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Updates from day 15 of the Rio Olympics

LIVE: The UK’s finest distance runner dropped to the ground in elation upon finishing with gold in the men’s 5000m.

Jai Bednall and Dan Elsom
6 min read
August 21, 2016 - 12:50PM
Australia's Ryan Gregson will compete for gold in the men’s 1500m final today.
Australia's Ryan Gregson will compete for gold in the men’s 1500m final today.

Rio Olympics

Welcome to our live coverage of day 15 of the Rio Olympics. Australia will feature on the track today in the Men’s 1500m and 5000m, while the women will compete for a medal in the 4x400m relay.

11:15am

No luck for Aussie women

AUSTRALIA finished in last place in the women’s 4x400m relay, with a time of 3min 27.45sec. The Aussies were narrowly edged by Poland for seventh place, with the USA and Jamaica smashing the competition for first and second respectively.

Great Britain finished six seconds off the pace to claim the bronze.

10:50am

Mo’s double double glory

Legend.
Legend.

BRITAIN’S Mo Farah became the first man since Finland’s Lasse Viren in 1976 to retain two Olympic distance titles when he won the 5000m.

After retaining the 10,000m title last week, Farah produced an exemplary race to win a second 5km gold in 13min 03.30sec.

Kenyan-born American Paul Chelimo claimed silver in a personal best of 13:03.90 while Ethiopian Hagos Gebrehiwet took bronze (13:04.35).

Australia’s Brett Robinson finished 12th with a time of 13min 32.30 sec.

— AFP

10:10am

Gregson finishes ninth

AUSSIE medal hopeful Ryan Gregson has finished ninth in the men’s 1500m final in Rio.

The 26-year-old middle-distance runner was Australia’s only representative in the event, but couldn’t manage to push into medal contention, finishing 1.39 seconds behind gold medal winner Matthew Centrowitz Jr. of the USA.

9:00am

Brazil’s first football gold

BRAZIL secured their first ever Olympic gold, after defeating Germany in penalty shoot-out.

A 1-1 draw saw the game go into extra time, with Brazilian skipper Neymar taking the final kick to confirm the victory. Brazil has won virtually every tournament in the sport, but the Olympic gold has always eluded them.

Scenes in the Olympic stadium reflected juts how much the history victory meant to a nation, with crowds erupting after the final kick, while Neymar collapsed to the ground with emotion.

The 5-4 shoot-out win exacted revenge for a humiliating 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Germany two years ago.

In front of the biggest crowd of Rio’s Games, including nine-time Jamaican gold medallist Usain Bolt, Neymar’s brilliant free-kick handed Brazil a first-half lead.

In honour of the retiring sprinting great, Neymar even adopted the “lightning bolt” celebration, whilst chants of “ole, ole, ole, Neymar” rang around Rio’s most iconic arena.

However, Germany captain Max Meyer enjoyed a special celebration of his own as he taunted the raucous 78,000 crowd at the Maracana by kissing the number seven on his shirt when he swept home Jeremy Toljan’s cross just before the hour mark.

The first eight penalties in the shoot-out were all successful before Brazil goalkeeper Weverton stopped Nils Petersen’s effort to set the stage for Neymar.

And he didn’t disappoint as, with the weight of a nation on his shoulders, he rifled the ball into the top corner.

In stark contrast to the empty seats on show across the Games, even at times when Bolt has been running, there wasn’t a seat to be had at the Maracana -- where Germany won the World Cup against Lionel Messi’s Argentina two years ago.

However, it was for the 7-1 mauling in Belo Horizonte five days previously that Brazil were seeking revenge.

Elation for Brazil.
Elation for Brazil.

None of the players that took to the field that day started on Saturday. Neymar missed the darkest day in Brazil’s football history due to two broken bones in his back suffered during a bruising quarter-final win over Colombia.

Yet, the good fortune that escaped Brazil on home soil two years ago was certainly with them in the first-half as Germany were desperately unlucky to go in behind at the break.

Julian Brandt’s fine curling effort came back off the bar, whilst Sven Bender also hit the woodwork from close range.

In between times, Neymar had opened the scoring via the bar with a sumptuous dipping effort from 25 yards for his third goal of the tournament.

Weverton made a fine save from Meyer and Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos was fortunate when his mishit clearance flew inches over his own crossbar.

However, Weverton was beaten for the first time in the competition just before the hour mark when Meyer swept home Toljan’s low cross.

Brazil piled on the pressure in the final half hour of normal time as Gabriel Jesus turned Renato Augusto’s dangerous cross just wide, substitute Felipe Anderson fluffed his lines and Neymar’s effort from distance flew just off target.

The hosts had the better chances in extra-time too as Luan burst clear only to see his shot blocked before Anderson was denied when one-on-one with Horn.

Thankfully for Rogerio Micale’s men they were far more clinical from the spot as Augusto, Marquinhos, Rafinha and Luan all netted to hand Neymar the chance to live up to his billing as the host’s poster boy for the Games.

— with AFP

7:30am

‘It doesn’t get any lower than this’

TOM Daley’s Olympic gold bid has ended in heartbreak as the Briton finished a shocking last in the 10 metres platform semi-finals dominated by Chinese duo Chen Aisen and Qiu Bo.

The 22-year-old Daley looked set to improve on his London 2012 bronze after finishing first in Friday’s preliminary round ahead of the Chinese pair.

Britain's Tom Daley was gutted to miss out on gold.
Britain's Tom Daley was gutted to miss out on gold.

But Daley endured a rocky first three rounds at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre and after failing to pull back in the remaining three he finished last of the 18 competitors, with the top 12 advancing to Saturday’s final.

“It’s just really tough to think how well it went yesterday and if I’d just done that 24 hours later it could have been an Olympic gold medal around my neck, but instead it’s the heartbreak,” said Daley.

“I really don’t have a reason. It doesn’t get any lower than this. “I’m kind of in shock right now because I know that I could win that gold medal and I think right now I’m the only one that could challenge the Chinese for that gold medal.”

7:00am

US claim women’s triathlon gold

EMMA Moffatt has finished sixth as the highest-placed Australian in the women’s triathlon in Rio.

After a superb second transition approaching the 10km final run leg, Moffatt was in medal contention, racing comfortably in the chase pack in third position.

However, the Beijing bronze medallist was unable to sprint when Gwen Jorgensen of the US and Swiss athlete Nicola Spirig broke free to fight out one of the most enthralling finishes to any competition over the past fortnight at the Rio games.

At one stage of the run leg, Jorgensen and Spirig ran shoulder to shoulder and traded heated words.

But with one lap remaining, Jorgensen dropped the hammer to win gold with Spirig claiming silver.

Great Britain’s Vicky Holland held on for bronze while Moffat’s Australian teammates Erin Densham finished 12th and Ashleigh Gentle 26th.

6:30am

Wallace, K4 team miss medal

KEN Wallace’s shot at history will have to wait another four years after Australia’s K4-1000m crew finished an agonising fourth in the Olympic final in Rio.

On the final day of racing at the Lagoa Stadium, Wallace had a chance to become Australia’s greatest-ever kayaker.

With a gold and two bronze medals - the most recent from the K2-1000m with Lachlan Tame in Rio - Wallace leaves Rio equal with champion paddler Clint Robinson who also has three Olympic medals to his name.

Wallace has already indicated that despite being 37 in 2020, he will commit to competing in Tokyo.

— David Riccio

6:00am

‘It’s tough to let so many people down’

AUSTRALIAN mountain biker Rebecca Henderson says she is second-guessing herself after a back injury forced her out of the women’s cross country race with two laps to go in Rio.

Henderson was time cut from the race on lap four of six when her time was more than 80 per cent of the leader’s first lap.

Afterwards Henderson fought back tears as she lamented the timing of the back injury which had flared up in one of the biggest races of her life.

She is currently sixth on the world cup standings with one race to go and says she must regroup to finish the season on a good note.

“It’s not a race that you want to be getting pulled at the 80 per cent at, there are so many people who helped me get here and you want to do it for them as much as yourself, and it’s pretty tough to let so many people down,” Henderson said.

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