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Post by Gooba on Aug 7, 2016 8:17:04 GMT -5
Medal standings Country 1 Australia 2 0 1 3 2 Hungary 2 0 0 2 3 United States 1 4 0 5 4 South Korea 1 1 0 2 5 Japan 1 0 4 5 6 Argentina 1 0 0 1 6 Belgium 1 0 0 1 6 Russia 1 0 0 1 6 Thailand 1 0 0 1 6 Vietnam 1 0 0 1
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Post by Makers on Aug 7, 2016 8:38:58 GMT -5
Thinking China has seen enough of the USA basketball team!!!
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Post by Makers on Aug 7, 2016 8:40:04 GMT -5
Know I am chiming in with pundits but Anthony may be one of the best ever Olympic players...
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Post by Makers on Aug 8, 2016 5:31:42 GMT -5
Michael Phelps wins record-extending 23rd Olympic medal as US swimmers take gold in men's 4x100m relay at Rio 2016.
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Post by Gooba on Aug 8, 2016 6:34:02 GMT -5
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total United States 3 5 4 12 China 3 2 3 8 Italy 2 3 2 7 Japan 1 0 6 7 Australia 3 0 3 6 South Korea 2 2 1 5 Russia 1 2 2 5 Hungary 2 0 0 5 Great Britain 1 1 0 2 Sweden 1 1 0 2
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Post by Gooba on Aug 8, 2016 6:36:03 GMT -5
Team USA holds the lead in total medals and are tied with China and Australia in gold medal count at the conclusion of the second day of competition in Rio. USA now has 12 medals, four ahead of China and five more than both Italy and Japan. The gold medal race is closer with America and China knotted at three each.
The Americans added two golds to accompany Ginny Thrasher's opening day medal. Both came in swimming events starting with Katie Ledecky smoking the field en route to a world record performance in the 400 meter freestyle. Seriously she obliterated everyone else, here are the photos to prove it. The second gold of the night came in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay where Michael Phelps won the 23rd medal of his Olympic career. You can watch that here.
China earned all three of its gold medals on Sunday. Mengxue Zheng won in the 10m pistol, Qingquan Long won in the men's 56kg weightlifting and Wu Minxia and Shi Tingmao demolished the field in the 3m springboard synchronized diving final. Wu is now the winningest diver in Olympic history.
Other American medalists include Corey Cogdell who took home bronze in the women's trap final, Alexander Massialas who won silver in fencing, Dana Vollmer who won bronze in the 100m butterfly, Cody Miller won won bronze in the 100m breaststroke and Leah Smith, bronze medalist in the 400m freestyle.
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Post by Gooba on Aug 8, 2016 21:31:09 GMT -5
US swimmer Lilly King sets an Olympic record as she wins gold in the women's 100-meter breaststroke
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Post by Makers on Aug 9, 2016 5:33:09 GMT -5
Amazing!!!
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Post by Gooba on Aug 9, 2016 6:11:49 GMT -5
Golfers to Bet - Olympics
Tournament: Men’s 2016 Olympics Date: Thursday, August 11th Venue: Olympic Golf Course Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Some of the world’s best golfers will represent their countries when they tee off in the Olympics on Thursday.
While there is a PGA event scheduled for this week, the best golfers will be in Rio de Janeiro and that is where the attention should really be this weekend.
Just like a normal tournament, the golfers will play 72 holes and the winner will earn a gold medal for their country.
The field will include 60 competitors and some of the most noteworthy guys are Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed. None of these guys have experience playing in something like this, as there hasn’t been a golf tournament in the Olympics since 1904.
With that being said, let’s now take a look at some of the better values to win come Sunday:
Golfers to Watch
Henrik Stenson (11/2) - Henrik Stenson has been on fire coming into this tournament and that is why he is the undisputed favorite heading into the weekend. Stenson won his first ever major at The Open Championship in the middle of July, shooting a 20-under in an epic duel with Phil Mickelson. Stenson then followed up that performance with a tied for seventh-place finish at the PGA Championship about two weeks ago. He shot an eight-under in that one and just might have won if he played a solid final round. Still, Stenson is really hitting the ball well right now and should be able to win this thing if he is making some putts. He’s a good value at 11/2 and is worth putting a few units on here.
Justin Rose (12/1) - Justin Rose has had a bit of a down year, as he was seventh in the OWGR a year ago and is now just 12th this season. Rose was also a threat to win every single tournament over the past few years, but that has not been the case this season. Still, Rose is a tremendous talent and there is certainly a possibility that he will return to form soon. This tournament is one that he could get it going in, as he will be entering with some confidence on Thursday. Rose shot a four-under at the PGA Championship and while that is not a great score, it was the first time he shot under-par since May. If he can build on that then he represents some tremendous value this weekend at 12/1.
Emiliano Grillo (25/1) - Grillo has had a pretty good season thus far and is coming off of a very impressive showing at the PGA Championship. Grillo shot a six-under at that tournament and would have had a chance to win it if it weren’t for a really poor third round. Grillo shot a 73 in that round and a 68 or better in each of the other three. If he can play a complete tournament then this just might be his breakthrough victory. He is very good with his irons and has good touch on the greens, but needs to stay sharp mentally. Putting a unit or two on him could end up paying off huge though.
Adilson da Silva (150/1) - Not many dark horse candidates stick out, but if there’s one guy worth putting a half-unit or quarter-unit on then it’s da Silva. He will be the only entrant for Brazil in this competition and he certainly will take pride in playing for his country. It’s really not at all likely that he comes away victorious, but taking a shot on the guy playing in front of his own fans might be the only dark horse worth considering.
Odds to win Men’s 2016 Olympics Gold Medal - Henrik Stenson 11/2 Sergio Garcia 7/1 Justin Rose 12/1 Rickie Fowler 12/1 Bubba Watson 14/1 Patrick Reed 15/1 Martin Kaymer 16/1 Matt Kuchar 16/1 Danny Willett 23/1 Emiliano Grillo 25/1 Rafa Cabrera Bello 25/1 Byeong Hun An 40/1 Padraig Harrington 40/1 Danny Lee 45/1 Thongchai Jaidee 45/1 Bernd Wiesberger 50/1 David Lingmerth 50/1 Jhonattan Vegas 50/1 Joost Luiten 50/1 Soren Kjeldsen 50/1 Thomas Pieters 50/1 Kiradech Aphibarnrat 60/1 Graham Delaet 65/1 Nicolas Colsaerts 65/1 David Hearn 70/1 Anirban Lahiri 75/1 Gregory Bourdy 80/1 Matteo Manassero 80/1 Mikko Ilonen 80/1 Scott Hend 80/1 Ryan Fox 85/1 Jeunghun Wang 90/1 Brandon Stone 100/1 Fabrizio Zanotti 100/1 Felipe Aguilar 100/1 Jaco Van Zyl 100/1 Thorbjorn Olesen 100/1 Alex Cejka 125/1 Ashun Wu 125/1 C.T. Pan 125/1 Julien Quesne 125/1 Ricardo Gouveia 125/1 Yuta Ikeda 125/1 Fabian Gomez 130/1 Adilson Da Silva 150/1 Marcus Fraser 150/1 Haotong Li 175/1 Nino Bertasio 175/1 Espen Kofstad 200/1 Seamus Power 200/1 Miguel Tabuena 220/1 Jose Filipe Lima 225/1 Gavin Green 250/1 Lin Wen Tang 250/1 Roope Kakko 250/1 Shingo Katayama 250/1 Siddikur Rahman 250/1 Ssp Chawrasia 250/1 Danny Chia 300/1 Rodolfo Cazaubon 300/1
Odds Subject to Change
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Post by Gooba on Aug 9, 2016 6:23:52 GMT -5
COUNTRY GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL USA 5 7 7 19 CHN 5 3 5 13 AUS 4 0 3 7 ITA 3 4 2 9 JPN 3 0 7 10 HUN 3 0 0 3 RUS 2 5 3 10 KOR 2 2 1 5 THA 2 1 1 4 GBR 1 1 2 4
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Post by Gooba on Aug 10, 2016 5:28:20 GMT -5
10 Players to Watch: Men's Olympic Tournament
The Sports Xchange's 10 Players to Watch: Men's Olympic Tournament
1. Henrik Stenson, Sweden -- Only four weeks after becoming the first Swedish man to capture a major title when he won the Open Championship at Royal Troon, Stenson finds himself as the favorite in the first Olympic golf competition since 1904 in St. Louis. The highest-ranked player in the World Golf Ranking in the field at No. 5, he also won the BMW International Open on the European Tour a few weeks earlier and is enjoying one of the finest seasons of his career at the age of 40. In addition to running his career victory total to 19, the big Swede finished second in the Shell Houston Open, tied for third in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, tied for fourth in the Nordea Masters and tied for seventh in the PGA Championship.
2. Bubba Watson, United States -- Since Watson has all the shots, his game should play well on any course out there, but sometimes he seems to talk himself into being negative about what he sees in front of him. However, if he can take an instant liking to the Olympic Golf Course designed by Gil Hanse, he could we wearing the gold medal on Sunday. Watson, ranked No. 6 in the world and also No. 6 in the FedEx Cup standings, needs to play back to his form of early this season, when he claimed his ninth PGA Tour victory by winning the Northern Trust Open for the second time in three years and followed that up in his next start by finishing second, one stroke behind Adam Scott of Australia in the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
3. Sergio Garcia, Spain -- While Garcia has won 29 times in his career, he is considered by some to be an underachiever because he has never won a major. However, he has been brilliant while representing Spain, particularly in the Ryder Cup. Wearing his national colors in Rio could bring out the best in his game, which was very sharp until he missed the cut in his last start at the PGA Championship. Garcia, No. 11 in the world, beat Brooks Koepka in a playoff to win the AT&T Byron Nelson in May and then tied for fifth in both the U.S. Open at Oakmont and the Open Championship at Royal Troon. Also this season, he finished second in the Honda Classic, was third in the Spanish Open and tied for fifth in the BMW International Open.
4. Justin Rose, Great Britain -- The Brits have a strong 1-2 punch in the Olympics with Rose, 12th in the world, and Masters champion Danny Willett, who is No. 9. Still looking for his first PGA Tour victory this season after claiming at least one in each of the previous six years, Rose started 2015-16 in good form but has not played as well lately. The 2013 U.S. Open champion tied for sixth in both the Frys.com Open and the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, tied for ninth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and tied for 10th in the Masters. However, he has finished in the top 10 only once in his last nine starts, solo third in the Wells Fargo Championship. Rose has played well when representing his country in the Ryder Cup and other team events.
5. Rickie Fowler, United States -- After winning the Players Championship, the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and the Deutsche Bank Championship last season, Fowler hasn't played as well this year, but a medal in the Olympics would change all that. He started the year on a good run by tying for fifth in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, losing in a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama of Japan at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, tying for sixth in the Honda Classic and tying for eighth in the WGC-Cadillac Championship. However, he has only three top-10s since, including a tie for 10th in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Fowler has shown he can win on foreign soil, capturing the 2011 Korean Open, the 2015 Scottish Open and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship earlier this year.
6. Danny Willett, Great Britain -- The 2016 Masters champion might not have the name recognition of some of the other players, but he is no fluke. Ranked No. 9, he has won four times around the world in the last three years, also claiming titles in the 2014 Nedbank Challenge in South Africa, the 2015 European Masters in Switzerland and the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year. Willett, who joined the PGA Tour after winning at Augusta National in April, leads the European Tour's Race to Dubai standings. In addition to his two victories this year, he tied for fourth in the Nedbank Challenge, tied for third in the WGC-Cadillac Championship and finished solo third in the BMW PGA Championship.
7. Martin Kaymer, Germany -- Although Kaymer, a two-time major champion, does not have a victory since claiming the 22nd of his career in 2014, he has shown in recent months that his game is on the way back. He tied for sixth in the Spanish Open, tied for fifth in the Irish Open, tied for seventh in the BMW PGA Championship and tied for fifth in the French Open on the European Tour. Then, in his last start, Kaymer tied for seventh in the PGA Championship at Baltusrol. He captured the 2010 PGA Championship in a playoff over Bubba Watson at Whistling Straits and the 2014 U.S. Open by eight strokes at Pinehurst No. 2, so perhaps being back on the world stage in Rio de Janeiro might again bring out his best stuff.
8. Patrick Reed, United States -- Even before Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth decided not to play in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro because of fears brought on by the Zika virus, Reed said he would play for the Red, White and Blue any time he is asked. He landed the final spot on the U.S. team and might wind up being a medal contender based on his strong play when he played for the American teams in the 2014 Ryder Cup and the 2015 Presidents Cup. Reed claimed four victories in his first three seasons on the PGA Tour, and even though he has not found the winner's circle this year, he finished second in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and the Valero Texas Open among his nine results in the top 10.
9. Matt Kuchar, United States -- Kuchar is the second player who made the U.S. team because Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth decided not to go to Rio, and he has plenty of experience playing for the American side. He has made three appearances each in the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup, and when the other top Americans didn't want to make the trip to China for the 2011 World Cup, he took Gary Woodland with him and they claimed the title for the United States. Kuchar took Kevin Streelman with him two years later, and they finished second behind Australia. Kuchar claimed the most recent of his seven PGA Tour victories in the 2014 RBC Heritage, but he has nine top-10 finishes this season, including third-place results in the Players Championship, the AT&T Byron Nelson and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
10. Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela -- Vegas leads the South American Olympic contingent along with Emiliano Grillo and Fabian Gomez of Argentina, plus 44-year-old home favorite Adilson da Silva of Brazil. Vegas claimed his second PGA Tour victory last month at the RBC Canadian Open, ending a five-year drought going back to the 2011 Bob Hope Classic. Much was expected when he earned that first victory in a playoff over Bill Haas and Gary Woodland to become the first Venezuelan to win on the PGA Tour, but only now does Vegas seem to be ready to fulfill that potential. He has finished in the top five on four occasions this season, including his victory in Canada, and he is coming off a tie for 22nd in the PGA Championship at Baltusrol.
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Post by Gooba on Aug 10, 2016 5:28:44 GMT -5
Olympic golf betting preview and odds: Stenson and Garcia headline depleted field By MATT FARGO
The last time the Olympics had golf as an event was back in 1904 at the St. Louis Games but golf is back at the Rio games with mixed reviews. At the last Olympic golf event, George Lyon of Canada won the Gold Medal and has been the reigning Olympic champion for 112 years but that will soon change when 60 players from across the world tee it up on August 11th.
The golf format for the Rio Olympics is simple as it is similar to any other golf tournament - players will play four rounds of stroke play to decide the three medal winners. There is no cut after 36 holes and in the case of a tie at any of the Gold, Silver or Bronze levels, a three-hole playoff will be held. Additionally, there is no team event since some nations have multiple players and others have just one.
The course is a brand new layout that was completed less than a year ago. Reserva de Marapendi is a par 71, 7,350-yard track designed by Gil Hanse and Amy Alcott built out of a vast nature preserve near the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood. It is located three miles from the Olympic Village and all participants will be on an even playing field since no one has seen the course prior to practice leading up to the event.
The field is obviously a strong one but not as strong as many had hoped. Of the top ten players in the world, only five are competing in Rio with the top four players, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy all sitting out as well at No. 8 Adam Scott. The United States leads the way with four participants with 23 other nations having two players compete.
A look at the full field and odds for winning Gold:
Henrik Stenson (SWE) 5/1 Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR) 80/1 Sergio Garcia (ESP) 6/1 Cheng-Tsung Pan (TPE) 80/1 Justin Rose (GBR) 12/1 Mikko Ilonen (FIN) 80/1 Martin Kaymer (GER) 14/1 Gregory Bourdy (FRA) 80/1 Rickie Fowler (USA) 14/1 Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) 80/1 Matt Kuchar (USA) 14/1 Scott Hend (AUS) 80/1 Bubba Watson (USA) 14/1 Adilson Da Silva (BRA) 100/1 Patrick Reed (USA) 16/1 Jaco Van Zyl (RSA) 100/1 Danny Willett (GBR) 20/1 Jeung-Hun Wang (KOR) 100/1 Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 25/1 Ricardo Gouveia (POR) 125/1 Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP) 25/1 Julien Quesne (FRA) 125/1 Graham Delaet (CAN) 40/1 Fabian Gomez (ARG) 125/1 Thomas Pieters (BEL) 40/1 Brandon Stone (RSA) 125/1 Byeong-Hun An (KOR) 40/1 Yuta Ikeda (JPN) 150/1 Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL) 50/1 Jose-Filipe Lima (POR) 150/1 Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 50/1 Alex Cejka (GER) 150/1 David Hearn (CAN) 50/1 Marcus Fraser (AUS) 150/1 Soren Kjeldsen (DEN) 50/1 Gavin Green (MAS) 150/1 Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 50/1 Nino Bertasio (ITA) 150/1 David Lingmerth (SWE) 50/1 Espen Kofstad (NOR) 150/1 Danny Lee (NZL) 50/1 Seamus Power (IRL) 175/1 Jhonattan Vegas (COL) 66/1 Miguel Tabuena (PHI) 200/1 Joost Luiten (NED) 66/1 Shingo Katayama (JPN) 200/1 Anirban Lahiri (IND) 66/1 Siddikur Rahman (BAN) 200/1 Padraig Harrington (IRL) 66/1 SSP Chawrasia (IND) 200/1 Matteo Manassero (ITA) 66/1 Hao Tong Li (CHN) 200/1 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 66/1 Rudolfo Cazaubon (MEX) 250/1 Felipe Aguilar (CHI) 70/1 Wen Tang Lin (TPE) 250/1 Ryan Fox (NZL) 80/1 Roope Kakko (FIN) 250/1 Ashun Wu (CHN) 80/1 Danny Chia (MAS) 250/1
Let’s take a look at the main contenders and a few longshots.
Henrik Stenson (SWE) 5/1
Stenson is the highest ranked player in the world that is competing, at No. 5, thanks to his first Major win at the Open Championship just a few weeks ago. He has six top tens in eight cuts made on the PGA Tour while also winning the BMW International Open on the European Tour. He is ranked second in the Race to Dubai.
Sergio Garcia (ESP) 6/1
Garcia has never won a Major so winning Olympic Gold would be pretty ironic. He won at the AT&T Byron Nelson and posted three straight tops fives heading into the PGA Championship. He also posted a T5 at the BMW International Open as well as a solo third at the Real Club Valderrama Open de España.
Justin Rose (GBR) 12/1
Rose started the season red hot with five top 20s in his first six official events. He has been slowed by a back injury but looks to be back in fine health following his T22 at the Open Championship. He possesses 19 professional wins including one Major after winning the U.S. Open in 2013.
Martin Kaymer (GER) 14/1
Kaymer is another Major winner as he has notched two, the 2010 PGA Championship and most recent, the 2014 U.S. Open. He spends his time on the European Tour where he has four top tens this season including a pair of T5 finishes at the 100th Open de France and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
Rickie Fowler (USA) 14/1
It has been a tough year for Fowler who came in with great expectations. He missed the cut at the Masters and the U.S. Open and finished T46 at the Open Championship. He does have seven top tens but only two since early April. His win at the PLAYERS last season was his breakthrough but he has not been able to capitalize from it.
Matt Kuchar (USA) 14/1
Kuchar has been one of the most consistent golfers around as since 2010, he has 64 top tens which includes five wins, seven runner-ups and nine third place finishes. He has not won since 2014, however, and all of those top tens do not matter in this event. Still, he is playing his best golf of the season heading into the Olympics.
Bubba Watson (USA) 14/1
Watson is the second highest ranked golfer in the field at No. 6 but is low in the odds due to some recent struggles. He has 12 professional wins including a pair of Masters titles in 2012 and 2014 and while he does have a win this season, it came back in February. He has just one top 25 in his last seven starts.
Patrick Reed (USA) 16/1
Reed rounds out the American squad and his fiery play at the Ryder Cup proves he could be a contender to win Gold. He has not won this season but has nine top tens including a pair of runner-ups. Additionally, he had a T10 at the Scottish Open prior to the Open Championship where he placed T12.
Danny Willett (GBR) 20/1
Willet was the first Major winner of the season as he brought home his first Major at the Masters. He has not done much since then however as he placed down low in the other two Majors and has not finished better than a T37 on either tour since a solo third at the BMW PGA Championship in England.
Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 25/1
Grillo is a rookie on the PGA Tour but made a name for himself with a playoff loss at the Puerto Rico Open last season. He bettered that this year with a victory at the Frys.com Open back in October and while he has not contended since then, he has only one missed cut in his last 14 starts so he remains very consistent.
Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP) 25/1
Cabrera Bello made a monster run at the Dell Match Play where he finished third and followed that up with a solo fourth at the Shell Houston Open. He made the cut in all three Majors highlighted by a T17 at the Masters and most recent, posted a solo fourth at the 100th Open de France on the European Tour.
Graham DeLaet (CAN) 40/1
DeLaet has four professional wins but three of those were on the Canadian Tour and another on the Sunshine Tour. He has not been able to win on the PGA Tour when it counts as he has three runner-up finishes as well as three third place finishes. With a watered down field, he may be worth a look at this price.
Thomas Pieters (BEL) 40/1
Pieters is not a household name but he is a very solid player on the European Tour since turning pro in 2013. He won twice last year in back-to-back starts at the D+D REAL Czech Masters and the KLM Open but he has not been able to break through with a field of this status and depth.
Byeong-Hun An (KOR) 40/1
An won his first tournament on the European Tour last season at the BMW PGA Championship in a loaded field and he came close on the PGA Tour this year with a playoff loss at the Zurich Classic to Brain Stuard. In August 2009, he became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur.
Now for a couple of longshot options.
Anirban Lahiri (IND) 66/1
Lahiri has won all over the world as he has collected 18 professional titles. His first full year on the PGA Tour has not been great but he has missed only four cuts in 20 events and sits 102nd in the FedEx Cup Standings. He won twice on the European Tour last season while posting three additional top seven finishes.
Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) 80/1
Olesen has not done much in July but he was having a solid season on the European Tour prior to that with a pair of runner-ups as well as three other top tens. He has 13 top three finishes in six full years and that includes three victories, most notable the 2015 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in a loaded field.
Fabian Gomez (ARG) 125/1
Not many will remember but Gomez kicked off the 2016 portion of the season with a win at the Sony Open in Hawaii in a playoff over Brandt Snedeker. Additionally, he won in 2015 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic so he certainly knows how to win and at these odds, he is worthy of a shot.
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Post by Gooba on Aug 10, 2016 5:29:39 GMT -5
COUNTRY GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL USA 9 8 9 26 CHN 8 3 6 17 HUN 4 1 1 6 AUS 4 0 5 9 RUS 3 6 3 12 ITA 3 4 2 9 KOR 3 2
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Post by Makers on Aug 10, 2016 6:05:07 GMT -5
Michael Phelps wins 21st Olympic gold medal as US men win 4x200-meter freestyle relay for fourth successive Games.
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Post by Gooba on Aug 11, 2016 5:19:30 GMT -5
COUNTRY GOLD SILVER BRONZE TOTAL USA 11 11 10 32 CHN 10 5 8 23 JPN 6 1 11 18 AUS 5 2 5 12 HUN 5 1 1 7 RUS 4 7 4 15 KOR 4 2 3 9 ITA 3 6
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