US men grab hoops gold again on final day

RIO DE JANEIRO: The Brazilians closed out the Rio Games in style Sunday. So did the US men’s basketball team.

Kevin Durant scored 30 points and helped the Americans rout Serbia 96-66 for their third straight gold medal.

That capped an Olympics in which the US dominated the medal tables, both the gold (46) and overall totals (121).

Their 51-medal margin over second-placed China is the largest in a non-boycotted Olympics in nearly a century.

UZBEKISTAN’S Fazliddin Gaibnazarov celebrates after winning the the men’s light welterweight boxing final.—AP

“This experience has been the dream of a lifetime for me,” said US gymnast and closing ceremony flag-bearer Simone Biles, who won five medals, four of them gold, in her first Olympics.

After a few close calls in Rio de Janeiro, including a 94-91 win over Serbia in pool play, the US sent Mike Krzyzewski out with a third gold medal.

Carmelo Anthony’s third gold made him the most decorated male in Olympic basketball history.

Brazil also rallied at the end.

The country’s determined men’s volleyball team won another sensational gold right next door to where Neymar and Co. did it less than 24 hours earlier in a thrilling penalty shootout against 2014 World Cup champion Germany.

Brazil beat mighty Italy 25-22, 28-26, 26-24 for the home team’s first Olympic men’s volleyball title since Athens in 2004.

Denmark overcame defending Olympic champions France 28-26 to win their first gold medal in men’s handball.

DENMARK’S Mikkel Hansen (R) blocks Nikola Karabatic of France during the men’s handball gold medal match at the Future Arena.—AFP

Switzerland’s world champion Nino Schurter, third in Beijing and second in London, competed his ascent of the podium by winning the men’s mountain bike competition.

In other highlights on the last day of competition, American wrestler Kyle Snyder won gold, becoming at 20 the youngest Olympic wrestling champion in US history with a 2-1 victory over Khetag Goziumov of Azerbaijan in the men’s 97kg freestyle final.

Russia’s Soslan Ramonov ran riot over his opponent Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan 4-0 to take gold in the men’s 65kg freestyle.

But there were furious scenes when a Mongolian coach stripped down to his underwear to protest a decision against wrestler Ganzorig Mandakhnaran.

America’s Claressa Shields successfully defended her middleweight title, becoming the first American boxer of either gender to win two Olympic boxing gold medals, in a busy programme at the Rio Centro.

Defending world champion Tony Yoka of France beat Britain’s Joe Joyce to win the men’s super-heavyweight title and there was double glory for Uzbekistan.

Shakhobidin Zoirov won the men’s flyweight gold and Fazliddin Gaibnazarov claimed gold in the men’s light-welterweight class.