BEIJING — Sometimes proving people wrong doesn't feel very good at all.

All tournament long, the U.S. softball team insisted that it was not that far ahead of the rest of the world, despite a 22-game Olympic winning streak and owning the sport's only three gold medals. That there was no need to rid the 2012 Olympics of softball because of a lack of competition, which many believe was a driving force for the decision. Any team can win at any time, they insisted.

The U.S. women could have offered a giant "I told you so," yesterday. But they were far too busy crying bitter tears.

In what was the last Olympic softball game for at least another eight years, the dominant U.S. team was clipped by a Japanese team it had already faced and beaten twice in this tournament. Japan won 3-1 to earn its first gold medal in the 12-year Olympic history of the sport, forcing the U.S. to settle for silver.

"This isn't how it was supposed to end," pitcher Cat Osterman said.

For many of the American veterans, even if the sport does return to the Olympics in 2016, it'll be too late for them to return. For them, this was a painful end to an impressive run.

"This is definitely a heartbreaking way to end my international career," said Stacey Nuveman, who was 0 for 3 against Japan, as the U.S. left seven runners on base.

TRACK AND FIELD

U.S. RELAY TEAMS OUT

BEIJING — 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.

The twin drops means the U.S. men will not appear in the 4x100 relay final for the first time since 1912. The women hadn't missed since 1948.

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

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.

The Americans got a medals sweep in the men's 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.

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.

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.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

U.S. DUO WINS GOLD

BEIJING — Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser beat Brazil in three sets today to win men's beach volleyball gold.

Dalhausser and Rogers beat Fabio and Marcio, 23-21, 17-21, 15-4. Earlier, Athens gold medalists Emanuel and Ricardo of Brazil won the bronze, beating Jorge Terceira and Renato Gomes of Georgia, 21-15, 21-10.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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

GYMNASTICS

BEIJING — Despite persistent questions about the ages of several members of the Chinese women's gymnastics team that won the gold medal, the IOC said today there is still no proof anyone cheated. The IOC asked the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate "what have been a number of questions and apparent discrepancies," spokeswoman Giselle Davies said. But all of the information the Chinese gymnastics federation has presented so far supports its insistence that its athletes were old enough to compete. "We believe the matter will be put to rest and there's no question ... on the eligibility," Davies said.

DIVING

BEIJING — 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 beat Canada's Emilie Heymans. Chen totaled 447.70 points off the high board. China had not won the women's event since 1996.

TABLE TENNIS

BEIJING — The United States had its best showing ever in table tennis — thanks to a veteran of the Chinese national team who became an American citizen two years ago. Wang Chen advanced to the quarterfinals by beating South Korea's Kim Kyung-ah. She then lost to Singapore's Li Jia Wei.

TAEKWONDO

BEIJING — American Mark Lopez came within one kick — and one second — of winning gold in the men's 68-kilogram division. South Korea, which has never failed to get at least a bronze in its native martial art, took the two taekwondo golds yesterday, with Son Tae-jin scoring in the final second to send Lopez home to Texas with a silver. Lopez's kid sister, Diana, got a bronze. And his big brother and two-time Olympic champion Steven still has a shot at the gold.

WRESTLING

BEIJING — Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan repeated as the Olympic freestyle champion at 120 kilograms yesterday, denying Russia its seventh wrestling gold medal in Beijing by defeating Bakhityar Akhmedov, 3-0, 1-0. Georgia's Revazi Mindorashvili won the men's 84 kg class, and Russian Shirvani Muradov took the 96 kg gold.

EQUESTRIAN

Hong Kong — Eric Lamaze of Canada rode Hickstead to the gold medal in equestrian individual jumping yesterday. Lamaze won a timed jump-off with Rolf-Goran Bengtsson of Sweden on Ninja. Bengtsson knocked down one rail in the jump-off, while Lamaze went clean to win the gold. U.S. rider Beezie Madden on Authentic won the bronze. Earlier yesterday, four horses in the Olympic equestrian team jumping competition — including one from Norway's bronze-medal team — were provisionally suspended after testing positive for capsaicin, a banned pain reliever. Norway could lose its medal if a second test from the horse Camiro, ridden by Tony Andre Hansen, comes back positive.

MODERN PENTATHLON

BEIJING — Andrey Moiseev of Russia won the men's event yesterday, outlasting a pair of Lithuanians to become the event's first back-to-back winner since Lars Hall of Sweden won in 1952 and 1956. Moiseev won by 21 seconds. Edvinas Krungolcas won the silver, and Andrejus Zadneprovskis took the bronze.

SAILING

Qingdao, China — Britain closed the sailing competition yesterday with gold in the Star keelboat class for Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, its fourth sailing gold of the Games. The British also won one silver and a bronze. Australia finished with two golds and one silver, followed by Spain and the United States, each with one gold and one silver.

BMX

BEIJING — World champion Maris Strombergs of Latvia won the gold medal in men's BMX cycling today, holding off American stars Mike Day and Donny Robinson for the title. Day won the silver and Robinson the bronze. For the women, Anne-Caroline Chausson of France won gold. Her compatriot Laetitia Le Corguille took the silver with Jill Kintner of the U.S. in bronze position.

RACE WALK

BEIJING — Alex Schwazer of Italy won the gold medal in the men's 50-kilometer walk with an Olympic record, beating Australia's Jared Tallent today. Denis Nizhegorodov of Russia took bronze. Schwazer finished in 3 hours, 37.09 minutes, slicing 1.20 minutes off the 20-year-old mark.