That’s all for today. At the end of another decent day for Team GB, it’s time to draw the curtain. Katarina Johnson-Thompson leads the heptathlon after four events and here’s hoping she gets a good night’s sleep of this, her fourth attempt to win that elusive Olympic medal. Thanks for your company, we’ll be back sooner than you think!!!
Track cycling: “Team GB’s Emma Finucane will turn her attention to the women’s individual sprint after a bronze medal in the keirin ended her dreams of a golden Olympic hat-trick but far from being disappointed, the 21-year-old from Carmarthen was ebullient. Jeremy Whittle reports from the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome.
Men’s basketball: The USA survived an almighty scare to emerge 95-91 winners over Serbia in their semi-final and will play France in the gold medal match. Stephen Curry scored 36 points for the States, a tournament high for the team.
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Cindy Ngamba has to settle for bronze ...
Women’s boxing: With this 75kg fight scored at a round each, Atheyena was docked a point in the final round for excessive holding but still goes through to the gold medal fight on a split decision.
I thought Ngamba, who boxes for the Refugee Olympic Team but trains with the British team in Sheffield, had done enough to win it and so did she. Having learned that she lost, she took the decision with good grace.
Hats off to our winner, Atheyna Bylon, who is guaranteed a silver at least and has won Panama’s first ever Olympic boxing medal.
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Boxing: Tokyo silver medallist Li Qian has narrowly defeated Australia’s Caitlin Parker in their women’s middleweight boxing semi-final at Roland Garros.
The first round went to the Australian, and the powerful Chinese fighter came out swinging in the second, getting the nod from the judging panel.
It set the scene for a grand final three minutes, stopped once for the Australian to have a bloody nose cleaned up.
But it was Li who was awarded the bout by all five judges despite the close nature of the contest.
Boxing: Already guaranteed a bronze medal, Cindy Ngamba of the Refugee Olympic Team has just started her semi-final bout against Panama’s Atheyna Bylon.
A British-based refugee from Cameroon who grew up in Bolton after arriving in the UK with her parents as a child, she does not wish to return to her home country because she is a lesbian and homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon. Ngamba trains with Team GB’s boxers in the British Institute for Sport and is the first member of the Refugee Olympic Team to ever win a medal. All of Team GB’s boxing team and their support staff are in Roland Garros tonight to support her.
At the end of the first round, Cindy’s trainer Darren Maher, who has been seconded from the British team, gives her a pep talk and could not sound more Scouse.
Good morning, Australia! Here’s what happened while you were sleeping, and from an Aussie perspective you were probably as well off in bed, because your recent flood of medals slowed down to a trickle.
USA track and field respite on otherwise brutal day
Track and field: Tara Davis-Woodhall, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Grant Holloway (and three fellow US athletes taking silver or bronze) provided a bit of relief for Team USA on what had been a brutal day for the 2028 host nation.
The women’s water polo team suffered a rare loss in the semifinals. The men’s basketball team are in a deep hole against Serbia. US athletes finished fourth in sailing and diving. Two wrestlers favored to keep up the rush of medals on the mat lost in the semifinals.
And we learned after the fact that Noah Lyles won a bronze medal with Covid - an accomplishment in itself, but it leaves us all wondering “What if?” He told NBC that he never considered withdrawing from the 200m, but he sounds doubtful about running in the 4x100m tomorrow.
In the heptathlon, top-ranked Anna Hall is well off the pace of the leaders and is barely in third, though her second-day scores are usually well ahead of those posted by Belgium’s Noor Vidts, who sits in fourth. Based on past performance, Belgium’s Nafi Thiam should have the edge over Team GB’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson, but KJT can produce magical moments.
Tonight’s track ands field has concluded. It’s been a pretty good night for thre Americans, who took gold in the men’s 110m hurdles courtesy of Grant Holloway and the women’s long jump thanks to Tara Davis-Woodhall. A little earlier, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was the runaway winner of the women’s 400m, breaking her own world record.
The Yanks didn’t have it all their own way, of course. BOtswana’s Letsile Tebogo was the surprise winner of a men’s 200m final in which Noah Lyles, suffering from third, could only finish third behind the winner and Kenny Bednarek. In the men’s javelin final, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem set a new Olympic record on his way to victory.
Not yet among the Olympic medals at her fourth attempt, Team GB’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson is the overnight leader after four events of the seven she has to complete.
Meanwhile in the velodrome, Welsh speedster Emma Finucane took bronze in the women’s keirin, while Ellie Aldridge won Britain’s only gold medal of the day in Marseille after triumphing on the waves in the women’s kite final.
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Nadeem wins Pakistan's first athletics gold
Men’s javelin: Already assured of first place, the athlete from Pakistan launches another monster of a final throw: 91.79. It’s not as good as his winning effort of 92.97 but serves to confirm his superiorty tonight. It’s Pakistan’s first ever Olympic medal in athletics.
The well beaten defending champion, Neeraj Chopra (Ind) has taken the silver medal, while Grenada’s Anderson Peters has taken the bronze.
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Boxing: IBA world champion boxer Abdumalik Khalokov has beaten Australian Charlie Senior in their men’s featherweight semi-final at Roland Garros in a unanimous decision.
The fight was a rematch of the round of 16 clash in last year’s world championships, and again Khalokov got the better of the Australian.
But Senior can consider himself unlucky, after an even second round was given to the Uzbekistani boxer by four of the five judges.
Australia’s Caitlin Parker takes on Tokyo silver medallist Li Qian in their women’s middleweight semi-final later tonight.
Holloway wins 100m hurdles gold ..
Track and field: Despite a slow start, the American wins from a field that could not get near him. He wins in a time of 12.99sec. His compatriot Daniel Roberts (13.09sec) is second, while Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell was third.
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Men’s 110m hurdles final: They’re under starter’s orders in the final race of the day. America’s Grant Holloway is the hot favourite as he searches for his first Olympic medal …
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Women’s long jump final: Tara Davis-Woodhall wins another gold for the USA with a leap of 7.10m. She beats the defending champion Malaika Mihambo (Ger) into second, while Jasmine Moore was third (USA).
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Men’s 200m final: Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo was the surprise winner of the race, finishing ahead of Kenny Bednarek in second place. Race favourite Noah Lyles had to settle for bronze before it was revealed he was suffering from covid.
Men’s javelin: We’re over halfway through the final and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem continues to lead with his earlyOlympic record of 92.97m.
The defending champion, Neeraj Chopra (India) is in second place with 89.45m. A former double world champion, Grenada’s Anderson Peters is in the bronze medal position with his best throw of 88.54m.
Women’s 400m hurdles: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone milks the applause of the crowd, with an American flag draped around her shoulders. In coming second, her teammate Anna Cockrell set a huge personal best of 51.87. Femke Bol, who finished in 52.15, looks very disappointed with her performance. She seemed to get her race tactics all wrong and went too hard, too soon.
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McLaughlin-Levrone takes gold!
Women’s 400m hurdles: The American wins at a canter, pulling away from the field and setting a new world record of 50.37sec in the process. Her compatriot Anna Cockrell finished second and Femke Bol had to settle for a well beaten third place.
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Women’s 400m hurdles: It’s next up and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) and Femke Bol (Netherlands) are the out-and-out favourites. They have not competed against each other for 748 days. The American is the favourite and the world record of 50.65sec, set by McLaughlin-Levrone in June, has to be under threat.
Heptathlon standings after four events
Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR) 4,055
Nafissatou Thiam (Bel) -48
Anna Hall (USA) -99
Noor Vidts (Bel) -104
Sofie Dokter (Ned) -162
Water polo: The Australian women’s team, the Stingers, are through to their first gold medal match in 24 years after emerging victorious from a thrilling semi-final with the United States.
The Americans led at every quarter, but a late equaliser from Australia sent the match to a shoot-out - and the Stingers emerged triumphant. Australia won the first-ever women’s water polo gold medal, at Sydney 2000, and they will face Spain for another shot at gold on Saturday.
KJT leads heptathlon after day one
Women’s heptathlon: Katarina Johnson-Thompson is first home in her heat, finishing in 23.45sec. It’s a good time, but not a great one. It will earn her 1,035 points, take her tally to 4,055 and put her into the lead overall going into day two.
Women’s heptathlon: At the end of a good opening day so far, Katarina Johnson-Thompson is about to run in her fourth event, a heat of the 200m.
The 31-year-old Team GB athlete has, for various reasons, never won an Olympic medal in three attempts and it would be heartbreaking for her and her many fans if she doesn’t win one this time around.
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Men’s javelin: Jakub Vadlejch (Cze) has gone into third place with a throw of 88.50.
Women’s long jump: Team USA’s Tara Davis-Woodhall goes into the lead with a leap of 7.05m.
Women’s long jump: The final is in its early stages and Team USA’s Jasmine Moore is the early leader with a leap of 6.96m.
Nadeem smashes Olympic javelin record
Men’s javelin: We’re in the second round of the final and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem has just thrown a monster effort of 92.97m. It’s a new Olympic record and is going to take some beating.
The reigning Olympic champion, Neeraj Chopra is currently in second place with 89.45m, while Anderson Peters (Grenada) is in third with 87.87m.
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Noah Lyles: US Track and Field officials have just revealed that Noah Lyles ran with covid, a state of affairs that must raise serious questions over his participation in assorted USA sprint relay teams in the coming days.
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Letsile Tebogo: The 200m winner has taken his win in his stride and pointedly not gone overboard in his celebrations. His mother, Seratiwa, was a huge influence on his career and passed away in May. Tebogo is still trying to come to terms with that huge loss and had his mother’s date of birth embroidered in his spikes tonight.
Tebogo wins 200m gold ...
Track and field: Tebogo wins fairly easily, beating his chest and looking to his left and right as he crossed the line. Kenny Bednarek was on Tebogo’s shoulder all the way down the home straight but ended up being well beaten.
Noah Lyles was never in contention and finished a distant third. There is talk he may have been feeling poorly but on the BBC coverage, Michael Johnson says he’s not sure if Lyles had a 19.46sec race in him whatever the state of his health.
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Letsile Tebogo wins the men's 200m!
Track and field: The sprinter from Botswana beats Kenny Bednarek into second place in a time of 19.46sec. Noah Lyles has to settle for third.
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Men’s 200m: The race is almost upon us and the eight finalists are currently being introduced to the crowd. Noah Lyles (USA) is the hot favourite to double up after winning gold in the 100m but could face stiff competition from his compatriot Kenny Bednarek, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo or one of the less fancied runners. Not long now …
Basketball: Germany had every opportunity to knock out France and their 7ft 4in star Victor Wembanyama in the men’s semifinals. They led 12-2 early. The defense kept them in the game when the offense went cold in the second quarter, and they reached halftime tied 33-33.
France pushed ahead, and with 6:51 left, the score was 66-53. But Germany made things very difficult for France’s NBA stars down the stretch, and the lead was 69-65 with 1:01 remaining.
It all came down to an unfortunate slip. With France clinging to a 70-68 lead, Franz Wagner had his hands on a rebound. But he didn’t have his feet under him, and he tumbled, spilling the ball out of play. France hit just enough free throws after that for a 73-69 win.
Good luck to the team who faces France in the final -- Bercy Arena was rocking throughout this game and should be a tough place for either the USA or Serbia to walk out with gold.
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Women’s heptathlon after three events
Nafissatou Thiam (Bel) 3,070 points
Katarina Johnson-Thompson (BBR) -50
Anna Hall (USA) -105
Noor Vidts (Bel) -113
Sofie Doktoer (Ned) -184
Taekwondo: Bradly Sinden has been forced to pull out of his 68kg bronze medal fight with a knee injury. The 25-year-old from Doncaster felt a niggle in his ACL during his most recent bout earlier today and does not want to risk doing any further damage to his knee.
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Track cycling: Following a deciding race with argy-bargy from both riders, Jack Carlin has been given a warning but has gone through to the men’s individual sprint semi-finals at the expense of Japan’s Kaiya Ota. He’ll have to face the world record holder and three-time Olympic gold medallist, Harrie Lavreysen from the Netherlands, in the semi-final.
France win the men’s omnium
Track cycling: Benjamin Thomas is a very popular winner of the omnium and beats world champion Iuri Leitao, from Portugal, into second place. Belgium’s Fabio van den Bossche takes the bronze medal.
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Track cycling: We’re in the closing stages of the men’s omnium points race and unfortunately Team GB’s Ethan Hayter is not in medal contention and home favourite Benjamin Thomas is about to win gold.
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Women’s long jump
The 12 competitors for tonight’s final are being introduced and there is no British representation. Germany’s Malaika Mihambo and Team USA’s Tara Davis-Wood hall are the favourites for this competition and the only two competitors who have jumped longer than seven metres this season.
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Women’s 1,500m: Team GB’s Georgia Bell and Laura Muir have both qualified from their semi-final but Revee Walcott-Nolan wasn’t good enough in her’s. Despite running a personal best time of 3min 58.o8sec, the 29-year-old from Luton could only finish ninth in the second semi and will not be in the final.
Finucane: "A 'pinch me' moment"
Track cycling: “Going up in that final and scraping through the semi, I knew I had to find something in my legs that I hadn’t seen before,” says Emma Finucane in an interview with the BBC after winning bronze in the women’s keirin.
“Ellesse [Andrews] is world champion, she has demonstrated today that she is so strong. All of the other girls in that final, we’re the strongest girls in the world that’s why we are in the Olympic final. And to even be there next to one of my best friends Katie [Marchant] was such a ‘pinch me’ moment.
“To get a bronze medal, it literally feels like gold to me because I left everything out there on the track. If you told me a year ago I’d be coming to the Olympics and getting a gold in track sprint and then bronze in keirin, I would’ve been like ‘no way’ but here I am.”
And breathe.
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Women’s heptathlon: The shot put is under way at the Stade de France. It’s not Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s favourite event by any stretch of the imagination but she throws a decent effort of 13.38m with her first effort. Here’s your top five in the heptathlon after two events …
Top five after two events
Johnson-Thompson (GBR) 2,197
Thiem (Bel) 2,1773
Hall (USA) 2,164
Vidts (Bel) 2,125
Dokter (Ned) 2,094
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Track cycling: The points race is underway and the riders have completed 10 of the 100 laps. For the uninitiated here are sprints for five, three, two and one points every 10 laps through the race and riders get double-points on the last sprint.
If a rider laps the field, they gain 20 points and if they are dropped from the field and lapped, they lose 20 points – all added or subtracted to everything they’ve earned throughout the four races. The rider with the most points at the finish wins the Omnium.
Track cycling: After three disciplines of the men’s omnium – the scratch, tempo and elimination races – Great Britain’s Ethan Hayter is in fifth place going into this evening’s final event, the points race. He’s just 18 points behind the event leader Fabio van de BOssche (Bel) and bang in the shake-up for a medal.
Track cycling: The Flying Scotsman Jack Carlin gets the better of his Japanese opponent, but could find himself in a bit of bother as he went off his sprinter’s line and may have impeded his opponent’s progress. Earlier in the race, Kaiya Ota had played fast and loose with his elbow again, so the judges have a lot of work to do.
Track cycling: Hamish Turnball is out of the men’s individual sprint, losing his best-of-three quarter-final encounter against Hoogland. He was well beaten by a vastly more experienced Dutchman.
Track cycling: Jack Carlin is no longer out of the men’s individual sprint and will have a decider against his Japanese opponent, Kaiya Ota, who has been relegated from one of his two victories for injudicious use of his elbows.
First up, however, there’s a decider between Team GB’s Hamish Turnball and the Netherlands’ Jeffrey Hoogland.
Track cycling: Having won gold in the women’s team sprint, Emma Finucane from Carmarthen secures her second medal of her first Olympic Games by taking bronze in the keirin. She’ll probably feel she could have done better but it’s a decent result for the 21-year-old.
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Andrews wins keirin gold; Finucane takes bronze
Track cycling: New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews leads from the front to take gold in the keirin, finding an extra bit of pace to keep her nose in front in the closing stages.
The Netherlands’ Hettie van de Wouw swoops late to beat Emma Finucane into third place, while Katy Marchant was never in contention for a medal and has to make do with fourth place.
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Track cycling: The women’s keirin final is next up and Great Britain have two riders among the six finalists duking it out for three medals: Emma Finucane and Katy Marchant.
Women’s keirin final
Emma Finucane (GB)
Katy Marchant (GB)
Emma Hinze (Germany)
Daniela Gaxiola-Gonzalez (Mex)
Hetty van de Wouw (Ned)
Ellesse Andrews (NZL)
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Track cycling: Team GB’s Jack Carlin has just been knocked out of the individual men’s sprint, losing in two straight races in his best-of-three quarter-final against to Japan’s Kaiya Ota. Hamish Turnball is Britain’s last remaining hope in the contest.
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Women’s heptathlon: This track and field event is also taking place today and concludes tomorrow in Paris. Katarina Johnson-Thompson is representing Team GB and leads after two events – the 100m hurdles and high jump, with two more to come tonight.
The 31-year-old from Liverpool is seeking the Olympic medal that has thus far eluded her and narrowly leads the defending champion, Nafissatou Thiam (Belgium). KJT is also joined in the field by her fellow Brit Jade O’Dowda, who currently sits in ninth place, and Ireland’s Kate O’Connor, who is 19th.
Tonight’s action: Here are some of the imminent highlights along with the times the events in question are scheduled to start at (all times are British Summer Time).
We have five different track and field finals this evening but a cursory inspection of the starting line-ups shows there is no British or Irish involvement in any of them.
Tonight’s highlights
Men’s hockey final: Germany v Netherlands (6pm)
Track cycling: Women’s keirin final (6pm)
Track cycling: Men’s omnium points race (6.30pm)
Track and field: Women’s 1,500m semi-finals (6.35pm)
Track and field: Women’s heptathlon shot put (6.35pm)
Track and field: Women’s long jump final (7pm)
Taekwondo: Men’s -68kg bronze medal fight (7.19pm)
Track and field: Men’s javelin final (7.25pm)
Track and field: Men’s 200m final (7.30pm)
Track and field: Women ‘s heptathlon 200m (7.55pm)
Track and final: Women’s 400m hurdles final (8.25pm)
Track and field: Men’s 110m final (8.45pm)
Good day, everyone. It’s already been a fairly exciting day’s action but there are still plenty of medals up for grabs this evening in Paris.
Right then, that’ll be all from me, with Barry Glendenning bringing the good times.
Men’s cycling: It’s victory for GB’s Ethan Hayter in the elimination race of the men’s omnium, pipping Italy’s Elia Viviani and France’s Benjamin Thomas. That takes Hayter to fifth in the overall standings, with just the points race to go in this event.
Men’s football: The carnage continue in the bronze match as Morocco make it 6-0 against Egypt, with Achraf Hakimi smacking a free-kick into the top left corner. Just a handful of minutes left in that one.
Korda bemoans 16th hole as Metraux leads in women's golf
Nelly Korda bemoaned a disastrous 16th hole as she fell six shots behind the leader Morgane Metraux at the halfway point of the women’s Olympic golf event at Le Golf National.
Korda, the world No 1 and 2021 gold medalist, was within touching distance of the lead before slipping to a quadruple bogey seven at the par three. Korda’s mood was further darkened with a bogey at the 17th. The American did birdie the last but hers was a 70 that promised to be so much better.
“I played 16 holes of really, really solid golf,” said Korda. “I was six under to that point. I just hit a really poor wedge shot and I was plugged in the bunker. Those bunkers are really firm and when I tried to be a little aggressive with, it my ball just shot to the back of the green. Just a series of unfortunate events happened in a row.”
Lydia Ko’s 67 moved her to within three of Metraux. Home favourite Céline Boutier struggled to a 76, 10 shots worse than day one.
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Women’s cycling: Team GB will have two representatives in the keirin final, with Katy Marchant finishing second in her semi-final heat. Marchant and Finucane will be up against Ellesse Andrews, Daniela Gaxiola, Hetty van de Wouw and Emma Hinze.
Women’s cycling: We’re underway in the women’s keirin semi-finals, and there’s a photo-finish for third-place in the first heat between Emma Finucane and Steffie van der Peet … and it’s GB’s Finucane who gets it to qualify for the final!
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Men’s cycling: Taking in the men’s sprint quarter-finals, which provides the thrill of a one-on-one contest. In the third heat is GB’s Hamish Turnbull against Jeffrey Hoogland of the Netherlands. Turnbull trails Hoogland with two laps to go, trying to find a gap to take over, and he manages to do it just as they close in on the finish line! It’s a best-of-three contest, so Turnbull needs one more win to advance to the semis.
More on Ellie Aldridge going where no one has gone before.
China back on top of medal table …. for now
China have reclaimed the top spot in the gold-medal tally with a monster day so far, taking their expected gold medals in diving and weightlifting along with a gold in canoe sprint, which wasn’t a major upset but was far from certain.
Meanwhile, the USA had a rough outcome on the sea at Marseille, where top-ranked sailor and five-time world champion Daniela Moroz made the four-way final in women’s kite but wound up out of the medals after being assessed a penalty in the last race.
The good news for the USA is on the wrestling mat, where Spencer Lee, Aaron Brooks and 2016 gold medalist Helen Maroulis have rolled to the semi-finals.
China is likely to get another weightlifting gold later today, but the USA will have the opportunity to move back into the lead on the track, with the men’s 200m, women’s 400m hurdles and men’s 110m hurdles on tap.
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Women’s cycling: Some good news for a couple of Team GB cyclists, with Emma Finucane and Katy Marchant finishing second and third respectively in their keirin quarter-final heats. The semis will be underway in just under 20 minutes.
Men’s football: Morocco look in a strong position to claim bronze, having taken a 2-0 lead against Egypt in the first half at the La Beaujoire Stadium through goals from Abde Ezzalzouli and Soufiane Rahimi.
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Men’s taekwondo: It’ll have to be a bronze-medal contest for Bradley Sinden after a 2-1 defeat to Zaid Kareem in the semi-finals of the 68kg event. Kareem will face Uzbekistan’s Ulugbek Rashitov in the final.
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Ellie Aldridge wins gold in women's kite final!
Another gold for Team GB, with Ellie Aldridge claiming victory in the women’s kite final! France’s Lauriane Nolot has silver. A reminder: this is an Olympic debut for this specific event, so Aldridge is a history-maker.
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Men’s taekwondo: Team GB’s Bradley Sinden is action in the semis of the 68kg event against Jordan’s Zaid Kareem. We’re heading to a decider after Kareem claims the second round 4-2. Sinden won the first 2-1. Here we go …
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Luo Shifang wins 59kg weightlifting gold!
China’s Luo Shifang, victorious in this event at the world championships last year, is now an Olympic champion, too. She sets a Games record of 241kg to finish top, with Canada’s Maude Charron claiming silver.
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The best grabs of the day. My personal favourite? India’s keeper, face on the floor, after securing bronze in the men’s hockey.
Thanks, Jim. Hello, all. Please keep me company with your thoughts, queries, advice on what I should be watching. Here’s another identity thief messaging in.
Just another non-Olympian George Mills emailing in. Friends and family have been keeping me abreast of my progress in the games!
Somewhat ironically I’m looking at running the Hackney Half next year (though surely in the bottom half).
Righto, that’s me done for today, thanks for your company and comments. The thrill-seeking Taha Hashim is settling into the live-blogging armchair with the women’s kitesurfing final about to get grooving. Over to you Taha!
This is a really good idea (and execution) for a piece by Elle Hunt:
“The goal is to win a medal and secure a place in history. So how do athletes cope when they are denied that dream by a tiny margin?”
Bruno Fratus, Brazilian swimmer, 35
Placed fourth in the 50m freestyle at London 2012. Won bronze at Tokyo 2020
“It was 15 years ago, but it feels like yesterday. I was so confident, so that fourth place threw me to a place of frustration and disappointment. Until I finally got my medal [eight years later], I felt like I was going through this really dark valley, trying to see the light.
Looking back, I don’t think I was overly confident in what I could achieve – I was just banking on something that doesn’t really get you the race. My training had been so painful, I thought there was no chance that anyone could have worked harder than I did – which is a little bit arrogant.
But that’s the thing about the Olympics: what’s the line between failure and success? For me, it was two-hundredths of a second. That’s why it’s so important that we’re talking about athletes’ mental health. I think if that conversation had been common 15 years ago, that fourth place wouldn’t have been so painful.
I’ve thought about quitting the sport many times, but after the disappointment of 2012, it was the opposite – I felt the urge to get back in the water the next day. It was just a matter of needing to get better, faster, stronger – to find ways of reaching the wall before everybody else.
For eight years, I was working towards this one goal. I learned to enjoy the process and have fun doing it, and not to focus on the outcome so much. My attitude towards the Olympics also became a little less romanticised. In London 2012, it had felt like: “I’m sure as hell supposed to be here.” In Tokyo 2020, it almost felt too big for me.
Winning the bronze felt like getting home after a long day at work, wearing tight shoes, and finally getting barefoot: it was the greatest feeling of relief ever. Fourth place at the Olympics is not a bad result, but the medal gave me peace of mind. It was almost like the universe aligned to give me permission to carry on with whatever else I wanted to do with my life.”
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Men’s Diving: Jordan Houlden speaks to the BBC after coming fifth in the men’s 3 metre diving final:
It’s a great achievement to finish fifth and to be in the finals as well - that’s what my main aim was - to be in the finals and I did it .
I came in here with just, guns blazing I got a little bit nervous, nerves kicked in and I got a bit edgy but I think I did alright with the nerves I had but yeah - great.
I know I can do a lot better in there, there are some dives I could have been a lot sharper, better, cleaner on the end as well and but I’m still going be happy with fifth. Fifth in the Olympics is not too bad.”
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This is excellent live-blog fodder courtesy of another George Mills:
“Hi James, as a non-Olympian George Mills I’ve had a funny few days as all of a sudden a lot of people have been coming up to me telling me about how someone with my name is running in the Olympics. Sadly my running prowess is limited and I’m a humble accountant from London.
I’d be interested to know if anyone else reading your live blog shares a name with an Olympian and is therefore dealing with lots of people asking them how their Olympics are going.”
Any petrol-station attendant Chris Hoy’s out there? Let’s be having ya.
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Men’s Diving: It’s all over in the Men’s 3 metre diving final. Our man Ewan Murray is poolside in the aquatic centre where it was a tough afternoon for Great Britain and a golden one for China.
Disappointment for the Team GB duo Jack Laugher and Jordan Houlden after they fell - pun intended - well short of the medals in the men’s 3m springboard. The gold medal quickly became a straight fight between China’s Siyi Xie and Zongyuan Wang. Only Mexico’s Osmar Olvera Ibarra threatened to gatecrash the party.
Xie edged out his compatriot for the top prize. Mexico took bronze. Holden finished fifth, there were no tears of Laugher for Jack... who finished seventh.
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Men’s Hockey: India claim bronze!
Spain took the lead at the blue-hued Yves-du-Manoir Stadium but India came back and pipped them. Harmanpreet Singh popped up to notch two penalty corner goals to secure India’s place on the podium.
Germany will take on the Netherlands in the gold medal ding-dong later this evening, a 6pm tap off in that one.
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Weightlifting:
“Could a caffeine-fueled 20-year-old from Georgia who doesn’t have a driver’s license and trains out of his family’s garage be at the fore of an American weightlifting resurgence? It might be too early to say, but there’s a smouldering optimism about the US camp which only grew on Wednesday when Hampton Morris became the first men’s lifter from the United States to win an Olympic medal in four decades by taking bronze in the men’s 61kg division.”
Only seven coffees? Pah – lightweight. I’m on my third cafetière of the day after being rudely awoken by a toddler at 5am… *oh yep just remembered* I can barely lift an earthenware mug. As you were.
Team GB's Bradly Sinden through to Taekwando semi-final!
It was a closely fought thing, (forgive me…is all that I can say) after he lost the second round 11-9 to Marko Golubic of Croatia but Sinden took the decider and the man from Doncaster is now just win away from a guaranteed silver medal.
Not a bad spot for it either:
Stunning venue 😍 #taekwondo #olympics #grandpalais pic.twitter.com/4tq0xPa6fi
— Isa Guha (@isaguha) August 8, 2024
Women’s Shot put: Bad news for Team USA. Beau Dure has the story:
In one of the biggest shocks to Team USA so far in the Stade de France, two-time world shot put champion Chase Jackson has failed to qualify for the final.
Jackson didn’t qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, falling short in the ever-difficult US trials after a bout with Covid. This year, she has the fourth-best throw in the world at 20.10 meters. She would have advanced to the final with a throw of 18.17 meters, but after fouling twice, she only managed 17.60.”
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Drama! Accreditation shenanigans and Taxi rank squabbles. Ewan Murray has the scoop:
More drama has emerged from the Indian wrestling community in Paris after the sister of one of their competitors was detained by police for attempting to enter the athletes’ village with her sibling’s accreditation. The same wrestler had to deny speculation her coaches got into a serious dispute with a Parisian taxi driver.”
“How funny were that sketch earlier? Up near that Taxi rank? Oh no you would have missed it think it was when you went to the bank to the Olympic village using your sister’s accreditation”
Taekwondo: Men’s 68kg quarter-final Eeeesht. I think Croatia’s Marko Golubic just dislocated his finger during his bout with GB’s Bradly Sinden… and his coach just nonchalantly popped it back in and patted him on the back. “Off you go”.
It’s enough to put you off your afternoon packet of Jaffa Cakes. Thank the high heaven I’m not on the Cadbury’s chocolate fingers. That was hardcore.
Sinden starts well, taking the first round 8-6.
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Golf: Women’s Round Two
Our US colleague and live-blogger supremo Beau Dure sends this update from the Parisian links:
French golfer Céline Boutier held a three-shot lead after the first round and had a solid front nine in the second round at 1 under. Then it all unraveled. Double bogey on 13, bogey on 14, double bogey on 15.
If she had played those three holes at par, she’d still be in the lead. Instead, she’s five shots back. I’m obliged by the rules of my alma mater to note that she played college golf at Duke.
In other news, they finally have enough wind in Marseille to hold the medal races in kite sailing, which is wild stuff.”
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Diving: Men’s 3m Final: “Noooooo” groans Leon Taylor on the BBC commentary as Jack Laugher fluffs his third dive and sends up an almighty splash upon entering the pool. The camera pans to his friends and family in the crowd and they heave their heads in their hands. It was a bad dive, the pressure telling in this final, the judges score it with… a 35.70. Cripes. That could well be curtains for Laugher’s medal hopes.
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Taekwondo: Men’s 68kg quarter-final
Team GB’s Bradly Sinden is just about to duke it out with Croatia’s Marko Golubic for a spot in the Taekwondo semi-finals. Will be keeping an eye on it but there is drama unfolding in the diving pool…
Diving: Men’s 3m Final: China’s Wang Zongyuan nails his second round dive and scores a towering 91.00 from the judges!
He overtakes his team-mate Xie Siyi to go top of the standings, Siyi is now in bronze position with Mexico’s Osmar Olvera in silver.
Jack Laugher is currently in fourth place, seven points off the medals. Three rounds to go!
Diving: Men’s 3m Final: Huge cheers as the majority French crowd cheer their man Jules Bouyer on. A hush as he starts his bounce on the board… and an explosion of noise as he pulls of a beauty of a dive and enters the water with barely a splash!
Team GB’s Jack Laugher is up next and he improves on his first round, no edge of the board drama this time and a decent execution on a high level of difficulty. He scores an 84 and goes up to second position, for the time being.
Thanks Geoffles. I’m trained on the aquatic centre and the final of the men’s 3m diving. Can I just tell you something – I love watching the diving. As someone who can barely jump in from the side of a pool without ‘issues’ it boggles my mind. The commentary on the BBC is always fantastic too.
They’ve just finished the first round and the two Chinese divers have immediately headed to the top of the standings. Xie Siyi is in the gold medal position with a score of 86.70 and fellow countryman Wang Zongyuan is in second on 81.60.
For Team GB, Jordan Houlden is tied for fourth on 76.50, with Jack Laugher jumping slightly skewiff off the corner of the board to finish round one in joint sixth position - on 74.80.
Alright, I’m out of here. Spain up 10-5 in the water polo semi. The men’s 3m diving final is about to start. Enjoy your time with Jimmy Wallace.
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Hockey: India are back in it! Harmanpreet Singh has scored twice in three minutes, once to end the second quarter and once to start the third. Both penalty corners. Does anyone score in hockey in any other way? A couple of other penalties have been saved each way. Spain now need to respond to challenge for bronze.
“I might have missed it in the liveblog – did you or whoever was on earlier see that two-time gold medallist and media favourite Jade Jones lost her first bout?”
I did not see this, Beau Dure. There were about 500 taekwondo matches earlier that were beyond my ken to summarise. You can find the results in here, though.
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“Fitting that Germany wins the Men’s K4 blue riband gold medal,” writes in Jeremy Boyce. “In much the same way that it was the British who invented competition skiing, it was the Germans, in the 20s and 30s, who first popularised the sport of canoeing as a leisure pursuit, rather than being a functional activity, for making necessary journeys, hunting, fishing. My friend Volker’s dad was still eskimo rolling into his 80s.”
Volker’s Dad is a good band name.
Golf: Some more context on Morgane Metraux’s card – she shot two under in her first round, with four birdies and two bogeys, then a much more dramatic second round: three bogeys, but also two eagles and five birdies. Hence the six under. I think that adds up? Golf is not my sport and never will be.
Yin and Korda have gone to 5 under with birdies on the 11th, by the by.
Some more context on that Italian sailing gold from earlier, with a British medal hope dashed by officials.
Golf: Second round of four in the women’s comp today, a few golfers have finished up but most are still out there. Morgane Metraux is the clubhouse leader at 6 under, the Swiss finished up on 66 for the round and is done. Lydia Ko for New Zealand is 6 under and currently playing her 16th hole.
Nelly Korda and Yin Ruoning (USA and China) on 4 under while playing the 10th of their second round, nobody else is better than three under, including several who have finished their round.
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Water polo: The women’s semi-final is starting, between Netherlands and Spain, who are leading it early 1-0.
Australia and the USA women play the second semi at 18:35 Paris time. The American men beat Australia a day or two ago for a semi-final spot, so there’s a score to settle.
Hockey: Spain into the lead against India, Marc Miralles scores from a penalty corner after 18 minutes. India have had a player come off after being struck in the head with the ball as an attacking cross came in, which was nasty.
For the KJT enthusiasts, here’s more detail from Alexandra Topping on site.
“Katerina Johnson-Thompson has started brilliantly in this heptathlon, and has gone into first place after the first two events here at the Stade de France.
The reigning world champion, who was not fully fit coming into these games because of a persistent tendonitis problem, pulled out a season’s best of 13.40 seconds in the first event, the 100m hurdles.
It wasn’t looking great in the high jump, but an effort of 1.92 metres, again her best of the year, put her in pole position. After the first two events Johnson-Thompson leads with 2197 points after two events, with her Belgian rival Nafi Thiam on 2173. There is still the shot put and the 200m to come tonight, with the long jump, javelin and 800m coming tomorrow.
The increasingly tense high jump competition showed what this event is all about, as KJT and Thiam, 29, battled it out for the highest jump. Thiam looked in great form, sailing over each height perfectly until 1.95 metres, at which point she failed her three attempts.
Johnson-Thompson, 31, looked less assured, needing a couple of attempts to clear the bar at 1.86, 1.89 and 1.92. After sailing over on her third attempt at the latter she hit the mat repeatedly with her hands. At 1.95 she pulled out of her first attempt before knocking off the bar on the next two.
American Anna Hall is the young challenger coming into this event. The 23-year-old was left in third place after the first two events, after a weak hurdles race, usually one of her strengths. A season’s best jump of 1.89 metres in the high jump put her up to third place overall with 2164.
Johnson-Thompson’s team-mate Jade O’Dowda is currently in ninth after hitting a ceiling at 1.80 metres in the high jump. She has 2024 points.”
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Hockey: The bronze medal men’s game has begun, with India versus Spain. No score.
The gold game between Netherlands and Germany is 18:00 local time today. Five hours from now.
Germany pip Australia in the K4
Canoe sprint: What a microscopic margin! Four hundredths of a second between gold and silver after the Aussie men surged at the end.
Spain goes out hardest at the start, tries to do what New Zealand did in the women’s race, but can’t quite hold on. Germany push up past them after the halfway mark, then Australia from a fair way back in third come up to challenge the Germans. They go bow by bow through the final stages, but it never looked like Australia quite headed them. The Germans hold it by a fraction at the close.
Max Rendschmidt, Max Lemke, Jacob Schopf and Tom Liebscher-Lucz will top the podium ahead of Riley Fitzsimmons, Pierre van der Westhuyzen, Jackson Collins and Noah Havard.
Canoe sprint: A false start in the men’s K4 500 metres. Annoying Schoolteacher Award goes to the race official who keeps yelling into a bullhorn, “Gentlemen, return to the start line. Paddlers, come around to the start line.”
Dude, they know. They’ve done this before. Shut it.
Rhythmic gymnastics: We take a break there after two rotations, with 90 minutes or so until the other two take place.
Sofia Raffaeli is currently in the lead for Italy, ahead of Boryana Kaleyn for Bulgaria and Taisiia Onofriichuk of Ukraine.
New Zealand gold in the K4!
Canoe sprint: New Zealand boss that race from start to finish. They go out hard and put a big lead on the opposition from the start. The Germans choose to let that happen and then attack in the second half of the course. It looks like Germany will catch them but then the Kiwis find something in reserve, and pull away in the final stretch, finishing perhaps a metre clear in the end.
A sixth Olympic gold and a seventh Olympic medal for Lisa Carrington, who was up front in this boat, leading Alicia Hoskin, Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan.
“Thanks girls, well done,” one of them shouts in low-key Kiwi fashion to one of the departing teams as they disembark.
Germany silver, Hungary bronze. The Australians bombed out and finished dead last by almost a second.
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Canoe sprint: The women’s K4 final is coming up. Norway, China, Spain, Germany, NZ, Hungary, Poland, Australia, with Beere, Bull, Clarke and Steinepreis who won their semi convincingly.
Sailing: The kite semi-finals have been delayed due to bad weather at Marseille, for all you kite freaks out there. Don’t lie, we know about you.
Canoe sprint: China win the men’s double 500 metres race by a distance, with Liu and Ji finishing two seconds behind their Olympic record that they set two days ago, but most of two seconds ahead of Italy. Spain just claim the bronze, though they don’t know until a couple of minutes later when the close finish is formalised. Fourth are the unaffiliated Russians.
Romania, France, Kazakhstan won the B final earlier, which despite a lot of attempted research I still can’t figure out the point of. Feel free to let me know.
Rhythmic gymnastics: Well, we’ve seen Brazil make an impact on artistic gymnastics in the last two Olympics via Rebeca Andrade, who won gold in the vault in Tokyo and another beating Simone Biles on floor this year.
Might be an influence in rhythmic as well, with Barbara Domingos pulling up the third-best score of qualifying with her hoop routine. It’s a lot of fun: Lion King themed in the music, and she has a lion’s face stitched into her green leotard and is channelling that through her dance moves. That’s a good time.
Sailing: Gold for Italy in the mixed multihull race, ahead of Argentina and New Zealand.
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Gold for Indonesia in the speed climbing!
There has been a strong Indonesian presence at this event, and Veddriq Leonardo clinches it with a gold medal in a brilliant men’s final. Two hundredths of a second separate him Wu Peng of China, 4.77 to 4.75.
They’ve both clocked career best times in a head-to-head gold medal match. And in a lovely moment once they reach the ground, Wu Peng beams at his opponent and embraces him with sincerity.
It will leave mixed feelings for Sam Watson of the USA, who set a new world record a few minutes earlier… while winning bronze.
He already had the world record of 4.79 before today. He climbed a 5.03 to win his quarter-final, then lost his semi in 4.93.
Only to somehow, climbing for bronze, pull out a 4.74 to win, in a faster time than silver or gold.
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Heptathlon: The shot put will be tonight at about 18:30 local time, if you’re wondering.
Heptathlon: Thiam and Johnson-Thompson both top out at 1.92, with three fails at 1.95.
Jade O’Dowda was sixth for GB on 1.80 after the Belgian Noor Vidts plus Dokter and Hall.
Johnson-Thompson leading the overall standings from Thiam, Hall, and Vidts after the hurdles and the high jump.
Still the shotput, 200 metres, long jump and javelin to go.
Rhythmic gymnastics: Time to once again put this on the record: this sport must be the one that people hang shit on the most often, either this or synchronised swimming.
But it doesn’t deserve that at all.
A real mystery why people say “not a real sport” about something that only women compete in, and something that has a style element. Wonder why that could be…
But athletically it’s extraordinary. The level of co-ordination to control not just your own movement but the apparatus as well. We lose our minds when some footballer volleys the ball to themselves, but they don’t do it with a 10-metre elevation while doing a couple of back handsprings.
Anyways, been watching some of the all-around qualification this morning, where gymnasts take a turn at all four apparatus – clubs, hoop, ribbon, ball. Exceptional skill on display as usual.
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Heptathlon: Johnson-Thompson jumps 1.92! On her third and final attempt, she pulls it out and the crowd goes nuts.
Anna Hall bumps off the bar on her third attempt.
Then there were two. And they’ll attempt 1.95.
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Gold in the sailing for Austria
No, that’s not a typo, it’s not supposed to say Australia. A landlocked country has won the mixed dinghy medal race ahead of famously maritime nations Japan and Sweden.
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Heptathlon: Drama in the high jump! Sofie Dokter withdraws after two failed attempts at 1.89.
Hall and Johnson-Thompson both clear it to catch up with Nafissatou Thiam.
So Thiam gears up again and jumps a 1.92.
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Some more from the field, as in the one next to the track.
Heptathlon: Interesting results in the high jump section. A lot of competitors have bombed out at 1.74, Australia’s Tori West a jot lower at 1.71.
But four have gone on to 1.86: Sofie Dokter, Anna Hall, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, and Nafissatou Thiam. The latter has now cleared 1.89, and the others are trying to catch up.
So that top group is the order above is Netherlands, USA, GB, with Belgium leading.
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A much-asked question answered: about those who finish fourth.
And from the men’s 100m relay heats: “Oooooo that was close for the Team GB men. It was a photo finish, but GB sneaked into the third spot and will automatically qualify for the final tonight.”
Women’s 100m relay: The latest from Alexandra Topping.
“Team GB’s women have smashed their heat of the 100m relay, coming in pole position with 42.03 (the World and Olympic record belongs to the USA, who ran it in 40.82 at London 2012). Big smiles from Bianca Williams, Imani Lansiquot, Amy Hunt and Desiree Henry. Huge wall of noise here for the French team who finish the heat in second place.”
Diving: Qualification for the women’s 3 metre springboard final is done. The dozen going through include a couple of British hopes and the Australian Maddison Keeney who finished second.
Chen Yiwen, China
Maddison Keeney, Australia
Chiara Pellacani, Italy
Chang Yani, China
Alejandra Estudillo Torres, Mexico
Julia Vincent, South Africa
Grace Reid, Great Britain
Nur Dhabita Sabri, Malaysia
Saskia Oettinghaus, Germany
Valeria Antolino, Spain
Emilia Nillson Garip, Sweden
Yasmin Harper, Great Britain
Table tennis: China have swept France 3-0 to go into the final of the men’s team event, up against Sweden. France will play Japan for bronze.
Canoe sprint: It’s a cruel qualification process in the men’s K4: five entrants in the semi, four of them will go through. So you’re competing to not come last, and only last place gets knocked out.
That’s Canada in semi one, and Denmark in semi two.
Australia qualify first in the first semi, and set a new Olympic record in the process. 1:19:22, two seconds outside the world record but they eased up when they had the race won.
Germany win semi two. The other qualifiers are Hungary, Lithuania, New Zealand, Serbia, Spain and Ukraine.
Lead climbing: So McNeice for GB and Mackenzie for Australia go through, 7th and 6th respectively, ahead of South Korea’s Seo. Then from fifth up, Bertone for France, Mori for Japan, Raboutou for USA, Pilz for Australia, Garnbret who topped both boulder and lead points to finish top by nearly 40 points. She’s totalled 195.7 compared to Pilz with 156.9. Talk about dominance.
There are your finalists. The final is on Saturday.
Lead climbing: Last, we have the best of the best. Janja Garnbret, who won gold for Slovenia in the three-part combined event in Tokyo in an incredible performance.
She’s such a presence on the wall, taller and more powerful than some of the wiry climbers. You can see the muscles rippling across her shoulders as she works across the sideways section near 45 points, then through the 60 with no problem at all, fingertipping a hold of her entire weight.
Right to the top, gets her hand into the 100 point hold but doesn’t quite hang on! Falls there as Mori Ai did, but what a route.
Lead climbing: Two climbers to go, and Mori Ai nearly gets a perfect 100 on the lead wall! Just falls going for the final hold. What a run from the diminutive Japanese climber. At one transition she swung her whole body weight out in almost a scorpion kick, then used the momentum to shift to the next hold.
Lead climbing: Incredible climb from Jessica Pilz, the Austrian climber who was prominent in Tokyo and also won the combined world champs in 2021. She very nearly clocks the whole wall, ending with an 88.1 in lead alone, and naturally shoots to the top of the rankings.
Brooke Raboutou for the USA gets a 72.1, up into that final patch of yellow holds near the top. She’s second now.
Two climbers to go.
Canoe sprint: Australia’s women go through to the final in the K4 500 metres – that’s four paddlers in a kayak.
Ella Beere, Aly Bull, Alexandra Clarke and Yale Steinepreis burn through their semi to win it comfortably from Norway after leading the whole race.
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Alexandra Topping is at the athletics.
“There is an amazing atmosphere here at the Stade de France, where we have a brilliant day of track and field ahead. Including - for my money - its best event: the heptathlon!
I’ll be following Liverpool’s favourite daughter Katarina Johnson-Thompson over the next two days as she attempts to achieve her Olympic potential - she finished 14th at her debut Olympics in 2012, came sixth in 2016 and failed to finish in 2020 because of injury.
The 31-year-old, who has once again struggled with injury in the lead up to the Games, is not the favourite, but she’s an athlete of huge talent and in the next 48 hours, British fans will hope she will be in the running.
After becoming world heptathlon champion again in Budapest last year, she pulled out of the European championships heptathlon at the start of June after only three events. She missed a fortnight of training and had a number of injections in her achilles.
We’ve finished the 100m hurdles, and we’re deep into the high jump - at this stage there is a lot of moving up and down the ranks so there is not much point looking at the leaders in the field this early on. Following the heptathlon requires quite a lot of board watching as every event - basically how fast you are, how high you jump, how far you throw - is translated into points. And points make prizes (sorry).
The Belgian Nafissatou (Nafi) Thiam, 29, is the one to beat here. She only came 5th in her heat with a time of 13.56 (she’s quite tall, which isn’t an advantage in the hurdles). But Thiam really dominates in the field events and she’s also strong at the 800m - she’s the ultimate all-rounder, which, of course, is what this event is all about. Emma Oosterwegel from the Netherlands came first in this one.
The youngster Anna Hall, 23, from Team USA is also among those to watch in the heptathlon - in the third heat she came only 6th but with a decent time of 13.36.”
Lead climbing: Nonaka Miho of Japan, taking on the wall with her hair full of coloured streaks, falls a couple of moves short of McNeice, ending in fifth spot. She’ll have to rely on other results if she’s going to qualify. Remember the top eight go through to the final.
Lead climbing: Home-town hope Oriane Bertone goes to the top of the rankings with a strong climb, though she falls like so many approaching that 60-point transition. Her huge bouldering score is enough to go to the final though. Erin McNeice for GB is third – she’ll go through if one more climber falls, or be knocked out if they all pass her combined score of 123.7.
Lead climbing: A barnstorming climb for Seo Chaehyun of South Korea, who gets across the 60-point section transition that has seen a lot of athletes fall. They basically have to jump at that point to catch another hold, and it’s extremely hard. She does it, notches 72 for the lead, and into third spot.
There are still seven climbers to go, which means Mackenzie has qualified for Australia. The final seven could qualify, or if they fall, could send another of the current top eight through.
Lead climbing: These are the women’s semi-finals, by the by. Molly Thompson-Smith for Team GB just put up a really strong lead climb, finally stacking it at 57 points, but she had a very low boulder score so she’s well back in the pack.
On the other hand, Oceania Mackenzie for Australia attacks the wall confidently but falls with a 45.1, but in her case that’s enough to take the lead because of her excellent boulder score of 79.6, she just about topped that discipline.
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Thanks Wal. For me, the timing is perfect, because we’re into one of my very favourite Olympic disciplines, the lead climbing.
If you haven’t been watching so far, the Tokyo Olympics had all three climbing disciplines combined. This time they have split speed climbing off on its own, which is a straight race up a wall. They’ve left combined the bouldering, which is about technical moves on obstacles low to the ground, and the lead, which is way more awesome.
You have one massive wall of different holds, with different possible ways to tackle them, and each climber gets one shot at it, on their own, roped for safety, and they get points for each marker they pass on the way up the wall. They have six minutes to take their time over the route, and there are no second chances. It’s gripping, literally.
The Women’s 10km marathon sprint swim was an amazingly gruelling watch this morning, imagine what it was like to actually do. Tip of the swimming cap and twist of the nose peg to all the competitors.
With Geoff Lemon’s arrival my stint for now is done, lots going on, over to you Geoff!
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Women’s Heptathlon 100m hurdles:
Heat three is a scorcher, the fastest of the trio we’ve seen this morning. Annik Kaelin of Switzerland looked mightily impressive, finishing with a personal best time of 12.87 seconds, she sits top of the table overall after round one.
USA’s Taliyah Brooks is second in 13.00 seconds flat and Belgium’s Noor Vidts third in 13.10 seconds. Anna Hall, the current World number one finished in sixth place in 13.36 seconds.
There’s not a lot to split them after the hurdles – Johnson-Thompson is currently in 79 points off the lead in eighth position. There’ll be lots of to-ing and fro-ing in the standings over the next six events.
Women’s Heptathlon Events Today:
10:05: High jump
18:35: Shot put
19:35: 200m
Then tomorrow things head towards a climax, the 800 metres always a magnificent spectacle to close it out.
09:05: Long jump
10:20: Javelin throw A
11:30: Javelin throw B
19:15: 800m
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Diving: women’s 3m springboard semi-final: Just before we bring you the results of the third heat of the Heptathlon hurdles there’s been a bit of a, erm, twist in the women’s 3 metre springboard final with China’s Chang Yani – one of the synchro gold medalists – placing way down in 17th after the first round of dives.
Team GB’s Yasmin Harper and Grace Reid have had more solid first rounds but will have to improve to threaten the podium positions, they sit in 8th and 13th respectively. Four more rounds to go.
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This is a fascinating read from Sean Ingle on artistic swimming – the sport previously known as synchronised swimming:
Great Britain has never won an Olympic medal in artistic swimming – the sport previously known as synchronised swimming. But Kate Shortman, 22, and Izzy Thorpe, 23, are intent on making history – and defying glib misconceptions – in Paris.This year they won Britain’s first world championship medals in the sport. And while artistic swimming may seem graceful and effortless, making it look easy is far from simple. The pair spend at least 40 hours a week working on their swimming, gymnastics, flexibility, yoga and routines – as well as lifting weights.
As they spend much of their three minute routine under water, the pair also do apnoea – or breathwork – training and can hold their breath for three minutes and 30 seconds.
“I can’t stress how hard the sport is,” says Shortman. “Because it’s so glamorous and we put on costumes, it’s a distraction from how hard it is. You have to be very athletic, very fit, flexible and strong. It encompasses everything really. And, just to say, the smile is fake.”
Thorpe adds: “We’re supposed to be smiling so you can’t see the pain.”
Women’s heptathlon 100m hurdles: Oh no! There’s a delay before the second heat in the heptathlon hurdles as Germany’s Sophie Weissenberg has injured herself in the warm up. It looks like she clipped a hurdle with her trailing leg, that looked extremely painful.
This does not look good for the German, she stays down for a long time and will not be able to take part. Will bring you more news on that as it comes through but that could well be her competition over before it has started. What heartbreak, stuff of nightmares for the number nine ranked competitor.
The gun goes on heat two with a sombre mood in the air. Netherlands’ Emma Oosterwegel takes first place with 13.41 seconds with Germany’s Carolin Schaeffer in second. Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium – the defending champion – crossed the line fifth in 13.56 seconds.
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Women’s heptathlon 100m hurdles: Strong run from Johnson-Thompson as she crosses the line second with a season’s best of 13.40 seconds, Poland’s Adriana Sulek-Schubert took first place in 13.32 seconds.
Team GB’s Jade O’Dowda was third, also chalking up a season’s best of 13.53 seconds and Ireland’s Kate O’Connor came seventh in 14.08 seconds.
Colin Jackson on the TV commentary is pleased with what he saw from KJT:
You want to have a real confident start to these seven events. It takes a solid seven events to get that medal. Katarina Johnson-Thompson will be happy with a season’s best. It always helps when you arrive and achieve something you haven’t so far this season. A great start.”
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Ok, here we go with KJT at the start of the Women’s Heptathlon.
It’s the 100 metre hurdles first up and Team GB’s Jade O’Dowda is running in heat one alongside her, so too Ireland’s Kate O’Connor.
Jess Ennis in the BBC studio is sounding confident:
“I think Katarina is looking good. She had a fantastic year last year, becoming world champion for the second time.
She has got some great speed and is very good over the hurdles. It will be a good indication after the hurdles as to how her last few weeks have gone, going into the Olympic Games.”
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Before our attention firmly turns to Katarina Johnson-Thompson getting underway in the heptathlon just after 9am let’s catch up with the women’s Basketball quarter final where the USA are 88-74 to the good against Nigeria but they aren’t having it all their own way in the final quarter and have looked a bit ragged in places. It’s a spirited performance from Nigeria, they are the first African team to reach this stage of the competition in the Olympics, they go down eventually with the klaxon sounding the end of the match.
That’s the second Olympic gold in this event for Sharon van Rouwendaal after she won at Rio in 2016.
Play it loud for Sharon’s everywhere.
‘Everytime the sun comes up she’s winning medals’
Shout out to Team GB’s Leah Crisp who finished 20th.
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Van Rouwendaal wins women’s 10km marathon sprint swim
GOLD for Sharon van Rouwendaal! She made the decisive move after two hours of battling the brutal current and brown waters of the Seine and it paid off in spades. She slaps the finish line with gusto and lets out a roar/exhausted sigh.
Spare a thought for Australia’s Moesha Johnson who led all of the way apart from those crucial final metres. It’s silver for her and bronze for Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci!
I’m exhausted after just watching from my sofa. Time for some (well deserved? pah!) ochre hued liquid of my own in the form of a strong coffee. What a race!
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Sharon van Rouwendaal takes the lead with a hundred metres to go! The Dutch swimmer has been biding her time and pounces at the last! They’ve been at it for over two hours!
Safe to say the words ‘Marathon Sprint’ fill me with a particular kind of dread. This Women’s 10km marathon sprint swim has been a gruelling watch, the tide is so strong that they are basically swimming on the spot and there’s just two seconds separating the leading three women, everything is going to hinge on the final turn!
The camera zooms in on one of the competitors ripping the top off a protein pouch without breaking stroke and downing the contents. The sun is beating down on the brown waters of the Seine and the crowd lining the banks are cheering them home…
Australia’s Moesha Johnson is still in the lead, The Netherlands’ Sharon van Rouwendaal and Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci are right on her shoulder with a couple of hundred metres to go!
Put a gap in ‘em now Moesha!! #Paris2024
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) August 8, 2024
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Thanks Angus and hello everyone. Plenty going on already in a particularly golden looking Paris this morning. We’ve got less than an hour before Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson gets underway in the Heptathlon, with the 100 metre hurdles, high jump and shot put taking place today.
KJT has experienced more than her fair share of Olympic heartbreak in the past decade and will be desperate to bring a medal home this time around.
Let’s hope she’s had her Weetabix pancakes or eggs benedict this morning…
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We have entered the final quarter of this women’s 10km marathon and the lead pack has broken away from the chasers. It’s still Moesha Johnson from Australian leading Sharon van Rouwendaal from the Netherlands and Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci in third. Those three are taking that tough turn for the uphill leg of this penultimate lap.
But here’s some drama! Johnson has collided with a tyre and again the uphill turn has chewed into the leader’s margin. What a finish we have ahead of us in this most gruelling of Olympic swim events. And to bring you home and bring you up to speed on the women’s golf and taekwondo just getting underway…. here’s James Wallace!
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Like van Rouwendaal – whom she currently leads by two body lengths – Moesha Johnson spearheads a new wave of Australian open water stars at the Paris Olympics.
Johnson won her way to Paris via the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, where the Gold Coast swimmer claimed fourth in a frantic finale. There Johnson surged into the lead in the final kilometre but was swamped by van Rouwendaal in the final metres. Can the 26-year-old Australian avenge that loss here in Paris?
As lap four draws to a close, Johnson is maintaining that two metre lead over her Dutch rival with Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci hanging tough in third. Despite being a two-hour race, in Tokyo the distance between gold and silver in the 10km was 0.9 of a second!
As predicted the uphill leg has eaten into Sharon van Rouwendaal’s lead and now a combination of luck, guile and daring at the turn has swept Australia’s Moesha Johnson to the front. Italy’s Ginevra Taddeucci must have caught the same current because she has moved into third place and Australia’s Chelsea Gubecka is cruising in fourth. Japanese swimmer Airi Ebina has suffered most at that turn and has slipped back to eighth, 15 seconds from the lead pack.
Our leader in the 10km marathon swim is Sharon van Rouwendaal, a legend of open swimming. The Dutch woman started as a short-form swimmer, cracking the Netherlands Olympic team in 2012. However a shoulder surgery at those Games hampered her efforts to make the finals in the 100m and 200m backstroke.
By redefining herself as a distance swimmer, the 30-year-old from Baarn did much better. At the 2016 Rio Games van Rouwendaal missed the finals of the 400m and so decided to withdraw from the 800m to focus on the 10km event. The decision paid off as conquered the turbulent Fort Copacabana to win gold in 1:56:32.1.
In that 2016 race, van Rouwendaal made her move at the 6km mark to streak away from the field. We are getting to that stage here in Paris and van Rouwendaal has reprised the tactic. She has opened up a handy lead on Johnson. That lead will condense when they turn for the uphill leg but as the swimmers breach the hour mark and refuel with their chosen gels, it’s the Dutch swimmer setting the pace.
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Catherine Ding has emailed me an intriguing line of inquiry:
Dear Angus, Nepo babies have got a lot of attention in the Guardian, usually accompanied by a sense of injustice and chastisement for a perceived lack of acknowledgement by the baby in question. However, that does not seem to apply to the Olympics. Leon Marchand, Jessica and Noemie Fox’s parentage are cited like evidence of their sporting pedigree. Is it just a matter of the relative hard work required in sport relative to the arts?
I’m not touching that one with a barge pole, Catherine. However, a barge pole would be handy in prising some of these marathon swimmers from being buffeted against the rough walls of the Seine. As the third lap gets underway the down-current leg finds Sharon van Rouwendaal still leading . However she now has two gold caps in her wake with Australians Moesha Johnson in second joined by compatriot Chelsea Gubecka who has surged to sit third. Japanese swimmer Airi Ebina has also made up ground to sit fourth.
There is now a 15-20m gap between this pack and the chasers but a long way to go.
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Here in the 10km marathon we’re at the half-hour mark and only into lap two. It’s the Dutch swimmer Sharon van Rouwendaal who has snatched the lead. Ginevra Taddeucci is second and Ana Marcela Cunha from Brazil has snuck up into third. Early leader Moesha Johnson is now in fourth.
Along with all the bacteria in the water, there is also blood. By hugging the rutted concrete walls of the Seine to offset the swirling currents, the athletes are sometimes tangling themselves in the weeds attached to the walls and slicing their knuckles, forearms and feet open.
Some might consider that bloodshed “sacrifice”, others call it “chum”. I just hope none of them flicked on this film to decompress last night…
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As the first lap of the women’s 10km marathon draws to a close, the pack has spread significantly in the 10km swim. That return leg ticked us over the 22 minuyte mark meaning it took 16 minutes compared to the SIX minutes of the “downhill” leg!
It’s Moesha Johnson in the gold cap leading with the Italian pair of Ginevra Taddeucci and Giulia Gabbrielleschi close behind and riding the Australian’s wake.
Australia are cheering on Chelsea Gubecka and Moesha Johnson in this gruelling 10km event but there are plenty of Aussies chasing glory on Day 13.
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Of course the bigger issue for competitors hasn’t been getting a serving of E.Coli with their broccoli or bumping into a “Seine Cigar” – it has been the turbulence of the currents which have proved unexpectedly powerful. These swimmers are swimming with the current but as they hit the first turn, the return leg will find them stroking against it.
This is when tactics come into play. Although most of these competitors are heading for the reed-fringed river’s edge and the walls of the Seine to nullify as much of the current as possible, the swirling undertow is already having an impact on the pack. It took about 6.5 minutes for the first leg but the race pace has now slowed noticably and swimmers are digging deep to essentially swim uphill.
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Time for some live Olympic action! The women’s 10km swim is about to splash down in the Seine. As has become the custom, Paris’s most controversial venue has endured a barrage of testing for water quality. But under sunny skies, organisers have confirmed that bacteria levels in the river are at a level that is considered safe for the athletes. And so the swimmers are on their marks and ready to paint the town brown…
The skateboarding events at these Games have features some of the youngest (and sweetest) athletes in competition. In this world of pimply prodigies, 51-year-old Andy Macdonald is a glorious anomaly. The “Rad Dad” and Team GB skater ruthlessly crushed a 12‑year‑old boy to qualify for these Games and provided endless entertainment iun competition despite missing the men’s park final yesterday.
As Barney Ronay says:
By the end, watching him work the crowd, beaming unstoppably, it was hard to avoid the sense he was representing another nation here. And that nation is the nation of 51-year-old men in cargo shorts.
When Gustave Eiffel began cobbling together the 2,500,000 rivets and 7,300 tonnes of iron required for Paris’s most famous landmark, he wanted it to embody
not only the art of the modern engineer, but also the century of Industry and Science in which we are living, and for which the way was prepared by the great scientific movement of the 18th-century and by the Revolution of 1789, to which this monument will be built as an expression of France’s gratitude.”
Hosting beach volleyball under the Eiffel Tower wasn’t on Gustave’s wishlist but the event has been a magnificent success. In tonight’s women’s semi-finals, the Brazilians will face Australian’s Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy – silver medalists at the Tokyo Games three years ago – while the Canadians take on Nina Brunner and Tanja Hüberli of Switzerland.
For the USA, the event hasn’t gone to plan…
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For every rise there’s a fall and these Olympics have given us plenty of spills amid the chills. One of the scariest came last night when Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, the world record holder in the 3000m steeplechase, suffered a terrible fall in the Olympic final.
Girma hit his head on the track after his knee clipped a barrier on the final lap. The crowd at the Olympic stadium held their breath as the Tokyo siulver-medallist then lay motionless before being put in a neck brace and taken off on a stretcher by medics.
Team GB’s Matt Hudson-Smith missed out on a 400m gold medal yesterday by just four-hundredths of a second. The bittersweet finish was magnified by the fact it would’ve been the first British gold in the men’s 400m since “the Flying Scotsman” Eric Liddell in 1924, a race made even more famous by its depiction in the 1981 classic Chariots of Fire.
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While it was a golden Day 12 for Australia, Team GB enjoyed a day of silver linings.
That victory was all the more special for the incredible odyssey endured by the Australia team’s coach Tim Decker who has overcome more than most to steer the cyclists in his charge to great heights on and off the track. Tim told Kieran Pender:
For me, coaching has always been about more than writing a program on a bit of paper. Coaching is the connection and belief you instil in your athletes. Coaching is not shying away from challenges, making a result happen that an athlete thought wasn’t possible.
One of the great boilovers of these Games came at the velodrome yesterday when the Australian men’s team pursuit pipped Team GB for gold in one of Olympic cycling’s greatest events. As Kieran Pender so vividly described, both teams traded millisecond-long leads in a high-speed, high-pain duel to the finish that ultimately delivered Australia’s first track cycling gold since 2012.
It is a race of extreme endurance, across 4,000 painful metres. It is a race where man and machine combine – with the aerodynamic benefits of equipment as closely scrutinised as individual training plans. It is a race where seconds are measured to the third decimal, to the single millisecond. And it is the race where, at long last, Australia are Olympic champions.
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One of the great things about Olympic Games is how they inspire fascinated spectators like you and I. Amidst all the gold medal-winning journalism and elite photography, the champions at The Crunch gift us amazing data visualisation about the Paris Games.
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Much is made of the athletic feats of competitors at these Paris Olympics. Not so much about the mental agility and psychological resilience required to scale such heights.
Jess Thom, the lead psychologist for Team Great Britain, told the Guardian’s Madeleine Finlay how she prepares her athletes for failure and success – and the challenges that arise when the games are over and they have to return to normal life.
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Simon Burnton reckons these are the other Day 13 highlights to look for…
Climbing
This is the last day with men and women in action. The women’s boulder and lead semi-final will be followed by the men’s speed final (the one event for each gender in Tokyo, combining all three disciplines, has since fissured into two). Since 2021 speed climbing has got a lot, well, speedier: the men’s world record has been broken 11 times since then, with Indonesia’s Veddriq Leonardo becoming the first person to go under five seconds last year and the USA’s Sam Watson bettering that mark twice on a single day in April.Track cycling
Two of the great velodrome events conclude today, with the quarter-finals, semis and final of the women’s keirin – where riders follow a speed-controlled electric bike for a few laps before launching a wild sprint for the line – breaking up the four events of the men’s omnium, each of greater drama than the last, concluding with the brilliant, chaotic, bewildering and wonderful points race. The schedule is reversed, with men’s keirin and women’s omnium (plus the women’s sprint finals), on Sunday.Athletics: women’s 400m hurdles
The anticipated showdown between Femke Bol of the Netherlands and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the USA, the two fastest women of all time over this distance, could be one of the highlights of this year’s athletics competition. The American spent 2023 focusing on the flat and returned to the hurdles in Atlanta in May with the fastest time of the year so far, a mark that Bol beat 12 days later. Bol has also impressed on the flat in the last couple of years, breaking the world indoor record twice, but this is where they are best.
The medal tally shows 72 nations have stepped onto the podium at the Paris Games.
So what can we look forward to on Day 13?
Here are the medal events in play today (all times AEST)
15:30
🥇 Open Water Swimming Women’s 10km
🥇 Open Water SwimmingWomen’s 10km
20:54
🥇 Climbing Men’s Speed Small Final
20:57
🥇 Climbing Men’s Speed Big Final
21:30
🥇 Canoe Sprint Men’s C2 500m Final A
🥇 Canoe SprintMen’s C2 500mFinal A
21:40
🥇 Canoe Sprint Women’s K4 500m Final A
21:50
🥇 Canoe Sprint Men’s K4 500m Final A
22:00
🥇 Hockey Men Bronze Medal Match: India v Spain
23:00
🥇 Diving Men’s 3m Springboard Final
🥇 Weightlifting Women’s 59kg
To be rescheduled – Sailing Mixed 470 Medal Race & Mixed Nacra 17 Medal Race
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the 13th official day of competition at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
If Day 11 belonged to the USA, with Gabby Thomas and Cole Hocker excelling on the track and Amit Elor winning on the mat, then Day 12 was all Australia. The wizards from Oz surged to 18 gold on the back of a new record for most gold medals in a single day.
What made the green and gold army’s four-gold strike all the more remarkable was the diversity of disciplines from whence it sprang. There was gold in the field, gold at the skate park, gold on the high seas and gold inside the velodrome.
Already sitting third behind the superpowers of US and China, it extended Australia’s lead over France (13 gold) and Team GB (12) and lifted the dynamos from Down Under to the greatest gold medal tally in its history.
