Sport

In one of the most shocking results of the 2016 Olympics to date, defending gold medalists Venus and Serena Williams lost in the first round of the women’s doubles tennis tournament. The Williams sisters had never lost an Olympic doubles match before Sunday’s stunning defeat, which ends their title defense. Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic took down the American stars in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-4….

Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten sustained three small fractures to her spine and will remain hospitalized in intensive care after crashing Sunday during the women’s Olympic road race. Van Vleuten was leading on the fast, slippery descent of Vista Chinesa when she appeared to lock up her brakes on the final corner. She tumbled onto the road and her bike went flying, and she remained on the edge of the…

All of the USA swimmers advanced out of morning preliminaries on Sunday to the night session. Team USA’s Kathleen Baker kicked things off, posting a personal best to clock the fastest time of the morning’s 100m backstroke preliminary heats, 58.84 seconds. Reigning world champion, Emily Seebohm of Australia, qualified for the semifinal second with 58.99 seconds. Also into the semifinals are the U.S.’ Olivia Smoliga (sixth with 59.60) and Hungary’s…

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RIO DE JANEIRO — She has cast herself as the “Iron Lady,” so she should be able to absorb blows from all sides. The way the Olympic swim meet is developing, after just the first day, Katinka Hosszu of Hungary will have to take that steely approach, because the following elements of her existence are being examined, and closely: her relationships, her training methods, her performances, her words. “I’m already…

USA Today Sports’ Martin Rogers tells you the 5 things to watch for during the Olympics on Sunday, Aug. 7. USA TODAY Sports

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The Olympics are more than just the world’s premiere sporting event—they’re big, big media business. Just a few years ago, the closing ceremonies at the London 2012 Olympics attracted a staggering 900 million viewers, with more than 219.4 million Americans tuning into the games at one point or another. But what if you want to watch the Olympics without paying for cable television? There are options. Although NBC is offering…

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The first full day of competition at the 2016 Rio Olympics was a good one for the U.S. — the Americans won five medals total, tying Japan and China for the most so far. Hungary and Australia were the only countries to win two gold medals on the opening day. Day 1 Medal Count AUS 2 0 1 3 HUN 2 0 0 2 USA 1 4 0 5 KOR…

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Kevin Durant rises to shoot against Peng Zhou of China in the USA’s blowout win.(Photo: Jeffrey Swinger, USA TODAY Sports) RIO DE JANEIRO — The third viewing of USA-China in men’s basketball this summer looked just like the previous two. After pounding China by a combined 99 points in two exhibition games in July, the USA won 119-62 on Saturday in the Olympic opener for both teams. Too much offense, too much…

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To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

The Olympics are more than just the world’s premiere sporting event—they’re big, big media business. Just a few years ago, the closing ceremonies at the London 2012 Olympics attracted a staggering 900 million viewers, with more than 219.4 million Americans tuning into the games at one point or another. But what if you want to watch the Olympics without paying for cable television? There are options. Although NBC is offering…

USA TODAY Sports photographers capture the most memorable sights from Rio’s Opening Ceremony. USA TODAY Sports

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Ginny Thrasher (USA), just 19 years of age, wins the first gold medal of the Rio games by edging out Chinese veterans Du Li and Yi Siling in Women’s 10m air rifle.   Thrasher finished with a final score of 208, a full point ahead of Li. Yi Siling bowed out in third place at 185.4. This is the first time an American has medaled in the 10m air rifle event…

USA TODAY Sports photographers capture the most memorable sights from Rio’s Opening Ceremony. USA TODAY Sports

Media playback is not supported on this device Rio 2016 Olympics: Highlights of the opening ceremony So there was no Pele, volleying a fireball into the Olympic cauldron. There was none of the shock and awe that defined Beijing’s opening ceremony eight years ago, and less of the humour and history that made London 2012’s first night so special. But there were dancing microbes, and super-cities, and Gisele Bundchen as…