Olympics highlights

By Compiled by Times staff writer

Medal haul

They were not all gold, as she had hoped, but Marion Jones became the first woman to win five medals in track and field in one Olympics. A first and a third in relays gave her a final tally of three golds and two bronzes. Meanwhile, the U.S. men swept both relays, recapturing the 400 title they lost to Canada in '96. "I've always said I wanted to bring the U.S. sprints back on top, and now the relay gold belongs to the United States," anchor Maurice Greene said.

Power game

With the U.S. women's soccer team and several members of the men's basketball team looking on, the American women's basketball team cruised to a 76-54 victory over Australia for the gold. "They were too good and too powerful," Australian coach Tom Maher said.

Diving in

Chinese divers earned a record fifth gold medal in Sydney, increasing the already large distance between themselves and the rest of the diving world. Liang Tian outlasted teammate Jia Hu in a battle of perfect 10s to win the 10-meter platform with 724.53 points. "Being an Olympic champion is every athlete's dream," Tian said. "To win the title is the sweetest."

Off-beat

Fatso weighs in

Fatso the Wombat just keeps getting bigger. Bidding for the Aussie's unofficial team mascot topped $43,000 on the Olympic Aid Web site. Olympic Aid is an effort to raise money for refugee children around the world. Check http://www.olympicaid.com.

What time is it?

Sydney is 15 hours ahead of Tampa Bay, so as most people read their morning paper, today's events are wrapping up in Australia. We have converted schedules and other references to Tampa Bay time. For the latest results, check the Times Web site at http://www.sptimes.com/olympics.