FRIDAY'S SPORTS ROUNDUP

SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING
XRussia, Japan and the United States were 1-2-3 after the Olympic team technical event, the same places they finished in the duet competition a day earlier. Russia was first with 49.667 points and Japan second with 49.167. The Americans were third with 48.584, giving them a chance for their first team medal since they claimed the first Olympic gold in team competition in 1996.
SAILING
XIker Martinez and Xavier Fernandez of Spain won the gold medal in the 49er class. They finished seventh in the deciding 16th race aboard their fast skiff to win gold by five points over Rodion Luka and George Leonchuk of Ukraine. Britain's Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks got the bronze. Brazil's Torben Grael and Marcelo Ferreira clinched the Star class gold medal with one race left. Grael, 44, won a record fifth Olympic sailing medal and his second Star gold. He and Ferreira have won two gold medals and one bronze medal together.
CANOE-KAYAK
XFrenchman Babak Amir Tahmasseb edged U.S. kayaker Rami Zur at the finish, ending the American team's best hope for a medal. With a last desperate stroke, Tahmasseb launched his boat so violently that he fell into the water, but managed to take third in the 500-meter single kayak race. Zur failed to advance to the finals. The medal races today and Saturday will be dominated by the traditional powerhouses in flatwater canoe and kayak racing -- eastern European countries that were once part of the communist bloc.
MODERN PENTATHLON
XAndrey Moisev of Russia won the gold medal in modern pentathlon, beating out Andrejus Zadneprovskis of Lithuania. Libor Capalini of the Czech Republic took bronze. Michal Michalik of the Czech Republic started just 11 seconds behind longtime leader Moiseev going into the final running discipline. Michalik, fifth after the third discipline, completed the unpredictable show jumping course with only two gates down, and then saw trouble strike the men in front of him. Fourth-place Rustem Sabirkhuzim of Russia had three refusals; Deniss Cerkovskis of Latvia knocked down seven gates to lose third place; and Marcin Horbacz of Poland retired after his horse refused six times. Moiseev, too, had six gates down.
GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING
XEgypt's Karam Gaber threw around Ramaz Nozadze of Georgia, beating him 12-2 for the gold at 211 1/2 pounds (96kg). Gaber's gold is Egypt's first since two weightlifters won in London in 1948 and its first wrestling medal since 1960. South Korea's Jung Ji-hyun completed a rapid ascension to gold medalist by beating Cuba's Roberto Monzon 3-0 at 132 pounds (60kg). Uzbekistan's Alexander Dokturishivili won at 163 pounds (74kg), beating Finland's Marko Yli-Hannuksela 4-1 after eliminating 2000 Olympic champion Varteres Samourgachev of Russia in the semifinals.
FIELD HOCKEY
XFranziska Gude scored in the 20th minute, leading Germany to a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the first all-European final since 1992. Luciana Paula Aymar scored with less than a minute remaining to lift Argentina over China 1-0 in the bronze medal match.
TAEKWONDO
XShih Hsin Chen got Taiwan's first gold medal of the Athens Games by winning her 49-kilogram match. About 15 minutes later, Mu Yen Chu added another. Chen beat Yanelis Yuliet Labrada of Cuba 5-4 in the final. Chu won his gold in the 58-kilogram division by beating Oscar Francisco Salazar of Mexico 5-1.
WOMEN'S HANDBALL
Quarterfinals
South Korea 26, Brazil 24
France 25, Hungary 23
Ukraine 25, Spain 23
Denmark 32, China 28
Classification
Angola 38, Greece 23
XFrance advanced to the semifinals for the first time with a 25-23 win over Hungary. France will play South Korea, which defeated Brazil 26-24. Ukraine advanced with a 25-23 win over Spain, and Denmark moved one step closer to its third straight gold medal with a 32-28 win over China.
Associated Press