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Ireland's Katie Taylor claims women's boxing gold
Katie Taylor of Ireland won the first lightweight gold medal in Olympic women's boxing, edging rival Sofya Ochigava of Russia 10-8 on Thursday.
Taylor is the unofficial pound-for-pound champion of women's boxing after winning the past four world titles with an entertaining style. Another crowd packed with thousands of singing Irish fans cheered Taylor's every move in London, but held its breath until the final score was announced.
Taylor barely beat Ochigava in a defensive fight, relying on a 4-1 points swing in the third round after trailing midway through the bout.
Ochigava is Taylor's only rival for lightweight supremacy, and the Russian criticized Taylor on Wednesday after both fighters won semifinal bouts, saying her Irish foe gets star treatment from referees and judges.
Briton Adams takes first women's gold medal
Britain's Nicola Adams won the flyweight gold medal on Thursday to become the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title.
Adams thrashed China's Ren Cancan 16-7 in the final at the Excel arena.
Losing semi-finalists Mary Kom of India and American Marlen Esparza took bronze.
Britain's Dujardin wins individual dressage gold
Britain's Charlotte Dujardin won Olympic gold in individual dressage on Valegro after a freestyle that celebrated British classics Pomp and Circumstance and Land of Hope and Glory.
She set a new Olympic record for the freestyle with her preliminary mark of 90.089 percent.
Adelinde Cornelissen of the Netherlands took silver while Britain's Laura Bechtolsheimer turned in what she called her best ride of the Games to win the bronze.
Hungary's Kozak powers to K1 500
Hungary's Danuta Kozak powered through the field on Dorney Lake on Thursday to add the Olympic K1 500 title to her bulging international medal collection.
Kozak, who won gold on Wednesday in the K4, moved through the field to reel in Ukraine's Inna Osypenko-Radomska who was looking to defend her Beijing title.
South Africa's Bridgitte Hartley continued her sharp rise up the standings to take bronze.
Germany power to women's K2 500
Germany fired off the start to win the women's K2 500 meters and deny their fierce rivals Hungary a third consecutive Olympic title in a thrilling sprint on Thursday.
Germany's Franziska Weber and Tina Dietze, who won silver in the K4 on Wednesday, powered away to take a half-length lead down the Dorney Lake course.
Hungary flagged in the latter stages but held on to take the silver and Poland claimed the bronze.
Risztov wins women's marathon swimming gold
Eva Risztov of Hungary held off a late charge from American Haley Anderson to win the gold medal in a dramatic women's marathon swim at the London Olympics on Thursday.
The pair went stroke for stroke over the last 500 meters of the grueling 10 kilometer event before Risztov got her hands on the finishing pads first at the Serpentine.
Risztov pipped Anderson to win the gold by just four tenths of a second, almost the same margin Dutch sprinter Ranomi Kromowidjojo won the 100 freestyle final by last week.
"It was a really tough race but I was prepared," said Risztov. "In a few hours I will be much more happy because I'm really, really, really tired now."
The battle for the bronze medal was also decided by the exact same tiny margin with Italy's Martina Grimaldi getting there ahead of Britain's two-time world champion Keri-Anne Payne.
The longest and most exhausting swimming race at the Olympics was contested at a recreational lake in Hyde Park that was constructed in 1730 and remains one of London's most iconic tourist destinations.
It turned out to be as much a battle of survival as a test of the fittest with two swimmers failing to complete the event and others complaining about getting kicked and punched in the face.