Moesha Johnson and the sprint kayak racing crew of Riley Fitzsimmons, Jackson Collins, Pierre van der Westhuyzen and Noah Havard secured silver medals while Caitlin Parker and Charlie Senior both picked up bronze medals in the boxing ring. Australia’s women will play for gold in the water polo final after a sudden-death shootout win over rivals the USA, and there was drama and a world record on the athletics track.
Open water swimming
Moesha Johnson looked set to add to Australia’s gold medal tally in the early morning 10km marathon swim but she was ultimately overhauled by her good friend Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands. The swimmers had to fight against a strong current in the River Seine, which had met acceptable thresholds for water quality. Nevertheless, Johnson said after winning silver that she would be supplementing her celebratory soft drink with some antibiotics.
A second silver medal came Australia’s way later in the day thanks to the sprint kayak racing crew of Riley Fitzsimmons, Jackson Collins, Pierre van der Westhuyzen and Noah Havard. Read the full story
Boxing
Australia’s long wait for a boxing gold medal will go on after both Charlie Senior and Caitlin Parker lost their semi-final bouts under the roof on centre court at Roland Garros. Senior was defeated by the IBA world featherweight champion, Uzbekistan’s Abdumalik Khalokov, in a unanimous decision before the Australian team captain, Parker, who left the ring with her nose bloodied, was unlucky in her defeat to the Tokyo silver medallist, Li Qian. Read Jack Snape’s report
Water polo
Australia’s women, the Stingers, claimed a famous victory over the USA in a dramatic shootout to earn a shot at gold over the weekend. With the scores locked at 8-8 at the end of regulation time, penalties and then sudden-death penalties were needed to separate the two rivals. Zoe Arancini scored the Stingers’ sixth penalty before Gabriella Palm got a hand to the USA’s next effort to earn Australia a shot at gold over the weekend – for the first time since Sydney 2000. Read Kieran Pender’s report
Athletics
The Paris 2024 100m champion, Noah Lyles, was taken down in the men’s 200m final as Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo stormed to the gold medal ahead of Kenny Bednarek in silver and Lyles, who settled for bronze. Afterwards Lyles collapsed to the ground and left the arena in a wheelchair, before USA Track & Field revealed he had been diagnosed with Covid. Read Sean Ingle’s race report and Ewan Murray’s news report
Another American, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, lived up to her billing as a modern great of athletics with a dominant victory in the women’s 400m hurdles final, as she broke her own world record in a time of 50.37 seconds. That’s the sixth time she has broken the world record. Read Bryan Armen Graham’s report
Taekwondo
Stacey Hymer lost her first round match in the 57kg class to Brazil’s Maria Clara Pacheco but the magnificence of the setting made it a memorable experience for the 26-year-old from Werribee. The Grand Palais, which is hosting the taekwondo competition after the fencing was held there earlier in the Games, is an “amazing” venue, Hymer enthused afterwards. Her sister, Victoria, in Paris to cheer on her sibling, was asked if there is anything in Australia that could compare: “There’s the state netball hockey centre in Victoria, but I don’t think something that you can brag about,” she said. Read Jack Snape’s full story
Other bits
More drama 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. Read Ewan Murray’s report
Raven Saunders made a splash during the women’s shot put qualification by appearing in a full-face black mask and sunglasses, along with dyed green and purple hair. “I’m in full form,” the American said of the outfit. “I had to remind the people, I am who I am.” Read Tom Lutz’s story
