Sports quiz of the week: glory, golds, records and regrets at the Olympics

Katie Ledecky, Triathlon-en-Seine, Rafa Nadal. Composite: Getty Images, Shutterstock

1. 

   For the first time in a century, the water in the river Seine is clean enough for swimming. After a clean-up operation that cost €1.6bn, the river hosted the Olympic triathlon events this week. How long is the swim in a triathlon?

   1. 999 metres

   2. 1.5km

   3. Three miles

   4. 10km

2. 

   Rafa Nadal lost two matches at the Olympics this week: in the singles against Novak Djokovic and in the men’s doubles with his playing partner Carlos Alcaraz. Nevertheless, Nadal still boasts an impressive record at Roland Garros. How many of his 116 matches at the French Open has he won?

   1. 104

   2. 109

   3. 112

   4. 115

3. 

   Barbra Banda scored a hat-trick for the Zambia women’s football team in their 6-5 defeat to Australia at the Olympics. Which British player scored a hat-trick in a defeat to Australia at the last Olympics in 2021?

   1. Ella Toone

   2. Lauren Hemp

   3. Ellen White

   4. Nikita Parris

4. 

   The Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen won gold at the Olympics this week. Why might his face be familiar to non-swimming fans?

   1. He won a cap for the Northern Ireland football team before concentrating on swimming

   2. He had a part in Game of Thrones

   3. He was the drummer for the band Two Door Cinema Club before he settled on swimming

   4. He had a brief stint as Rory McIlroy’s caddy

5. 

   Canada won the women’s football tournament at the last Olympics in Tokyo, but were in real danger of going out at the group stage in Paris. Going into their final group game they had no points on the board. Why?

   1. The coach decided to pick her “B team” in the group stage and they lost their first two matches

   2. Canada have fielded an Under-19s team in preparation for the next World Cup

   3. All 11 of the players who started the final in Tokyo retired straight after that match

   4. They were deducted six points for spying on opponents with a drone

6. 

   Katie Ledecky has now won gold medals at four Olympic Games. She has also swum the 20 fastest times in history – at what distance?

   1. 100m

   2. 500m

   3. 1,500m

   4. 10,000m

7. 

   Luke Greenbank did not enjoy such fortune in the pool. The British swimmer won his heat in the 200m backstroke with ease but was then disqualified. Why?

   1. He forgot to take off a necklace before the race

   2. He celebrated before the finish line, which was deemed “Unolympian”

   3. His took his swimming cap off before all of the other swimmers had finished

   4. He spent too much of the race swimming underwater

8. 

   World Cup winners Raphaël Varane and Pepe Reina have signed for the Italian club Como to work under which manager?

   1. Thierry Henry

   2. Daniele De Rossi

   3. Cesc Fàbregas

   4. Andrés Iniesta

9. 

   Which country won its first Olympic gold medal this week? (The other three have never won a medal at the Olympics).

   1. Cambodia

   2. Guatemala

   3. Madagascar

   4. Malta

10. 

    Nada Hafez represented Egypt at the Olympics this week in the women’s fencing. Why was her presence at the Games particularly impressive?

    1. This is her third Olympics and she has competed in different sports in all three

    2. She is seven months pregnant

    3. Her daughter is also on the team

    4. She gave birth to triplets three weeks ago

11. 

    Andy Murray played the last match of his career this week at the Olympics. Murray is a two-time Olympic champion, having won gold in London and Rio. Who did he beat in those finals?

    1. Roger Federer and Juan Martín del Potro

    2. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Kei Nishikori

    3. David Ferrer and Gaël Monfils

    4. Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic

12. 

    Jimmy Anderson retired from Test cricket after England’s series win against West Indies. He is England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker, with 704 wickets. Who is second on that list with 604 wickets?

    1. Ian Botham

    2. Stuart Broad

    3. Bob Willis

    4. Matthew Hoggard

13. 

    Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari at the end of 2024. He replaces Carlos Sainz, who has just put pen to paper with which other team?

    1. Williams

    2. Renault

    3. McLaren

    4. Mercedes

14. 

    In an upcoming film about the bust-up between Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane at the World Cup in 2002, which actor will feature as the former Republic of Ireland manager?

    1. Liam Neeson

    2. Cillian Murphy

    3. Steve Coogan

    4. Ed Byrne

15. 

    At the age of 61, Ni Xialian has become the oldest woman to win a match in which Olympic sport?

    1. Surfing

    2. Table tennis

    3. Fencing

    4. Shooting

Solutions

1:B - Olympic triathlons comprise a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run., 2:C - Nadal won 14 of his 22 grand slam titles at the French Open., 3:C - Australia are clearly the team to watch when it comes to the Olympics., 4:B - Daniel starred in the show with his identical twin brother Nathan, who is also a swimmer., 5:D - Their coach, Bev Priestman, has been banned from the sport for a year., 6:C - Ledecky cruised to victory in the 1,500m freestyle in Paris, setting a new Olympic record in the process. If you have never seen the video of Ledecky swimming with a glass of chocolate milk balanced on her head, look it up. She’s amazing., 7:D - Swimmers must not stay underwater for more than 15 consecutive metres at the beginning of each turn. “I can’t really put into words how gutted I am,” he said., 8:C - Fàbregas is also a World Cup winner., 9:B - Adriana Ruano won the gold medal for Guatemala in trap shooting. This was not her first tilt at Olympic glory – Ruano tried to qualify for London 2012 as a gymnast but her hopes were dashed by a spinal injury. What a comeback., 10:B - Hafez revealed she was pregnant after the competition, saying: “What appeared to you as two players, was actually three – me, my competitor, and my yet-to-come-to-our-world little baby. My baby and I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical and emotional. The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life and sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it.”, 11:A - Murray is the only tennis player to have won two Olympic gold medals in singles., 12:B - Broad retired last year., 13:A - “He is a performance machine,” said Williams team boss James Vowles when he announced the news., 14:C - Éanna Hardwicke will be playing the role of Keane in the movie., 15:B - Ni Xialian won a world title in 1983.

Scores

1. 1 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

2. 2 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

3. 3 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

4. 4 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

5. 5 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

6. 6 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

7. 7 and above.

   That's a fine score. Nicely done.

8. 8 and above.

   That's a fine score. Nicely done.

9. 9 and above.

   That's a fine score. Nicely done.

10. 10 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Nicely done.

11. 11 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Nicely done.

12. 12 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Nicely done.

13. 13 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Nicely done.

14. 14 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Nicely done.

15. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week.

16. 15 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Nicely done.