The LA Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was just a constituent part of the Redeem Team’s single ego. Photograph: Timothy A. Clary/AFP
The United States have their redemption. They arrived in Beijing a fortnight ago on a mission to right the wrongs of Athens four years ago, when they conceded their Olympic crown in humiliating fashion, and [...]

Montell Douglas, left, Emily Freeman, centre, and Emma Ania of Great Britain’s women’s 4×100m relay team. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
There’s a favoured argument among track and field fans that claims that medals in the sport are the hardest to win at any Olympics, because it is the most international of all the events. It is [...]

Sarah Stevenson’s questioning of the judges decisions during her quarter-final defeat turned out to be well founded. Photograph: Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters
Britain’s Sarah Stevenson was at the centre of an extraordinary controversy in the taekwondo competition when officials reversed the result of her second round heavyweight bout against the double Olympic champion from China, Chen Zhong, and [...]

Angel Di Maria of Argentina wheels away in delight after scoring the only goal of the men’s Olympic final. Photograph: Ceerwan Aziz/Reuters
Under the delighted gaze of Diego Maradona, looking a little chubby but otherwise the picture of health, Argentina retained their Olympic title. A marvellous goal by the 20-year-old Angel Di Maria was enough to [...]

Sergio Batista talks to the media ahead of Argentina’s gold medal match against Nigeria. Photograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images
Argentina face Nigeria tomorrow in the men’s Olympic football final hoping to remain gold medallists. It is the third time that the countries have met in a final: in Atlanta in 1996, Nwankwo Kanu lead Nigeria to gold [...]

Goldie Sayers throws the javelin during the women’s final, in which she finished fourth. Photograph: PA
Britain’s Goldie Sayers narrowly missed out on a medal in the women’s javelin final, the 26-year-old finishing fourth just 0.38m behind bronze medallist Christina Obergfoll of Germany.
Sayers threw a new personal best and British record of 65.75m in the first [...]

Tim Brabants slices through the flat waters in Shunyi to win his K1 500m heat. Photograph: Vladimir Rys/Getty Images
Having qualified for the final of the K1 1,000m class on Monday afternoon, Britain’s Tim Brabants booked a place in the K1 500m final too with an assured performance in the opening heat on a Shunyi lake, [...]

Kate Barber of the USA is shadowed by Britain’s Alex Danson during the final group B match in Beijing. Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP
The Great Britain women’s hockey team have seen their hopes of an Olympic medal of any colour all but disappear, following a disappointing goalless draw with the United States.
Great Britain needed a win to [...]

Rafael Nadal wins men’s singles title in Beijing, beating Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Rafael Nadal capped a magnificent summer by winning the gold medal in the men’s singles tennis in Beijing. Nadal eased to a straight sets victory over Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3. The 22-year-old Wimbledon [...]

Head to head: Kobe Bryant and the Dream Team showed their domination, crushing Pau Gasol and his Spanish teammates 119-82. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
The Dream Team returned yesterday as the US men’s Olympic basketball team crushed world champions Spain 119-82.
The Spanish players looked thoroughly dejected as they walked off the court, having hoped to at [...]