Fencer Smart can't find winning touch
Twice Keeth Smart charged, his opponent attacked and both lights went off. Twice, Smart was left standing on the strip, helmet in hand, after American losses.
The United States men's sabre fencing team lost on the final touch two times yesterday, losing dramatic matches against France in the semifinals and then Russia.
While the French went on to beat Italy to win the gold, Smart and the US team -- stung by the deciding call in the semifinal -- regrouped for the bronze medal match, only to lose again to the Russians, 45-44.
"This one really hurt," said Smart, who was in tears after losing out the medal. "It wasn't meant to be for whatever reason."
Tied at 44, Smart tried to attack, but four-time gold medalist Stanislav Pozdniakov got the touch first to win the match.
The loss to France also was a bitter pill to swallow.
Smart and Frenchman Damien Touya were tied at 44 when they both recorded touches, but it was ruled that Touya caught Smart while preparing to attack, giving the Frenchman the victory.
Shooting
Diana Igaly went a perfect 25 for 25 to win the gold in skeet shooting, easily outdistancing Wei Ning of China and Zemfira Meftakhetdinova of Azerbaijan.
Earlier, Manfred Kurzer had the worst final round of any shooter in 10-meter running target, but his world-record qualifying score gave the German a lead so big it didn't matter as he came away with the gold. Alexander Blinov of Russia, who posted the day's best final round, took the silver.
American Connie Smotek finished sixth in skeet shooting.
Weightlifting
Liu Chunhong of China broke three of her own world records in winning the 69-kilogram gold medal and Taner Sagir of Turkey won gold in the 77-kilogram class.
Archery
Marco Galiazzo won Italy's first gold medal in the event after ousting Vic Wunderle, America's last individual hopeful, in the quarterfinals.
Wunderle and Galiazzo were tied at 25 after three arrows and Wunderle was ahead, 55-53, after six arrows in the 12-arrow event. Wunderle fell behind, 81-80, after nine arrows and Galiazzo took the match, 109-108.
Galiazzo beat Hiroshi Yamamoto of Japan, 111-109, for the gold.
Judo
Japan's Noriko Anno ended a run of frustrating Olympic finishes by taking the gold medal in the 78-kilogram class. In the men's division, Ihar Makarau of Belarus beat Jang Sung Ho of South Korea to win the gold in the 100-kilogram class.
Badminton
China won the first two gold medals in the event, with world champion Zhang Ning beating Indonesian-born Dutchwoman Mia Audina, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7, in the singles, and Zhang Jun and Gao Ling winning the mixed doubles.
