BEIJING -- U.S. women's softball and U.S. women's beach volleyball, two sure things at the Olympics. Make that one sure thing. Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, who have never lost a set in the games, overcame steady rain, the partisan crowd and China's Wang Jie and Tian Jia 21-18, 21-18 Thursday for their second straight beach volleyball gold medal. The duo has won 108 consecutive matches, a streak that could end soon because both plan to start families.

While the masterful U.S. pair was extending its dominance in the sand, the equally untouchable softball squad got, well, touched. Make that knocked down and out in the gold medal game by Japan, 3-1.

Losing for the first time since 2000, the United States was denied a chance for a fourth straight gold medal in the sport's last appearance in the Olympics for at least eight years -- and maybe for good. The International Olympic Committee voted baseball and softball off the schedule for the London Games.

Yukiko Ueno, Japan's remarkably resilient right-hander, shut down the Americans, who had won 22 straight Olympic games -- usually in routs. The U.S. team also had some sloppy fielding in, well, sloppy conditions.

"It hurts a lot," said slugger Crystl Bustos, who homered for the only U.S. run. "You train your whole life and you want to win. You don't expect to lose."

Particularly when you never do lose.

Winning certainly wasn't a given Thursday for the American athletes, though the women's soccer team won its third gold medal in four tries, edging Brazil 1-0 on Carli Lloyd's goal in extra time; and the men's 400 runners swept the medals.

That late-night success carried over to Friday morning, when the U.S. men's volleyball team of Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser completed the American sweep of the beach volleyball gold medals, beating Brazil in three sets. It is the third beach volleyball gold for the American men in four Olympics since the sport was added for Atlanta in 1996.

And in the BMX debut at the games, Americans Mike Day and Donny Robinson won silver and bronze in the men's final, while Jill Kintner took the bronze in the crash-filled women's final -- giving the U.S. half of the six medals in the first batch of laurels ever awarded.

Soccer

The U.S. women, minus their best attacker and best defender, still had enough to hold off favored Brazil for the gold medal. Carli Lloyd scored in the sixth minute of extra time, then the Americans barely held on as the world's top player, Marta, and her countrywomen pressed for a tying goal. In fact, the Brazilians carried the play for much of the soggy night, but goalkeeper Hope Solo -- benched for last year's semifinal match with Brazil -- stood like the Great Wall of China in front of the net.

As the final whistle sounded, the Americans charged across the field, hugging anyone in sight. Someone handed out flags, and several players took off running. The victory was all the more special with striker Abby Wambach and defender Cat Whitehill sidelined with leg injuries.

The Brazilians, meanwhile, were disconsolate, with goalkeeper Barbara laying on her back, sobbing.

The U.S. win over Brazil in the finals of the Olympic Football Tournament was the 1000th gold medal in United States history in the Olympic Games. The total does not include the 1906 Games that are not recognized by the IOC.

Track and field

More disappointment for the Americans -- the men and the women -- particularly in the relays. Both teams dropped the baton, meaning the Americans would go 0-for-6 in the sprints for the first time.

"I take full blame for it," Tyson Gay said of his bad exchange with third-leg runner Darvis Patton. "I kind of feel I let them down."

About 25 minutes later, women's anchor Lauryn Williams flubbed her exchange with Torri Edwards, who stared in disbelief at the baton sitting on the track. At the 2004 Olympics, Williams started running too early and missed a handoff from Marion Jones in the final.

"If people want to assess the blame to me, that's OK. I mean, I can take whatever it is that people are going to dish out," Williams said. "We had good chemistry. The hand was back there. She was there. I don't know what happened."

But the Americans also got that medals sweep in the 400. LaShawn Merritt won, and Jeremy Wariner, the defending world and Olympic champion and the favorite, slowed up at the end and barely held off David Neville, who dived across the finish line.

Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown ran the fastest women's 200 in a decade, 21.74 seconds, to beat American Allyson Felix and complete her country's sweep of the four men's and women's sprint races.

Campbell-Brown now has five Olympic medals, and, at 26, can still aspire to go to the London Games.

"I have four more years. If I can stay like this, I just have to train hard," Campbell-Brown said.

World record-holder Dayron Robles of Cuba outran Americans David Payne and David Oliver in the 110 hurdles.

Nelson Evora of Portugal went 57 feet, 11 3/4 inches in the triple jump to win gold.

Bryan Clay of the United States led the decathlon after five events with 4,521 points, ahead of Andrei Krauchanka of Belarus, who had 4,433.

In other women's events, Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic threw the javelin 234-3 3/4 for the Olympic title, and Russia's Olga Kaniskina took the 20-kilometer race walk.

Volleyball

The "Iron Hammer" has calmly led the U.S. women's volleyball team to its best Olympic finish in more than 20 years.

Jenny Lang Ping -- who was a member of the Chinese team that beat the U.S. in the final of the 1984 Los Angeles Games -- led the Americans to the title match with a three-set win over Cuba.

The U.S. will play Brazil on Saturday for the gold medal. The Americans haven't done better since that silver in 1984. They won the bronze in 1992.

Lang was nicknamed the "Iron Hammer" for her powerful spikes. But under her steady hand, the Americans improved to 6-1 in Beijing with the 25-20, 25-16, 25-17 victory over Cuba.

"It was unbelievable," Lang said. "I am happy for myself, but I am more happy for the players. They deserve it, it's a players' dream. They've worked hard for three or four years and cooperated well. It's not only these 12 players, we had to cut players who have worked very hard, so I'd like to celebrate with them as well."

The Brazilians beat China in three sets in the other semifinal. Cuba will face China in the bronze medal match.

Water Polo

The Netherlands against the United States and, you guessed it, more heartbreak for the Americans.

Danielle de Bruijn scored seven goals in her final Olympic game, including the winner with 26 seconds remaining for a 9-8 victory in the gold medal match. The Americans came back from a 4-0 deficit, but couldn't stop De Bruijn.

"I face a knee surgery, and after that, I am retiring from international competition," she said. "It has been tough years and now I think I will do other things in my life besides water polo."

Basketball

Diana Taurasi scored 21 points and Tina Thompson added 15 to help the U.S. women pull away from Russia 67-52 to make the gold medal game against Australia, which routed China 90-56.

"We were ready for this test, and it was a test," U.S. point guard Sue Bird said. "They played a great game. Even when we weren't making our shots, they seemed to be making everything. We never got rattled. We stayed poised and our defense really led us through this."

The U.S. had been averaging 99.2 points as they cruised through the first six games, winning by 43 points a contest.

Belinda Snell had 16 points to help the Aussies, sending them back to the gold-medal game for the third straight time -- and to yet another matchup with the United States. They have lost to the Americans in the medal round of the past three Olympics.

Diving

China is 7-for-7 after Chen Ruolin rallied on her last dive to earn four 10s, winning the gold medal in women's 10-meter platform. Only one diving event remains: men's platform.

The 15-year-old Chen got out of the pool, bowed and cried after she had nailed her last -- and toughest -- dive to beat Canada's Emilie Heymans.

"When I entered the water, I had a feeling that I was going to win," Chen said through a translator.

Chen totaled 447.70 points off the high board. China had not won the women's event since 1996

(Aug. 22, 2008)