Associated Press
The Olympic roundup …
BEIJING ó U.S. womenís softball and U.S. womenís beach volleyball, two sure things at the Olympics.
Make that one sure thing.
Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, who have never lost a set in the games, overcame steady rain, the partisan crowd and Chinaís Wang Jie and Tian Jia 21-18, 21-18 Thursday for their second straight beach volleyball gold medal. The duo has won 108 consecutive matches, a streak that could end soon because both plan to start families.
iWe might be back,î May-Treanor said. iWe want our kids to see us play.î
Hopefully in better conditions, though. Both Americans said it was the hardest continuous rain theyíve ever played in.
iThe rain makes it better. We felt like warriors out there,î said Walsh, known as iSix Feet of Sunshine.î

While the masterful U.S. pair was extending its dominance in the sand, the equally untouchable softball squad got, well, touched. Make that knocked out in the gold medal game by Japan, 3-1.
Yukiko Ueno, Japanís remarkably resilient right-hander, shut down the Americans, who had won 22 straight Olympic games.
There were some happy times for U.S. athletes, particularly the womenís soccer team that won its third gold medal in four tries, edging Brazil 1-0 on Carli Lloydís goal in extra time; and the menís 400 runners, who swept the medals.
China has 46 gold medals among its 83 total medals. The United States lead in overall medals with 95, including 29 gold.
Menís Beach Volleyball
Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser completed the American sweep of the beach volleyball gold medals, beating Brazil in three sets. It is the third gold for the American men in four Olympics since the sport was added for Atlanta in 1996.
Soccer
The U.S. women, minus their best attacker and best defender, still had enough to hold off favored Brazil 1-0 for the gold medal. Carli Lloyd scored in the sixth minute of extra time, then the Americans barely held on as the worldís top player, Marta, and her countrywomen pressed for a tying goal. In fact, the Brazilians carried the play for much of the soggy night, but goalkeeper Hope Solo ó benched for last yearís semifinal match with Brazil ó stood like the Great Wall of China in front of the net.
The U.S. win over Brazil in the finals of the Olympic Football Tournament was the 1,000th gold medal in United States history in the Olympic Games. The total does not include the 1906 Games that are not recognized by the IOC.
Track and field
More disappointment for the Americans ó the men and the women ó particularly in the relays. Both teams dropped the baton, meaning the Americans would go
0-for-6 in the sprints for the first time.
iI take full blame for it,î Tyson Gay said of his bad exchange with third-leg runner Darvis Patton. iI kind of feel I let them down.î
About 25 minutes later, womenís anchor Lauryn Williams flubbed her exchange with Torri Edwards, who stared in disbelief at the baton sitting on the track.
The Americans got a medals sweep in the 400. LaShawn Merritt won, and Jeremy Wariner, the defending world and Olympic champion and the favorite, slowed up at the end and barely held off David Neville, who dived across the finish line.
Volleyball
The iIron Hammerî has calmly lead the U.S. womenís volleyball team to its best Olympic finish in more than 20 years.
Jenny Lang Ping ó who was a member of the Chinese team that beat the U.S. in the final of the 1984 Los Angeles Games ó led the Americans to the title match with a three-set win over Cuba.
The U.S. will play Brazil on Saturday for the gold medal.
Water Polo
The Netherlands against the United States and, you guessed it, more heartbreak for the Americans.
Danielle de Bruijn scored seven goals in her final Olympic game, including the winner with 26 seconds remaining for a 9-8 victory in the gold medal match.
Womenís Basketball
Diana Taurasi scored 21 points and Tina Thompson added 15 to help the U.S. women pull away from Russia 67-52 to make the gold medal game against Australia, which routed China 90-56.
The U.S. had been averaging 99.2 points as they cruised through the first six games, winning by 43 points a contest.
Canoe/Kayak
America wonít be getting its first flatwater medal since 1992. Kayaker Carrie Johnson just missed the final in the 500 K-1 with a fourth-place finish.
Table Tennis
The United States had its best showing ever in table tennis ó thanks to a veteran of the Chinese national team who became an American citizen two years ago.
Wang Chen advanced to the quarterfinals . She then lost to Singaporeís Li Jia Wei.
Taekwondo
American Mark Lopez came within one kick ó and one second ó of winning gold.
But there is some consolation. Lopezí kid sister, Diana, got a bronze. And his big brother and two-time Olympic champion Steven still has a shot at the gold.
Equestrian
U.S. rider Beezie Madden won the bronze equestrian individual jumping.
BMX
The menís and womenís BMX semifinals and finals were rained out. It was good news for American Kyle Bennett, who got an extra day to rest his injured left shoulder.