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2024 Paris Olympic Games day 7: Five things you missed while you were sleeping

A golden triple treat for Australia, horror injuries, close calls and boxing’s gender war continues across day seven of competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Here are five things you missed while you were sleeping.

Saya Sakakibara kisses her gold medal standing on the podium after winning the Women's Cycling BMX Racing finals. Picture: Julien De Rosa / AFP
Saya Sakakibara kisses her gold medal standing on the podium after winning the Women's Cycling BMX Racing finals. Picture: Julien De Rosa / AFP

Horror injuries, close calls and boxing’s gender war continues across day seven of competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Here are five things you missed while you were sleeping.

Sakakibara follows through on her promise to brother Kai

Saya Sakakibara has achieved her greatest-ever result by claiming Olympic gold in the BMX racing final in Paris.

What makes the stunning achievement even more special is that the 23-year-old had made a pact to bring home a medal for her brother Kai.

It was gold.

Saya Sakakibara kisses her gold medal standing on the podium after winning the Women's Cycling BMX Racing finals. Picture: Julien De Rosa / AFP
Saya Sakakibara kisses her gold medal standing on the podium after winning the Women's Cycling BMX Racing finals. Picture: Julien De Rosa / AFP
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Double gold in the pool

It was a history-making night in the pool for Australia.

Firstly, in the 50 metres freestyle, Cameron McEvoy broke his gold medal drought in the 50 metres freestyle, at his fourth Olympic Games.

It was the first gold medal for an Australian male swimmer at the Paris Olympic Games.

Cameron McEvoy got the gold medal he savoured. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana / AFP
Cameron McEvoy got the gold medal he savoured. Picture: Manan Vatsyayana / AFP

Then it was Kaylee Mckeown’s turn in the 200 metres backstroke, becoming the second female swimmer in the 128 year history of the modern Olympics that has completed a double-double. That was Ukrainian Yana Khlockova who won the 200m and 400m medleys in 2000 and 2004.

No-one else has done it, ever. Not Dawn Fraser, not even Katie Ledecky. Kaylee doing it in the 100 metres and 200 metres backstroke.

Kaylee McKeown created history on day seven in Paris. Picture: Adam Head
Kaylee McKeown created history on day seven in Paris. Picture: Adam Head

Boomers survive off the back of Canada’s success

The Boomers will live to fight another day at the Paris Olympics after an NBA-loaded Canada scraped home to beat Spain 88-85 and keep Australia’s campaign alive.

Coach Brian Goorjian and his charges are breathing a huge sigh of relief thanks to Canadian NBA duo Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Andrew Nembhard combining for 38 points to sink a Spanish side who got within one point late in the fourth quarter.

It means the Boomers will progress to the quarter-finals to face the likes of Germany, France or Serbia in Paris as Group A’s second-placed team.

Olympics over for Teremoana Teremoana Jnr

Australia’s great super heavyweight gold medal hope has been beaten.

Teremoana Teremoana Jnr has crashed out in the quarter finals and is going home without a medal after a unanimous points loss to Tokyo champion Bakhodir Jalolov.

The first round was controversial. Jalolov won the round with four of five judges despite the Australian appearing to land the cleaner shots early.

Jalolov stepped up the pace in the second round. He was more precise. Teremoana was swinging wildly, but had joy in the final minute with two big bombs which found their mark.

Entering the final round, three of the five judges had the bout 19-all, but Jalolov showed why he is the king.

Under pressure, his lethal left hand was the strike weapon, claiming the final round to shatter Teremoana’s golden dream.

Boxing gender war explodes again over offensive Insta post

Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori has inflamed tensions ahead of her upcoming bout with controversial boxer Imane Khelif, sharing a mock photograph of the Algerian portrayed as a cartoon beast.

Hamori had claimed to be not scared of Khelif who had smashed the face of her first opponent, Italian Angela Carini on Thursday.

“If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win,” she said.

Hamori meets Khelif on Saturday in the latest scandal of the Paris Olympics but the picture she shared on social media has indicated exactly what she feels she is up against.

The image of the cartoon monster with horns looking down at a young girl was on an Instagram account and Hamori shared it to her stories, but it appeared to have been taken down on Friday evening local time.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/olympics/2024-paris-olympic-games-day-7-five-things-you-missed-while-you-were-sleeping/news-story/9f7a82d1b6deb8e3dd58c4eea87ddeda