RIO DE JANEIRO -- Kristin Armstrong had just put together another golden effort in an Olympic time trial, this time slicing through driving wind and rain, when her 5-year-old son approached her at the finish.Mama, Lucas asked, why are you crying? You won!Once again.The American cyclist made it three consecutive gold medals on Wednesday, the ageless wonder conquering a brutal course at the Rio Games. Her time of 44 minutes, 26.42 seconds topped reigning bronze medalist Olga Zabelinskaya of Russia by the slimmest of margins: 5.55 seconds.As for the tears, well, thats a great question from a 5-year-old, Armstrong said with her now-familiar grin. Thats what we do, we cry when were happy.Im going to have to explain that one to him a little later.Zabelinskaya earned silver just days after she was cleared to compete by the Court of Arbitration, while Dutch rider Anna van der Breggen added bronze to her gold from the road race.Dutch rider Ellen van Dijk slid off the wet road along the southern coast of Rio de Janeiro and finished fourth, the miscue likely costing her a medal. Road race bronze medalist Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy was fifth and world champion Linda Villumsen of New Zealand sixth.It was very hard today. The roads on the downhills were very slick, Villumsen said. I didnt want to take chances and that cost me some time. The race didnt go the way I wanted.Despite her pedigree, Armstrong was a controversial selection for the U.S. team.She retired for a second time shortly after the London Olympics, then decided earlier this year to pursue a third gold medal. But she eschewed competing in the toughest races in Europe to spend more time with her family, much to the chagrin of rival riders who made the sacrifices of racing abroad.Then there were the accusations of bias: Her longtime coach, Jim Miller, also directs the national team for USA Cycling, though he recused himself from all deliberations over her selection.Ultimately, two Americans filed for arbitration to try to make the team. One of the riders had beaten Armstrong in the national championships, putting her place on the team in doubt.It wasnt until a week before she departed for Brazil that Armstrongs place was confirmed.When youve already been two times at the pinnacle of the sport, why risk coming back for the gold medal? The best answer I can give is that I can, she said. Today the stars aligned.Her latest gold medal was almost certainly her toughest.Ive had the hardest journey this Olympics that Ive ever had, Armstrong said. There was a lot of pressure, and I didnt realize this until this year but third place was a really bad result for me. I had to win everything. ... But I knew how to get it done on one day.Armstrong led by nearly 5 seconds after 10 kilometers but dropped 3 seconds back of Zabelinskaya by the second time check. She made up the difference over the final, flat run to the finish, precisely the kind of terrain that suits her riding style perfectly.(My coach) kept on telling me, This is it, she said. And about 5k to go, he said, `Here we go. Its up to you what color of medal you want. And I was like, Well, its up to me?She was embraced at the finish by Zabelinskaya, a controversial figure coming into the race.The Russian tested positive for the substance octopamine in July 2014 and accepted an 18-month ban, and that doping violation was poised to keep her from the Rio Games when the International Olympic Committee set in place rules that barred Russian athletes for previous doping offenses.In the morning they told us we could participate. In the evening, they said we wont. It was two weeks like this, she said. I had my ticket to go back to Russia.Last week, the CAS ruled the IOCs rules were unenforceable, allowing Zabelinskaya to compete in Saturdays road race and ride down the starting ramp in Wednesdays rainy time trial.Im not the only cyclist that has a doping problem in the past, said Zabelinskaya, who has always maintained her innocence. 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The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. Hurricanes Jerseys 2020 . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames.For the sixth season in a row, ESPN.com is ranking the top players in the NBA. Who will be the best player this season?To get the final ranking, we asked our expert panel to vote on pairs of players.LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. Russell Westbrook vs. Kevin Durant. Damian Lillard vs. Chris Paul.We asked, Which player will be better in 2016-17? To decide, voters had to consider both the quality and the quantity of each players contributions to his teams ability to win games.Well roll out the rest of our top 200 players over the next week. If you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along, #NBArank is the Twitter hashtag to use. You also can follow along @ESPNNBA and on Facebook.On to the list ...24. DeAndre JordanClippers | C | @deandrejordan6Last years rank: 252016-17 prrojected RPM: 4.dddddddddddd03Insider profile:?As in 2014-15, Jordan got a boost from improved floor spacing and less competition for lobs during Griffins absence. This time over a longer period. He averaged 14.2 points and 14.4 rebounds without Griffin, shooting 70.1 percent from the field. While that performance still wasnt enough to earn Jordan All-Star honors, he did nab a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and won a gold medal as starting center during the knockout rounds.?Read more ?#NBArank 21-3021: Jimmy Butler22: Al Horford23: LaMarcus Aldridge24: DeAndre Jordan25: Paul Millsap26: C.J. McCollum27: Mike Conley28: Kevin Love29: Isaiah Thomas30: DeMar DeRozan ' ' '