Puig wins women’s singles, Puerto Rico’s first-ever Olympic gold

By Raphielle JohnsonAug 13, 2016, 6:54 PM EDT

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Since competing in their first Summer Olympics in 1948, Puerto Rico had never won an Olympic gold medal. Women’s tennis player Monica Puig changed that Saturday night.

Puig, ranked 38th in the WTA rankings, defeated Germany’s Angelique Kerber in three sets, 6-5, 4-6, 6-1, in the women’s singles gold medal match. Puig, who has won one WTA tournament in her professional career (in 2014), is now an Olympic gold medalist. She is also Puerto Rico’s first female Olympic medalist in any sport.

WATCH: Puig tears up after winning Puerto Rico’s first-ever gold medal

As for Kerber, her silver medal is Germany’s first medal in women’s singles since Steffi Graf took silver in Barcelona in 1992.

After playing a tight match through the first two sets it was Puig who gained separation in the decisive set, breaking Kerber twice and winning the first five games. Kerber would rebound to move the score to 5-1, but Puig was able to put her away in a lengthy seventh game.

Aksel Lund Svindal, Olympic Alpine champ, has testicular cancer, ‘prognosis good’

By OlympicTalkSep 24, 2022, 1:41 PM EDT

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Aksel Lund Svindal, a retired Olympic Alpine skiing champion from Norway, said he underwent surgery for testicular cancer and the prognosis “looked very good.”

“Tests, scans and surgery all happened very quickly,” Svindal, 39, wrote on social media. “And already after the first week I knew the prognoses looked very good. All thanks to that first decision to go see a doctor as soon as I suspected something was off.”

Svindal retired in 2019 after winning the Olympic super-G in 2010 and downhill in 2018. He also won five world titles among the downhill, combined and giant slalom and two World Cup overall titles.

Svindal said he felt a change in his body that prompted him to see a doctor.

“The last few weeks have been different,” he wrote. “But I’m able to say weeks and not months because of great medical help, a little luck and a good decision.

“I wasn’t sure what it was, or if it was anything at all. … [I] was quickly transferred to the hospital where they confirmed what the doctor suspected. Testicle cancer.”

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2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup schedule, results

By OlympicTalkSep 24, 2022, 8:45 AM EDT

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The U.S. goes for its fourth consecutive title at the FIBA World Cup in Sydney — and eighth global gold in a row overall when including the Olympics.

A’ja Wilson, a two-time WNBA MVP, and Breanna Stewart, the Tokyo Olympic MVP, headline a U.S. roster that, for the first time since 2000, includes neither Sue Bird (retired) nor Diana Taurasi (injured).

The new-look team includes nobody over the age of 30 for the first time since 1994, before the U.S. began its dynasty at the 1996 Atlanta Games. The Americans have won 52 consecutive games between worlds and the Olympics dating to the 2006 Worlds bronze-medal game.

The field also includes host Australia, the U.S.’ former primary rival, and Olympic silver medalist Japan.

Nigeria, which played the U.S. the closest of any foe in Tokyo (losing by nine points), isn’t present after its federation withdrew the team over governance issues. Spain, ranked second in the world, failed to qualify.

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2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Round
Wed., Sept. 21	8:30 p.m.	Puerto Rico 82, Bosnia and Herzegovina 58	Group A
	9:30 p.m.	USA 87, Belgium 72	Group A
	11 p.m.	Canada 67, Serbia 60	Group B
Thurs., Sept. 22	12 a.m.	Japan 89, Mali 56	Group B
	3:30 a.m.	China 107, South Korea 44	Group A
	6:30 a.m.	France 70, Australia 57	Group B
	8:30 p.m.	USA 106, Puerto Rico 42	Group A
	10 p.m.	Serbia 69, Japan 64	Group B
	11 p.m.	Belgium 84, South Korea 61	Group A
Fri., Sept. 23	12:30 a.m.	China 98, Bosnia and Herzegovina 51	Group A
	4 a.m.	Canada 59, France 45	Group B
	6:30 a.m.	Australia 118, Mali 58	Group B
Sat., Sept. 24	12:30 a.m.	USA 77, China 63	Group A
	4 a.m.	South Korea 99, Bosnia and Herzegovina 66	Group A
	6:30 a.m.	Belgium 68, Puerto Rico 65	Group A
Sun., Sept. 25	12:30 a.m.	France vs. Mali	Group B
	4 a.m.	Australia vs. Serbia	Group B
	6:30 a.m.	Canada vs. Japan	Group B
	9:30 p.m.	Belgium vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina	Group A
	11:30 p.m.	Mali vs. Serbia	Group B
Mon., Sept. 26	12 a.m.	USA vs. South Korea	Group A
	2 a.m.	France vs. Japan	Group B
	3:30 a.m.	China vs. Puerto Rico	Group A
	6:30 a.m.	Australia vs. Canada	Group B
	9:30 p.m.	Puerto Rico vs. South Korea	Group A
	11:30 p.m.	Belgium vs. China	Group A
Tues., Sept. 27	12 a.m.	USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina	Group A
	2 a.m.	Canada vs. Mali	Group B
	3:30 a.m.	France vs. Serbia	Group B
	6:30 a.m.	Australia vs. Japan	Group B
Wed., Sept. 28	10 p.m.	Quarterfinal
Thurs., Sept. 29	12:30 a.m.	Quarterfinal
	4 a.m.	Quarterfinal
	6:30 a.m.	Quarterfinal
Fri., Sept. 30	3 .m.	Semifinal
	5:30 a.m.	Semifinal
	11 p.m.	Third-Place Game
Sat., Oct. 1	2 a.m.	Final

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