Locals have tough showings in Rio

The first five days of the Rio Olympic Games have been a mixed bag for local athletes in Brazil.

The first victory of the Games was recorded by the U.S. men’s beach volleyball team of Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson, and the U.S. men’s water polo team, which includes Bret Bonanni, broke into the win column Wednesday by defeating France.

Below is a look at how local athletes and their teams have fared through Wednesday in Rio. The Games run through Aug. 21.

Men’s Water Polo

Bret Bonanni scored a match-best four goals Monday but Team USA fell to 0-2 in Group B play after a 10-9 loss to Spain at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre.

Bonanni scored twice in the second quarter to help the U.S. pull into a 5-5 halftime tie. He scored a go-ahead goal in the third quarter to put the U.S. in front (7-6) but Spain scored the next four goals to take control.

Bonanni scored his final goal late in the game.

“I didn’t do enough to help my team win,” Bonanni said.

The 22-year-old also scored the second goal of the tournament for Team USA, which led early in an opening group match Saturday against Croatia but the defending Olympic gold medalists took control in the fourth quarter and went on to score a 7-5 victory. Bonanni scored on a power play late in the first quarter to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead.

Croatia took its first lead (5-4) late in the third quarter.

“We played well, but not well enough,” Bonanni said of Team USA’s first two matches. “We struggled to close out each game.

“We need to use these losses to fuel us in the coming days. Take each game one by one and focus fully on the task at hand. We need to play like we know we can play and how we are capable of playing.”

Team USA did just that Wednesday and earned its first victory by defeating France, 6-3, in group play.

In upcoming group play, the U.S. faces Montenegro (1-2) Friday and Italy (3-0).

Men’s Swimming

Tom Shields finished sixth in Heat 2 of the 200-meter butterfly Sunday, finishing in a time of 1 minute 56.93 seconds at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium. Masato Sakai of Japan won the heat in 1:55.76. Shields, an Edison High alumnus, placed 20th overall in the event.

Shields will swim in Heat 5 (lane 5) of the 100-meter butterfly Thursday. The finals are Friday.

Men’s Indoor Volleyball

Team USA, which includes starting outside hitter Taylor Sander, was upset in its opener Sunday. Ranked fifth in the world entering the Olympic Games, the U.S. was upended by 12th-ranked Canada, which swept, 25-23, 25-17, 25-23, in a Pool A match at the Maracanazinho Arena. Sander had five points in the loss.

Team USA was back in pool play Tuesday and was upended in four sets by Italy, which took a 28-26, 20-25, 25-23, 25-23 win to improve to 2-0.

Next up for Team USA is a Thursday pool-play matchup against Brazil. The host team, ranked No. 1 in the world, is 2-0 in Pool A play after its 3-1 win Tuesday over Canada. The U.S. concludes group play with matches Saturday against France (1-1) and Monday against Mexico (0-2 through Wednesday).

Men’s Beach Volleyball

Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson, ranked sixth in the world, won their opening match Sunday by sweeping Qatar’s Jefferson Pereira and Cherif Younousse, 21-16, 21-16, in Pool F play at the Beach Volleyball Arena on Copacabana Beach. Patterson was playing in his first Olympics match. For Gibb, a three-time Olympian, it was his 11th Olympics match.

In their second Pool F match, Gibb and Patterson, ranked sixth in the world, were swept in an upset Monday by Alexander Huber and Robin Seidl of Austria, 21-18, 21-18. The local duo also fell in three sets Wednesday to Spain’s Adrian Gavira Collado and Pablo Herrera Allepuz, which won, 21-19, 16-21, 15-7.

The win advanced Spain to the Round of 16. Gibb and Patterson had to await the outcome of other pool-play matches Wednesday to see if they qualifiy for a Lucky Loser bracket match Thursday.

Match play continues with Lucky Loser bracket matches Thursday.

Women’s Canoe/Kayaking

Maggie Hogan will compete Monday in the Canoe sprint women’s kayak single 200 meters, and Wednesday in the Canoe sprint women’s kayak single 500 meters. at Lagoa Stadium.