Young star shines

Wrestler takes gold for U.S

BEIJING -- Henry Cejudo, the 21-year-old prodigy who had wrestled in only one world-level senior tournament before Beijing, won the Olympic gold medal in men's freestyle 55-kilogram wrestling.

Cejudo, crying the moment the match ended and wrapping himself in an American flag, defeated Tomohiro Matsunaga of Japan 2-2 on tiebreaker and 3-0 in the best-of-three match. Cejudo was 31st in last year's world championships, his only prior event at this level.

Cejudo, the son of undocumented Mexican aliens who bypassed a college career to try to become an Olympian, assures the United States of winning a freestyle wrestling gold for the ninth consecutive Olympics at which it has competed.

The bronze medalists were last year's world champion, Besik Kudukhov of Russia, and Radoslav Velikov of Bulgaria. Kudukhov was pinned by Matsunaga in the semifinals.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Not that there was much doubt, but the U.S. women are headed back to the Final Four of this tournament.

Sylvia Fowles had 26 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Americans on their latest rout, a 104-60 victory over South Korea.

The Americans will play Becky Hammon and Russia in the semifinals Thursday night.

BASEBALL: Despite losing its opener, losing one key player to a gruesome injury and seeing another key player get hurt, the U.S. is headed to the medal round.

The Americans advanced with a 4-2 victory over Taiwan, powered by John Gall's go-ahead homer and a solid outing by pitcher Brandon Knight. The final prelim test comes tonight against medal favorite Japan. The semifinals start Friday.

South Korea and Cuba are advancing, too. Those teams squared off in a battle of unbeatens, and South Korea won 7-4.

DIVING: China is up to 6-for-6 in its bid for all eight golds. He Chong easily won the men's 3-meter springboard, getting 11 perfect marks of 10.0 in the six-round final..

American Troy Dumais was sixth for the third straight Olympics.

WOMEN'S WATER POLO: The U.S. will be playing for gold, taking on the Netherlands on Thursday, but will do so without center forward Lauren Wenger, who broke her right hand late in a 9-8 semifinal victory over Australia.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Americans Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser, the world champions, will play for the men's gold medal after defeating Georgia representatives Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro 21-11, 21-13. The U.S. pair will play on Friday against Marcio and Fabio, who upset Athens gold medalists and fellow Brazilians Emanuel and Ricardo 22-20, 21-18.

Americans Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor will play in the women's final Thursday against China.

SAILING: The U.S. got its first gold from the regatta when British-born Anna Tunnicliffe won the women's Laser Radial class.

MEN'S TRIATHLON: Germany's Jan Frodeno won the gold medal. The top American was former Wake Forest star Hunter Kemper, who finished seventh.