London

LONDON — This was no Dream Team. This was reality.

The gold medal was in doubt for the U.S. men’s basketball team.

The Americans led Spain by only one point after three quarters, a back-and-forth, impossible-to-turn-away-from game that almost anyone would hope for in an Olympic final.

WEMBLEY, England — Hope Solo found herself enveloped in a group hug at the final whistle. Abby Wambach ran to join the fun in a celebration that unleashed a year of bottled-up frustration.

The U.S. women’s soccer team won its third straight Olympic gold medal Thursday, beating Japan 2-1 in a rematch of last year’s World Cup final and avenging the most painful loss in its history.

Carli Lloyd scored early in both halves, Solo leaped and dived to make saves, and the entire roster found the redemption it had been seeking since that penalty kick shootout loss in Germany last summer.

LONDON — The United States won its first gold medal in women’s water polo, getting five goals from Maggie Steffens and a sterling performance from goalkeeper Betsey Armstrong to cruise to an 8-5 win over Spain on Thursday.

The Americans overpowered a young Spanish team at both ends of the pool to lead 5-2 by halftime, and they never looked back.

“I am speechless. It still hasn’t sunk in,” U.S. captain Brenda Villa said. “It’s the end of a journey, and I got my fairy-tale ending.”

LONDON — McKayla Maroney didn’t need to look at the scoreboard. Neither did Louis Smith.

The Olympic gold medals they were expected to win were going to someone else.

“It happens. It’s gymnastics,” Maroney said. “You can’t be perfect, and sometimes things don’t go as you planned.”

LONDON — Disappointment, tears and that oh-so-unsatisfying color — bronze — are all in the past for Sanya Richards-Ross.

On this trip to the Olympics, she closed the deal.

Four years after a late fade left her crying and wearing the Olympic bronze medal, Richards-Ross won the 400-meter gold she always thought she could.

“What I have learned is you don’t win the race until you win the race,” Richards-Ross said. “I knew I had to cross the finish line first to call myself the Olympic champion.”

She did it.