y taking the first three legs.Taylor, though, sparked his revival with

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The first Olympic rugby gold medal in 92 years has gone to a group of Australian women that includes a mechanic, an elite former sprinter and a 21-year-old newcomer who has traveled around Rio de Janeiro carrying an inflatable kangaroo.Australia absorbed an expected early battering from New Zealand and conceded an early try before responding with four consecutive tries to win the womens rugby sevens final 24-17 on Monday.It was a typical trans-Tasman battle, Australia co-captain Shannon Parry said, referring to the intense sporting rivalry between her country and neighboring New Zealand. Very excited, very elated with what weve achieved.The sevens world series-winning Australian women extended their streak to five straight wins against 2013 World Cup winner New Zealand, quite a change in fortune in the broader rugby context.Australias mens team, the Wallabies, have struggled against New Zealands famous All Blacks for more than a decade in the traditional 15-a-side game. The All Blacks have not only retained the Bledisloe Cup, theyve also won two World Cups -- beating Australia in the final last year.The womens sevens team usurped New Zealand in the rankings, winning the world series for the first time last season. The Australian Rugby Union put them on contracts, set up an academy for sevens and allowed them to train as professional athletes.When I started the game, womens rugby in Australia wasnt very big, Parry said. It was very much a minority sport.To think, eight years down the track, Im an Olympian, I play rugby as a full-time job. I just think how far the game has gone.Rugby is back in the Olympics for the first time since 1924, but in the condensed sevens format and with women competing for the first time. Canada beat Britain 33-10 for bronze, avenging a 22-0 loss the previous day at the end of the pool stage. The United States beat France 19-5, after a come-from-behind 12-7 win over Fiji, to secure fifth place.The mens tournament kicks off Tuesday, with Fiji the favorite for gold.Each tournament is played across three days and involved 12 teams. The top eight from the pool stage advance to the quarterfinals, and the winners of those matches go into the playoff for medals.Australia beat Canada 17-5 and New Zealand beat Britain 25-7 in the womens semifinals to set up the long-anticipated decider.It was all going New Zealands way when Kayla McAlister scored the first try, but the Australians rallied with tries from Emma Tonegato and Evania Pelite before halftime.Tonegatos early equalizer was contentious as she crashed over near the corner flag, but referee Alhambra Nievas awarded the try after checking with both assistant referees.A yellow card for New Zealand star Portia Woodman resulted in a significant momentum swing for the Australians.Pelite ran on to a long, floating pass from Alicia Quirk and scored out wide on the stroke of halftime, moments after Woodman was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.When Ellia Green and Charlotte Caslick scored to lift Australias lead to 24-5, the final was as good as won. New Zealand cut the margin with a second try for McAlister and another for Woodman, her 10th of the tournament.Its an international fact that New Zealand and Aussie are just really good at competing against each other, Woodman said. They love it, and rugbys in our genes, and we knew they were going to bring it.Shes targeting Olympic gold in Tokyo, saying Im not feeling like this again.Until then, the Australians have gold. Pelite, who has to carry around the boxing kangaroo and place it beside the field for each game because shes the youngest member of the touring squad, will probably get to turn over the rookie duties to somebody else.The Aussies expect to keep the squad together and keep promoting the sport for another generation, meaning co-captain Sharni Williams wont have to go back to working as a mechanic -- unless she wants to -- and Green may stick around as the fastest women in world rugby instead of trying to become an Olympian in track and field. Hydro Flask 21 Oz Nz . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Hydro Flask 32 Oz Clearance .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. http://www.hydroflasknzsale.com/hydro-flask-40-oz-ombre.html . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. Hydro Flask 24 Oz Cheap . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. Hydro Flask 40 Oz Sale . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros.Gary Anderson crashed out of the Ladbrokes World Series of Darts Finals to Joe Cullen at Glasgows Braehead Arena on Saturday night, as Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor avoided potential upsets. World champion Anderson was knocked out in a deciding leg by Terry Jenkins in his opener in Glasgow a year ago, and suffered the same fate as Cullen continued his impressive 2016 by holding his nerve against the Scottish favourite.Anderson had won the World Series events in Dubai, Auckland and Tokyo earlier this year, but was unable to mark his first appearance on stage wearing glasses - and using a new design of dart - with victory. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. The Scot started brightly enough in front of the passionate Scottish crowd as he opened up a 2-0 lead with legs of 15 and 13 darts, but Cullen levelled before finishing 124 on the bull to move himself ahead.The next five legs were won with throw to send the contest into a decider, which Cullen took with a 13-dart finish of his own.Its brilliant, said Cullen, who had edged out Joe Murnan 6-5 in the first round earlier in the day. Its great to beat the world champion in Scotland - it was a great atmosphere, up there with the best Ive played in front of.Cullen will now play Peter Wright, after last years runner-up in this event impressed in his 6-3 win over Daryl Gurney in their second-round clash.Northern Irelands Gurney had defeated youngster Josh Payne by the same scoreline in the afternoon session, taking out a key 141 finish, but found Wright too strong as the world No 5 backed up his firework-themed outfit with a strong display.World No 1 Van Gerwen, the champion in both Shanghai and Perth, held off Gerwyn Prices fightback to claim a narrow 6-5 win over the Welshman, who had defeated Steve Beaton 6-3 in round one. Michael van Gerwen battled past Gerwyn Price in Glasgow Van Gerwen - last weeks European Championship winner - led 3-0 and 5-2 before Price battled back to level, but the Dutchman was first to a finiish in the decider as a 13-darter secured his triumph.ddddddddddddI did enough to win the game, said Van Gerwen. Gerwyn tried everything he could to make it as close as possible but I out-scored him.The win was the most important thing and Im through to the quarter-finals. Im feeling confident and playing well and Ill get myself ready because its a big day.Van Gerwen now takes on Simon Whitlock in the last eight, after the Australian defeated Brendan Dolan 6-5 and Raymond van Barneveld 6-2. Phil Taylor avenged last weeks defeat to Mensur Suljovic. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Matchroom) Phil Taylor came from three legs down to avenge last weeks defeat to Mensur Suljovic in the European Championship quarter-finals with a 6-3 win over the Austrian.Suljovic - who went on to reach the European Championship final - had been in brilliant form as he whitewashed Robert Thornton in the first round, taking out finishes of 120 and 116 as he punished ten missed doubles from the Scot, and started superbly on his return to the stage against Taylor by taking the first three legs.Taylor, though, sparked his revival with a 12-darter and also landed an 11-dart finish as he took five successive legs before finishing 120 to complete a fine comeback.Taylor now meets Dutch youngster Benito van de Pas, who followed up his first round win over former World Youth champion Michael Smith with a defeat of James Wade on Saturday night.First round results:Max Hopp 5-6 Cristo ReyesBenito van de Pas 6-3 Michael SmithJelle Klaasen 5-6 Kim HuybrechtsBrendan Dolan 5-6 Simon WhitlockMensur Suljovic 6-0 Robert ThorntonJoe Murnan 5-6 Joe CullenGerwyn Price 6-3 Steve BeatonDaryl Gurney 6-3 Josh PayneSecond round results:Adrian Lewis 6-3 Cristo ReyesJames Wade 5-6 Benito van de PasDave Chisnall 6-4 Kim HuybrechtsRaymond van Barneveld 2-6 Simon WhitlockPhil Taylor 6-3 Mensur SuljovicGary Anderson 5-6 Joe CullenMichael van Gerwen 6-5 Gerwyn PricePeter Wright 6-3 Daryl GurneySundays quarter-finals:Adrian Lewis v Dave ChisnallMichael van Gerwen v Simon WhitlockBenito van de Pas v Phil TaylorJoe Cullen v Peter Wright Also See: Van Gerwen completes treble Van Gerwens major milestones ' ' '