Bolt says this is goodbye; Lochte says he's sorry

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Bolt says this is goodbye; Lochte says he's sorry

 

ARNIE STAPLETON, AP Sports Writer

 

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The U.S. men's basketball team just got by Spain on Friday, hours before another Olympic juggernaut, Usain Bolt, says his goodbye at the Rio de JaneiroOlympics.

 

A day after winning another gold in the 200 meters, Bolt will appear in what he has insisted will be his final Olympic race. He'll look to add to his medal stash as part of the Jamaican team in the 4x100 relay finals. Bolt led the Jamaicans to the top of the podium in the event in Beijing and again in London.

 

While Bolt is saying goodbye, Ryan Lochte is saying he's sorry.

 

Breaking his silence, Lochte apologized Friday for his behavior surrounding an early-morning incident at a Rio de Janeiro gas station, saying he should have been more candid about how he described what happened after a night of partying with his teammates following the final swimming races.

 

He didn't explain why he embellished details of an encounter with armed security guards and called it a robbery, nor did he explain why he omitted that he and three teammates had vandalized a gas station restroom.

 

The embarrassing imbroglio offended the Olympic hosts and overshadowed the U.S. swimmers' dominance in Rio, relegating Michael Phelps' medal haul to the margins.

 

Klay Thompson's 22 points led the Americans to their third straight Olympic gold-medal game with an 82-76 win over Spain, the silver medalist in both Beijing and London.

 

The Spaniards, led by Pau Gasol's 23 points, made it tough on the Americans for the third straight Olympics but again couldn't upset the world's No. 1 team. The U.S. will play Australia or Serbia on Sunday for the gold.

 

Inbee Park kept her composure in strong wind and made two late birdies to regain the lead, posting a 1-under 70 for a two-shot lead going into the final round at Olympic Golf Course.

 

Lydia Ko, a 19-year-old Kiwi and the No. 1 player in women's golf put herself in contention thanks to the first hole-in-one of her career. Also two shots back in the final group is Gerina Piller, the American who narrowly qualified for the Olympics in her final event.

 

On Day 14 of the Rio Games, Ashleigh Johnson made nine saves and Kiley Neushul scored three times, helping the United States beat Italy 12-5 in the Olympic final of women's water polo. And Germany beat Sweden 2-1 for the nation's first Olympic gold in women's soccer, a title the U.S. women were expected to win.

 

The American women's 4x100 relay team will try to capitalize on its reprieve following a collision on a handoff at the Olympic track stadium, and Germany and Sweden meet in the first all-European Olympic women's soccer final.

 

Lochte said in a lengthy post on Instagram that he was apologizing for his role in taking the focus away from other Olympic athletes.

 

"This was a situation that could and should have been avoided," Lochte said. "I accept responsibility for my role in this happening and have learned some valuable lessons."

 

The 12-time Olympic medalist reiterated his view that a stranger pointed a gun at him and demanded money to let him leave a gas station. Lochte had called it a gunpoint robbery; Brazilian police said he and three other swimmers vandalized a bathroom while intoxicated and were confronted by armed security guards.

 

Lochte returned to the United States early in the week before a Brazilian judge had ordered his passport taken away while police investigated his claims of getting robbed at gunpoint by thieves posing as police.

 

Other highlights from Day 14 of the Rio Games:

WRESTLING UPSET : Defending Olympic and world champion Jordan Burroughs was stunned in the quarterfinals of men's freestyle wrestling. It was the third international loss for Burroughs, who won gold in London in 2012 and whose charismatic, social media-friendly persona has made him the face of wrestling in the U.S.

BAD BET : The Olympics are no Super Bowl, at least with the bettors. The Rio Games are the first since 2000 on which Nevada bookmakers have been allowed to take bets. Aside from basketball, there hasn't been much interest, however. Seems fans aren't as willing to lay down money on sports they only pay attention to every four years.

MILESTONE & MEDAL : Christine Sinclair scored in her 250th international match and Canada returned to the Olympic podium with a 2-1 victory over hosts Brazil for the women's soccer bronze medal. Seventeen-year-old Deanne Rose scored Friday in the 25th minute for Canada, becoming the youngest woman to score in the Olympics.

SNACK ATTACK : Talk about the shoddy construction or the filthy water. Just don't rip on Brazilians' favorite snack, called Biscoito Globo. Residents of Rio de Janeiro have been irked by bad review of the stuffy, puffy treats. Just like they took offense to Hope Solo's tweets about the Zika virus. Also annoying locals have been comments about why coffee cups and men's swimsuits are so small here.

 

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-08-20