Reuters Sports News Summary

08/18/2016 19:51

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Rio incident cuts short Ryan Lochte's commercial victory lap

The week after winning his sixth career Olympic gold in Rio, U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte should have been doing a victory lap, cashing in on his performance with fresh sponsorship deals. Instead, one of America's most decorated swimmers is accused by Brazilian police of inventing a story about an armed robbery to cover for some bad behavior at a gas station.

U.S. swimmers lied about robbery, should be held accountable : Brazil minister

Brazil's Presidential Chief of Staff Eliseu Padilha said on Thursday that U.S. Olympic swimmers had lied to Brazilian police about a robbery at the Rio de Janeiro Games and should be held accountable. Rio's civil police chief, Fernando Veloso, had earlier told a news conference that U.S. gold medalists Ryan Lochte and Jimmy Feigen had lied about being robbed at gunpoint on Sunday morning along with two team mates.

Ex-NFL star Sharper sentenced to 18 years in prison in drug, rape cases

Former National Football League star Darren Sharper was sentenced on Thursday to 18 years in federal prison in a case stemming from accusations that he drugged and raped women in four states while working as a television analyst. Sharper, 40, who retired from the NFL in 2011 after helping lead the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl championship, had pleaded guilty in federal court in Louisiana in May 2015 to distributing controlled substances to three unsuspecting women and then having sex with them while they were incapacitated.

Nadal, Wawrinka fall on upset day in Cincinnati

Rafa Nadal and Stan Wawrinka, two of the headliners at the Western & Southern Open, fell in singles to a pair of young guns on a hot, steamy day on the hardcourts in Cincinnati. Third-seeded Nadal, showing fatigue following his play at the Olympics that included a gold medal in doubles, was a step slow and paid the price against 19-year-old Borna Coric of Croatia, who reached the quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-3 win.

Boxing: Stevenson gifted a walkover to bantamweight final

Highly-rated U.S. bantamweight Shakur Stevenson was given a walkover to an Olympic boxing final with Cuba's Robeisy Ramirez on Thursday after Russian opponent Vladimir Nikitin withdrew due to injury. Nikitin was involved in the most controversial bout of the Games so far when he beat Ireland's world champion Michael Conlan on Tuesday in a quarter-final that triggered a storm over the new scoring system.

Basketball: Spain beat Serbia to reach women's final

Spain eased past Serbia 68-54 on Thursday to reach the Olympic women's basketball gold medal final for the first time, where a possible showdown with the all-conquering United States awaits. Spain, who have never won a medal in women's basketball, will face the winner of France and the unbeaten United States, who are bidding for their sixth straight gold.

Athletics: U.S. grasp second chance in 4x100 relay

The United States grasped their second chance to reach the Olympic women's 4x100 meters final with both hands on Thursday, racing alone around the Rio track in 41.77 seconds to knock China out of the last eight. The reigning champions appealed against the result of their morning heat, in which Allyson Felix bungled the second baton exchange, arguing that the four-times Olympic gold medalist had been bumped by a Brazilian athlete before the handover.

Brazil police say U.S. swimmers could 'in theory' be charged

Brazil police could "in theory" charge a group of U.S. Olympic swimmers with giving false testimony and vandalism over an incident at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro last weekend, the head of Rio's civil police, Fernando Veloso, said on Thursday. Police began investigating the incident after four swimmers, including gold medalists Ryan Lochte and Jimmy Feigen, said they been robbed by gunmen impersonating police officers in the early hours of Sunday, as they returned in a taxi to the Athletes' Village from a party in the city.

Volleyball: Serbian women knock out U.S. favorites

The Serbian women's volleyball team eliminated the world's top-ranked team, the United States, on Thursday in a shock upset after the undefeated Americans lost their top player to a leg injury. Serbia, playing in their first Olympic semi-final, were riding high after sending Russia home two days earlier and defeated the United States 20-25 25-17 25-21 16-25 15-13 in a five-set clash that could have gone either way.

Brazil police pursue charges against U.S. swimmers : GloboNews

Brazilian police have recommended charging U.S. Olympic swimming champions Ryan Lochte and Jimmy Feigen with giving false testimony, Brazilian TV said on Thursday, after authorities accused the pair of lying about being robbed at gunpoint. The incident has marred South America's first Games, where the sporting action has been competing for headlines against a series of muggings and armed robberies of high-profile athletes and visitors, including two government ministers.

08/18/2016 19:51