Brazil surpassed Cuba for second place in medals at the Pan American Games after its women's soccer team routed the US 5-0 to repeat as champions on Thursday.
Brazil overtook the Cubans for the first time after 14 days of competition. Both nations have 35 gold medals each, but Brazil has more overall and silver medals. The US has 78 golds and Canada trails with 26.
The hosts have 117 total medals (31 silver; 51 bronze), 30 more than Cuba (20 silver; 32 bronze).
PHOTO: AP
Brazil's only gold on Thursday came from women's soccer.
Marta, the women's world player of the year, converted two penalty kicks in front of nearly 68,000 fans at Maracana and sobbed at a news conference afterward.
"I've been through a lot, but this is a very special day," Marta said. "Women's soccer showed the country it should be there on the podium. There are a lot of Martas out there. Let's not stop now."
PHOTO: AP
Cristiane also scored twice and gave the pass for Daniela Alves' goal.
Marta was the competition's leading scorer with 12 goals. Brazil didn't allow a goal in its five matches and outscored its opponents 33-0.
"This is a dream, and I don't want to wake up from it," Brazil's Rosana said.
PHOTO: AP
Canada, runners-up to Brazil at the 2003 games, won bronze by beating Mexico 2-1 behind first-half goals by Christine Sinclair and Kristina Kiss. Mexico scored through Teresa Worbis.
The US won the other final between the nations when the men's water polo team drubbed the host 9-2 with four goals by Rio de Janeiro-born Tony Azevedo. The victory qualified the US for next year's Beijing Olympics.
In the quarter-finals of men's tennis, top-seeded Flavio Saretta of Brazil beat Juan Martin Aranguren of Argentina 6-2, 6-2 and will face seventh-seeded Eduardo Schwank, another Argentine. The other semi-final will feature No. 2-seeded Adrian Garcia of Chile -- who beat Peru's Ivan Miranda Chang 6-3, 7-5 -- and ninth-seeded Michael Quintero Aguilar of Colombia.
In women's softball, the US earned the five-inning mercy rule again when it routed Cuba 10-0. Cat Osterman threw a no-hitter for the six-time champion, which hasn't allowed a hit in its first three matches. The US will face Canada in the semi-finals, while Cuba will play Venezuela.
The US' Jennifer Nichols won the women's individual archery event, beating Mexico's Aida Roman to repeat as champion.
In diving, Canadians Emilie Heymans and Marie-Eve Marleau won the 10m synchronized platform to repeat as Pan Ams champions. Mexico's Paola Espinosa and Tatiana Ortiz Galicia finished second and complained about the scores given to them by Mexican judge Ricardo Lopez.
"He didn't evaluate us well," said Espinosa, who won the 10m platform on Wednesday. "I think it wasn't fair and it hurt us."
Canadian Alexandre Despatie won the men's 3m springboard, 10.95 points ahead of Cesar Castro of Brazil.
"The audience's boos in my last dives were useful to make me train my focus," Despatie said.
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