July 31 Tokyo 2020 Olympics news and results

By Joshua Berlinger, Brett McKeehan and Ben Morse, CNN

Updated 12:01 a.m. ET, August 1, 2021
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10:18 p.m. ET, July 31, 2021

Bobby Finke wins men's 1500 meter freestyle for his second gold of Tokyo 2020

Bobby Finke of Team USA competes in the 1500 meter freestyle final on Sunday.
Bobby Finke of Team USA competes in the 1500 meter freestyle final on Sunday. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Swimmer Bobby Finke has won the men's 1500 meter freestyle, his second gold medal of the Tokyo Games after earlier winning the men's 800 meter freestyle.

Finke's victory means the Americans have taken home the top prize in all four distance swims in Tokyo. Team USA's Katie Ledecky won both the women's 800 meter and 1500 meter freestyle races.

Finke's race was a nail-biter, with the American, Ukraine's Mykhailo Romanchuk and Germany's Florian Wellbrock separating themselves from the rest of the pack. Romanchuk finished with silver and Wellbrock with bronze.

World record-holder Sun Yang of China was banned from competing in this year's Games due to a doping violation.

9:49 p.m. ET, July 31, 2021

Australia's Emma McKeon takes gold in the women's 50 meter freestyle

Australia's Emma McKeon celebrates taking gold in the final of the women's 50 meter freestyle on Sunday.
Australia's Emma McKeon celebrates taking gold in the final of the women's 50 meter freestyle on Sunday. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

Emma McKeon set an Olympic record to win the gold medal in the women's 50 meter freestyle, her sixth medal in Tokyo.

She finished the race in 23.81 seconds. Sweden's Sarah Sjoestroem took home silver and Denmark's Pernille Blume nabbed bronze.

9:50 p.m. ET, July 31, 2021

Caeleb Dressel wins another gold in the men's 50 meter freestyle

American swimmer Caeleb Dressel celebrates after winning the gold medal in a men's 50 meter freestyle on Sunday.
American swimmer Caeleb Dressel celebrates after winning the gold medal in a men's 50 meter freestyle on Sunday. (David Goldman/AP)

It's all coming up gold for Caeleb Dressel.

The American swimming star set an Olympic record to win the men's 50 meter freestyle race Sunday morning in Tokyo. He swam the race in 21.07 seconds to win his fourth gold medal of Tokyo 2020.

Dressel is just the third man to ever win the 50 meter freestyle and 100 meter freestyle at the same Olympics.

He was followed by France's Florent Manaudou, who finished in 21.55 and Brazil's Bruno Fratus, who came in at 21.57. Manaudou won gold in the event at Rio 2016.

Four more medal races will be held at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre Sunday morning.

11:08 a.m. ET, July 31, 2021

Saturday saw 21 gold medals awarded at the Tokyo Olympics

Qatar's Fares El-Bakh holds his gold medal for the weightlifting 96kg on July 31.
Qatar's Fares El-Bakh holds his gold medal for the weightlifting 96kg on July 31. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Among the gold medal winners Saturday at the Tokyo Olympics were Americans Katie Ledecky, who won the women's 800m freestyle, and Caeleb Dressel who dominated the men's 100m butterfly.

Here's a full list of the gold medal winners from Saturday:

Archery

  • Men's Individual: Mete Gazoz, Turkey

Athletics

  • Men's Discus Throw: Daniel Stahl, Sweden
  • 4x400m Relay Mixed: Poland
  • Women's 100m: Elaine Thompson-Herah, Jamaica

Badminton

  • Men's Doubles: Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin, Chinese Taipei

Fencing

  • Women's Sabre Team: Russian Olympic Committee

Judo

  • Mixed Team: France

Rugby Sevens

  • Women's: New Zealand

Sailing

  • Women's Windsurfer-RS:X: Lu Yunxiu, China
  • Men's Windsurfer-RS:X: Kiran Badloe, Netherlands

Shooting

  • Trap Mixed Team: Fatima Galvez/Alberto Fernandez, Spain
  • Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions: Nina Christen, Switzerland

Swimming

  • Men's 100m Butterfly: Caeleb Dressel, United States
  • Women's 200m Backstroke: Kaylee McKeown, Australia
  • Women's 800m Freestyle: Katie Ledecky, United States
  • Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay: Great Britain

Tennis

  • Women's Singles: Belinda Bencic, Switzerland

Trampoline Gymnastics

  • Men's: Ivan Litvinovich, Belarus

Triathlon

  • Mixed Relay: Great Britain

Weightlifting

  • Men's 81 kg: Lyu Xiaojun, China
  • Men's 96 kg: Fares El-Bakh, Qatar
10:36 a.m. ET, July 31, 2021

Japan sees highest daily increase in new Covid-19 infections  

From CNN’s Arthur Syin and Hannah Ritchie 

Japan recorded its highest daily increase in new Covid-19 infections since the pandemic began, reporting 12,341 new cases on Saturday, according to the country’s public broadcaster NHK.  

Ten out of Japan's 47 prefectures recorded their highest new daily cases, NHK reported.  

The Japanese capital city of Tokyo saw a record high 4,058 new cases Saturday, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Government data. 

The number of coronavirus cases linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has risen to 241 -- up 21 from the previous day -- according to Games organizers.

This comes as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday extended the state of emergency for the Tokyo Metropolitan area and Okinawa amid a surge in Covid-19 cases.   

Tokyo and Okinawa were under a state of emergency until August 22, but Suga has now extended it until August 31. 

Suga also expanded a state of emergency to four other prefectures -- Saitama, Chiba, Osaka and Kanagawa -- in effect until August 31. 

10:39 a.m. ET, July 31, 2021

Fares El-Bakh wins Qatar's first ever Olympic gold medal

Qatar’s Fares El-Bakh celebrates on the podium after winning the gold medal in the 96kg weightlifting event on July 31.
Qatar’s Fares El-Bakh celebrates on the podium after winning the gold medal in the 96kg weightlifting event on July 31. (Luca Bruno/AP)

Qatar’s Fares El-Bakh finished with an Olympic record 402kg to capture the men’s 96kg weightlifting gold at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The gold medal is the first-ever in Qatar’s history. 

El-Bakh put up 177kg in the snatch, and then set an Olympic record in the clean and jerk with a weight of 225kg. Overall, the Qatari finished with a combined score of 402kg to set his second Olympic record of the night. 

Keydomar Giovanni Vallenilla Sánchez of Venezuela finished in second (387kg) to earn the silver and Anton Pliesnoi of Georgia took home the bronze. 

10:22 a.m. ET, July 31, 2021

USA men's basketball team thumps Czech Republic to move into quarterfinals

From CNN's Ben Morse in London

Team USA's Jayson Tatum shoots over Czech Republic's David Jelined during their game on July 31.
Team USA's Jayson Tatum shoots over Czech Republic's David Jelined during their game on July 31. (Eric Gay/AP)

The Team USA men's basketball team powered into the quarterfinals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a convincing 119-84 rout of the Czech Republic on Saturday.

Superstar Kevin Durant led the team with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists and in the process became the US' all-time leading scorer in the Olympics.

Celtics star Jayson Tatum added 27 points for the Americans, while the Czechs were led by 17 points from Blake Schilb.

The win confirmed Team USA would finish at least second in their group, assuring them a spot in the Olympic quarterfinals.

10:10 a.m. ET, July 31, 2021

Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah says she is grateful to "get back on the track" following injuries

From CNN's Fernando Alfonso in Atlanta

Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah celebrates after winning the gold medal in the 100m final on July 31.
Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah celebrates after winning the gold medal in the 100m final on July 31. (David Ramos/Getty Images)

Elaine Thompson-Herah reflected on her gold medal victory in Tokyo today in the women's 100 meter, saying, "I knew I had it in me, but obviously, I've had my ups and downs with injuries."

“I've been injured so much. I'm grateful I could get back on the track, and get back out on the track this year to retain the title," Thompson-Herah said following her win. "Now, I have one more to go."

Thompson-Herah said she looks forward to competing in the 200 meter and 4x100m relay.

Earlier today: Thompson-Herah defended her women's 100-meter title in Olympic record time of 10.61, breaking Florence Griffith Joyner's 33-year-old mark set in Seoul.

Completing an all-Jamaican podium, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finished second to claim silver in 10.74 and Shericka Jackson finished third in 10.76 -- a personal best -- to earn the bronze.

“I can’t just imagine if we didn’t have the pandemic what would be happening in Jamaica, just speaking about the legacy that we have back home, all the athletes, young and old, you are all inspired by something that happened tonight, we were just really excited that we were able to come and to have a wonderful show tonight," Thompson-Herah said following the medal sweep.

Thompson-Herah is the fourth athlete to win two Olympic gold medals in the women's 100 meter after Wyomia Tyus in 1964 and 1968 for the US, Gail Devers in 1992 and 1996 for the US and Fraser-Pryce in 2008 and 2012 for Jamaica.

This is the sixth straight Olympic Games that the gold medal-winning time was faster than in previous Games. 

10:23 a.m. ET, July 31, 2021

Poland wins inaugural mixed 4x400 meter relay

From CNN's Ben Morse in London

Team Poland celebrates after winning the 4x400 meter mixed relay final on July 31.
Team Poland celebrates after winning the 4x400 meter mixed relay final on July 31. (Martin Meissner/AP)

Poland won the gold medal in the inaugural mixed 4x400 meter relay in a thrilling race on Saturday.

Made up of two men and two women, the new race has become an immediate favorite with fans at Tokyo 2020.

And Poland had to produce a remarkable late comeback in the final, with the Dominican Republic leading after both 800 meters and 1,200 meters.

However, a brilliant last lap from Poland shot them into the lead and earned them the first ever gold in the discipline with a new Olympic record of 3:09.87.

The silver went to the Dominican Republic and the bronze to the US.