All the action from day eight of the 2016 Rio Olympics
THE Campbell sisters have again missed out on a medal in their individual events, with Cate proving to be her own harshest critic.
- Russian beauty banned from Games
- Meares wins third bronze
- Comeback queens do it again
- Brennan makes it six
Rio 2016
Australia has wrapped up their Olympic swimming campaign with a silver and bronze medal in the respective women’s and men’s medley relays to top off day eight in Rio. Aussie team captain Anna Meares secured bronze in the cycling, while British long distance runner Mo Farah secured an historic gold medal after falling in the 10,000m. Read on in the blog below to see how the day unfolded.
12:50pm
Australia into top eight in volleyball
Australia has beaten Poland in the women’s volleyball to progress through to the quarter-finals in Rio. Taliqua Clancy and Louise Bawden defeated Poland’s Monika Brzostek and Kinga Kolosinska 2-1.
12:15pm
23 is the magic number
Michael Jordan wore it. LeBron James wears it. And now Michael Phelps will hold it close to his heart.
The number 23 is what links these three great athletes, and for Phelps, it is the number of gold medals he has claimed across four Olympic Games.
The 31-year-old swum for the last time at the Olympics in the men’s 4x100m medley relay, swimming the butterfly leg and pulling America back into the lead.
Marking his fifth gold in Rio, Phelps appeared emotional after the race, which further cemented his standing as the greatest swimmer of all time.
Australia’s relay team also managed to make the podium in the last swimming event of the 2016 Games, with 18-year-old star Kyle Chalmers catapulting the Aussies into the bronze medal position with a strong last 50m.
Great Britain came in a close second.
12:00pm
Cate pushes Aussies onto podium
After a disappointing individual campaign, Cate Campbell continued her strong form in the relay events, bringing Australia back from a fifth place deficit on the last turn to claim the silver medal in the women’s 4x100m medley relay.
It is a repeat for the Aussie women, who also claimed the silver in London in 2012.
Alongside Campbell, Emma McKeon took her fourth medal of the games, while Emily Seebohm and Taylor McKeown secured their first.
11:45am
Where Cate lost the race
Cate Campbell’s start off the blocks has been a repetitive problem in Rio, and in the 50m final it was her downfall.
For such a short distance and no time to correct mistakes, a good start is crucial.
Unfortunately for Cate, she was last off the blocks by a significant margin — at least 20cm behind other competitors.
Where the race was lost... Cate Campbell last off the blocks. Pic by @iainpayten #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/qCKEvrKnX9
— Karl deKroo (@dekroo_cmail) August 14, 2016
Still finishing in fifth place, there’s no doubt she would have been in serious contention for a medal had she managed a solid jump.
11:30am
History for Italy
Prior to the 2016 final in Rio, Italy had never before claimed a medal in the 1500m event. They now have two.
21-year-old Gregorio Paltrinieri became the nation’s first medal winner in the long distance swim, narrowly missing out on breaking the world record in his pursuit of gold.
Italian teammate Gabriele Detti joined him on the podium, taking the bronze. While American Connor Jaeger was able to secure the gold medal, Australian medal hopeful Mack Horton finished in fifth place.
11:00am
‘The greatest choke in Olympic history’
Cate and Bronte Campbell have once again missed out on an Olympic medal in their individual events, finishing fifth and seventh respectively in the women’s 50m freestyle final.
Both were understandably disappointed with their efforts in the 50m, with Cate labelling her performance at the Games as a massive “choke”.
“It wasn’t my best, but its fair to say this week hasn’t been my best,” Cate said.
“I think that the world got to witness possibly the greatest choke in Olympic history a couple of nights ago (in the 100m freestyle final).
“I really needed someone to give me the Heimlich manoeuvre there. It hurts, but maybe I’ll stick around for another four years.”
Sister Bronte wasn’t quite so harsh on herself, crediting her 4x100m relay medal as the saviour of her 2016 Olympic campaign.
“I’m pleased that I got to be part of that final and I wish that final had gone differently,” Bronte said.
“I’m not going to make excuses with injury and preparation, it’s just not what you are supposed to do. The only time you are going to fail is when you start making excuses for your failures. “I’m going to keep battling on. I’m looking forward to watching the relay tonight and I’ve come away from my 2016 Olympic campaign with a gold medal I got to achieve with my sister. So it hasn’t been a complete failure.”
Cate will get one last chance at a medal with the Australian swim team in the women’s 4x100m medley relay.
10:50am
Farah seals gold despite fall in 10k
Great Britain’s Mo Farah has once again claimed the gold medal in the men’s 10,000m, with a late surge in the last 200m to cruise ahead of the leader pack.
Farah didn’t have the ideal start to his final. Running in the middle of the pack on the 10th lap, the gold medal favourite was tripped by training partner Galen Rupp. For many athletes, the fall would have meant the end of the race — but not Farah. The 2012 Olympic champion gave a quick thumbs up, then continued with the pack.
Despite a strong push from Kenya’s Paul Tanui, none could match the freakish talent that is Britain’s greatest long distance runner.
It is not the first time an athlete has fallen and still won an Olympic final.
Finnish runner Lassie Viren famously fell during the 1972 10.000m final in Munich, only to go on and win gold.
10:30am
‘That’s a disaster’
Australian long-jump favourite Fabrice Lapierre has bombed out of the Olympic final, fouling two out of three attempts in the opening round.
Lapierre fouled his first attempt before recording a distance of 7.87m with his second jump. The 32-year-old required a distance of over 8m with his final jump if he was to continue and be given another three attempts.
Unfortunately, he fouled out.
“That’s a disaster,” commentator Steve Hook said.
ATHLETICS: A third round foul means that @FabriceLapierre is out of the men's long jump and will not proceed to three more jumps. #OneTeam
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) August 14, 2016
10:20am
Hockeyroos defeat Japan
The Australian women’s hockey team are through to a knock-out quarter-final clash with New Zealand after defeating Japan 2-0.
Mariah Williams and Emily Smith both scored for the Hockeyroos to give them their third win of the pool stages.
9:50am
Coach slams officials over pool punch
The coach of the Aussie women’s water polo team is furious after a Brazilian player avoided penalty for punching Stingers player Hannah Buckland in the face during the Australian 10-3 win overnight.
Australia silenced a boisterous crowd to progress through to a quarter-final clash on Tuesday.
Despite the victory, coach Greg McFadden was fuming over the violent affair.
“I am really disappointed in the officiating of the games. One our girls, a player is on her back, and she gets called for an elbow and yet one of their girls blatantly punches one of our girls in the face and yet nothing happens,” McFadden said.
“Hannah Buckling was swimming and the centre forward turns around and clocks her right in the jaw.
“She swims straight to the corner. Hannah is a pretty tough girl and she is not going to go out for any other reason apart from getting belted.”
9:20am
Golfer v Alligator
The animal invasion of the Rio golf course is far from over.
Go and play with wildlife, @henrikstenson, and make it snappy! #dontfallmate @OlympicGolf #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/RI9tYaGCQ8
— Golf Australia (Rio) (@GolfAust) August 13, 2016
Luckily the toothy resident didn’t react, leaving Stenson with all of his limbs still attached, allowing him to finish his round with a 3-under par 68.
We know the saying generally warns: don’t poke the bear. But “don’t poke the alligator” seems just as valid a statement as any.
9:00am
Massive upset on the court
Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig has defeated German Angelique Kerber to claim her nation’s first ever Olympic gold medal. It is also the first medal the country has won in tennis at the Games.
The world No. 34 defeated Kerber in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. Kerber was ranked No. 2 in the world heading into the Games, and was the clear favourite of the two to take the gold.
“I think I united a nation. I just love where I’m from,” Puig said of her historic victory.
8:55am
Longjumper’s taste for gold
Fabrice Lapierre has the taste for gold... literally.
He’s been biting down on the chain on takeoff since 2010 after he did it when he produced the biggest jump of his life, a wind-assisted 8.78m in Perth.
On Sunday morning at the Olympic Stadium in Rio, he needs the magic necklace to bring him more gold.
Lapierre is one of the favourites in the event after a career resurrection over the past 18 months that has seen him win silver medals at the world championships in Beijing last year and this year’s world indoor titles.
— Scott Gullan
8:15am
Olympic pool to be drained
Rio organisers said the water polo and synchronised swimming pool at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre would have to be drained, as the water had turned so murky that synchro competitors could not see each other underwater.
80 litres of the chemical were mistakenly put in the pool manually by a local contractor, which neutralized the chlorine’s ability to kill organics.
Andrada said the discoloured water would be drained and replaced with practice pool water. Organisers would also replace filters.
7:55am
Sailor guarantees medal finish
Sydney Laser sailor Tom Burton has won an Olympic medal — it just depends what colour.
Currently sitting in the silver medal position in the fleet overall, Burton will go for gold when he returns for the medal race on Monday.
“It hasn’t really sunk in,’’ Burton said on Saturday afternoon in Rio.
“When I look at the points it will sink in a bit better.
“Obviously it’s nice to have a medal locked in.”
Several other Australian’s including cousins Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin in the Nacra 17s, women’s Laser Radial Ashley Stoddart and men’s 49er’s Iain Jensen and Nathan Outteridge remain in medal contention with several crucial race days remaining in their respective categories.
— David Riccio
7:30am
Another Aussie track bronze?
After Anna Meares won her third Olympic bronze medal in the women’s keirin, Australia has the chance to win another cycling medal in the men’s individual sprint.
Matthew Glaetzer was beaten 2-0 in his semi-final by Britain’s Callum Skinner, but still has the opportunity to claim the third-place medal. He will face Russian Denis Dmitriev tomorrow morning in the battle for bronze.
7:10am
Aussie bows out of weightlifting
Australia’s only male weightlifter, Simplice Ribouem, has exited Rio after struggling with a knee issue in the 94kg division.
Early in the competition, the Cameroon-born Ribouem lifted an in-competition personal best in the snatch — an impressive 155kg.
The 33-year-old managed a 185kg clean and jerk, but twice failed on 191kg.
6:40am
Meares wins bronze
The Aussie was relegated to third place in the women’s Keirin, beaten by former junior BMX champion, Dutch rider Elis Ligtlee. With a photo finish, review was required to determine the colour of Meares’ medal, but footage clearly showed that she had been edged out by Great Britain’s Becky James for the silver.
Already the most successful track cyclist in the history of the sport, winning her sixth Olympic medal at the age of 32 will only do wonders to enhance that status.
There are not enough superlatives to describe @AnnaMeares. #Rio2016
— Melanie Wright OAM (@mel_wright) August 13, 2016
“It was so close on the line,” Meares said.
“I was trying to have my elbows out, and my coach will be all over me for that one, elbows in. When you are in those moments just fighting for the line you are trying to get everything out.
“I had two goals coming in to these Games: Do better than I did in London in the Keirin, and win a medal. I’ve done that… I have a free swing in the sprint now…”
6:30am
Magical hour for Argentina
In one of their best days in Rio, Argentina has secured two key victories on day eight.
The first came in the tennis, with Juan Martin Del Potro winning a third set tie-break 2-1 to beat Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the men’s semi-final. The Argentinian will now face Britain’s Andy Murray for the gold medal.
Argentina then beat Brazil in a spectacular double overtime battle 111-107 in the men’s basketball.
6:00am
Meares sails through
Anna Meares has cruised through to another Olympic final, coming out on top of a group of seven in her Keirin semi-final.
A hint of drama surrounded the win, with Meares allegedly involved in contact with Hong Kong’s Wai Sze Lee, who crashed out with one lap to go.
The Aussie was cleared of any fault however, and went through in a bid to claim her third Olympic gold medal.
5:55am
Russian beauty banned from Games
ATHLETICS world body, the IAAF, has banned long jumper Darya Klishina, Russia’s only track and field athlete allowed to take part in the Rio Olympics, the Court of Arbitration has confirmed.
Klishina made an immediate appeal to the court against the order, the tribunal said.
Klishina, who is also a successful model, was originally allowed to compete in Rio because she was based in the US and had regular testing outside Russia.
Reports from Russia indicated last week that new information from Richard McLaren’s WADA report led to the re-evaluation of Klishina’s case.
“I will take every possible effort to protect my clean image as an athlete,” Klishina said in a statement on her Facebook page.
“At this moment I cannot help but feel betrayed by a system that is not focused on keeping the sport clean and supporting rank-and-file athletes, but rather seeking victories outside sport arenas.”
The president of the Russian Olympic Committee, Alexander Zhukov, condemned the IAAF decision. “Overall, all of this looks like a mockery of the athlete by the IAAF,” he said in a video message posted by the Russian Olympic Committee.
5:50am
Bolt eases through first outing
The main attraction on the track on day two of the athletics was Jamaican star Usain Bolt, who didn’t get out of second gear while winning his 100m heat in 10.07 seconds.
Bolt looked twice to his left at a rival who led the race most of the way, knowing full well he was going to pass him by the finish line.
Despite running quicker than he did in his opening heats at Beijing and London, the two-time reigning champion — who qualified fourth fastest behind American Justin Gatlin for the semi-finals — wasn’t overly impressed.
5:45am
‘I don’t know who Lilly King is’
Two-time drug cheat Justin Gatlin has fired back at his American teammate, swimmer Lilly King, who says he shouldn’t be competing in Rio.
King caused controversy after she won a gold medal at the pool by saying all athletes who had previously tested positive should be banned.
She was specifically asked about the 100m sprinter and didn’t back down.
After cruising through his opening heat today, clocking the fastest time of 10.01sec, Gatlin was quizzed about the drugs controversy.
“I don’t know who Lilly King is,” he declared.
The 2004 Olympic champion went on to back the current drug testing system. “I believe in the (anti-doping) system. I hope everybody else believes in the system, too.”
— Scott Gullan
5:40am
Grumpy Murray eyes gold medal
Andy Murray shrugged off a code violation for directing the word “stupid” at the umpire to crush Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-4 and move one win away from becoming the first player to win back-to-back Olympic singles titles.
The world number two and reigning Wimbledon champion will face either 2008 Olympic winner Rafael Nadal or Juan Martin del Potro in Sunday’s gold medal match.
But the Briton’s routine win wasn’t without incident.
He collected a code violation from match official Carlos Ramos who believed Murray had called him a “stupid umpire”.
“I didn’t say ‘stupid umpire’, I said ‘stupid umpiring’. But if you want to be the star of the show, that’s fine,” argued Murray at a changeover.
5:35am
Comeback queens do it again
Australia’s remarkable Opals have performed another comeback from the clouds.
The Opals overhauled Belarus from 13 points down late in the third term against a desperate opponent attempting to win a quarter finals berth.
The 74-66 victory helped smooth the Opals’ path to an eventual gold medal clash against the USA by topping their pool after an impressive week.
— Jon Ralph
5:30am
Brennan makes it six
Kim Brennan has delivered the gold medal a nation has been waiting for.
The raging hot-favourite in the women’s single sculls final absorbed the weight of expectation and pressure to secure Australia’s first gold medal in rowing in eight years and its sixth of these Games.
And in a romantic and fitting subplot, Brennan is the first Australian to claim Olympic rowing gold since her husband Scott, who won gold in the double sculls at the Beijing Games.
— David Riccio
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