Games tidbits

ATHLETICS

Lagat enters the record book at 41

After three runners were disqualified from the 5,000m, 41-year-old US competitor Bernard Lagat ended up with the bronze medal.

Lagat became the oldest person in to win a medal in an Olympic running event. Jamaican great Merlene Ottey was 40 when she won bronze in the 100m and a silver in the 4x100m relay at the Sydney Games in 2000.

"It's hard to imagine. To me, things happen," Lagat said. "But I guess if the rules are like that, then whatever decision they want to make, I'm going to accept."

DOPING

Russian stripped of London silver

For the third time in a week, Russia was stripped of an athletics medal on Saturday after another competitor tested positive in a reanalysis of doping samples from previous Games.

Evgenia Kolodko was disqualified and stripped of the silver medal in the shot put at the 2012 London Games after her stored samples came back positive for two banned substances, the International Olympic Committee said.

The committee asked the International Association of Athletics Federations to modify the results and consider further sanctions against 36-year-old Kolodko, who could face a two-year ban.

Kolodko was one of 98 athletes caught in the retesting of more than 1,000 samples from the London Olympics and 2008 Beijing Games.

GOLF

Lydia hails blow struck for equality

World No 1 Lydia Ko said on Saturday the well-played women's golf tournament helped to strike a blow for "female power", amid a debate over male no-shows at the Games.

Golf returned to the Olympics for the first time in more than a century, but much of the buildup to the tournament centered on the absence of top male stars compared with a full turnout of the women's best.

"Its female power, really," Ko said of Rio's legacy.

"There are sometimes people saying that it's because of the men that the women are here in this position (playing golf at the Olympics).

"But now we have reason to say that the women can speak for ourselves. It shows how strong we are," added the 19-year-old New Zealand phenomenon.

WRESTLING

'Russian Tank' defies family, wins gold

"Russian Tank" Abdulrashid Sadulaev said on Saturday he defied his family to become an Olympic champion after defeating Turkey's Selim Yasar in the 86kg freestyle.

Sadulaev's gold came before Turkish heavyweight Taha Akgul grabbed his country's first gold medal of the Games by topping the podium in the men's 125kg class.

The 20-year-old two-time world champion Sadulaev won 5-0 to claim his first Olympic title, admitting afterward that his parents had desperately tried to stop him becoming a wrestler in the first place.

"All of my relatives were against it, but as soon as I started to do well they realized it was my destiny," Sadulaev said after his convincing victory.

IOC

Bach hails Rio for 'iconic' Games

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on the eve of the closing ceremony that Rio had staged an "iconic" Olympics.

On Saturday, the second-last day of the Games, Bach spoke of iconic athletes and great moments in outstanding venues, and highlighted the first refugee Olympic team.

"We have seen iconic athletes across all the sports. We have seen athletes who were icons already and have strengthened their positions, like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, and athletes that have become icons," he said.

"The level of competition over all the sports was extremely high and I can only congratulate the athletes for their stunning performances and say thank you because this really is the spirit of the Olympic Games."

TAEKWONDO

Opening-day hero routed in first round

The Tonga flagbearer who became an unexpected sensation in Rio after marching shirtless into the opening ceremony lost his chance of a gold medal in the men's taekwondo heavyweight division.

Pita Taufatofua, ranked 157th in the world, had an unfortunate pairing in the first round with the division's No 2 seed, Sajjad Mardani of Iran.

Mardani demolished Taufatofua 16-1 as fans chanted "Tonga! Tonga!" in the arena.

Taufatofua described his opponent's attacking leg as "a nightmare" and said his slow start in the fight cost him.

Taufatofua said he wasn't expecting the enormous reaction to his appearance in the opening ceremony and hinted that he might have something special - but quick - planned for the closing celebrations.

"Don't blink or you'll miss it," he warned.

Gift cushions pain of defeat

Before you start kicking someone, it's nice to give them a present, according to the taekwondo team from Uzbekistan.

Just as his match was about to start on Saturday, top-seeded Dimitry Shokin gave his Chinese opponent Qiao Sen a small figurine from Uzbekistan.

Qiao bowed in thanks and quickly handed the gift to his coach.

"Uzbek people are very friendly," Shokin said, adding that he and his teammates give similar figurines to all their opponents, even though they've never received anything in return.

"We want people to feel welcome and to know that we appreciate them," he said.

Were it not for the souvenir, that may have been harder to discern.

In a dominating first-round fight, Shokin landed several solid kicks on Qiao, including a powerful back kick.

Shokin won 15-8 to reach the quarterfinals.