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U.S. comes away draped in gold, not shame Melo: I’m finished with Team USA Twitter reacts to USA’s latest gold medal Kevin Durant did it again. Just like in 2012, Durant led the United States men’s basketball team in scoring with a performance to remember in the gold medal game on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro. Durant scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half of Team USA’s…

Post to Facebook Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 1 of 11 2 of 11 3 of 11 4 of 11 5 of 11 6 of 11 7 of 11 8 of 11 9 of 11 10 of 11 11 of 11 Last SlideNext Slide Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price watches from the dugout against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Great American…

G’head, watch the whole thing. It’s eight minutes, I know, and then you’ll probably spend another eight minutes (hopefully) reading about what I have to say about this, but I’m confident you will not regret it. Also, I have to credit Craig Robinson (@flipflopflying) for tweeting this and bringing it to my attention. He is a great follow if you don’t already. I don’t know anything about…

RIO DE JANEIRO — South America’s Olympic debut ended Sunday night doused with a tropical drizzle but dancing all the way, a festive Brazilian farewell to a zany 17 days of brilliant athletic performances served with a sideshow of mishaps and scares. The world’s athletes, shrouded in plastic ponchos and smiling through the rain, seemed an apt ending to an Olympics that was always an uphill climb. With dancers dressed…

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Every TV show needs its stars, and NBC has done a great job making stars of athletes like Biles and Ledecky and Phelps and, yes, Ryan Lochte. NBC, though, isn’t nearly as good at crafting compelling narratives around sports that take place neither in the water nor on a track. And, come to think of it, NBC isn’t even that great at creating compelling narratives in track and field. Allyson…

x Embed x Share USA TODAY Sports’ Nancy Armour shares her Top 5 from Rio. USA TODAY Sports Kyle Snyder of the United States celebrates winning the gold medal in the men’s freestyle 97kg wrestling event during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 2.(Photo: Michael Madrid, USA TODAY Sports) RIO DE JANEIRO — American wrestler Kyle Snyder is a gold medal winner who just took down a…

x Embed x Share USA Today Sports’ Martin Rogers says farewell to the Rio Games USA TODAY Sports Simone Biles (USA) carries the flag during the closing ceremonies for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Maracana.(Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports) Simone’s show There’s no questioning Simone Biles’ star power. Aside from toting the United States flag like a four-time gold medalist, Biles momentarily held up the parade of athletes as…

Post to Facebook Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 1 of 11 2 of 11 3 of 11 4 of 11 5 of 11 6 of 11 7 of 11 8 of 11 9 of 11 10 of 11 11 of 11 Last SlideNext Slide Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price watches from the dugout against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Great American…

x Embed x Share Ryan Lochte has been pilloried for his exaggerated tale of robbery in Rio, but did the Rio police also tell a tall tale of the swimmers’ behavior? USA TODAY Sports Ryan Lochte during the men’s 200m individual medley final in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games.(Photo: Erich Schlegel, USA TODAY Sports) RIO DE JANEIRO – Seven days after an incident that will in part define the…

RIO DE JANEIRO — Under a tropical drizzle, Brazil kicked off the last act of South America’s Olympic debut Sunday night, a danceable farewell to a zany 17 days of brilliant athletic performances and a decathlon of mishaps. Athletes shrouded in plastic ponchos, smiling through the rain, seemed an apt ending to an Olympics that was always an uphill climb. With dancers dressed as colorful birds, fiddlers and fireworks, Rio…

They gave Americans a good scare, having to eke out three wins in the preliminary round against teams that, on paper at least, are inferior. They’ll never be beloved, like the 1992 Dream Team of Magic, Michael, and Larry. Or even the 2008 Redeem Team–with Kobe and LeBron–from Beijing, which brought the basketball gold medal back home after the 2004 debacle in Athens, where Team USA lost three games and…

Great Britain smashed their medal target for the 2016 Olympics, achieved a succession of notable ‘firsts’ and caused a major stir by finishing second in the table, above global powerhouse China. Of the 366 athletes that went to the Rio Games for Team GB, 129 of them – just over 35% – returned with a medal, including every member of the 15-strong track cycling team. BBC Sport looks at Britain’s…

Laura Trott left Rio as Britain’s most successful female Olympian with four gold medals, while fiance Jason Kenny won his sixth to move level with fellow cyclist Sir Chris Hoy Ambassadors, you are spoiling us. Once again, it has been a summer when Britain’s sporting stars have done so much to delight. In Rio, second place in the medal table, 20 years after the Atlanta Olympics saw the nation finish…

Media playback is not supported on this device Neymar seals Brazil gold Brazil will always associate itself with two football tragedies at home, but now it finally has a defining moment it can be proud of. The 1950 World Cup final defeat by Uruguay in the Maracana, and the crushing 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany in Belo Horizonte at the 2014 World Cup can never be erased, but by winning…

BRISTOL, Tenn. — The one NASCAR track that couldn’t afford a rainout this season is Bristol Motor Speedway, but the track continued to battle rain Sunday morning after its popular Saturday night race was rained out. UPDATE: At last, dry air was moving through the mountains into Thunder Valley. NASCAR and forecasters said racing could begin as early at 5 p.m. ET with the possibility of a full 500 laps…

Originally published on Grist. Long after the athletes have packed up their Speedos and the torch has gone out, the structures that house the 2016 Olympics will remain. While Rio de Janeiro used its existing national soccer stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies, it also built a number of other stadiums and venues for the games — and displaced 80,000 residents in the process. So what’s to come of…

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Watch NBC’s coverage of the Closing Ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, beginning with “Rio Gold,” an hour-long special looking back at the defining moments of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, at 7 p.m. ET/PT, followed by coverage of the Closing Ceremony beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT. ET/CT users: Watch the stream here at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT MT users: Watch the stream here at 7:00 p.m. MT PT users: Watch…

The United States men’s basketball team is one win from its third straight gold medal, only Serbia stands between Americans and another Olympiad as champions. Serbia has played well beyond expectations in the tournament, doing just enough to win every game necessary. They’re 4-3 in the tournament, and have lost two games by less than three points. Had a few bounces gone they’re way, Serbia could be 6-1. They haven’t…