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BEIJING -- The relays turned out OK for the U.S. track and field team after all.

Neither the men nor the women sprinters could get the baton all the way around the track in the 400-meter relay prelims, but the quarter-milers brought redemption.

Russia and the United States traded the lead in the women’s 1,600-meter relay, the Russians leading after the first and third legs. But Sanya Richards ran down Anastasia Kapachinskaya in the final 400 meters to give the United States the victory in 3:18.54. Russia was second in 3:18.82. Jamaica was third in 3:20.40.

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Allyson Felix of Los Angeles ran the second leg and gave the U.S. a temporary lead.

The U.S. men needed no such dramatics, winning their 1,600-relay final with ease in an Olympic record time of 2:55.39. Three members of the team -- LaShawn Merritt, Jeremy Wariner and David Neville -- had finished 1-2-3 in the open quarter.

Elsewhere:

(All times PDT)

11:01 p.m. (Friday): Lionel Messi showed why he is one of the world’s best soccer players with an exquisite through ball setting up Angel de Maria for the only goal in Argentina’s gold-medal victory over Nigeria. The game twice had to be stopped because of heat that reached 107.6 degrees on the pitch. Brazil beat Belgium, 3-0, for the bronze medal, then had to stand in the scorching heat as rival Argentina collected its second consecutive gold medal in the sport.

2:39 a.m.: The U.S. synchronized swimming team tied for fifth with Japan, while Russia won.

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4:55 a.m.: Kenya won back-to-back gold medals in the men’s 800 and women’s 1,500. Wilfred Bungei had the lead on the backstretch in 2004 and faded to fifth. He held on this time to win in 1:44.65. Nancy Jebet Langat matched his win a few minutes later in 4:00.23. Shannon Rowbury of San Francisco finished seventh.

5:07 a.m.: Here’s a shock: China won all six individual medals in table tennis. Sweden’s Jorgen Persson had the rest of the world’s last chance to win a medal, but he lost in the men’s bronze-medal match to Wang Liqin. China earlier won the two team events.

5:19 a.m.: Ethiopia’s Kenensia Bekele has established himself as the world’s greatest distance runner, adding the 5,000 gold medal to the 10,000 he won earlier. He almost doubled in 2004 but lost a close 5,000 to Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj. Bernard Lagat, who won the world championship for the United States last year in the 5,000, finished ninth. An Ethiopian woman, Tirunesh Dibaba, also doubled in the 5,000 and 10,000. Kenyans had to settle for silver and bronze in the men’s 10,000.

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5:27 a.m.: Mexico won its second gold medal, its third overall, when Maria del Rosario Espinoza finished first in the women’s over-67 kilogram taekwondo final. She beat Norway’s Nina Solheim, 4-1.

6:15 a.m.: South Korea proved its victory over Cuba in the preliminary round was no fluke, winning the rematch for the baseball gold medal, 3-2.

6:36 a.m.: Australia’s Matthew Mitcham prevented China from going eight for eight in diving gold medals, winning the men’s platform competition. China’s Zhou Luxin won silver.

6:58 a.m.: Brazil won the women’s volleyball gold medal, beating the United States, 25-15, 18-25, 25-13, 25-21. The U.S. women had won medals twice before, bronze in 1992 and silver in ’84.

7 a.m.: Wake up, smell the Wuyi oolong tea!

Now playing: U.S. vs. Australia women’s basketball final.

-- Randy Harvey

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