazarian of Bulgaria.
Brazil, Spain Take Gold in Olympic Sailing Competition
The gold medal for the Star class of sailing goes to the Brazilian duo of Torben Grael and Marcelo Ferreira.
Grael and Ferreira's fourth-place finish in Thursday's race gave them an insurmountable lead with one race to go.
The silver and bronze medals will be determined on Saturday, the final day of the Olympic regatta.
Earlier, the Spanish team of Iker Martinez and Xavier Fernandez won the gold medal in the 49er class of sailing.
Martinez and Fernandez were pre-Olympic favorites to win the double-handed dinghy competition.
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.
Taiwan Wins Two Golds in Taekwondo
Taiwan, which had never won a gold medal in Olympic history, won two within a matter of minutes during the taekwondo finals Thursday.
First, Chen Shih-Hsin triumphed in the women's flyweight (under-49 kilogram) division, beating Yanelis Labrada of Cuba, 6-4.
Then, Taiwan's Chu Mu Yen won the gold in the men's 58-kilogram division, defeating Oscar Salazar of Mexico, 5-1.
Previous Taiwan teams at the Olympics had won a number of silver and bronze medals, but no gold.
The women's flyweight bronze medal went to Thailand's Yaowapa Boorapolchai, while Egypt's Tamer Bayoumi took the bronze in the men's 58-kilogram division.
Germany Wins Gold Medal in Field Hockey
Germany has won its first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's field hockey with a stunning 2-1 victory over the Netherlands.
The Germans scored two first-half goals Thursday, but the Dutch cut the deficit in half with a goal off a penalty corner in the second half.
Argentina took the bronze medal with a 2-1 victory over China. Luciana Aymer's last-minute goal gave Argentina the win.