BEIJING — Any time Taylor Takata thought about making a questionable decision as he trained for the 2008 U.S. Olympic judo team, he heard a voice.

It was clearly audible, considering the voice already spent time with him in his living room.

Takata, an 'Iolani alum, dates Danieska Carrion, a Cuban judo star who defected in 2003 — and one of the coaches at the USA Judo training center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"At home, when she sees me doing stuff I'm not supposed to be doing — staying up late, not eating right, stuff like that — she gets on my case," Takata said after a practice yesterday at Beijing Normal University.

"It's good for me, because it keeps me focused and in line."

Carrion will play the part of fan rather than coach when she arrives in Beijing later this month to watch Takata compete at 145.5 pounds.

Takata hopes to give Carrion and others a cheer-worthy performance as the United States continues the hunt for its first judo gold medal at an Olympics.

The 26-year-old from Wahiawa twice won the Pan-American Championships (2001-02) before adding golds at the USA Judo Senior National Championships (2004, '06).

Takata fought without a title in 2007 and 2008 before climbing to the top at this summer's Olympic Trials in Las Vegas.

One stabilizing element for Takata was Carrion.

"She's really knowledgeable about the training methods, the system of training and everything like that — so she's been a big help," he said.

A wry smile crept on Takata's face when asked about balancing the roles of boyfriend and girlfriend, athlete and coach.

"We're together 24-7," he said. "I feel bad for her because she has to deal with me all the time. It's probably harder on her than it is on me."

U.S. team leader Leo White, a two-time Olympian, said the arrangement might not work for everyone.

"I know I couldn't coach my wife," White said, with a laugh.

Carrion is far from the only female influence for Takata at this Olympics.

Takata's sister, Summer, was killed in a car accident in 2003. He had a tattoo of her face and name inked on his left shoulder as a constant, motivating reminder.

"I wish she could be here with our family," he said. "It's one of those things about life — you never know. You never know what's going to happen.

"You have to live every day like it's your last day. You can't have regrets."

U.S. MEN BEAT AUSTRALIA IN EXHIBITION FINALE

SHANGHAI, China — They couldn't shoot and occasionally didn't defend. Definitely a performance the Americans should be relieved came before they got to Beijing.

Undefeated, but no longer unchallenged, the U.S. Olympic basketball team wrapped up its exhibition schedule with its toughest test, pulling away to beat Australia, 87-76, last night.

The United States led by only four points nearly halfway through the third quarter and was up by seven midway through the fourth against an Australian team that was resting its best player, Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut.

The U.S. players still feel like gold medal favorites, but they hardly looked like gold medal locks during this shaky outing.

"Nothing alarming for us. It's alarming when you lose," Dwyane Wade said.

Wade scored 22 points and LeBron James had 16 for the Americans, who finished 3 of 18 from behind the arc and 20 of 33 (61 percent) at the foul line.

U.S. WOMEN WIN FIBA DIAMOND BALL TOURNEY

HAINING, China — Standing on the podium waiting to receive their FIBA Diamond Ball tournament gold medals, the United States women's basketball team had only one thought on their minds: This was only a dress rehearsal. The real performance begins now at the Olympics.

"Being here is great but this wasn't the real show," said Candace Parker, who scored 12 points in America's 71-67 win over Australia in the gold medal game. "It was like an audition for the Olympics. We passed the pre-Olympic test but now we're going to go and take care of business."

NOTES

Equestrian: Two dozen horses due to arrive in Hong Kong by plane today for the Olympic equestrian competition have been delayed by a severe tropical storm. Equestrian event spokesman Mark Pinkstone said he didn't expect the bad weather to affect the competition, which starts Saturday. Pinkstone said the 24 horses from the United States, China, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Saudi Arabia were on two flights from Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Torch: The Olympic flame approached the final destination of its long and sometimes contentious global tour today, greeted by rapturous crowds in the Chinese capital two days before it officially launches the Summer Games. The arrival of the torch marks one of the final steps in China's seven years of preparations for the games that have cost billions of dollars, and one which Beijing hopes will serve as the country's symbolic debut as a world power. The torch will tour Beijing before ending up at Friday's opening ceremony.

India: An Indian news report says India's lone weightlifting entry for the Olympic Games has withdrawn from the Beijing Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance. The Press Trust of India reported yesterday that Monica Devi tested positive for an anabolic salt in a test conducted June 29. It said the report on the test came out hours before she was to leave the Indian capital for Beijing.