Stephen Kiprotich approaches the finish line to win the men's marathon (REUTERS) LONDON – Stephen Kiprotich didn't just overcome 26.2 miles and world-class Kenyan runners to win the Olympic men's marathon on Sunday.

The 23-year-old produced an upset on the streets of London to win Uganda's first Olympic gold medal in 40 years just days after being completely written off by his nation's media.

"To say that the Ugandan team will return from the Olympic Games with a medal is similar to believing that Uganda will qualify for the 2014 (soccer) World Cup," Ugandan daily newspaper The Observer wrote. "See, both scenarios are realistically possible but executing them is anything but attainable. Kiprotich is not expected to mount any challenge in Sunday's marathon."

Other Ugandan publications were just as dismissive about Kiprotich. But with a superb run that saw him go head-to-head with two members of the world's most dominant marathon nation and then charge away with a devastating late burst, he carved out his own niche in Olympic history.

Kenya, which remarkably

Brazilian former Olympic athlete and a member of the International Olympic Committee Joao Havelange (REUTERS)LONDON – The first controversy of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics erupted this weekend before London 2012 was even complete.

Rio organizing committee chiefs had hoped to give a glowing account of their progress at a press conference here in front of the world's media, but instead they were forced to defend the highly questionable decision to name the main stadium after a corrupt former soccer administrator.

Rio's showpiece arena is named in honor of Joao Havelange, the ex-president of FIFA, soccer's world governing body. Havelange, now 96, was found by a Swiss court to have accepted nearly $1 million in bribes from a marketing company in the 1990s.

Despite the obvious negative connotations of having links with Havelange, whose reputation in soccer is beyond repair after the revelations about his abuses of power, Rio 2016 CEO Leonardo Gryner defended him.

"We are very proud of what Mr. Havelange has done worldwide and for sport in Brazil in particular," Gryner said at the

LONDON – It is not particularly unusual for an Olympic champion to be unable to defend his title. Some gold medalists retire, some get injured. Some just fail to qualify after seeing their performance decline.

The absence of 2008 men’s marathon gold medalist Samuel Wanjiru is a different story.

The brilliant Kenyan, who scorched the streets of Beijing with an incredible run of 2:06:32, is not in London because he died last year after falling from a balcony at his home in Nyahururu.

[ Elite Athlete Workouts video: U.S. 5,000-meter runner Lopez Lomong's Olympic workout ]

Fifteen months later, Wanjiru's death is still shrouded in mystery, a saga that is full of controversy and intrigue.

For Wanjiru’s fellow athletes, the smiling champion will be missed at the starting line for what should have been an opportunity to defend his title.

"I know we have two things to do here in London," Kenya's Emmanuel Mutai said. "Firstly, we have to retain the title of the late Samuel Wanjiru.

LONDON – Video games giant EA Sports has received criticism for failing to include women's players and teams on its popular title "FIFA" in the wake of the United States' dramatic victory for the Olympic gold medal.

The Americans' 2-1 triumph over Japan was watched by an audience of 4.35 million, a new record for NBC Sports Network. The program's standard of play at major events like the Olympics and Women's World Cup has improved dramatically.

[Related: USA Women's Soccer team shows heart in winning gold medal]

Yet, there are still no soccer video games that feature women, denying fans the opportunity to perform as stars like Abby Wambach or Hope Solo on "FIFA," a new version of which is released every year and has sold more than 100 million copies.

Frustrated fan Fernanda Schabarum from Boca Raton, Fla., began a petition this week to try to force EA Sports to change its policy and respond to the additional exposure of women's soccer following a remarkable Olympic tournament.

Mexico's players celebrate their victory over Brazil at the men's soccer final gold medal match (REUTERS) LONDON – Mexico took less than a minute to set itself on the road to the Olympic men's soccer gold medal on Saturday, but the foundation for its triumph was laid a decade ago.

The Mexicans outdueled Brazil 2-1 in front of a packed Wembley Stadium to earn their nation's first gold of the Games and send a warning message to the soccer world.

Oribe Peralta struck with the fastest ever goal in an Olympic final to stun Brazil after only 29 seconds and added another with 15 minutes left to provide a lead big enough to survive Brazil's inevitable late rally.

With the World Cup less than two years away, the victory was proof that Mexico can be a serious contender on the international stage. Olympic soccer, with its under-23 format, does not always translate into senior success, but Mexico's golden generation has been grown, developed and carefully managed for 10 years with the specific intention that they will one day help lift a major international trophy.

[ Related: Fastest Olympic

Mohamed Farah crosses the finish line to win gold in the Men's 5000m Final (Getty Ima …LONDON – By his own admission, Mo Farah has never been much good at taking instructions.

As a cheeky schoolboy, he would regularly play pranks on his teachers, and it's a good thing he ignored a comedy video titled "Don't Do It" that Usain Bolt sent him on his wedding day.

But as a packed Olympic Stadium screamed at Farah to complete his perfect Olympic Games by winning the 5,000 meters on Saturday, he had no problem obeying.

[ Video: Friends Rupp and Farah go 1-2 in Men's 10,000m ]

Having won the 10,000 meters exactly seven days earlier, the Great Britain runner forced his way towards the front with six laps remaining and never relinquished control of the race. A blistering last lap saw him come under heavy pressure from eventual silver medalist Dejen Gebremeskel and third-place finisher Thomas Longosiwa, but Farah resisted their challenge before pulling away on the final straight to win in 13 minutes and 41.66 seconds.

Americans Bernard Lagat (fourth), Galen Rupp (seventh)

(AP)

Sun's popularity in his homeland has skyrocketed after he won the 400- and 1,500-meter freestyle at London's Aquatics Centre and will rake in around $18 million over the next year as part of his arrangement with three major companies.

However, under the terms of his contract with the Chinese swimming authority he will have to hand over one third of those earnings to other members of the Olympic team who are not so well rewarded.

[ Related: Sun Yang wins 1,500 free with world record ]

His handout will be welcomed by the less well-known swimmers, many of whom receive just a small stipend from their country's governing body, although all their training and living costs are covered.

Chinese media reports told how Sun's wealth will be boosted by Coca Cola, shoe company 361 Degrees and dairy goods manufacturer Yili. A series of smaller

LONDON – The two historic athletes who became the first women to ever represent Saudi Arabia in the Olympic Games have been snubbed by their nation's media and subjected to a campaign of hate.

Sarah Attar ran the 800 meters on the Olympic Stadium track and Wojdan Shaherkani competed in judo earlier in the Games after the Saudi government eased its strict stance on women competing following international pressure.

Attar finished last in her heat and Shaherkani lost her opening bout, with both gaining huge worldwide attention. However, back in Saudi Arabia, the approach was very different.

[ Related: Saudi judoka loses first bout, promises to be back ]

Saudi judoka Wojdan Shaherkani (Reuters)"We were the only newspaper to write about it," said Khaled Al-Maeena, editor of the English-language publication Saudi Gazette, in a telephone conversation with Yahoo! Sports. "I believe these girls are heroines, and we should celebrate as a nation. Unfortunately, other people do not agree."

A sinister Twitter campaign with the