NZ Herald Focus Sport's Cheree Kinnear wraps day four, our first medal, and is joined by boxer David Nyika as he prepares for his first Olympics bout. Video / NZ Herald
Here's something you don't normally see during the Olympics: people cheering for the defeat of their own country's football team.
It happened on Saturday night in the United States, as former president Donald Trump addressed his political supporters in Phoenix, Arizona.
About 90 minutes into his speech, Trump strayed intothe world of sport, offering an explanation for the US Women's National Team's surprise 3-0 loss to Sweden in their first match at the Olympics last week.
The US team's loss to Sweden on the opening day of the Olympic tournament ended a 44-match undefeated streak.
The American women are among the favourites to claim gold in Tokyo, having won the past two World Cups and three of the last four Olympic gold medals – though they finished in a disappointing fifth place in 2016.
On the same day as Trump's speech, they bounced back from the Sweden game by smashing New Zealand 6-1. Their final group game, against Australia, is happening later today.
The USWNT has done a few things to earn the "woke" label from Trump.
The players knelt for 10 seconds before kick-off against Sweden to protest against racial injustice and inequality.
They declined an invitation to meet Trump at the White House after winning the 2019 World Cup.
And several team members have made public stands on social issues in recent years, particularly winger Megan Rapinoe, who copped plenty of attention after kneeling during the US national anthem in 2016 to show solidarity with NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
"I think it's actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated," she said at the time.
"Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties. It was something small that I could do, and something that I plan to keep doing in the future, and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation."
Rapinoe endorsed Elizabeth Warren during the Democratic presidential primaries in 2019 and 2020. She subsequently appeared at the Democratic National Convention to support Joe Biden, who went on to beat Trump in November.
Megan Rapinoe. Photo / AP
The former president was, and still is, a vocal critic Kaepernick and other NFL players who've chosen to kneel during the anthem. When he was in office, he urged fans to boycott the NFL and called for the players to be fired.
He's also had a go at the NBA for its stance on social issues, blaming the basketball league's falling TV ratings on its support for Black Lives Matter.
After bashing the women's football team on Saturday, he proceeded to criticise a Major League Baseball franchise, the Cleveland Indians, for deciding to change its name to the Cleveland Guardians.
The move to a less racially insensitive name comes a year after the Washington Redskins became the Washington Football Team.
"The new name will be the Cleveland Guardians, which is terrible," said Trump.
"If I were an Indian I'd sue. Sue them. I mean, what could be better? Especially if you have a good team. The Cleveland Indians, it's one of the greatest names. One of the most incredible logos. People love it.
"They are going absolutely crazy in Ohio over the name change. The Cleveland Guardians. What's that all about? The insanity of the left knows no bounds. Both Indians and baseball fans should be greatly insulted.
"They want to take away our history, our heritage, our culture, and everything that holds us together."
The United States came back to beat New Zealand 6-1. Photo / AP
Away from politics, the US Olympic team is continuing its pursuit of a gold medal.
Speaking after the win over New Zealand, midfielder Rose Lavelle called her team's earlier defeat to Sweden a "blessing in disguise".
"I think that first game, we knew that one of the things we pride ourselves on was very lacking," she said, referring to the team's mentality.
"I think we feel like, although the loss obviously sucks, it is a bit of a blessing in disguise to get the loss in early on in the tournament, and we know we have no room for error.
"It's just bringing that same energy we had against New Zealand and elevating it even more, and continuing to build and learn and then get ready for the next game."
Coach Vlatko Andonovski is also comfortable with the team's position.
"They responded well. We are very happy with the job they did," Andonovski said.
"In terms of the mentality, the players have done an incredible job re-evaluating the mentality. They've done an incredible job getting back to our roots, to who we are.
"There are things we could do better. There are certainly little things I would like to see better. We have already addressed it."
