NewsBite

Updated

Tokyo Olympics, day 8: Brutal heartbreak for Aussie man mountain

Aussie discus hulk Matthew Denny has broken new ground in the Olympics but he's fallen agonisingly short of the podium.

Andrew McMurtryAndrew McMurtry
@AndrewMcMurtry
less than 2 min read
July 31, 2021 - 9:52PM
Matthew Denny has done everything he could but fallen just short of the podium.
Matthew Denny has done everything he could but fallen just short of the podium.

Australia just keeps piling up the medals with gold and bronze for Kaylee McKeown and Emily Seebohm in the 200m backstroke, silver for Ariarne Titmus in the 800m free, bronze in the mixed medley relay and bronze for Ash Barty and John Peers in the mixed doubles.

You can follow our live coverage of day nine here.

That was before Rohan Browning stunned a nation on the 100m track and discus thrower Matthew Denny just missed out on a bronze in the best ever result for an Aussie.

A banner day was capped by Browning as he recorded the quickest 100m by an Australian in Olympics history to win his heat and progress to Sunday's semifinals.

Our team sports kept alive as well with the Hockeyroos overcoming a "dodgy decision" against Argentina, while the Boomers continued their 65-year start to the Olympics.

Thank you for following along on day eight for another action packed day of drama and please join us again tomorrow when Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell go for gold in the 50 free while our medley relay teams will be in the medal hunt as well. Logan Martin will look to become the first men's BMX freestyle champion and Matt Wearn just has to cross the line to win the Laser gold.

Updates

Matthew Denny falls just short of a medal

Matthew Denny finished fourth at the Olympics.
Matthew Denny finished fourth at the Olympics.

Matthew Denny already threw Australia's best ever Olympics throw but he's done it all over again.

But unfortunately, it's just shy of a medal.

All six of his throws were good with a 65.76m, 65.53m and 65.94m to get through to the final eight.

He then threw 65.00m before launching a 66.02m and a 67.02m.

But with the top three still to throw, he was still 0.05m out of the medals, with Austria's Lukas Weisshaidinger throwing 67.07m with his third throw finishing in the bronze medal position.

Matthew Denny was so close to the medals.
Matthew Denny was so close to the medals.

Sweden's Simon Pettersson with 67.39m was the silver medalist, while his countryman Daniel Stahl claimed gold with his second throw going 68.9m.

Denny's 67.02m is just over a metre shy of Benn Harradine's Australian record of 68.20m but was the best throw by an Aussie at the Olympics and Australia's best ever finish in the discus.

Harradine himself jumped on Twitter to blow up Denny's achievement.

It was another tremendous effort from the 25-year-old, throwing his personal best in the final.

And social media appreciated.

Rohan Browning has qualified first in his heat - sixth overall.
Rohan Browning has qualified first in his heat – sixth overall.

Australia's Rohan Browning has won the seventh heat of the 100m and in a brilliant time of 10.01 seconds to qualify for Sunday's semifinals.

"Australia, we have a sprinter," Tasmyn Manou said in commentary, after Browning qualified sixth fastest in the blue-riband event with a brilliant PB.

It was the second fastest Australian run of all time behind Patrick Johnson's 9.93 in 2003, the fastest time by an Aussie at an Olympics and quicker than Matt Shirvington's 10.03 set at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Browning also showed the type of swagger needed to mix it with the big boys in his post-race interview with Channel 7.

"I was saying to the other guys, when you're in lane one, you don't get a personalised introduction," Browning said. "I was trying to harness the underdog spirit. I don't think I've helped my Stawell handicap for next year.

"I doubt those guys have any idea who I am. I've been training and racing in Australia. I've been dying for world-class competition. That's what I was looking forward to today. I had a look at the start list, I thought I've got one of the stiffest heats. You'd rather do it the hard way, it is much more satisfying. You have to front up to everybody at some point."

As for how far he can go, Browning believes the sky is the limit and is not just targeting a final.

"Finals and beyond," he said. "A lot of media pundits were writing well-meaning stories about how great it would be for me to make a final. I've never been here just to make a final. No matter what the bookies say, the pundits or the punters. I hope there are a few more believers tonight."

Divine Oduduru was furious.
Divine Oduduru was furious.

Nigeria has been left in shock after arguably its biggest athletics name in Divine Oduduru was disqualified with social media calling it a "double standard".

The fifth heat of the 100m men's sprint was false started twice with Great Britain's Reece Prescod deemed to have reacted too quickly in under 0.1 of a second the first time the gun went off.

He reacted in just 0.093 of a second but the commentators believed it was just a good reaction.

He and the entire field were shown a green card – which means a technical issue with the start.

In the second start, Oduduru was deemed to have swayed on the start line and was shown the black and red card.

Oduduru is one of the men who can go well under 10 seconds with a best time of 9.86 seconds.

Social media erupted over the drama.

Trayvon Bromell faced a nervous wait to see if he made the 100m semi-finals.
Trayvon Bromell faced a nervous wait to see if he made the 100m semi-finals.

The hunt for the next Usain Bolt is on but the favourite for the crown faces a nervous wait.

Trayvon Bromell is considered the heir apparent but he's finished fourth in his heat with a time of 10.05.

The top three go through in the heats with the next three fastest also qualifying.

Luckily it was the fastest heat so far, but unluckily there were five more heats to come for Bromell.

But he was faster than the fourth placed finisher in the first, third and fourth heats.

'What a shock. This has turned this whole event on its head," Bruce McAvaney said.

"I must say you don't get many bigger shocks than this, I reckon, at the Olympic Games.

"What a surprise. He will have a very, very nervous wait to see whether he makes the semifinals. This year he's won 15 out of 16 races. Only defeat was in Europe when he got over after the American trials.

"Only been beaten the once, run 9.77. Only Bolt and Gay and Blake and Powell and one other have run quicker than that. It's the all-time list and we're talking about the best performers."

Bruce then stuck the boot in further and said "You know what he looked? Slow."

100m match race between Bromell and Bruce to see how "slow" he is.
100m match race between Bromell and Bruce to see how "slow" he is.

Fowler a big concern for Labor as election looms

Ally Foster
Ally Foster

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the fastest through to the final of the women's 100m.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the fastest through to the final of the women's 100m.

Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah has run a 10.76 in the semi-final, just 0.14 seconds outside the Olympic record and 0.27 outside the world record.

The second semi was insane as the Ivory Coast's Marie-Josee Ta Lou beat Jamaica's Shericka Jackson by 0.003 of a second.

This is insanity – and they were both just 0.03 seconds away from Thompson-Herah.

And the third semi saw Jamaican superstar Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce crossed the line in 10.73 – qualifying the fastest for the final.

This is nuts – tune in at 10.50pm AEST for the main event.

Harry Garside is up in the boxing round of 16 against Namibia's Jonas Jonas.

First round it looked like the Namibian got a few good licks in but Garside didn't miss when he had the chance and made the most damage when he had the chance.

And all five judges have given the first round to Garside.

Covid cases have exploded in Tokyo, coinciding with the Olympics.
Covid cases have exploded in Tokyo, coinciding with the Olympics.

The cases of Covid in Tokyo have exploded with 4,058 testing positive today, along with three deaths.

It's a frightening development for the city with the new cases reaching all-time record highs during the Olympics.

The World Health Organisation said on Friday that Japan was doing its best to minimise the risk of Covid-19 spreading during the Tokyo Olympics but stressed there was no such thing as zero risk.

The World Health Organization’s warning came as Japan extended a virus state of emergency in Tokyo and expanded the measure to four more regions as it battles a record surge in infections a week into the pandemic-postponed Games.

“There is no zero risk. There could be less or more risk. And then, for things to happen with low risk, you try your best,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) “did their best to minimise risk, because nobody should expect zero risk”, he said.

“I know that they have done their best, and we have supported them all along.”

Across Japan, new virus cases topped 10,000 for the first time on Thursday, and a string of government officials and health experts have warned that the more contagious Delta variant is fuelling a dangerous surge.

– with AFP

Smith makes a splash with opening dive

Annabelle Smith has begun her quest for a medal in the women's diving, with a strong score of 65.10 on her opening dive.

Clark bounces into the final

Fantastic news in the Men's Trampoline event, as Aussie Dominic Clarke bounced his way into the final.

The final begins at 3:50pm AEST.

San Marino within a whisker of historic first

San Marino, a nation with just over 30,000 people, have come within a whisker of winning its first ever gold medal at the Olympics.

Spain unfortunately spoiled the party, taking the gold in the mixed Trap Shooting final.

Source: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
Read related topics:Ash BartyLive Sport
More related stories

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/tokyo-olympics-live-updates-swimming-finals-boomers-kaylee-mckeown-day-8/live-coverage/b24c4e50076013c1b361edda7a4621e2