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Tokyo Olympics Day 10: Opals pull off 'crazy' miracle

The Opals have somehow qualified for the Tokyo Olympics quarter-finals following a dramatic contest against Puerto Rico.

Nic SavageNic Savage
@nic_savage1
less than 2 min read
August 2, 2021 - 8:45PM
Aussie Riley Day will be in the semi-finals.
Aussie Riley Day will be in the semi-finals.

On Day 10 of the Tokyo Olympics, the Hockeyroos were sensationally knocked out after suffering a shock 1-0 loss to world No. 9 India.

The Hockeyroos are ranked second in the world but couldn't find an equaliser after conceding in the 22nd minute of their quarterfinal clash.

Our women's hockey team was a gold medal contender and breezed through the group stage with five consecutive wins, but faltered in its first knockout match.

With the incredible success enjoyed by our swimmers in the pool, action turned to our athletics runners, who have already made their mark on the world stage. 

But Australians Steve Solomon and Riley Day narrowly missed out on qualifying for the finals of their respective events on the athletics track.

The Matildas took on Sweden in a must-win semi-final on Monday evening, but a heartbreaking 1-0 loss meant the Aussies will be fighting for bronze later this week.

And the Opals kept their Olympic campaign alive with a miraculous victory over Puerto Rico.

Meanwhile, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard made history as the first openly transgender Olympian.

Updates

The Australian women's basketball team has qualified for the Tokyo Olympic quarter-finals in dramatic fashion on Monday evening.

The Opals needed to defeat Puerto Rico by at least 25 points to keep their Olympic campaign alive, and the Aussies held their nerve to clinch an entertaining 96-69 victory.

The Opals were seemingly in dire straits when Puerto Rico took a narrow two-point lead at quarter-time.

The Aussie women were playing well below their best at Saitama Super Arena, but managed to edge ahead before the half-time siren sounded in Tokyo.

But the 45-44 scoreline would have frustrated Aussie basketball fans – it was nowhere near enough for the Opals to save their Olympic campaign.

Thankfully, the Aussies rediscovered their mojo in the third quarter, during which they comfortably outscored Puerto Rico 23-8 to give themselves a 16-point lead.

Soon after, the Opals found themselves 19 points ahead with eight minutes remaining in the contest.

But a resurgence from the Puerto Ricans in the final five minutes threatened to thwart Australia's pursuit of the coveted 25-point lead.

Aussie fans were at the edge of their seats when the Opals suddenly led by 24 points with 90 seconds left on the clock.

A clutch two-pointer from Cayla George finally put the Opals more than 25 points ahead for the first time, and despite some tense final moments featuring a Hail Mary three-point attempt, the Aussies had done just enough to qualify for the quarter-finals.

"Look, it's been such a battle to get to this point. There's been so much going on," Australia's Marianna Tolo told Channel 7 after the win.

"I'm just so proud of how we fought tonight. We didn't come out the way we wanted to and even to fight back in the second half and take control of the game and win it with those two quarters is just unbelievable."

Tolo was a standout performer for the Opals with a team-high 26 points and 17 rebounds.

The Opals will take on Team USA in the quarter-finals later this week.

BRONZE FOR HOY!

Australian veteran Andrew Hoy has won bronze in the equestrian jumping individual final, his sixth Olympic medal.

The 62-year-old, competing in his eight Olympic Games, recorded just 29.60 penalty points to cement his spot on the podium, where he joined Germany's Julia Krajewski and Britain's Tom McEwen.

Krajewski made history by becoming the first woman to win eventing individual gold.

Earlier today, Hoy won a silver medal in the corresponding team event alongside Kevin McNab and Shane Rose.

"My daughter sent me a message this morning saying, 'Daddy you rode really good yesterday and I want you to bring home another medal'," Hoy told Channel 7 after the triumph.

"Philippa, I've done it!"

Aussies all out for 364

Nic Savage
Nic Savage

The Opals will be fighting to keep their Olympic campaign in Tokyo alive this evening when they face Puerto Rico at Saitama Super Arena.

The Aussie women need to win by at least 25 points to progress through to the quarter-finals.

The match will get underway at 10pm AEST.

Matildas robbed in SF clash

Sam Kerr and the Matildas were cruelly denied a goal in their Olympic semi-final against Sweden after an outrageous call by the referee.

The score is 0-0 at half-time, and you can follow all the action in our live blog.

Australia's Steven Solomon has put together an impressive performance in the men's 400m semi-finals.

Solomon got off to a slow start in the second semi-final, but closed the gap to his rivals as they approached the final straight.

The Aussie ultimately finished third in his race with a time of 45.15, meaning he would have to endure a nervous wait to see if he qualified for the final.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for Solomon to book a spot in the final eight.

Matildas playing for finals spot right now

The Matildas’ must-win semi-final against Sweden is about to get underway in Yokohama.

The winner of Monday evening’s contest will book their spot in the gold medal match against Canada, who defeated US 1-0 in a shock upset earlier today.

You can follow all the action live here.

James McKern

The Australian men’s water polo team is about to get underway in Tokyo, with the Aussie Sharks facing Kazakhstan at Tatsumi Water Polo Centre.

The match will commence at 8.50pm AEST.

Transgender weightlifter about to make history

The first openly transgender Olympian is about to make history in the women’s +87kg weightlifting event.

New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard will compete alongside Australia’s Charisma Amoe-Tarrant, with the event schedule to commence at 8.50pm AEST.

You can follow all the action live here.

Marnus' half century

James McKern

Australian sprinter Riley Day has narrowly missed out on qualifying for the women's 200m final despite an "awesome" performance in Tokyo.

The 21-year-old finished fourth in her semi-final on Monday evening, registering a personal best time of 22.56.

"That is an outstanding performance," Channel 7 commentator Bruce McAvaney said.

"It is hard to over-state how good that was."

Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the race with a blistering time of 22.13.

Earlier on Monday, Day had qualified for the semi-final after recording a time of 22.94 in the heats, following which she appeared to be "physically ill".

"Holy s**t," Day told Channel 7 after the race.

"That was a much better race than this morning. I've got my groove. Now I hope it's the fastest heat so I can get in the final. Because that is a massive PB. That's awesome.

"I want to be the best and I'm going to stop at nothing to be the best."

Unfortunately, Day's time was not fast enough to qualify for the final, going 12th-fastest overall.

James McKern

SILVER FOR AUSTRALIA!

Australia has won a silver medal in the equestrian jumping team event on Monday, with Great Britain clinching gold.

Kevin McNab, Shane Rose and Aussie veteran Andrew Hoy collectively finished second in the jumping event with a penalty score of 100.20.

Hoy is competing in his 8th Olympic Games.

All three Australian competitors will also feature in the individual jumping final later tonight, scheduled to start at 9.45pm AEST.

Read related topics:Live Sport

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/tokyo-olympics-live-updates-day-10-athletics-results/live-coverage/52629af605a1b817f9c3775e106fcc0d