USA’s Oldest Olympian, Phillip Dutton headlines local performances with bronze

Phillip Dutton of West Grove, PA, took home a bronze medal in the men’s individual eventing in the equestrian Tuesday, part of a day full of activity for local athletes.

Dutton was in strong medal position after the cross-country event, finishing that in fourth. An impressive performance in the jumping final vaulted him up to third, winning his first ever Olympic medal under the United States flag. He had won two golds while competing with his native Australia in the ’96 and ’00 games, but then moved to the United States in 2006. At the age of 52, he is America’s oldest Olympian in these games. Boyd Martin of Cochranivlle, PA, disappointed and finished in 16^th place in the same event. Both will compete in the team event later on in the games.

Nick DelPopolo dropped a heartbreaking match in the quarterfinals in the 73kg weight class in judo. After a thrilling upset over Mongolia’s Odbayar Ganbaatar in the round of 16, DelPopolo hung tight with Israel’s Sagi Muki, but was unable to edge him in the end, leaving him home without a medal and an overall seventh place finish. This came after a positive drug test in the 2012 Olympics, so he was looking for redemption. He performed admirably though, and he is expecting to compete again in 2020, hoping to keep on improving.

Four time gold medalist Missy Franklin of Fair Haven, NJ, continued to disappoint, finishing eighth in her semifinal heat in the 200m freestyle. Franklin had a very hard time at the U.S. Trials, and she was hoping to redeem herself in what few events she held onto in Rio. However, her first shot at it was less than spectacular. She will have the chance in 200m backstroke on August 11^th hoping to finally right the ship and get back to her pristine London form.

Elsewhere in the pool, Hali Flickinger of Spring Grove, PA, advanced to the 200m butterfly final which will be raced tomorrow night. She posted the sixth fastest time overall with a 2:07.02 time, which will put her in a good position to contend for a medal on Wednesday. She is considered in medal contention, and while she won’t likely win gold, it is possible that she brings home a bronze.

In men’s rugby, the United States lost their first game, 17-14 to Argentina, falling just short of making a very strong comeback. In their second match, they dominated host country Brazil, 26-0, evening out their record at 1-1. They will take on Fiji, one of the best teams in the entire world, Wednesday afternoon.