US women snare football gold

There was gloom for football power Brazil and some consolation for the United States last night when the American women won their final 1-0 after extra-time.

It was the third finals failure in a row for the Brazilian women and compounds the national pain over the semi-finals loss by the men's Olympic team.

The US football gold will be weighed against a dismal athletics showing, an unexpected loss in the women's water polo final to the Netherlands and defeat to Japan in softball, the first time the Americans have failed to win gold in that event.

The United States are badly trailing China in the overall medals table, having been deposed from the top spot they held in Athens. China are touting their medals haul as a sign they have the sporting prowess to match their rising superpower status.

The hosts have a commanding 46 golds to the Americans' 29.

The United States will hope for golds still in the men's and women's basketball, men's beach volleyball and at the BMX finals.

The highly-paid NBA players of the US team have wowed basketball-mad Chinese fans and are overwhelming favourites to win the gold they were embarrassed to return home without from Athens. They play Argentina in the semi-finals on Friday.

The thrills and spills sport of BMX biking, brought into the Games for the first time to attract a younger audience, brings pounding rock music, daring leaps and spectacular crashes to the Summer Olympics.

Britain's Shanaze Reade and France's Anne-Caroline Chausson are favoured to fight it out in the women's event. Americans Mike Day and Donny Robinson are men's favourites but the rough and tumble of head-to-head races make outcomes hard to predict.

- Reuters