Day 14: Beijing 2008: Italy's Alex Schwarzer Gold in 50km Marathon Walk -Total 22 Medals and Still 10th

In the 50km Marathon Walk - - Italy's Alex Schwarzer broke a three-man leader group after the 40 km mark to claim victory in 3 hours 37 minutes 9 seconds, taking place in merciless sunshine after Thursday's heavy rain "It was relatively easy, though with the usual suffering. It went well ... The last lap outside the stadium was very emotional and when I entered the stadium my emotions were very high," said Schwarzer. Schwarzer is the first Italian to win the walk marathon since Abdon Pamich 1964 in Tokyo. The last three editions were won by now retired Polish great Robert Korzeniowski

Italian Medal Count: Seven (7) GOLD; Seven (7) SILVER; Eight (6) BRONZE equals a TOTAL of TWENTY TWO (22)

Italian Heavyweight Russo Clemente proved too strong for Deontay Wilder, the last American left battling for an Olympic boxing medal.

Clemente is in the Finals, and will be going for the Gold, or Silver.

Wilder Exit leaves U.S. Boxers Empty-Handed

Reuters

By Patrick Vignal

Friday Aug 22, 2008

BEIJING - Deontay Wilder's defeat by Clemente Russo in a heavyweight semi-final on Friday ended the United States' hopes of winning a Beijing Olympics boxing title.

Wilder, the only American out of nine to have reached the last four, lost 7-1 to Italian world champion Clemente Russo and will go home with just a bronze, his team's only medal.

"He was the strongest, I couldn't have done more," said the 22-year-old Wilder, who suffered against the much more experienced Russo.

The American, is now expected to turn professional and has plenty of ambition.

"I want to be the heavyweight world champion," he said. "I have the work ethics and a big heart."

For amateur boxing, however, Wilder proved not good enough and sealed the U.S. team's worst Olympic boxing performance.

The situation is a major embarrassment for a country who have won a record 48 Olympic boxing golds and produced such great champions as Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard.

The Americans have won just one gold from the past three Games including Beijing, by light-heavyweight Andre Ward four years ago in Athens.

http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Olympics/idUSSP19149620080822