Tokyo 2020 Live Updates: Olympic organizers 'looking into' U.S. athlete's apparent political gesture
Team USA is leading the Olympic medal table ahead of China on day 10 of Tokyo 2020. Team USA sits first on the medal table with 20 golds, 24 silvers and 16 bronzes - the highest total of any country. Hopes are high for the U.S. Women's National Team, which hopes to take home the gold in soccer.
Olympic organizers continue to investigate an apparent political gesture from U.S. shot putter Raven Saunders after holding her arms in the shape of an X after winning silver on Sunday. There was also an extraordinary plea from Belarusia's Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, whose supporters believed her life was in danger after alleging her Olympic team tried to forcibly remove her from the Games and send her home.
Meanwhile, COVID cases in the Olympic Village appear to be subsiding after fears a major outbreak in Tokyo and its neighboring areas could lead to a cluster among athletes. But in the latest figures on Monday, 17 people connected to Tokyo 2020 recently tested positive for the virus - the lowest in four days.
Follow Newsweek's liveblog for all the latest Tokyo 2020 news.
China wins raft of gold medals in shooting, weightlifting, cycling
Chinese athletes have taken gold medals in weightlifting, shooting, and cycling in the past hour. In the men's 50m rifle 3 positions - the last shooting final of the Games - Zhang Changhong set a new world record of 466.0 points.
In the women's under-87kg weightlifting, Wang Zhouyu lifted 270kg to get the gold - 120 snatch plus 150 clean and jerk.
Chinese duo Bao Shanju and Zhong Tianshi raced ahead of Germany to get gold in the track cycling final, setting a new world record time of 31.85.
Over 2,000 new COVID cases after record numbers
Tokyo officials reported 2,195 new daily infections on Monday after nearly double that over the weekend. On Saturday, a record 4,058 new COVID cases were reported.
Today's figure is a drop but is the highest ever be recorded on a Monday, suggesting the infection rate continues to intensify.
At Tokyo 2020, there have been at least 281 cases linked to the Games, according to organizers.
Simone Biles makes a return after several days out
The gymnast was suffering from the "twisties", which left her unable to perform due to pressure.
We are so excited to confirm that you will see two U.S. athletes in the balance beam final tomorrow - Suni Lee AND Simone Biles!! Can’t wait to watch you both!
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 2, 2021
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Team USA hopes to keep the top place in the Tokyo 2020 medal table, hoping to take a raft of gold medals in the next 48 hours.
One of these is hoped to be in soccer, where the U.S. Women's National Team is taking on Canada in the semi-final.
Stick with Newsweek's liveblog for all the latest.
