Sports quiz of the week: heroes, history, medals and meltdowns at the Olympics

Graham Thorpe, Cole Hocker and Mondo Duplantis. Composite: Reuters, Getty

1. Which footballer wrote these words this week: “It’s golden – we are Olympic winners!”

   1. Thomas Müller

   2. Neymar

   3. David Beckham

   4. Jenni Hermoso

2. 

   France have reached the men’s football final at the Olympics. Their quarter-final against Argentina – a repeat of the last World Cup final – was a tempestuous affair that ended with a brawl at the final whistle. Who scored France’s winner in the quarter-finals and then scored two more goals as they beat Egypt 3-1 in the semis?

   1. Alexandre Lacazette

   2. Michael Olise

   3. Jean-Philippe Mateta

   4. Arnaud Kalimuendo

3. 

   The former England and Surrey cricketer Graham Thorpe has died at the age of 55. If you were standing on Graham Thorpe Road, which country would you be in?

   1. Sri Lanka

   2. Argentina

   3. Jamaica

   4. Northern Ireland

4. 

   Thea LaFond won gold in the triple jump, securing which country’s first ever Olympic medal?

   1. St Lucia

   2. Curaçao

   3. Dominica

   4. St Kitts & Nevis

5. 

   Cole Hocker upset the odds when he beat Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the men’s 1500 metres. He shaved nearly three seconds off his personal best and set a new Olympic record. What was his time?

   1. 3:09.33

   2. 3:16.89

   3. 3:27.65

   4. 3:34.94

6. 

   Mondo Duplantis keeps breaking world records in the pole vault. He won Olympic gold with a record vault of 6.25m. How many times has he broken the pole vault world record?

   1. Three

   2. Six

   3. Nine

   4. Twelve

7. 

   Charley Hull has had a disappointing Olympics. She shot a nine-over-par 81 in the opening round so was never in contention for a medal. It has been a tough time for the British golfer, who came into the Games injured after she fell in the shower. She also had to compete without what substance that usually “relaxes” her?

   1. Vapes

   2. Cigarettes

   3. Alcohol

   4. Cigars

8. 

   The RFU has sold the naming rights of Twickenham to make some money. Which football clubs have the same sponsor at their stadiums?

   1. Juventus and Bayern Munich

   2. PSV Eindhoven and Borussia Dortmund

   3. RB Salzburg and Arsenal

   4. Manchester City and Villarreal

9. 

   Serbia produced the biggest comeback in Olympics basketball history in their quarter-final win over Australia. How many points were they down in the second quarter?

   1. 20

   2. 22

   3. 24

   4. 26

10. 

    The Australian hockey player Tom Craig had a rough week. Australia were beaten by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and then Craig made a "terrible mistake" for which he was "truly sorry". What did he do?

    1. He smoked a pack of cigarettes in his room, which prompted a fire alarm in the Olympic village at 3am

    2. He threw a punch at the Netherlands manager (and missed)

    3. He turned up at the Netherlands' semi-final drunk and booed their national anthem

    4. He was arrested in Paris for allegedly trying to buy cocaine

11. 

    Mykolas Alekna set a new Olympic record in the men’s discus. Whose record did he break?

    1. His dad’s

    2. His big brother’s

    3. His own record – from 12 years ago

    4. His grandfather’s

12. 

    Mijaín López has now won Olympic gold medals in Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo and Paris – in which sport?

    1. Boxing

    2. Weight lifting

    3. Wrestling

    4. Judo

13. The Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat won her semi-final at the Olympics. But why did she not compete in the final?

    1. Like Eric Liddell 100 years ago, she did not want to compete on a Sunday

    2. She was caught trying to leave the Olympic village and was sent home

    3. She would have faced her sister but they have vowed to never fight each other

    4. She did not make the weight

14. 

    Canoeing sisters Jess and Noemie Fox both won gold medals at the Olympics this week. Their parents, Richard and Myriam, also competed at the Olympics. Jess and Noemie represent Australia; which countries did their father and mother represent?

    1. Great Britain and France

    2. New Zealand and South Africa

    3. Canada and USA

    4. Belgium and Netherlands

15. At the age of 15, Shreyas Royal has become Great Britain’s youngest …

    1. Olympic champion

    2. Olympic medalist

    3. Chess grandmaster

    4. Professional football manager

16. 

    St Helens breathed a sigh of relief when they beat Hull 46-6 in Super League, ending a run of five straight defeats. When did they last lose six league games in a row?

    1. The 1930s

    2. The 1950s

    3. The 1970s

    4. The 1990s

Solutions

1:A - Müller was celebrating because a horse he co-owns was in the Germany team that won an equestrianism gold medal in Paris., 2:C - France will play Spain in the final., 3:A - When Sri Lanka was devastated by a tsunami, Surrey organised a cricket match at the Oval to raise £1m for the village of Maggona. To show their appreciation, the people in the village renamed streets after Surrey's star players., 4:C - The population of Dominica is around 70,000 – about the size of Barnsley., 5:C - Hocker was fifth with 300m to go., 6:C - He has set world records at 6.17m, 6.18m, 6.19m, 6.20m, 6.21m, 6.22m, 6.23m, 6.24m and 6.25m., 7:B - Unfortunately for Hull, Olympic venues are all non-smoking., 8:A - In case you were wondering, Allianz is an "international financial services provider". Thrilling stuff., 9:C - Serbia came back from 44-20 down to win 95-90., 10:D - Craig, who was released by police with a warning, said: "I’d like to apologise for what has occurred. I made a terrible mistake. I take full responsibility for my actions. My actions are my own and in no way reflect the values of my family, my teammates, my friends, my sport, and the Australian Olympic team. I’ve embarrassed you all. I’m truly sorry.", 11:A - It was a bittersweet day for Mykolas Alekna. His throw of 69.97m broke the Olympic record – which had stood since the 2004 Olympics in Athens – but then Roje Stona took his record and pipped him to the gold medal with a throw of 70.00m., 12:C - He is the only Olympian in history to have won five consecutive gold medals in the same event., 13:D - When she stood on the scales before her final she was 100 grams too heavy. She did everything she could to make weight – including cutting her hair – but she was still over., 14:A - Richard is the only member of the family who has not won an Olympic medal (but he did finish fourth in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona)., 15:C - Royal and his family nearly had to leave the UK when his father’s work visa expired in 2018. But various politicians – including current chancellor and keen chess player Rachel Reeves – intervened to ensure he could stay., 16:C - Despite those defeats, St Helens are still in a playoff position and could still be crowned champions.

Scores

1. 2 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

2. 4 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

3. 3 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

4. 1 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

5. 5 and above.

   Ah well. Better luck next week.

6. 6 and above.

   Not bad. Not bad at all.

7. 7 and above.

   Not bad. Not bad at all.

8. 8 and above.

   That's a fine score. Have a great weekend.

9. 9 and above.

   That's a fine score. Have a great weekend.

10. 10 and above.

    That's a fine score. Have a great weekend.

11. 11 and above.

    That's a fine score. Have a great weekend.

12. 12 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Have a great weekend.

13. 13 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Have a great weekend.

14. 14 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Have a great weekend.

15. 15 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Have a great weekend.

16. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week.

17. 16 and above.

    That's a sensational score. Have a great weekend.