Athing Mu, of Trenton, wins a heat in the women’s 800-meter run at the Tokyo Olympics. Mu attended Trenton Central High School.
New York and New Jersey are well-represented when it comes to track and field, which began on Day 7.
New Jersey's Athing Mu had the best time in her heat for the women's 800m, and moves on to Saturday's semifinals. Two other Americans will also compete in the semis, including Rawvyn Rogers and fellow New Jerseyan Ajeé Wilson, who is from Neptune Township.
Mount Vernon, New York-born Rai Benjamin won his heat in the men's 400m hurdles, posting the fourth-fastest time overall.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Hoboken's Keturah Orji competes in her heat for the women's triple jump Friday morning, while fellow New Jersey native Sydney McLaughlin will run in the third heat of the women's 400m hurdles Friday night after 8 p.m. McLaughlin's heat is two before Dalilah Muhammad's, from New York.
The U.S. women's basketball team won its 51st Olympic game in a row, defeating Japan 86-69. Syosset's Sue Bird has struggled from the floor, but finally hit a three-pointer toward the end of the game to giver the six-time Olympian her first points of the Games. Queens' Tina Charles also struggled in Thursday's game, going 0-5 from the floor.
Sports
Charlotte Buck and Kristine O'Brien, both from Long Island, were part of the women’s eight rowing team for the U.S. that was looking to build on its Olympic dynasty. The team had won the previous three Olympic gold medals, but the strong competition proved to be too much, as Team USA finished fourth behind Canada, New Zealand and China.
Austin Hack and Liam Corrigan, from Connecticut, competed as part of the men's eight crew that also finished fourth. Team USA was just 1.02 seconds behind the third-place Great Britain team, and 2.11 seconds behind New Zealand who won the race.
Ashleigh Johnson, who graduated from Princeton and plays water polo for New York Athletic Club, helped limit the ROC team to just five points as Team USA won their final pool play match, 18-5. With Johnson as goalkeeper, ROC shot just 5/30 (17 percent).
More athletes from the tri-state will also start their Olympic competitions on Friday.
Todd Frazier, of Toms River, New Jersey, and Patrick Kivlehan, from Nyack on Long Island, are both part of the U.S. baseball team, which plays its first game Friday morning vs. Israel.
