Katie Ledecky ended her Tokyo Olympics with a flourish.
The American swimming star cruised to a third consecutive Olympic gold in the women's 800-meter freestyle Saturday. It marked her final race of the Tokyo Olympics and sends the most decorated female swimmer of all time home from these Games with two gold medals (she also won the 1,500-meter freestyle) and silvers in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay and the women's 400 freestyle.
“I really just wanted to end on a really good note,” Ledecky said. “I just knew it would linger with me if I ended on a bad note. I tried to use that as motivation to finish on the best note possible.”
Adding to Team USA's medal haul was Caeleb Dressel, who set a new world record in the men's 100 butterfly to secure his third gold of these Games.
Here are some of the other notable things you missed Saturday in Tokyo while you were sleeping:
Simone Biles out of two events
Simone Biles will not take part in the vault and uneven bars event finals as she continues to battle the "twisties."
Biles "will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam," USA Gymnastics said in a statement.
No medal for Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has won all three men's Grand Slam singles titles to date this year, and he arrived in Tokyo seeking to add a gold medal to keep the dream of the "Golden Slam" alive. But in a bit of a shocker, he leaves the Olympics without a medal of any kind.
One day after being upset by Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, Djokovic suffered a 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 setback to Pablo Carreno Busta.
American BMX cyclist suffered brain hemorrhage in crash
USA Cycling said Saturday that racer Connor Fields suffered a brain hemorrhage at the venue Friday after crashing during a semifinal heat, but doctors reported there has been no additional bleeding and no new head injuries were found.
Fields has been moved out of the critical care unit and will remain in the hospital until cleared, USA Cycling said Saturday.
“There’s a bit of fluid on his brain, but it has not increased for the next 24 hours, so they’re feeling good about that,’’ his father, Mike Fields, told USA TODAY Sports on Saturday. “So far the results seem pretty positive.’’
Pole vaulter's wild ride
Less than 18 hours after he landed in Tokyo – and roughly 48 hours after he found out he would compete at the Olympics in the wake of Sam Kendricks' positive COVID-19 test – pole vaulter Matt Ludwig managed to clear the first two bars in preliminary competition, but failed to qualify for the final.
Still, Ludwig was pleased with his whirlwind Olympic experience.
"It was of course a very fast, up-and-down roller coaster of emotions, without making it to the final in a few days," Ludwig said. "But it's an exciting step in my career and something that's definitely been life-changing."
Other must-read stories from Saturday:
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