As it happened: Four gold medals on day 12 seals Australia’s best ever Olympics

And that’s where we’ll leave our live coverage of day 12 at the Olympic Games in Paris.

For Australia, August 7 is one for the books: it stands as our equal-best day in Olympic history, with four gold medals.

That haul was also enough to make this our best Games overall, with a total of 18 golds. Huge.

There’s a whole heap of stuff on our mastheads, from our brilliant reporters in Paris, which you can read about the specifics of what went down. Like this catch-all piece from Jordan Baker. Or this Emma Kemp take from the velodrome. Or this from Michael Gleeson and Tom Decent from the athletics.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve posted about some of it already in this blog; the rest of it will be on our home page or under the Paris 2024 strap.

Our blog for day 13 is already live. You can jump over to that right here, if you’d like.

Thanks again for joining us.

Greek pole vaulter Eleni-Klaoudia Polak was disqualified from the Olympics and handed a provisional suspension at the Paris Games after she tested positive for banned substances, the IOC said on Wednesday.

The Greek Olympic Committee said on Tuesday that one member of its team was expelled from the athletes’ village but her identity was previously unknown.

The team had been informed of the violation by Greece’s anti-doping agency on Monday, the same day she competed in the qualification round.

Eleni-Klaoudia Polak has tested positive for banned substances, the IOC says. Credit: AP

Polak cleared a height of 4.20 metres but did not reach Wednesday’s final as she failed to get over 4.40. She was listed as “DQ” in the results.

Polak said she was innocent of any wrongdoing.

“A few days ago something was found in my sample,” she told reporters in the mixed zone after competing in the preliminary round on Monday.

“I have never taken supplements or protein. It was below the level of what is banned so that is why I competed. I have an issue with iron and have to eat red meat daily and that must have been in the meat. I only know that the meat contained that substance.”

Reuters

It may have been an historic day for the nation, but it hasn’t all been good news in Australia on Thursday morning.

Just hours after Nina Kennedy secured Australia’s 18th gold medal of these record-setting Olympic Games, word filtered through that Jack Karlson – the ‘Democracy Manifest man’ whose 1991 arrest turned him into arguably Australia’s greatest internet sensation – had died. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.

In his honour, we’ve put together a quiz to test just how well you know your Olympic judo. For those who aren’t in the know, Karlson remarked to one of the several police officers arresting him that he “knew his judo well”.

See how you stack up against that Queensland police officer, and pour one out for Karlson next time you sit down for a succulent Chinese meal.

Australia’s total of 18 gold medals, as if you didn’t know by now, set an Olympic record for the nation with a few days to spare.

Let’s take a look at the events that brought home gold 20 and three years ago respectively. You’ll notice a few trends.

After posting the second-best score on the first day of the Olympic women’s golf tournament on Wednesday, South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai gave credit to a hole in her left shoe for helping her to put recent injury troubles behind her.

Buhai, who claimed a first major title at the Women’s British Open in 2022, struggled with a back injury earlier this year before breaking her toe during the Women’s PGA Championship in June.

Ashleigh Buhai.Credit: AP

Her physiotherapist came up with the idea of cutting a hole to avoid her damaged toe rubbing against the inside of the shoe and the improvised technique has proved beneficial.

“It’s still hurting, and obviously I’ve got a hole in the shoe, so that’s what has helped me,” Buhai said after her first round at Le Golf National near Paris.

The 35-year-old shot a four-under-par 68 to put her three strokes behind home star Celine Boutier after the opening round in the four-day tournament. The action resumes at 5pm Thursday, with Minjee Lee six shots off the lead.

Reuters

Two-and-a-half years after competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics, American and Japanese figure skaters stepped on to the podium in Paris on Wednesday to receive reallocated gold and silver medals, drawing a line under a Russian doping saga that rocked those Games.

Better two and a half years late, than never: Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the US Olympic figure stating team.Credit: Getty Images

Against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, the American figure skating team finally experienced the golden moment they were denied in Beijing when it emerged that Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old who had helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to gold in the team event, had tested positive for a banned drug.

“It’s almost surreal. We got our medals, and I turned around and I saw the Eiffel Tower, and I was just blown away,” said ice dancer Madison Chock, who partners Evan Bates. “It took my breath away.”

The ceremony took place at Champions Park, a venue set up in Trocadero Gardens, facing the iconic tower, where athletes can celebrate their medals on stage with fans.

Valieva tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned drug that prevents angina, at the Russian national championships in December 2021 in the run-up to Beijing. Her team said the positive test could have been due to a mix-up with her grandfather’s heart medication. The result of the positive doping test was made known only a day after she helped the ROC to win gold in the team event in Beijing.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided no medals for the team figure skating event would be presented until Valieva’s case had been resolved. The legal battle that ensued caused other teams to remain in limbo for years, wondering if they would ever see the medals they had won in Beijing.

Reuters

Ethiopian world record holder Lamecha Girma was taken to hospital after a horrific fall in the men’s 300m steeplechase final.

Girma, who tripped over a barrier on the last lap and fell hard to the track, was lying motionless as medical staff rushed to attend to him.

Lamecha Girma, of Ethiopia, is treated on the track after being injured during the men’s 3000m steeplechase final.Credit: AP

His eyes were open, and he was wearing a neck brace as staff members carried him off on a stretcher. French media reported he was conscious and speaking.

The event was won by Soufiane El Bakkali - who won at Tokyo in 2020 - and delivered Morocco’s first medal of the Games.

Reuters

This may be the stupidest – or smartest – idea I’ve ever had. But I wrote a piece on an idea I genuinely think could enhance the Olympics.

It’s simple. Put the modern pentathlon on shuffle. Instead of five prescribed events, make it a random selection of all sports (within reason) on the Olympic program. Turn it into the ultimate search for the world’s best and most versatile all-round athlete.

Introducing the random pentathlon.Credit: Matt Davidson

Have a read of my full story here, and then tell us the truth in the below poll. But you have to read the story first. That’s the rules.

It’s a fairly safe bet that most Australians are not across what’s been happening in the Greco-Roman wrestling. You’re missing out.

Kusaka Nao of Japan provided some comic relief after winning gold by beating Kazakhstan’s Demeu Zhadrayev in the men’s 77kg final at the Champ-de-Mars Arena on Wednesday.

“I am superhuman!” he said.

It gets better.

On calling himself an Olympic champion, Nao said: “I hope that I will be called by the Avengers.”

Over to you, Marvel Studios.

Is there room on the Marvel roster for one more Avenger?Credit: AP