South Korea Women

Women's judo. Second place in women's judo. It was not much. It was not enough. Nothing would ever be enough. But for Uri Afek, who was there on Sept. 6, 1972, when terrorists infiltrated the Olympic village in Munich and executed 11 of his countrymen, it was a silver medal worth its weight in gold. "We will never forget," said Afek, chief of Israel's 31-athlete delegation to the 25thSummer Olympics here.

In 1987, South Korea's government trade organization issued a paper that tried to quell increasing fears that the nation's fast-growing economy was becoming another trade headache for the United States and others. The title: "Korea Is Not Another Japan." Ever since this East Asian tiger roared forward with spectacular economic growth built on the rubble of war, comparisons with Japan have, for better or worse, been inevitable.

As a North Korean defector on the hunt for a husband in Seoul, Choi Young-hee was unlucky in love. Working days as a food vendor, she went on blind dates with a lot of frogs -- men more wily and Westernized than their conservative northern counterparts, perfectionists who often boorishly asked if she could set them up with her North Korean girlfriends. So in 2005, a deflated Choi began playing professional matchmaker, and soon found she was a better bridesmaid than a bride.

Even by Michael Johnson's standards, it has been a good week. He is not going to win three gold medals, as he did in Goteborg, Sweden, in 1995, or double in the 200 and 400 meters, as he did there and in the Atlanta Olympics in '96, but he has convinced his critics that he loves children and set a world record. Second things first. He ran the 400-meter final in track and field's World Championships on Thursday night at Estadio Olimpico in 43.18 seconds.

Darlene May, the most successful coach in Division II women's basketball history and one of the most successful, male or female, at any level, died Friday after a long battle with cancer. She was 56. May coached Cal Poly Pomona's women's team to three NCAA Division II national championships and won more than 500 games. She was twice named the coach of the year by the Women's Basketball Coaching Assn.

LONDON — Serena Williams remained the last U.S. singles tennis player standing at the Olympics on Thursday at Wimbledon. But John Isner gave it a great try, losing to yet another Roger Federer magic moment. Williams coasted past former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, 6-0, 6-3, continuing her dominance of the women's bracket. She hit 30 winners, including six aces, and will face off in the semifinals against current No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. Azarenka beat Germany's Angelique Kerber, 6-4, 7-5. Isner, the 6-foot-9 rising U.S. men's star, stretched No. 1 Federer but lost, 6-4, 7-6 (5)

Curling Vancouver Olympic Centre Men, Feb. 16-27 Best of the U.S.: John Shuster is the only returning member to the U.S. team, which won the bronze four years ago. The U.S. finished fifth at the world championships; most expect them to finish in the middle of the pack. Best of the rest: Curling is a niche sport almost everywhere but Canada. But the Brits won the world championship last year and could unseat the defending champions.

ARCHERY MEN INDIVIDUAL: Gold--Jay Barrs (Mesa, Ariz.). Silver--Park Sung Soo (South Korea). Bronze--Vladimir Echeev (Soviet Union). TEAM: Gold--South Korea (Chun In Soo, Lee Han Sup, Park Sung Soo). Silver--United States (Jay Barrs, Mesa, Ariz.; Richard McKinney, Gilbert, Ariz.; Darrell Pace, Hamilton, Ohio). Bronze--Britain (Steven Hallard, Richard Priestman, Leroy Watson) WOMEN INDIVIDUAL: Gold--Kim Soo Nyung (South Korea), Silver--Wang Hee Kyung (South Korea).

It's haunting. Darlene May did everything right. She has always done everything right. You don't get 500 coaching victories and three national titles any other way. Almost by herself, she coached the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball program into national prominence. But it doesn't mean anything now. May learned last month that she has breast cancer, that it has spread to her liver, that she has six months to five years to live. Cancer? It didn't seem possible.