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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Sailing past her crumpled teammate, Anna van der Breggen suddenly realized she was the only hope the Netherlands had of defending its gold medal in the womens Olympic road race.She did so in the most dramatic of fashions.Working with Swedens Emma Johansson and Italys Elisa Longo Borghini to track down American rival Mara Abbott in sight of the finish, van der Breggen swept to the lead and won the dash to the line along Copacabana Beach on Sunday in the biggest victory of her career.Van der Breggen was soon embraced by Dutch teammate Marianne Vos, who won gold at the 2012 London Games, and turned her thoughts to Annemiek van Vleuten, whose spectacular crash gave her a chance.We passed Annemiek on the road. It didnt look good, van der Breggen said. So after, Emma just said, `Do it for Annemiek, and I said `Yeah, thats right.Van der Breggen thrust her arms in the air as thousands of fans lining the course roared approval, and a light mist that had been threatening for hours finally began to fall.It would have taken a downpour to dampen her spirits.I would have put money on Anna to win this race, said world champion Lizzie Armitstead, who was fifth for Britain. Shes a phenomenal athlete and this course was designed for her.Abbott coasted across in fourth in another shattering disappointment for the United States, one of the strongest teams in the race. Shelley Olds was in a similar position to medal four years ago when a puncture on the run-in to the finish cost her.In Abbotts case, it was simply a matter of tired legs.I saw the 300-meters to go sign and I thought ... `Oh my goodness. I could actually win this, Abbott said. Then I looked under my shoulder and they were right there.The climbing specialist obliterated most of the field on the hard climb of Vista Chinesa, then stayed upright when van Vleuten crashed on the same ruthless downhill that claimed the leaders Vincenzo Nibali and Sergio Henao and allowed Greg van Avermaet to win the mens race.Van Vleuten was taken to the hospital for tests that revealed three small fractures in her spine, the Dutch team said. She will remain in intensive care for at least 24 hours.It was a horrendous crash, said Johansson, who added a second silver to the one she won in Beijing in 2008. The peloton is so small and we all know each other very well. We just hope shes OK.Borghini matched Imelda Chiappas performance at the 1996 Atlanta Games for the best finish by an Italian woman, while Vos finished ninth -- a strong performance after her 10-month injury hiatus.Unlike the mens race on Saturday, the women stuck together for the first 100 kilometers, each attack quickly shut down by the powerhouse teams trying to set up their leaders.Lotte Kopecky of Belgium spent time in front early, and Britains Emma Pooley tried in vain to animate the proceedings. But the field was together after two trips of the Grumari Circuit, where jarring cobblestones caused so much trouble for the men.Seven riders sprung away in sight of Vista Chinesa, the hard climb and descent that would decide the race. Among them was Vos, Trixi Worrack and former world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot.The Americans missed the break and were forced to work hard to bring it back.Abbott accomplished it almost single-handedly, the worlds top climber quickly catching them as the race tilted uphill. She also succeeded in splintering the peloton, pushing a tempo so strong that Vos and Armitstead -- the silver medalist at the London Games -- slowly dropped off.With stretches approaching a gradient of 20 percent, Abbott and van Vleuten shook loose of the survivors of the first part of the climb and turned it into a two-woman race on the slick downhill.On the last tight curve, van Vleuten locked up her wheels and crashed hard through the bend.I wasnt comfortable holding her wheel and the pace she was holding on the descent, Abbott said, and unfortunately she crashed. Hopefully it wasnt as bad as it looked.Abbott cautiously navigated the corner, then realized 10 kilometers of flats to Fort Copacabana stood in her way of gold. She got into her handlebar drops, sucked down one last energy gel and began to accelerate through streets lined with fans.Three riders, working together behind her, caught Abbott just before she got to the line.I cant imagine being in her shoes right now. Shes going to have a lot of sleepless nights, American teammate Kristin Armstrong said. Fourth is a wonderful position in the Olympics but also the hardest position. Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys China . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. Jake Lamb Jersey . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. 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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Two days of focused practice with an emphasis on defense served the Trail Blazers well.Portland applied what it worked on, beating former coach Nate McMillan and the Indiana Pacers 131-109 Wednesday night behind Damian Lillards 28 points, 10 assists and four steals.It was a really good defensive game. I think everything we addressed in practice the last two days, the effort, the mindset, how locked in we were the last two days, I think it translated to the court, Lillard said.Maurice Harkless added 23 points for the Blazers, who led by as many as 28 in their fifth consecutive victory over the Pacers.The Trail Blazers had lost six of their last eight games as theyve struggled to find consistency on defense. Portland was coming off a 130-114 loss at home to the Houston Rockets on Sunday.Jeff Teague led Indiana with 25 points, while Myles Turner had 19 points and 10 rebounds. It was the first of a five-game road swing for the Pacers, who had won two straight.Portland was still missing forward Al-Farouq Aminu, out for more than two weeks with a calf injury. But there are signs he could return soon, possibly even by Sunday against Miami.The Pacers were without All-Star Paul George for the third consecutive game and seventh overall due to a sore left ankle.Portland took a 22-13 lead after Meyers Leonards 3-pointer. Mason Plumlees alley-oop dunk from CJ McCollum put Portland up 39-27 and Evan Turner, who has been looking more comfortable with the Blazers in the last half-dozen games, made a 3-pointer to push the lead to 46-29.Lillard, who had just four points in the first quarter, got rolling in the final 7 minutes of the second with 14 and the Blazers led 73-58 at halftime. Portland shot 63 percent in the first half.In the third quarter it was McCollums turn. After managing just four points in the first half, McCollum had 15 in the third period and the Blazers went up 109-83 heading into the fourth. He finished with 19 points.I dont want to go overboard on this game. I think after two days of practice it was good to come out and shoot like that in the first quarter, Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. Its not a sigh of relief right now -- we still have work tto do.ddddddddddddIt was the first Portland appearance for McMillan since he became head coach of the Pacers. McMillan was promoted in the offseason after the Pacers dismissed Frank Vogel.McMillan coached the Blazers from 2005-12. The latter part of his tenure was marked by the devastating injuries to top draft pick Greg Oden and later to star guard Brandon Roy.McMillan said before the game that he remembers Portland fondly as a great basketball town. He said his latest stint as a head coach really cant be compared to the previous one because with the Blazers he was in a rebuilding mode, while with the Pacers hes got a more mature and seasoned squad.Its going to be about winning and doing things the right way, McMillan said about his new head coaching gig. Im looking forward to the opportunity.In the end, he came away impressed by the Blazers.They were getting to the paint, they were throwing lobs, they were kicking out and knocking down 3s, so we never really controlled the ball -- and with a team like that its going to be a long night, McMillan said.TIP-INSPacers: McMillan was greeted with warm applause by fans at the Moda Center. He joked that his nickname was no longer Sarge as it was in Portland.Trail Blazers: Harkless has scored 15 or more points in three straight games for the first time with the Blazers. ... Portland set season highs with 131 points and 73 in the first half.OREGON TIESPacers guards Aaron Brooks and Joe Young both played college ball at Oregon. Young said he enjoys coming back to the Pacific Northwest.Coming back to Oregon is one of the most fun things I get to do, he said. Just to come back and see my fans and the people that support me. I love Oregon.MO-MENTUMHarkless 23 points matched his best total with the Blazers. He has scored at least 20 three times this season after hitting the mark just once last season. Harkless has been in double figures in eight consecutive games, his longest streak with Portland.UP NEXTThe Pacers visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.The Trail Blazers host the Miami Heat on Saturday. ' ' '