July 25 Tokyo 2020 Olympics news and results

By Helen Regan and Brad Lendon, CNN

Updated 12:18 AM ET, Mon July 26, 2021
37 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
11:41 p.m. ET, July 25, 2021

US wins men's swimming 4x100m freestyle relay

USA's Zach Apple, left, celebrates with teammates Caeleb Dressel, Blake Pieroni and Bowen Becker after taking gold in the final of the 4x100m freestyle relay swimming event on July 26.
USA's Zach Apple, left, celebrates with teammates Caeleb Dressel, Blake Pieroni and Bowen Becker after taking gold in the final of the 4x100m freestyle relay swimming event on July 26. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

The United States has won the gold medal in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay at the Tokyo Olympics with a winning time of 3:08.97.

It’s the fifth gold medal for the US at the Games and 12th medal overall.

Italy finished second for the silver medal with a time of 3:10.11, and Australia claimed bronze with 3:10.22.

11:12 p.m. ET, July 25, 2021

Covid-19 cases linked to Tokyo Games continue to rise

From CNN's Chandler Thornton

The number of Covid-19 cases linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has risen to 153, up 16 from the previous day, according to Games organizers.

One of the new cases reported was a resident of the Olympic Village, bringing the total number of infections from the village to 16.

Three of the new cases were identified as athletes but were not residents of the village. The remaining cases are identified as contractors, media, or Games-concerned personnel.

Tokyo 2020 is not revealing the names or nationalities of the Covid-19 cases. 

11:00 p.m. ET, July 25, 2021

Australia's Ariarne Titmus stuns US' Katie Ledecky to win gold in women's 400m freestyle

From CNN's Jacob Lev

Australia's Ariarne Titmus competes in the 400m freestyle final on July 26.
Australia's Ariarne Titmus competes in the 400m freestyle final on July 26. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Ariarne Titmus of Australia has won gold in the women's 400m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing with a time of 3:56:69.

Titmus' time is the second fastest ever behind American Katie Ledecky's world record of 3:56:36.

Ledecky, a five-time gold medalist, won silver with a time of 3:57:36, the fourth fastest time ever. Li Bingjie of China won bronze with a time of 4:01:08.

Titmus' win gives Australia its second gold medal of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and fifth medal overall.

10:45 p.m. ET, July 25, 2021

British swimmer Adam Peaty wins 100m breaststroke gold

Great Britain’s Adam Peaty celebrates after winning the 100m breaststroke on July 26.
Great Britain’s Adam Peaty celebrates after winning the 100m breaststroke on July 26. (Davis Ramos/Getty Images)

Great Britain’s Adam Peaty has won the men’s 100m breaststroke at the Tokyo Olympics. Peaty, the defending Olympic champion and world record holder in this event, swam a time of 57.37.

His win gives Great Britain its first gold medal of these Olympics and gives Peaty his third Olympic medal.

Arno Kamminga of The Netherlands won the silver medal with a time of 58.00, and Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi took the bronze with a time of 58.33.

10:18 p.m. ET, July 25, 2021

Why it feels surreal to watch the Tokyo Olympics in person

From CNN's Scott Reeves in Tokyo

The nearly empty stadium is seen from CNN's seats at Sunday night's men's basketball game between USA and France.
The nearly empty stadium is seen from CNN's seats at Sunday night's men's basketball game between USA and France. (Scott Reeves/CNN)

Sunday night's men's basketball matchup between the US and France featured some of the world's most famous athletes.

From France's Nicolas Batum and Rudy Gobert to Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant on the US roster, both teams fielded big stars on multimillion dollar NBA contracts.

And yet, the atmosphere felt like a high school basketball game.

With Tokyo holding the Olympics in the middle of a state of emergency, almost all fans have been banned from viewing competition. The normally palpable excitement of the competition is, like the stadium, nearly empty.

Security guards and volunteers outnumber spectators, who are in the hundreds. They consist exclusively of media, VIPs and other team members.

France's stunning upset of Team USA — which hadn't lost in the Olympics since Athens in 2004, had all the makings of a professional basketball game — the usual music, replays and commentary.

It was amazing to witness history, but the atmosphere was surreal.

9:33 p.m. ET, July 25, 2021

Skateboarding's Olympic odyssey continues

From CNN's George Ramsay at the Ariake Sports Park in Tokyo

Margielyn Didal of the Philippines competes in the street skateboarding prelims on July 26.
Margielyn Didal of the Philippines competes in the street skateboarding prelims on July 26. (Ben Curtis/AP)

After Japan’s Yuto Horigome claimed the first-ever Olympic gold medal in skateboarding on Sunday, it’s time for the women’s street event at Tokyo’s Ariake Sports Park.

Skateboarding certainly has a different look and feel compared to most Olympic events, with music pumping, a lively stadium announcer calling each move, and riders whooping and cheering as they land tricks.

“They need the cool factor,” skateboarding legend Tony Hawk told CNN of the decision to add skateboarding to the Olympic program. It seems to have that.

Dutch rider Roos Zwetsloot currently leads with a score of 13.48 as the second heat of the prelims draws to a close. She’s followed by home favorite Aori Nishimura in second, and Philippines’ Margie Didal, who’s brought a great sense of fun and energy to the competition so far, in third.

There are still 10 riders and two more heats to come before the top eight progress to the finals.

1:36 p.m. ET, July 25, 2021

US basketball coach Gregg Popovich on loss: "When you lose a game you’re not surprised, you’re disappointed"

Zachary Lavine, Jrue Holiday, Bam Adebayo, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Head Coach Gregg Popovich of Team USA during their game against France on Sunday, July 25.
Zachary Lavine, Jrue Holiday, Bam Adebayo, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Head Coach Gregg Popovich of Team USA during their game against France on Sunday, July 25. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Team USA head basketball coach Gregg Popovich spoke with the media after the Americans, 83-76, opening group play loss to France in the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

“When you lose a game you’re not surprised, you’re disappointed. I don’t understand the word surprise – that sort of disses the French team, so to speak, as if we were supposed to beat them by 30 or something,” Popovich said. 

Team USA had an eight point lead with four minutes left in the game, but the French team mounted a 16-2 run, highlighted by leading scorer Evan Fournier’s go-ahead three-pointer with less than a minute left to seal the win. The loss snaps a 25-game win streak dating back to the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, when Team USA lost to Argentina.

“We have to be more consistent. We had two nine-point leads and one 10-point lead, and then an eight-point lead at the end of the game, and we gave all of those up because of lack of consistent defense, too many errors,” Popovich added. “We had, on offense, dry possessions where we didn't move and took ill-advised shots. So you understand it, you look at it, and you go to work and you try to get better.”

Despite pulling off the upset victory, the French team is not celebrating yet. French center Rudy Gobert said after the victory, “I mean it’s great, but, until we have what we want to have around our neck, it doesn’t really matter.”

Fournier, who scored a game-high 28 points, expressed a similar sentiment saying, it is a big win for us obviously, but we have to move on and show people back home that these guys can be beaten. With the right coach, the right mentality, the right work, you can compete against anyone, and it is not because we are a small country we should have any complexes. We are just as big as anyone you just have to believe.”

Both teams return to the court on Wednesday with Team USA scheduled to play Iran, while the French team faces off against the Czech Republic.

12:38 p.m. ET, July 25, 2021

Naomi Osaka feels "refreshed and happy" as she kicks off her Olympic campaign with a victory

From CNN's George Ramsay

Japan's Naomi Osaka serves during her single's match against China's Saisai Zheng on July 25.
Japan's Naomi Osaka serves during her single's match against China's Saisai Zheng on July 25. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

These are early days for the Tokyo Olympics, but Naomi Osaka is quickly emerging as the headline act.

Two days after lighting the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony — a moment she called "the greatest athletic achievement and honor" of her life — Osaka took to the tennis court for her first game in almost two months on Sunday, defeating China's Saisai Zheng 6-1 6-4 on Ariake Tennis Park's Centre Court.

Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty's surprise loss against Sara Sorribes Tormo earlier on Sunday means Osaka is now the top-ranked player in the women's draw in her bid to become the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic tennis medal.

The four-time grand slam champion hadn't played since withdrawing from the French Open at the end of May, which followed her decision not to undertake media duties for mental health reasons.

She chose not to play in Wimbledon, too, but has arrived in Tokyo rejuvenated and ready to make her mark.

"This, playing the Olympics, has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, so I feel like the break I took was very needed," the 23-year-old Osaka told reporters. "I feel definitely a little bit refreshed and happy again."

Read more about Osaka's opening match here.

10:28 a.m. ET, July 25, 2021

USA Basketball defeated by France for first Olympic loss since 2004

France's Evan Fournier goes for the basket past United States' Draymond Jamal Green during a basketball game on Sunday, July 25.
France's Evan Fournier goes for the basket past United States' Draymond Jamal Green during a basketball game on Sunday, July 25. (Eric Gay/AFP/Getty Images)

The United States men’s basketball team was defeated by France 83-76 in the team’s opening game of group play. 

The loss snaps a 25-game win streak dating back to the 2004 Summer Games in Athens when Team USA lost to Argentina.

France ended the game on a 16-2 run to seal the win, behind Evan Fournier’s team-leading 28-point effort.

Team USA will next play Iran on Wednesday.