Fast day at pool, track on Day 7 of Tokyo Olympics
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JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
TOKYO (AP) — The Tokyo Games got their first swimming individual world record and a fast start to the track competition on Day 7 of the Olympics.
Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa won the women’s 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2 minutes, 18.95 seconds, breaking the mark of 2:19.11 set by Rikke Moller Pedersen of Denmark at the 2013 world championships in Barcelona.
The United States claimed the other two medals. Lilly King set a blistering pace early in the race and held on for a silver in 2:19.92. Annie Lazor grabbed bronze in 2:20.84.
“I wasn’t expecting that at all,” said Schoenmaker, who added to her silver in the 100 breast. ”It couldn’t have been a better race. It still just doesn’t sink in, maybe one day.”
It was the third world record at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, with the first two coming in women’s relays.
Track and field is underway at the Olympics, with the women laying down some very fast times in the 100 meters heats.
There were no major surprises in the opening session at the Olympic Stadium, other than those early times in what promises to be a tight women’s 100 battle.
Defending Olympic champi- on Elaine Thompson-Herah won her heat in 10.82 sec- onds and fellow Jamaican and favorite Shelly-Ann Fraser- Pryce cruised home in 10.84 to win hers. Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast laid down the fastest time of the heats in a surprising 10.78 seconds.
“I’m in shock, actually,” Ta Lou said. “But I know I’m ready.”
Six women finished in under 11 seconds. Teahna Daniels of the United States and Dina Asher-Smith of Britain also progressed. The women’s 100 final is Saturday.
NO GOLDEN SLAM
There will be no Golden Slam for Novak Djokovic.
The top-ranked Serb lost to Alexander Zverev of Germany 1-6, 3-6, 6-1 in the semifinals of the tennis tournament.
Djokovic was attempting to become the first man to win all four Grand Slam tourna- ments and Olympic gold in the same year. He won the Australian and French Opens as well as Wimbledon this year and needed the Olympic and U.S. Open titles to complete the collection.
Steffi Graf in 1988 remains the only tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam. Zverev’s opponent in the gold-medal match will be Karen Khachanov of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Djokovic came back on the court a little more than an hour later to play with Serbian partner Nina Stojanovic in the mixed dou- bles semifinals and lost that match, too, getting beaten by the Russian duo of Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev 7-6 (4), 7-5.
