The rampant United States swept past Japan to their seventh straight women's basketball crown Sunday, with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi collecting their fifth Olympic gold medals to cap remarkable careers.

Brittney Griner scored a game-high 30 points with five rebounds and two assists as the hosts were overpowered 90-75 by a team that stretched their Olympic win streak to 55 games dating back to their last defeat in the 1992 semis.

They went to half-time with a 50-39 lead and there was no stopping them, with a valiant Japan settling for second place and a best-ever Olympic finish.

Beating the Americans in Saitama was always going to be a huge ask, with the USA one of the most dominant teams in Olympic sporting history.

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They had won eight out of the past nine Olympic titles heading into the final.&nbsp;

Their only blemishes in the history of the tournament were a silver behind the Soviet Union at the inaugural event in 1976 and bronze in 1992.&nbsp;

"It really is hard to wrap your head around it, to grasp what it is," said Bird on her fifth gold, as &nbsp;US soccer star fiancée Megan Rapinoe watched on in Saitama Super Arena.

"Twenty years of staying true to the game, making sure you're at the top of your game, so much sacrifice."

Bird, 40, and Taurasi, 39, both scored early buckets as the US raced to a 13-point lead against a nervous Japan, closing out the first quarter with a 23-14 advantage and Griner already into double digits.

Japan stabilized and began making some shots but they again struggled with Griner's 6ft 7ins (2.01 metres) height in the paint as the US picked her out repeatedly and she went 9-of-10 from the floor.

They took a 50-39 lead into the second half and built it into a 75-56 edge heading into the final stretch, with A'ja Wilson contributing 19 points and five assists for the game.

Japan were led by Maki Takada with 17 points, but the US successfully restricted the dangerous Rui Machida to just six assists, after she made an incredible 18 in the semi-finals to set a new Olympic women's game record.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/olympics-2020-clowns-and-propaganda-best-quotes-of-the-tokyo-games-403914" hreflang="en">Olympics 2020: Clowns and propaganda - best quotes of the Tokyo Games</a>

The Americans' seventh title equalled the longest ever streak by a team in any Olympic sport -- matching the feat of the US men's basketball team between 1936 and 1968.

Bird, who has won four WNBA titles with the Seattle Storm, and Taurasi, who has led the&nbsp;Phoenix Mercury&nbsp;to three WNBA championships, have been front and centre during the past five.

The pair won their first gold at Athens in 2004 as two of the youngest players on a team that also featured Dawn Staley, who claimed three gold as a player and is now the national coach.

"We've ignored the 'five gold' talk because we just want to be in the moment, and we want to really enjoy our last&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;and make it about the team," said Tuarasi.

"It's a lot of time on the court, it's a lot of time away from your family, and we've been able to do it together (her and Bird) which means probably more than any medal that we've won."

The rampant United States swept past Japan to their seventh straight women's basketball crown Sunday, with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi collecting their fifth Olympic gold medals to cap remarkable careers.

The rampant United States swept past Japan to their seventh straight women's basketball crown Sunday, with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi collecting their fifth Olympic gold medals to cap remarkable careers. Brittney Griner scored a game-high 30 points with five rebounds and two assists as the hosts were overpowered 90-75 by a team that stretched their Olympic win streak to 55 games dating back to their last defeat in the 1992 semis. They went to half-time with a 50-39 lead and there was no stopping them, with a valiant Japan settling for second place and a best-ever Olympic finish. Beating the Americans in Saitama was always going to be a huge ask, with the USA one of the most dominant teams in Olympic sporting history. ALSO READ: IOC chief Thomas Bach calls Tokyo Olympics 2020 'very successful' They had won eight out of the past nine Olympic titles heading into the final. Their only blemishes in the history of the tournament were a silver behind the Soviet Union at the inaugural event in 1976 and bronze in 1992. "It really is hard to wrap your head around it, to grasp what it is," said Bird on her fifth gold, as US soccer star fiancée Megan Rapinoe watched on in Saitama Super Arena. "Twenty years of staying true to the game, making sure you're at the top of your game, so much sacrifice." Bird, 40, and Taurasi, 39, both scored early buckets as the US raced to a 13-point lead against a nervous Japan, closing out the first quarter with a 23-14 advantage and Griner already into double digits. Japan stabilized and began making some shots but they again struggled with Griner's 6ft 7ins (2.01 metres) height in the paint as the US picked her out repeatedly and she went 9-of-10 from the floor. They took a 50-39 lead into the second half and built it into a 75-56 edge heading into the final stretch, with A'ja Wilson contributing 19 points and five assists for the game. Japan were led by Maki Takada with 17 points, but the US successfully restricted the dangerous Rui Machida to just six assists, after she made an incredible 18 in the semi-finals to set a new Olympic women's game record. ALSO READ: Olympics 2020: Clowns and propaganda - best quotes of the Tokyo Games The Americans' seventh title equalled the longest ever streak by a team in any Olympic sport -- matching the feat of the US men's basketball team between 1936 and 1968. Bird, who has won four WNBA titles with the Seattle Storm, and Taurasi, who has led the Phoenix Mercury to three WNBA championships, have been front and centre during the past five. The pair won their first gold at Athens in 2004 as two of the youngest players on a team that also featured Dawn Staley, who claimed three gold as a player and is now the national coach. "We've ignored the 'five gold' talk because we just want to be in the moment, and we want to really enjoy our last Olympics and make it about the team," said Tuarasi. "It's a lot of time on the court, it's a lot of time away from your family, and we've been able to do it together (her and Bird) which means probably more than any medal that we've won."

Tokyo Olympics: All-conquering US win seventh straight women's Olympic basketball title

A poll conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily found that over 75 per cent of Japanese don't want foreign fans attending the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the Games' organisers are set to make a decision on overseas spectators.&nbsp;

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According to the poll, only 18 per cent of people who responded were in favour of foreign spectators being allowed into Japan for the coronavirus-delayed Games, with 77 per cent against.

Last week, the organisers said that they will decide on the matter, most likely, before the nationwide torch relay begins on March 25.

However, several Japanese media reports&nbsp;suggested that Games chiefs have already decided to bar foreign fans.

Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said Friday that organisers "really want to hold the event in full stadiums with fans from around the world", but would find it difficult "if we're not in a position where we can accept them and the situation with medical facilities isn't perfect".

The Yomiuri poll also revealed that 45 per cent of respondents were in favour of spectators, in general, attending the Games, with 48 per cent opposed.

The poll was conducted between March 5-7 through random phone calls, with 1,066 of the 1,977 people contacted responding.

(With Agency inputs)

A poll conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily found that over 75 per cent of Japanese don't want foreign fans attending the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the Games' organisers are set to make a decision on overseas spectators.

A poll conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily found that over 75 per cent of Japanese don't want foreign fans attending the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the Games' organisers are set to make a decision on overseas spectators. ALSO READ: Polls open for presidential election at troubled Barcelona According to the poll, only 18 per cent of people who responded were in favour of foreign spectators being allowed into Japan for the coronavirus-delayed Games, with 77 per cent against. Last week, the organisers said that they will decide on the matter, most likely, before the nationwide torch relay begins on March 25. However, several Japanese media reports suggested that Games chiefs have already decided to bar foreign fans. Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said Friday that organisers "really want to hold the event in full stadiums with fans from around the world", but would find it difficult "if we're not in a position where we can accept them and the situation with medical facilities isn't perfect". The Yomiuri poll also revealed that 45 per cent of respondents were in favour of spectators, in general, attending the Games, with 48 per cent opposed. The poll was conducted between March 5-7 through random phone calls, with 1,066 of the 1,977 people contacted responding. (With Agency inputs)

Over 75 per cent Japanese don't want foreign fans at Tokyo Games: Poll

Tokyo 2020 organisers will this autumn begin the task of devising safety protocols to allow the Games to take place if the coronavirus pandemic is still raging.

But Tokyo 2020, which had been due to start on Friday until it was postponed for a year, will not be the first Olympic Games to face a health crisis, although the scale of the challenge posed by COVID-19 is unprecedented.

AFP looks at previous Olympics that went ahead in the face of viral outbreaks.

&nbsp;

<h2>- Nagano 1998: Flu -</h2>

There was an outbreak of influenza the last time Japan hosted the Games -- the Winter Olympics in the central city of Nagano in 1998.

Nearly 1,500 schoolchildren in the Nagano region came down with the flu and some 200 people connected with the Games were taken ill -- although officials stressed other illnesses were also to blame.

The virus prevented Norwegian 1,500 metre gold medal-winning speed skater Adne Sondral from going for a double in the 1,000 metres.

German figure skating medal hopeful Tanja Szewczenko pulled out over health fears and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also got involved, warning competitors against the flu and advising them to take on plenty of fluids.

That outbreak of flu was unrelated to the killer bird flu hitting southern China at the time.

&nbsp;

<h2>- Rio 2016: Zika -</h2>

Ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the talk was dominated by Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that can cause pregnant women to give birth to babies with microcephaly -- a deformation that results in abnormally small brains and heads.

The Zika outbreak began in 2015 and infected around 1.5 million people, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mainly in Brazil.

There was concern that international visitors to the Games could spread the virus globally, even though the WHO assessed the risk as "minimal."

Some leading tennis players and golfers -- including golf's current world number one Rory McIlroy -- decided not to compete due to fears over the virus.

The stories proved more dramatic than the facts, with no new cases reported during the Games.

&nbsp;

<h2>- Mexico 1968: Flu -</h2>

The 1968 Olympics in Mexico took place during one of the worst pandemics of the 20th century -- the Hong Kong Flu.

It spread throughout Asia after emerging in the then British colony neighbouring southern China, and had reached the Americas by late 1968, eventually killing around one million people but had little impact on the Games.

&nbsp;

<h2>- Antwerp 1920: Flu -</h2>

Held in the aftermath of the Spanish Flu, considered to be the most deadly in history and claiming up to 50 million lives, the Antwerp Games were seen as a symbol of humanity's effort to rebuild after the devastation of World War I.

Although the Spanish Flu killed five times more people than died in 1914-18 war, the impact of the virus was overshadowed by the global conflict.

A century on, Tokyo 2020 organisers have been at pains to stress that if the Games go ahead they will again stand as a beacon&nbsp;of triumph against adversity.

Tokyo 2020 organisers will this autumn begin the task of devising safety protocols to allow the Games to take place if the coronavirus pandemic is still raging. But Tokyo 2020, which had been due to start on Friday until it was postponed for a year, will not be the first Olympic Games to face a health crisis, although the scale of the challenge posed by COVID-19 is unprecedented.

Tokyo 2020 organisers will this autumn begin the task of devising safety protocols to allow the Games to take place if the coronavirus pandemic is still raging. But Tokyo 2020, which had been due to start on Friday until it was postponed for a year, will not be the first Olympic Games to face a health crisis, although the scale of the challenge posed by COVID-19 is unprecedented. AFP looks at previous Olympics that went ahead in the face of viral outbreaks. - Nagano 1998: Flu - There was an outbreak of influenza the last time Japan hosted the Games -- the Winter Olympics in the central city of Nagano in 1998. Nearly 1,500 schoolchildren in the Nagano region came down with the flu and some 200 people connected with the Games were taken ill -- although officials stressed other illnesses were also to blame. The virus prevented Norwegian 1,500 metre gold medal-winning speed skater Adne Sondral from going for a double in the 1,000 metres. German figure skating medal hopeful Tanja Szewczenko pulled out over health fears and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also got involved, warning competitors against the flu and advising them to take on plenty of fluids. That outbreak of flu was unrelated to the killer bird flu hitting southern China at the time. - Rio 2016: Zika - Ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the talk was dominated by Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that can cause pregnant women to give birth to babies with microcephaly -- a deformation that results in abnormally small brains and heads. The Zika outbreak began in 2015 and infected around 1.5 million people, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mainly in Brazil. There was concern that international visitors to the Games could spread the virus globally, even though the WHO assessed the risk as "minimal." Some leading tennis players and golfers -- including golf's current world number one Rory McIlroy -- decided not to compete due to fears over the virus. The stories proved more dramatic than the facts, with no new cases reported during the Games. - Mexico 1968: Flu - The 1968 Olympics in Mexico took place during one of the worst pandemics of the 20th century -- the Hong Kong Flu. It spread throughout Asia after emerging in the then British colony neighbouring southern China, and had reached the Americas by late 1968, eventually killing around one million people but had little impact on the Games. - Antwerp 1920: Flu - Held in the aftermath of the Spanish Flu, considered to be the most deadly in history and claiming up to 50 million lives, the Antwerp Games were seen as a symbol of humanity's effort to rebuild after the devastation of World War I. Although the Spanish Flu killed five times more people than died in 1914-18 war, the impact of the virus was overshadowed by the global conflict. A century on, Tokyo 2020 organisers have been at pains to stress that if the Games go ahead they will again stand as a beacon of triumph against adversity.

When the Games went viral: historic Olympic health scares

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Tokyo Olympics: All-conquering US win seventh straight women's Olympic basketball title

Over 75 per cent Japanese don't want foreign fans at Tokyo Games: Poll

When the Games went viral: historic Olympic health scares