Italians upend U.S. women for gold in volleyball

Monica de Gennaro of Italy is thrown in the air by her team after winning a gold medal women’s volleyball match between the United States of America and Italy at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

PARIS — Monica De Gennaro of Italy made three previous trips to the Olympics only to leave empty-handed each time.

Finally, at age 37, she’s going home with the gold.

Italy beat the defending champion U.S. team Sunday to win gold in women’s volleyball at the Paris Olympics.

“It feels special,” she said. “It’s the dream of every player to play in the final of the Olympics and win it. It is something unique. We worked so hard for so many years to be able to reach this final.”

When Italy scored the match point to end it, many of the players collapsed to the court, then began hugging in a huge scrum. Together they tossed De Gennaro into the air.

The victory came in straight sets, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17. The Italians ended a dominant tournament having lost just one set.

It’s the first medal in the sport for top-ranked Italy and sends the Americans home in disappointment after they won their first Olympic title in Tokyo.

TRACK AND FIELD

The American men eked out a relay win in the 4×400 meters just 15 minutes before a star-studded U.S. women’s team dominated the field Saturday night. Those were the final two golds of an Olympic track meet dominated by the United States. America won 14 golds and 34 overall medals. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas – the gold medalists in the 400 hurdles and 200 meters – handed a 30-meter lead to Alexis Holmes, who didn’t lose any ground. The 34 medals were the most for the U.S. at a non-boycotted Games since the early 20th century, when there were more events and fewer countries. The 14 golds are the most in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1968.

MEN’S WATER POLO

Milos Cuk scored three times and Serbia beat Croatia 13-11 for its third consecutive gold medal in men’s water polo at the Olympics. Nikola Dedovic and Nikola Jaksic each had two goals as Serbia used a balanced attack to earn its third consecutive win since its shaky start in the preliminary round of the Paris Games. Serbia joined Britain and Hungary as the only countries to win three straight Olympic titles in men’s water polo. The United States beat Hungary 11-8 in the bronze-medal match. It’s the first medal for the U.S. men since the team lost to Hungary in the final of the 2008 Olympics.

WOMEN’S

WRESTLING

The United States is closing the gap on Japan in women’s wrestling. The Japanese won four of the six gold medals for the third straight Olympics and claimed two bronze medals as well. But the Americans got women’s freestyle golds from Sarah Hildebrandt at 50 kilograms and Amit Elor at 68 kg, a silver from Kennedy Blades at 76 kg and a bronze from Helen Maroulis at 57 kg. The United States became the only country other than Japan to win more than one Olympic gold since women’s wrestling was added to the Summer Games in 2004.

MEN’S WRESTLING

The men struggled by their standards, failing to claim a gold medal for the first time since 1968. Spencer Lee was the highest-finishing American man, claiming a silver in 57 kg freestyle. He lost his gold-medal match to Rei Higuchi of Japan 4-2. He’s a first-time Olympian who won three NCAA titles at Iowa.

Kyle Dake earned bronze for the second straight Olympics in 74 kg freestyle. He scored nine points in the last 31 seconds of his bronze-medal match, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to win 10-4.

Aaron Brooks earned a bronze in 86 kg freestyle. He opened the Olympics with a 4-3 win over top seed Azamat Dauletbekov of Kazakhstan. He lost his semifinal to eventual gold medalist Magomed Ramazanov of Bulgaria after Ramazanov scored a counter exposure in the final seconds.

Zain Retherford could have added a medal in men’s 65 kg freestyle, but he withdrew from his repechage match on Sunday after symptoms from a previous concussion returned. Retherford was supposed to face Islam Dudaev of Albania, with the winner earning a spot in the bronze-medal match. Instead, Dudaev got a bye and won the bronze medal with a win over Iszmail Muszukajev of Hungary.

Kyle Snyder lost his 97 kg freestyle bronze-medal match to Amirali Azarpira of Iran 4-1. Snyder won gold in 2016 and silver in 2021.

Mason Parris was the No. 3 seed at 125 kg, but he lost his only Olympic match.

None of the Americans medaled in Greco-Roman.

CYCLING

Jennifer Valente made a dominant defense of her Olympic omnium title, earning her second gold medal of the week and wrapping up the most successful Summer Games for the U.S. cycling team in 40 years. Daria Pikulik of Poland took silver and Ally Wollaston of New Zealand got bronze. Earlier in the day, Harrie Lavreysen held off Australians Matthew Glaetzer and Matthew Richardson in the finals of the men’s keirin for his third gold medal of the Paris Games. Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand won her second gold medal and third overall by sweeping Lea Friedrich of Germany in the finals of the sprint competition.

GOLF

Lydia Ko completed her Olympic medal collection with the most valuable of them all, a gold medal that puts the 27-year-old Kiwi into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Ko built a five-shot lead on the back nine at Le Golf National as her closest pursuers all collapsed, and then had to hang on until the very end. Her lead down to one, Ko made a 7-foot birdie putt for a 1-under 71 and a two-shot victory. Ko won the silver medal in Rio de Janeiro. She won the bronze in Tokyo.