Sunday: Boxing Disappointment; Basketball Gold
(Sydney, Australia-AP) -- The U-S basketball team has gold. But American boxers fall short on their last day. Here's what happened on the last day of the Summer Olympics in Sydney.
BASKETBALL
The United States repeats as the men's basketball champion at the Summer Olympics. The Americans closed out their run through Sydney with an 85-to-75 decision over France.
The U-S squad had a double-figure lead through most of the game, only to see France draw within four points with four minutes remaining. But the Americans immediately pulled away again and claimed the gold for the 12th time in 14 Olympics.
Lithuania, which nearly upset the United States in the semifinals, takes home the bronze medal for the third straight Olympics after beating Australia 89-to-71.
Australian center Luc Longley of the New York Knicks missed that game. He has a knee injury that will sideline him for about two months.
Andrew Gaze of Australia played in his fifth and final Olympics, and ends his career having played in a record 40 Olympic games. He's the second-leading scorer in Olympic history. He never won a medal.
BOXING=
For the first time since 1948, the United States does not win a gold medal in boxing. Rocky Juarez of Houston and Ricardo Williams of Cincinnati both lost title fights on the last day of the Games, and they take home silver medals.
Juarez had won his last 68 bouts over the past two years. American officials protested his loss, claiming Juarez couldn't score because he was being held. International boxing officials let the decision stand, but they hit the referee with a four-year suspension.
WRESTLING
Wrestlers Terry Brands of Iowa and Lincoln McIlravy of South Dakota are leaving Sydney with bronze medals.
Both wrestlers won quarterfinals, lost in the semifinals, then capped their triple-match days with wins to finish third in their weight divisions.
Americans Charles Burton and Kerry McCoy both lost their Sunday quarterfinals. Both then won consolation matches to finish in fifth place in their respective weight divisions.
This is the first time since Mexico City in 1968 that the U-S has left an Olympics without a gold medal in freestyle wrestling.
MODERN PENTATHLON
The United States added a silver medal to its count on the last day in the women's modern pentathlon. Emily de Riel of Havertown, Pennsylvania, finished second between British athletes who took the gold and bronze medals. Mary Beth Larsen of Mukwonago, Wisconsin, finished fourth.
CANOE-KAYAK
Americans Peter Newton and Angel Perez finished sixth in the men's two-man 500-meter kayak race. They were the only Americans competing on the last day of canoe and kayak competition.
EQUESTRIAN
Margie Goldstein Engle of Wellington, Florida, finished tenth in the individual show jumping competition.
ATHLETICS=
Gezahgne Abera of Ethiopia won the traditional final event of the Summer Games, the Olympic marathon. His time was two hours, ten minutes, eleven seconds.
Eric Wainaina of Kenya won the silver. Tesfaye Tola of Ethiopia took the bronze.
WATER POLO
The United States finishes sixth in men's water polo. Italy took fifth by defeating the U-S squad 10-to-8. Hungary won the gold.
VOLLEYBALL=
Yugoslavia beat Russia to win the men's volleyball gold medal. Italy beat Argentina for the bronze.
MEDALS
The United States finished atop the medals table with a total of 97 medals from the 300 medal events. Russia had 88, China 59, and Australia 58.
The U-S had 39 gold medals, Russia 32, and China 28.
(Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
