TOKYO — The quest for gold medals is on track for the U.S. women’s basketball and volleyball teams after finishing at the top of their groups in pool play.
The U.S. women’s soccer team can’t say the same.
Jessie Fleming scored on a penalty kick in the 74th minute and Canada earned a 1-0 semifinal victory over the United States in the Olympic women’s soccer competition Monday.
Canada goes on to face Sweden in the gold medal match, while the U.S. will play Australia for the bronze. Sweden beat Australia 1-0 in the other semifinal.
It is the second straight Olympics that the United States has been knocked out of contention for the gold medal match.
“I think this is my first loss ever to Canada,” American star Megan Rapinoe said. “It sucks not to be able to compete for a gold medal, which is what we wanted. Not a great performance, either. That’s the most frustrating thing.”
The Americans were bounced from the 2016 Games by Sweden in the quarterfinals. The U.S. team goes on to play in the bronze medal match in Kashima on Thursday.
Canada had not won against the United States since 2001.
In basketball, A’ja Wilson scored 22 points and Breanna Stewart added 17 to help the U.S. beat France 93-82 in their final pool play match.
The win was the 52nd in a row for the U.S. going back to the bronze medal game of the 1992 Olympics. The U.S. went undefeated in group play and advanced to the quarterfinals. The Americans (3-0) haven’t lost a game in group play since women’s basketball was added to the Olympics in 1976.
“It wasn’t a must win, but we always want to win,” Stewart said. “To have that momentum going into the quarterfinals, this is where we start to peak.”
While the U.S. women’s basketball team has dominated at the Olympics, the women’s volleyball team is seeking its first gold medal ever.
The Americans are off to a good start after beating Italy in five sets Monday to win their pool despite losing a second starter to a rolled ankle. Jordyn Poulter joined Jordan Thompson on the sidelines, but the U.S. still improved to 4-1.
“They really stayed together,” coach Karch Kiraly said. “I look back and our substitute box is getting very lonely back there. There’s only three or four players there. So it’s getting to be a bit of an adventure. But our team played with great heart and played together.”
Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard made her mark by competing in the women’s weightlifting but couldn’t complete a lift.
Hubbard is not the only transgender athlete competing at the Tokyo Games, but she has been the focus of attention as a medal contender in weightlifting.
The New Zealander overbalanced on her opening weight of 120 kilograms, taking the bar behind her shoulders.
Hubbard’s second effort of 125 kilograms was ruled invalid on a majority decision by the referees. The third attempt was almost a repeat of the first, ruling Hubbard out of medal contention in the women’s over-87-kilogram division.