12-year-old table tennis athlete knocked out by opponent 27 years older
Czech beach volleyball player, German cyclist out of Olympics with COVID-19
The youngest table tennis player in Olympics history is out of the Tokyo Games.
Hend Zaza of Syria lost in straight sets to Liu Jia, a 39-year-old from Austria, in a preliminary match Saturday.
The 12-year-old told Olympics.com that she was pleased with her performance and learned from the loss — and she's hoping for another shot at the next Olympics, in Paris.
Zaza is from Hama, which has been heavily damaged by war.
She is the youngest athlete at the Tokyo Games.
Beach volleyball match nixed
The very first match of the Olympic beach volleyball tournament has been cancelled because a Czech player tested positive for COVID-19.
Marketa Slukova tested positive earlier this week, knocking her and partner Barbora Hermannova out of the Tokyo Games.
The Czechs were supposed to be playing a team from the host country that would have been making its Olympic debut. Instead, the Japanese pair of Megumi Murakami and Miki Ishii earned the victory by default.
Slukova is one of at least three members of the Czech team who have tested positive since their arrival in Japan, including men's beach volleyball player Ondrej Perusic.
The team has said it's investigating if the outbreak of COVID-19 is linked to its charter flight to Tokyo.
German cyclist out
German cyclist Simon Geschke has been ruled out of the men's road race after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The German team says Geschke initially tested positive Friday and his result was confirmed by another test later in the day.
Germany says fellow riders Nikias Arndt and Maximilian Schachmann are cleared to race Saturday. The fourth rider on the team, Emanuel Buchmann, was Geschke's roommate and was waiting overnight on the result of another PCR test for the virus. Team staff tested negative.
Geschke was a stage winner on the Tour de France in 2015.
The German road race team is living in a hotel and not in the Olympic Village.
Geschke says he followed the hygiene rules at the Olympics. He adds that "I feel fine physically but emotionally it's a really terrible day for me."
Spanish team cleared despite close contact
The entire Spanish cycling team has been cleared for the men's road race hours before the start, ending a stressful period of limbo following a positive COVID-19 test involving a team masseuse.
Alejandro Valverde, Gorka Izagirre, Ion Izagirre, Omar Fraile and Jesus Herrada were considered close contacts of the masseuse, but all returned negative test results that allowed them to make the start at Musashinonomori Park on Saturday.
Spain has one of the strongest teams in the men's road race, which will finish at Fuji International Speedway. Valverde, Fraile and Ion Izagirre in particular have skillsets that are perfectly suited for the mountainous course.
