Results and highlights from Day 12 of the Summer Olympic games in London.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: 2012 Summer Games



 

TRACK AND FIELD

Big day in track and field and beach volleyball

Allyson Felix of the United States celebrates after winning gold in the Women's 200m Final
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LONDON (AP) — It has been a golden afternoon for the U.S. The success at the Olympic Stadium in track and field propelled the U.S. back on top of the medal count. The Americans now have 81 medals to 77 for China. In gold, the U.S. trails China by two, 36-34.

After winning the silver medal in 2004 and 2008, Allyson Felix of the United States has won the Olympic gold medal in the women's 200 meters. She earned the prize by overtaking two-time 100 champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica down the stretch to win in 21.88 seconds. Felix was behind coming off the turn but powered past Fraser-Pryce over the last 40 meters.

Fraser-Pryce got the silver in 22.09. Carmelita Jeter of the U.S. was third in 22.14 for the bronze, her second medal of the London Games after a silver in the 100.

Aries Merritt led a 1-2 finish for the United States in the Olympic 110-meter hurdles, winning in 12.92 seconds. Jason Richardson, the world champion, was second in 13.04 with Hansle Parchment of Jamaica taking the bronze in 13.12.

Long Jump Gold For The US

Brittney Reese of the U.S. won the gold in the women's long jump. She is just the second U.S. woman to win the event at the Olympics. The two-time world champion went into the competition with the best jump of the season and put down the best mark in the final with 7.12 meters on her second attempt. The only other American women to win the Olympic long jump was Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1988.

Russia's Elena Sokolova took the silver medal with a best jump of 7.07 meters, and Janay Deloach earned the bronze for the United States at 6.89.

Misty May & Kerri Walsh Win Their 3rd Gold Medals

Kerri Walsh Jennings of the United States celebrates winning the Gold medal with her family in the Women's Beach Volleyball Gold medal match
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And in beach volleyball, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty-May Treanor of the U.S. won their 3rd Olympic gold. They defeated fellow Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy, 21-16, 21-16.

It was the Olympic farewell for May-Treanor, who has said she would like to move on.

Kessy and Ross won the silver medal in their Olympic debut.

World record holder Ashton Eaton of the U.S. is the leader after three events of the decathlon. And world champion Trey Hardee of the U.S. is sitting in second place with seven events remaining.

Eaton started by running the 100 in 10.35 seconds, an Olympic-record time for a decathlete. He followed that up with the top performance in the long jump and was 11th in the shot put. The high jump and 400 meters round out the first day.

Usain (YOO'-sayn) Bolt won his semifinal heat in 20.18 seconds to advance to the finals of the 200 meters. The Jamaican is trying to become the first man with two Olympic golds in the event. The 200 final will include, among others, Bolt's teammate and training partner, Yohan Blake and American Wallace Spearmon.

Three years after being forced to undergo gender tests, South Africa's Caster Semenya made her Olympic debut today in London. She finished second in her 800-meter preliminary heat behind Alysia Montano of the U.S.

Semenya was sidelined for nearly a year while track and field's governing body decided whether to allow her to compete after she won the 2009 world title at age 18. She was tested and eventually cleared to return to action in 2010, then was the runner-up at last year's world championships.

Sarah Attar of Saudi Arabia competes in the Women's 800m Round 1 Heats
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Also today in the stadium, Sarah Attar (uh-TAHR') became the first Saudi woman to compete in Olympic track and field. Wearing a headscarf, longsleeve shirt and leggings, Attar finished last in her 800-meter heat.

Attar is a student at Pepperdine with duel Saudi and U.S. citizenship. She is one of the first two Saudi women ever selected for the Olympics.

These Olympics are over for former world-record holder Asafa (ah-SAH'-fah) Powell of Jamaica. He has been pulled out of the Olympic sprint relay after pulling his left groin during the 100-meter final. The injury is bad enough that his agent says Powell will not compete in any more events this season.

BASKETBALL

Final Four is set

LeBron James goes up for a shot
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LONDON (AP) — It's Team USA vs. Argentina and Spain vs. Russia in the Olympic men's basketball semifinals on Friday.

 

The Americans roared into the semis by dismantling Argentina 119-86 behind a triple-double by LeBron James -- 11 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Kobe Bryant, held scoreless in the first half, picked it up big time in the second half and finished with 20. Bryant broke open a close game with six straight 3-pointers.

 

 

Coach Mike Krzyzewski's (shuh-SHEF'-skeez) club is on track for back-to-back gold medals. Next up is Argentina, a team the U.S. already has beaten by 29 points in this tournament. Then it's the Spain-Russia winner.

The Spaniards advanced with a 66-59 win over France, while the Russians qualified for the semis with an 83-74 win over Lithuania.

WRESTLING

Bronze for an American

LONDON (AP) — Clarissa Chun of the U.S. won a bronze medal in women's 48-kilogram freestyle wrestling. The winner of the gold was Japan's Hitomi Obara with an athlete from Azerbaijan (ah-zur-by-JAHN') the winner of the silver.

Chun shares the bronze with Canada's Carol Huynh.

BOXING

Shields stands alone

Claressa Shields of the United States celebrates her victory against Marina Volnova of Kazakhstan during the Women's Middle (75kg) Boxing semifinals
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LONDON (AP) — U.S. middleweight Claressa Shields dominated her opponent from Kazakhstan in the semifinals of the first Olympic women's boxing tournament. The 17-year-old will fight a Russian for the gold medal.

Shields is the last American boxer left in London after flyweight Marlen Esparza lost an hour earlier. Shields is guaranteed at least a silver, while Esparza will win a bronze.

 

 

 

VOLLEYBALL

No medal for defending champs

LONDON (AP) — The U.S. men's volleyball team has been eliminated from the London Games. The defending Olympic champions lost their quarterfinals matchup with Italy in straight sets.

The Americans are ranked fifth in the world, one place ahead of Italy.

Italy has never won the Olympic gold, but the teams have won silver twice, most recently at the 2004 Athens Games.

BASKETBALL

Spain and Russia advance

LONDON (AP) — Spain will take on Russia in one of the semifinals in men's basketball. The Spanish team advanced with a 66-59 win over France, while the Russians qualified for the semis swith an 83-74 win over Lithuania.

Argentina also advanced to the semifinals with an 82-77 win over Brazil. Argentina will face the winner of the U.S.-Australia quarterfinal.


 

 

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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