BEIJING — USA Basketball completed its extreme makeover Sunday with a totally new Olympic experience. In defeating Spain, 118-107, for the gold medal, the Americans persevered in their first wire-to-wire competitive game of the 2008 Olympics.

BEIJING — While his players hugged and shouted and leaped into each other’s arms Sunday after winning the U.S. men’s volleyball team’s first Olympic gold medal in 20 years, coach Hugh McCutcheon walked off the court, alone.

Samuel Wansiru pulled away over the final few miles today to become the first Kenyan in the storied running history of that nation to win an Olympic marathon.

Sanya Richards took the baton for the final lap of the 1,600-meter relay with the U.S. in second place. Three turns later, Richards remained several strides behind, yet another disappointment looming.

High school senior and Olympics volunteer Greg Bai is one of 100,000 Chinese people this August who hopes to “show Beijing’s smiling face” — the mantra of the volunteers — to the rest of the world.