Russian athletes win three gold medals on third day of Olympics

TOKYO, July 26. /TASS/. Athletes from Russia won five medals on the third day of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, three of them gold. As of today, the Russian national team in Tokyo, where it participates under the name of the Team ROC (the Russian Olympic Committee) due to international sanctions against Russian sports, boasts four gold, five silver and three bronze medals. The list of the 2020 Summer Olympic medalists is currently topped by hosts Japan (eight gold, two silver and three bronze medals). It is followed by the national team of the United States (seven gold, three silver and four bronze medals) and the Chinese team in the third place with six gold, five silver and seven bronze medals. Gold medals went to Sofia Pozdnyakova in women’s individual sabre fencing event; to Maxim Khramtsov - in men’s under-60kg weight category taekwondo competition; and to the team of gymnasts, who won the gold on Monday in men’s artistic gymnastics team event (Denis Ablyazin, David Belyavsky, Artur Dalaloyan and Nikita Nagorny). The silver medal went to Sofya Velikaya in sabre fencing and the bronze was clinched by Alexander Bondar and Viktor Minibaev in men’s synchronized 10m platform diving event. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Olympic winners on Monday, wishing them new successes and praising their Olympic victories as a great achievement for athletes and their coaches. A total of 22 sets of medals were at the stake on Monday. 25 years later Russian athletes Denis Ablyazin, David Belyavsky, Artur Dalaloyan and Nikita Nagorny won gold on Monday in men’s artistic gymnastics team event, the first Olympic victory for Russian gymnasts in this discipline since 1996. The Russian athletes scored a total of 262.500 points, winning over Japan with 262.397 and China (261.894). The last time Russian gymnasts won a team gold was in 1996; that year, the Russian team included Alexey Nemov, Alexey Voropayev, Yevgeny Podgorny, Dmitry Vasilyenko, Sergey Kharkov, Nikolay Kryukov and Dmitry Trush. "The athletes did a great job, but first of all I would like to thank the coaches, who managed to create a good tactical plan for the day," President of the Artistic Gymnastics Federation of Russia Vasily Titov said. "We went through a very difficult competition, but I’m glad that the team managed to pull together, making a true team effort and performing with great success." In his words, serious injuries of several team members could not prevent them from winning the Olympic gold. Denis Ablyazin broke both legs in the fall of 2019, and had to undergo a series of surgeries and lengthy rehabilitation. Artur Dalaloyan suffered from an Achilles injury in April, on the eve of the team’s departure to the European Championships. Two blades Russia’s Sofia Pozdnyakova triumphed over her compatriot Sofya Velikaya on Monday night to clinch the gold of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in women’s saber fencing individual event. The all-Russian Olympic final in saber fencing took place during the games in Rio de Janeiro as well. "I am very glad that we have contributed two Olympic medals with Sofya Velikaya into the pot of the national Olympic medals during these uneasy times," Pozdnyakova said addressing a news conference. "This is so cool and it seems now as if I knew how the things would turn out but never thought about that." Commenting on the final bout with Pozdnyakova, Velikaya told journalists that Sofia Pozdnyakova deserved that win. "Numerous mistakes were on my behalf and Sofia deserved to win that encounter," Velikaya said. "This was a very enjoyable, happy and emotional competition. I was agitated, but had no fears and it was wonderful, because it does not chain you." "The Olympic Games are always full of surprises," she added. It was her third loss in the Olympic final. Velikaya was an ROC flag bearer during the opening ceremony. Taekwondo makes history Russia’s taekwondo fighter Maxim Khramtsov won gold of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Japan in the under-80 kilograms weight category. The 23-year-old Russian fighter took the gold after defeating in the final bout Saleh Elsharabaty of Jordan with the score of 20-9. He dedicated the victory to his late mother, who passed away six months ago. "I had memories of her before every bout today," Khramtsov said. "An Olympic gold was my mother’s ultimate wish. She wanted it more than I did, more than anyone else." "I’m sure that the Olympic gold medal is very important for the development of taekwondo," the athlete said. "God willing, there will be more gold medals at this Olympics. Tomorrow, Vladislav Larin will compete, and he is the number one in the Olympic rankings. I will cheer for him." The sport of taekwondo was introduced to the Olympic program before the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Australia’s Sydney and Khramtsov’s win today brought Russia the first gold medal in this competition in addition to previously won silver and bronze medals. Khramtsov’s gold became the third Olympic medal for Russia’s taekwondo fighters at the Tokyo Games. Tatiana Minina won silver in the women’s 57kg taekwondo competition on Sunday and Mikhail Artamonov won bronze in the men’s 58kg taekwondo event. Well-deserved bronze Alexander Bondar and Viktor Minibaev won bronze medals in men’s synchronized 10m platform diving event at the Tokyo Olympics, which became the Russian team’s first medal on day three of the Games. Russians were placed third with 439.92 points. The British duo of Tom Daley and Matty Lee took the gold (471.81), while China’s Cao Yuan and Chen Aisen won the silver. "We are full of joy and happiness and are very pleased with this medal," Minibaev said after the tournament was over. We had no ultimate goal, the most important thing for us was to show what we can do." "I would not say that UK or Chinese athletes are stronger, they just were a little better than us today, but tomorrow we may have the upper hand. Diving is unpredictable," he continued. "Individual competitions are ahead, and we keep our heads high." Coronavirus situation At least 16 people involved in the Tokyo Olympics have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee said on Monday. According to the committee, three of the new patients are athletes who aren’t staying at the Olympic Village. That said, the total number of coronavirus cases detected at the Games has reached 153. Tokyo declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus on July 12, which is why the Olympic Games are being held without spectators. The Olympic Games in Tokyo will be over on August 8. Read more