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Tokyo Olympics unlike any other closes but pandemic rages on

The Tokyo Olympics closed Sunday night after more than two weeks of competition held amid extraordinary restrictions and mostly behind closed doors, with athletic feats performed for a world still struggling against the coronavirus.

Japan takes women's basketball silver after loss to U.S.

Japan finished its women's basketball Cinderella story at the Tokyo Olympics with a silver medal Sunday following a 90-75 loss to the United States.

Kajihara wins women's omnium track cycling silver for Japan

Track cyclist Yumi Kajihara became the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic cycling medal when she won silver in the omnium event on Sunday.

 

Kenya's Kipchoge wins men's marathon title

Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge won the men's marathon gold on the final day of the pandemic-hit Tokyo Olympics on Sunday in a winning time of 2 hours, 8 minutes, 38 seconds.

FOCUS: Steps that made Tokyo Olympics possible also left public disconnected

For many Japanese, an air of unreality hung over the Tokyo Olympics, held under the shadow of a once-in-a-century global pandemic. With no overseas fans and even domestic spectators banned from almost all events, many felt physically disconnected from what they could only follow on TV or online.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPICS

• Years of waiting, mismanagement, scandal and a pandemic all culminated in Japan having its best Olympics ever on the medal table, even though there were virtually no home fans in stadiums to enjoy the successes.
  
  
• International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said Sunday night the Tokyo Games sent a powerful message of hope, solidarity and peace.
  
  
• The president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee said Sunday the games were held without major incident and were a source of hope for the world despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
  
  
• The United States topped the gold medal for the third Olympics in a row on Sunday, thanks to the country's women's volleyball team's win on the final day of the Tokyo Games.
  
  
• The Japanese Olympic delegation head on Sunday said he hopes the host nation's record Tokyo Games medal haul further ingrains sport into the country's psyche and inspires younger generations to overcome challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
  
  
• During their unexpected run to the gold-medal game at the Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese women's basketball team won over a slew of new fans, perhaps none more significant than U.S. greats Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird.
  
  
• As Japan flew past its previous best single-games Olympic gold medal total with its 17th on the eighth day of the Tokyo Games, its female athletes were hauling their share of the load. By the end, the women carried the day.
  
  
• Another 26 people associated with the Tokyo Olympics have tested positive for COVID-19, the organizing committee said Sunday, the final day of the games, with the cumulative total reaching 430 since the start of July.

GAMES IN PHOTOS

Ryo Kiyuna (R), the men's karate kata gold medalist, carries the Japanese flag during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8, 2021, at the National Stadium. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Serbian players celebrate after defeating Greece in the men's water polo gold medal match at the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8, 2021, at Tatsumi Water Polo Centre in Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Brazilian team members celebrate after winning gold in the men's football at the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8, 2021, at International Stadium Yokohama near Tokyo.(Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Athletes of the Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics team pose with their gold medals after winning the group all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8, 2021, at Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya wins the men's marathon at the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8, 2021, in Sapporo, northern Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Runners start in the men's marathon at the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8, 2021, in Sapporo, northern Japan, with the Sapporo TV Tower seen in the background. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japanese cyclist Yumi Kajihara waves after winning silver in the women's omnium at the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8, 2021, at Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Yui Susaki (R) of Japan reacts after winning the women's wrestling freestyle 50-kilogram final against Sun Yanan of China at the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 7, 2021, at Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba near Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah (7) runs en route to winning the women's 200-meter final at the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 3, 2021, at the National Stadium. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japan's Shohei Yabiku (top) and Iran's Mohammadali Geraei compete in the men's Greco-Roman wrestling 77-kilogram bronze medal match of the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 3, 2021, at Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba near Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo