Tokyo 2020 Olympics Day 13 live coverage: Ash Moloney claims historic decathlon bronze, Heartbreak as Kookaburras lose drama-filled final
Ash Moloney created history as he became the first Australian to win a medal in an Olympic decathlon, as the Kookaburras fell short in the gold medal match.
- Moloney claims historic bronze
- Heartbreak for Kookaburras
- Aussie pair into men’s 1500m final
- Matildas fall short in seven-goal thriller
- Wu wins diving bronze
- Boomers will have to settle for bronze
- Aussie teen skater soars into history
- Double kayak gold for Australia
- Beach volleyballers get their shot at gold
- Aussie underdogs to shock the world
- Handwritten note inspires high jumper
Read how Day 13 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games unfolded below.
DAY 13 HIGHLIGHTS:
■ COMPLETED:Marathon swimming, men’s 10km — Kai Edwards 12th
■ COMPLETED: Beach volleyball, women’s semi-final — Mariafe Artacho del Solar/Taliqua Clancy (AUS) d Tina Graudina/Anastasija Kravcenkova (LAT)
■ COMPLETED: Skateboarding, men’s park final — Keegan Palmer GOLD;
■ COMPLETED:Canoe sprint, men’s kayak double 1000m final — Tom Green/Jean van der Westhuyzen GOLD; Riley Fitzsimmons/Jordan Wood
■ COMPLETED:Basketball, men’s semi-final — USA 97 d Australia 78
■ COMPLETED:Diving, women’s 10m platform final — Melissa Wu wins BRONZE
■ COMPLETED: Football, women’s bronze medal match — USA def Australia 4-3
■ COMPLETED: Track cycling, women’s keirin — Kaarle McCulloch misses out on final
■ COMPLETED:Hockey, men’s gold medal match — Belgium def Australia, Kookaburras win SILVER
■ COMPLETED:Athletics, men’s 1500m semi-finals — Oliver Hoare, Stewart McSweyn into final
■ COMPLETED: Athletics, men’s decathlon — Ash Moloney wins bronze
Erin Smith11.40pm:‘I’m just so happy’: Ash’s mum responds to decathlon bronze
Alyson Moloney just can’t believe she can say she is the mother of an Olympic medalist.
Alyson’s son Ash has sensationally won Australia’s first medal on the track in Tokyo as the men’s decathlon came to a thrilling close on Thursday night.
Moloney entered the final 1500m event in third place as he sought to claim Australia’s first ever medal by a male in the 10-part event. He finished the run 12th in a time of 4:39.19 and it was just enough to sneak home for bronze.
“F..k yeah!” Moloney screamed as he embraced countryman Cedric Dubler on the track.
Alyson is at home in lockdown in the Brisbane suburb of Logan. And with her husband in another state, she had to watch the competition by herself.
“I’m just so happy,” she said. “My God that was just so close.
“I was sitting in my bed yelling my heart out, banging on the bed telling him to go faster. He was getting so far behind in the 1500m.”
Alyson said the swearing was understandable given the circumstances, but warned him not to do it again.
She said going into the final day of competition she had expected Ash to make the top 10.
“He had the problem with his knee, a callous on his hand, the heat and his asthma,” she said.
“I wasn’t sure how he would possibly cope. I’m just so happy.”
Heath Kelly11.22pm:Aussie Moloney claims historic bronze
With another Aussie “f..k yeah”, Ashley Moloney created history when he became this country’s first ever medallist in the Olympic decathlon.
At just 21-years-old and at his first major international meet, Moloney held on for dear life in the 1500m, the final of the 10-event marathon — and his least favourite.
He won the bronze medal by just 38 points, in an Australian record total of 8649.
When the medallists were announced, Moloney screamed “f..k yeah” to his teammate and fellow decathlete, Cedric Dubler.
It was the same reaction swimmer Kaylee McKeown had when she was interviewed on television after winning a gold medal in the pool.
His ecstatic mum Alyson said from Logan in Queensland his swear word was acceptable — “but only the one”.
She was whacking the bed during the 1500m final race yelling “what are you doing?” as he appeared to drift back in the event.
It turns out he was conserving energy for one final burst over the last 200m.
He finished the race in a personal best time — with a total score that was a new Australian record.
Moloney was the second athlete from Logan to win a medal, with BMX rider Logan Martin winning gold earlier this week.
Scott Gullan10.52pm:No US resurgence as Gardiner wins 400m gold
The form guide screamed Steven Gardiner but all the talk around the 400m in the lead-up to Tokyo had been about a possible US resurgence.
When you have Michael Johnson on your side of the history books it tends to weigh heavily in your favour with the Americans winning gold in seven straight Games from 1984 to 2008.
Michael Norman and Michael Cherry were the two left to fly the USA flag in the final but they weren’t a factor as Gardiner stamped his authority on the event, backing up his 2019 world title in Doha with Olympic gold.
The 25-year-old from the Bahamas looked in control a long way out in the final and claimed his first Olympic crown in 43.85sec.
Colombia’s Anthony Jose Zambrano took silver in 44.08sec with 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James fading over the final stages for bronze (44.19sec).
Gardiner, who was also the silver medallist at the 2017 world championships in London, had won five of his six 400m races this year with his only loss coming when he actually fell.
Cherry won the battle of the Americans coming in fourth, one spot ahead of Norman.
The USA team, who has had a horror track and field championships, claimed their second gold medal of the day in the women’s pole vault.
Katie Nageotte continued her consistent season by taking the Olympic title with a leap of 4.90m.
Reigning world champion Anzhelika Sidorova, from the Russian Olympic Committee, took silver and Great Britain’s Holly Bradshaw bronze, both clearing 4.85m.
Adrian McMurray10.50pm:Moloney wins bronze in decathlon
Australia’s Ash Moloney has won bronze in the decathlon, finishing behind France’s Kevin Mayer (silver) and Canada’s Damian Warner (gold).
Moloney sealed the medal with a personal best 4:39.19 in the 1500m.
The 21-year-old becomes the first Australian ever to win a medal in this event.
AFP10.30pm:Tsimanouskaya ‘happy to be in safety’
Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said she was “happy to be in safety” in Warsaw on Thursday a day after arriving in Poland, where she took take refuge after saying she feared for her life if forced to return home.
The 24-year-old athlete has been at the centre of a diplomatic drama in the middle of the Games since seeking the protection of Tokyo 2020 staff on Sunday, saying her team was trying to bundle her onto a plane after she publicly criticised her coaches.
AFP
Scott Gullan10.19pm:Moloney slips to bronze in decathlon
Australia’s Ash Moloney has slipped from the silver medal position to bronze after the penultimate event in the decathlon.
The 21-year-old Queenslander had been sitting in second place behind Canadian Damian Warner after eight of the 10 events but lost significant ground on the javelin throw.
Moloney could only manage a throw of 57.12m and was overtaken by France’s world record holder Kevin Mayer who launched the javelin a stunning 73.09.
The final event is the 1500m with Moloney now 102 points behind Mayer but he still has a handy gap to fourth with American Garrett Scantling 62 points behind him.
Australia has never won a medal in the men’s decathlon.
Scott Gullan10.09pm:Aussie pair through to 1500m final
With Brianna Travers
Stewart McSweyn channelled some Peter Bol-like guts and determination to surge late and grab a place in the 1500m Olympic final.
In a stunning endorsement for the progression of Australian middle-distance running, there will be four athletes wearing the green and gold in the men’s and women’s 1500m finals.
Oliver Hoare showed his talent in the opening men’s semi-final, finishing fourth to get an automatic passage through to tomorrow night’s final.
McSweyn kicked for home 600m out and at one stage had almost 10 metres on the rest of the field but as they rounded the home turn the national record holder looked in trouble.
But like Bol had done the previous evening in the 800m final where he finished fourth, the King Island product lifted and kicked again over the final 50m to finish fifth, grabbing the final automatic qualifying spot.
McSweyn’s daring front-running ensured the semi-final was the fastest in Olympic history with Kenya’s Abel Kispsang winning in 3min31.65sec.
Medal favourite Jakobv Ingebrigsten was second in 3:32.13sec with McSweyn clocking 3:32.54sec.
Great Britain’s Jake Wightman won the opening semi-final in 3:33.48sec with Hoare clocking 3:34.35sec.
McSweyn, 26, admitted afterwards he would review his front-running tactics ahead of the final.
“I won’t want to go to the front as early, I’m happy following the guys,” he said.
“It’s a good tactic in the first two rounds but in the final, times don’t matter – it’s about competing.
“Hoping I can cling on the back of (Timothy) Cheruiyot and be right there on the bell.
“Strange things can happen in an Olympics so if I’m there in the mix, anything could happen.”
McSweyen said he did “a lot of the work” in Thursday’s semi-final.
“There is a lot of good 800m guys in that semi, I didn’t want to leave it,” he said. “I thought I could string them out a bit.
“I knew I was in the top seven, the main thing was getting through, they don’t hand out medals in the semi.
“I’m confident I can bring it in the final, hopefully I won’t have to do so much at the front, that will make it a little easier. I’m riding the momentum now and I think I can compete with the top guys come two night’s time.”
McSweyen said he had been inspired by Bol’s effort in the 800m the previous evening.
“That was amazing, Peter is a class act on the track but an even better guy off it,” he said.
“We always knew he had the ability, I get a buzz other Aussies take it to the world.”
US-based Hoare, who has spent the past four years at the University of Wisconsin, said he was riding the Olympic wave in his first Australian team.
“I’ve never made an Australian team in my life, as a junior, a senior and now it’s the Tokyo Olympics,” he said.
“Expectations are high, we’ve had a terrific track and field Olympics so far.
“I know Stewart (McSweyn) and I have tried our best to make the final. To tick one of those boxes at my debut Olympics is something I should be really proud of.
“There’s a little work to do but I am really happy with where I am and I’m excited for the final.”
Christy Doran9.58pm:Agony for Kookaburras in dramatic final
Australia will have to wait another day to break their Olympic record of 17 gold medals, after the Kookaburras agonisingly went down to Belgium in a penalty shootout.
On Sunday, Andrew Charter saved three goals against the Netherlands to progress past the quarter-final
Four days later, the penalty shootout ended the Kookaburras’ hopes of winning their second gold medal in men’s hockey, 17 years after winning in Athens.
Australia’s defeat was a slow, painful one.
A video referral saved Jacob Whetton once, after the video umpire found a foul from goal-keeper Vincent Vanasch after the Australian struck the post.
Given a reprieve, Whetton was denied again as Belgium won the penalty shootout 3-2.
Vanasch roared, Australia’s Kookaburras slumped to the turf as others rallied around Whetton.
For Belgium, their victory came five years after they lost the gold medal match to Argentina in Rio.
Since then, they had claimed almost everything world hockey has to offer and came into the match ranked behind Australia as second in the world.
As Belgium’s players roared with triumph, New Zealand coach Shane McLoud took himself to the dug out and buried his head in his hands and cried.
Twenty metres away Australia’s players struggled to contain their emotions.
Moments later, coach Colin Batch, who was an assistant when they won gold in Athens, gathered the group in a huddle and addressed the team.
Their silver medal is their best result at a Games since they won gold in Athens.
Earlier, the Kookaburras came close to pinching the match as Tom Wickham scored early in the fourth quarter to level the score at 1-1.
The Kookaburras were on the back foot for most of the match, as Charter kept Australia alive in the first half with a series of stunning saves.
It was not until Florent van Aubel put Belgium in front in the seconds after half-time that the Kookaburras sprung into action after a nervy opening half.
Despite a late attacking raid on Belgium, the Kookaburras will rue their slow start.
For a hockey program that had gone through the ringer in recent years, the defeat was devastating.
The entire 2004 gold medal-winning Kookaburras were watching the match via Zoom.
For them, and the rest of Australia gripped in lockdown across the nation because of Covid, it was a painful evening.
Nothing will come close to the devastation being felt by the Kookaburras though, who had come together under Batch since he took over in 2017.
Adrian McMurray9.26pm:Belgium win after penalties
Blake Govers first up for Australia … but he got too close to Vanasch, who saves!
Van Aubel scores for Belgium, they’re up 1-0.
Ogilvie holds his nerve and levels, 1-all.
De Sloover scores with a tomahawk, 2-1 Belgium.
Brand levels it at 2-all, and Denayer misses.
But Simmonds can’t capitalise! Charter is pinged for taking out Wegnez, and Hendrickx scores off a penalty stroke, 3-2. Whetton can’t score and Belgium celebrate! Wait a sec … this is being checked … and it’s taking a while, this is so tense. It’s been ruled an unintentional foul, and Australia have a re-take! But Vanasch makes the save, and it’s gold to Belgium. An agonising way for Australia to lose.
Adrian McMurray9.20pm:Hockey final goes to penalties
Oh man, how’s this for drama. The match ends locked at 1-all, so we’re off to one-on-ones to decide who takes gold.
Adrian McMurray9.06pm:Australia go level
Australia have equalised via Tom Wickham! Aran Zalewski shot, Vanasch saved and Wickham brought it down and into the goal off the rebound. It’s 1-all with 13 minutes to go.
Adrian McMurray9.00pm:Belgium lead 1-0 at 3QT
There was a chance for Australia from a penalty corner which required a spectacular save from Belgian keeper Vincent Vanasch, but the Kookaburras still trail 1-0 at the third and final break. It’s all or nothing now for Australia in the final 15 minutes.
Adrian McMurray8.48pm:Belgium take 1-0 lead
Belgium open the scoring through Florent van Aubel two minutes into the third quarter. Charter makes the initial save but van Aubel gets it on the follow up.
Adrian McMurray8.36pm:Still scoreless at HT in hockey final
Still no score in the men’s hockey gold medal match at half-time. Australia and Belgium have scored 61 goals between them at this Olympics, yet neither have been able to get on the board after two quarters. The pressure from Belgium has been immense, but Charter has stood tall, making four saves so far in the match.
Adrian McMurray8.18pm:No score at QT in men’s hockey final
No score in the men’s hockey gold medal match at QT. This is as good as it gets with the world’s top two sides facing off and these two heavyweights have been feeling each other out. Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter has been great so far.
Brianna Travers8.16pm:Protesters hit Olympic stadium
Dozens of angry protesters have descended on Tokyo Olympic stadium ahead of Thursday night’s athletics program.
The protesters are calling for the Olympics to be cancelled – even though it is day 13 of the Games.
It comes as Tokyo is in a state of emergency with more than 5000 people testing positive in the city on Thursday.
The protesters are being blocked by a heavy police presence and the protest has so far been peaceful.
Protesters are carrying signs saying “Olympics kill the poor” and “Stop playing games” to advance their cause as the world’s media enter the stadium.
Joe Barton8.05pm:Matildas fall short in seven-goal thriller
It’s Olympic agony again for the Matildas.
Despite a brave campaign from Sam Kerr and her troops, they will leave Tokyo empty-handed and wondering just when this golden generation may finally break through and receive some silverware, after being dealt a football lesson by the four-time Olympic champions as they went down 4-3 in Kashima.
In a positively insane bronze medal match, Kerr became Australia’s leading all-time scorer – but was still overshadowed by two-goal performances from USA captain Megan Rapinoe and star forward Carli Lloyd.
Australia were left to rue crucial defensive errors from Alanna Kennedy that gifted goals to Rapino and Lloyd in a match that was played at a rapid tempo.
The Matildas were battered and bruised from a draining campaign to date – leading into the match, Kerr was one of three Australians who have clocked up over 480 minutes, having started every single game from their opening victory over New Zealand.
In the end, those minutes added up and took their toll. Australia were valiant, but exhausted.
Rapinoe opened the scoring after in the ninth minute, slotting home direct from a corner when Matildas keeper Teagan Micah couldn’t get a hand to her curling cross, but Kerr struck back in the 17th when she drilled a shot low and hard through the gloves of Adrianna Franch.
In doing so she passed Lisa De Vanna as the Matildas’ all-time leading scorer, with 48.
She wasn’t allowed to celebrate for long, as Rapinoe had her second just four minutes later after Rapinoe lashed home a superb volley having capitalised on a botched clearance by Kennedy.
On the stroke of halftime, the US added to their lead when Lloyd launched a rocket off her left boot and made the score 3-1.
Lloyd was at it again just six minutes after the break, feasting on a mistimed header from Kennedy to further shred the Australian defence.
Within three minutes Caitlin Foord had jumped on the rollercoaster, heading home a delightful cross from Kyah Simon to reduce the USA’s advantage to two goals.
Kerr went desperately close to No.49 when her headed effort clattered into the post later in the second half, and there was hope late when Emily Gielnik hit a stunning effort from long-range to reduce the USA’s lead to just one goal.
But hope is what the Matildas have been living off for years. At some point, they’re going to need something to show for it.
Adrian McMurray7.56pm:US win women’s football bronze
The Matildas throw everyone forward after a long break due to an Alex Moragn injury, but it wasn’t to be, going down to the US 4-3 who take bronze. Defensive errors cost Australia in the end – Ellie Carpenter’s absence didn’t help but that’s an obvious area to improve on.
Adrian McMurray7.50pm:Glimmer of hope for Matildas
WOW! Emily Gielnik has scored an absolute screamer in the last minute of normal time to bring it back to 4-3. Picking the ball up in midfield she drove forward and shot from distance to beat Franch. Four minutes of added time now.
Adrian McMurray7.16pm:Matildas hit back, US lead 4-2
Hold up – the Matildas have one back through Foord! She burries a header off a Simon cross. That goal came just three minutes after the US’ fourth. Score is back to 4-2.
The Matildas are throwing everything at this now and almost have a third via a Kerr header, but she hits the post. Anything could happen here.
Adrian McMurray7.10pm:US lead 4-1
Oh dear. The US have a fourth. Kennedy attempted to head it back to Micah, but there wasn’t enough power on it allowing Lloyd to run onto it and grab her second in the 51st minute. It’s a long way back for the Matildas from here.
Adrian McMurray6.47pm:US lead 3-1 at HT
The US have their third via the boot of veteran Carli Lloyd. Lindsey Horan threaded it through to Lloyd, who smacked it past Micah in the shadows of half-time, and that’s where it remained at the break.
Earlier the Matildas escaped a penalty shout by Rapinoe, who protested a challenge in the box from Kennedy. But VAR saw no issue.
Adrian McMurray6.22pm:US go ahead 2-1
Goals galore and the US have a second! Rapinoe scores her second of the match in the 21st minute, a superb volley which Micah was no chance of stopping. We have a game on our hands.
Hayden Johnson6.20pm:McCulloch misses out on keirin final
In just 50 metres Australia’s chance at a medal evaporated with reborn rider Kaarle McCulloch narrowly missing a place in the keirin final.
McCulloch finished fifth of six riders.
Regardless, it was a stunning ride for the 33-year-old track cyclist who was forced to shift her focus from the team sprint to keirin in November after the shock retirement of her teammate Steph Morton.
Adrian McMurray6.18pm:Kerr equalises for Australia
Goal Australia! Caitlin Foord rolls it into the box, Sam Kerr runs onto it and shoots – it bounces off the arm of Adrianna Franch and it’s 1-all after 17 minutes. The Matildas haven’t really threatened at all so far, so it’s promising that they come away with a goal with essentially their first chance.
Adrian McMurray6.10pm:US lead 1-0
Wow. The USA have opened the scoring against the Matildas with a Megan Rapinoe goal, directly from a corner. Rapinoe whipped it in, Matildas keeper Teagan Micah got a glove to it but that clearly caught her out. The US lead 1-0 after 8 minutes.
Adrian McMurray5.57pm:Matildas begin their fight for bronze
The Matildas are out onto Ibaraki Kashima Stadium now for their bronze medal match against the USA. Some of the biggest names in women’s football are playing in this one. Australia’s men’s and women’s basketballers couldn’t get the job done against their US opponents … can the Matildas buck that trend?
STARTING XI 🗒
— Matildas (@TheMatildas) August 5, 2021
Here's how we line up for #AUSvUSA#WeAreMatildas#GoAustralia#TokyoTogether
Hayden Johnson5.27pm:McCulloch into leirin semis
Kaarle McCulloch is through to the semifinals of the women’s keirin after finishing second in a gutsy ride by the Australian cycling veteran.
McCulloch will ride in the knockout race at 6pm AEST.
Fellow Australian Sam Welsford, fresh from his bronze-medal winning ride in the team pursuit, remains in the omnium after finishing sixth in the first race.
He’ll race within minutes.
Erin Smith5.23pm:Wu wins bronze in 10m platform
That smile – Melissa Wu has done it. She has won her first individual medal at an Olympics, claiming bronze in the women’s 10m platform.
Wu had an exceptional day in the pool amassing 371.40 points.
Chinese superstars Hongchan Quan, 14, who scored three perfect rounds, finished in first and Yuxi Chen finished second.
Callum Dick4.45pm:Korda close to producing golfing history
American world number one Nelly Korda came within a whisker of producing just the second-ever sub-60 round in professional women’s golfing history at the Olympics on Thursday.
Korda carded a ludicrous 9-under on the par-71 Kasumigaseki Country Club course to take a four-shot lead over her nearest rivals into Friday’s third round – but it could and perhaps should have been greater.
Ten-time LPGA major winner Annika Sorenstam was the last – and only – female player to shoot a sub-60 round, when she did so in the second round of the Standard Register Ping in March 2001.
Twenty years later, Korda headed to the 18th tee with Sorenstam’s lofty mark in sight, needing a birdie on the tricky Par 4 to join the Swedish superstar in the history books.
Instead the normally unflappable American struggled through the final hole, obviously aware that history was on offer, and ended her afternoon with a double bogey.
Korda’s 9-under 62 still set an Olympic record round and put her in the box seat to win Olympic gold.
Erin Smith4.42pm:Chinese teen awarded perfect dive
Chinese diving superstar Hongchan Quan – aged just 14 – has just performed a perfect dive. All judges awarded her inward 3 1/2 somersaults with 10 points – giving her an overall score 178.50 points and shooting her to the top of the leaderboard with three dives to go.
Australia’s Melissa Wu is in third place.
Erin Smith4.00pm:Wu poised to dive into history
Melissa Wu is just moments away from chasing down her first individual Olympic diving medal.
The 29-year-old sailed through to the final in fifth place after racking up 334.50 points.
All 12 divers will start from scratch again with just five dives to impress the judges and earn a spot on the podium.
Diving is due to start at 4pm.
Gadiel Notelovitz3.59pm:Boomers still a chance to break their medal duck
They wanted gold, but the Australian Boomers will need to settle for bronze if they want to finally break their medal duck at the Olympics after falling to Team USA 97-78 in a heartbreaking semi-final defeat on Thursday.
In a game they led by as many as 15 points, Australia ultimately couldn’t keep pace with their fast-finishing American rivals who flicked a switch and proved once and for all: great offence beats great defence.
You have to be perfect to beat the best team in world basketball. And of course, hope your opposition has a bad day. Through nearly 20 minutes, that’s exactly what transpired. But a horror close to the first half saw Team USA shorten Australia’s lead from 15 points to just three, before the ugliest of third quarters effectively killed off the Boomers’ chances.
Like they did against Spain in the quarter-finals, the United States turned it on in the second half to make clear they’re still the team to beat in international competition as they hunt their fourth straight gold in men’s basketball.
Going into the game, Patty Mills was averaging a tick over 20 points a contest. With All-NBA defensive talent Jrue Holiday on him, Australia’s offensive spark struggled; finishing with 15 points on 15 shots.
Kevin Durant top scored for Team USA with 23 points, while Devin Booker added 20.
When a tough Kevin Durant jump-shot dropped in after 10 seconds, it felt scary – for the Australians in the press tribune, and probably those watching at home. Within a minute, though, Joe Ingles had sunk two three-pointers to give Australia a 6-2 lead.
By the time the US called their first timeout with 5:07 left in the first quarter, the Boomers had kept their opponents to just six points. By the end of the first, Team USA had turned the ball over five times, and with the exception of Durant, had struggled to put the ball in the bucket. The Boomers had a 24-18 edge, and were following the blueprint: defend, rebound, and take advantage of the US defence when it wasn’t set.
If it’s not broken, you don’t fix it. And Australia picked up where they left off in the second as the defence clamped down again, while Dante Exum led a scoring surge to put the Boomers into a 41-26 lead with 5:23 left in the half as Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich was forced to call a timeout.
That’s when the script flipped. The Boomers scored just four more first-half points as turnovers proved costly and Team USA finally got going offensively. The United States had missed their first 10 threes of the game, before Devin Booker’s corner triple dropped in. By half-time, after 20 minutes of near-perfect Boomers basketball, Australia’s lead was down to three points with the score at 45-42.
By the 8:25 mark of the third quarter, the United States was in the lead. Australia would never get it back as all the shots Team USA were missing before the break were suddenly dropping in. It was a quarter that decided the game – the Boomers outscored 32-10.
It was a 74-55 lead that the US took into the fourth quarter; a mountain far too high to climb for an Australian team that never stopped fighting.
Australia will now face the loser of the second semi-final between France and Slovenia.
Debbie Schipp3.55pm:Boomers will have to play off for bronze
Australia’s men’s basketball team will play off for a bronze medal after being beaten by the USA 97-78 in their semif-final.
The USA fought back from a half-time deficit to storm over the top of the Boomers.
Callum Dick3.35pm:Shot putter breaks own record three times for gold
American Ryan Crouser broke his own Olympic shot put record three times to win the USA its first track and field gold medal in Tokyo.
Crouser, whose previous record of 22.52m was set in winning at Rio five years ago, smashed the record on his very first throw of Thursday morning’s final.
He heaved it 22.83m and then improved that with a 22.93m throw before moving the record to 23.30m.
Crouser, who broke the world record in June with a 23.37 mark, held up a card to the camera when his victory was confirmed that read “Grandpa, we did it, 2020 Olympic champion”.
His American teammate Joe Kovacs won silver in 22.65m with New Zealand’s Tomas Walsh claiming bronze with a season’s best 22.47m. The final results mirrored the 2016 final.
The normally dominant USA team has had a horror start to the track and field program in Tokyo with Crouser at least helping to ease the embarrassment.
In the men’s triple jump, Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo took gold with a leap of 17.98m. He had previously won silver medals at the 2013 and 2015 world championships while representing Cuba.
China’s Zhu Yaming took silver with 17.57m while the tiny West African country of Burkina Faso won its first ever Olympic medal, with Hugues Fabrice Zango taking bronze (17.47m).
Callum Dick3.28pm:Green hits birdies purple patch, lifts medal hopes
Hannah Green’s eight birdies dominates the scorecard viewing at the women’s Olympic golf tournament, but it was a hard-fought par on the final hole of day two that has the Aussie medal hopeful up and about.
After a “rusty” opening round by her own admission, Green produced a near-flawless 6-under round of 65 to catapult her into medal contention at the halfway mark.
Green chose a fairway lay-up on the 18th hole after a wayward tee shot threatened to ruin her flawless back nine. She hit the green in three and sunk a clutch putt from just inside two metres to head to the clubhouse on a high.
“It felt like making a birdie to be honest,” Green said. “Eighteen is a strong hole … I am very happy to make four.”
Minjee Lee meanwhile overcame a tough front nine to card a 3-under 68 at Kasumigaseki Country Club.
Lee opened the day at even-par, five shots back from the leaders, and it immediately got worse with a bogey on the first hole.
The West Aussie shot an even-par 36 on the front nine to sit well clear of the leaders at the turn, but came home strong with three birdies to offer some hope heading into Friday.
Her back nine run of birdies helped with the confidence, but even then she admitted to being “a little bit pissed off” with her putting woes.
“I feel like I had a lot of missed opportunities definitely early in the round,” Lee said.
“I couldn’t really get the pace of the shorter putts today for some reason but I finished strong so that balances it out I guess.”
With wet weather forecast for the final round on Saturday, Lee said it would be a tough ask to get back into medal contention if she has just 18 holes to work with.
“I think if we were playing two more rounds then I could still be a chance – they said it (the rain) might miss us, so fingers crossed,” she said.
“(Tomorrow I need to) drop a couple of birdie putts early and that will really open up my round.”
Scott Gullan3.21pm:Holloway puts big hurdles upset down to nerves
It has been labelled the greatest upset of the Tokyo Games, Jamaica’s Hansel Parchment winning gold over America’s Grant Holloway who had been the dominant force over the 110m hurdles.
Holloway, the reigning world champion, was rated the biggest certainty on the track and field program, given he hadn’t lost a race since August last year.
But when it mattered the most it was Parchment who produced a career breakthrough performance.
The 31-year-old, a bronze medallist from the 2012 London Games, reduced his best time for 2021 from 13.16sec down to 13.04sec to win the Olympic title.
Holloway, 23, the second-fastest man in history, led for most of the final until fading late to get the silver medal in 13.09sec.
Another Jamaican, Ronald Levy, took home bronze in 13.10sec.
“The greatest feeling, the greatest feeling,” Parchment said. “I’ve worked so hard. It’s unbelievable that I caught this guy (Holloway). I’m really grateful.
“I don’t think a lot of people expected me to win.”
Holloway admitted the occasion got to him inside Tokyo’s Olympic stadium.
“I just think the nerves, the big atmosphere got the best of me a little bit,” he said. “But I’m young, I’ve got a lot of races under my belt so I’ll take this with a grain of salt and I’ll keep moving forward.
“This was not the outcome that I wanted but it enables me to say I’m an Olympic medallist.”
Jae Barton3.15pm:Half time, and history beckons for Boomers
Boomers fans, are you starting to believe?
Australia are 20 minutes away from what would be the biggest victory in their history, leading Team USA 45-42 in their basketball semi-final at Saitama Super Arena. At one stage they did lead by 15 points, only for USA to catch fire and reduce the gap.
Win here, and a first-ever Olympic medal is assured — with the gold medal on offer, against the winner of Slovenia and France, who play later tonight.
It has been an almost perfect half from Brian Goorjian’s men, whose swarming defence has done an immaculate job in stifling the US offence. Kevin Durant, as ever, leads the US with 15 points, while Australia’s scoring has been as smooth as at any point all tournament – with an even spread of scorers led by Dante Exum’s 10.
The Boomers bench is also getting involved in a big way – and not just on the court. It should be no surprise given they’re captained by one of the game’s greatest towel-wavers, in Patty Mills, but Australia are being very vocal.
A little too vocal, according to the officials. Australia were called for a technical foul when they, led by Joe Ingles, loudly protested a non-call when they felt Nic Kay was fouled after crashing to the floor.
Briana Travers2.16pm:Aussie teen skater soars into gold history
Australian teenager Keegan Palmer has won a historic Olympic gold medal in skateboarding as the sport debuts in Tokyo.
The Queenslander, aged just 18, won Australia’s first Olympic skateboarding medal in the men’s park competition.
Palmer, from Currumbin on the Gold Coast, came into the final ranked fifth but shot to the front delivering an amazing first run score of 94.04 which put him as the one to beat.
His competitors were unable to match his class in the bowl with Palmer’s final run delivering an even better score of 95.83.
Palmer threw his hands up in the air after his winning run and was hugged by Australian teammate Kieran Woolley.
He was supported by a strong contingent of Australian supporters donning the green and gold.
Palmer was born in San Diego and moved to Australia at a young age, becoming a professional skateboarder just a few months ago.
An emotional Palmer was embraced by his fellow athletes at Tokyo’s skate park, showing the respect he has among the skateboarding community.
His hands clasped over his mouth as he grappled with his new-found title of Olympic champion.
“It’s an absolute honour,” Palmer told NBC. “I’ve been training for so long. I’ve been working my ass off for a long time.”
Australian teammate Kieran Woolley said it was “sick” Palmer had won Olympic gold, saying he hoped to celebrate in the village tonight.
“We’re in a pretty strict lockdown but we might sink a few beers,” Woolley said. “I am so honoured to even call him my mate.”
Woolley described Palmer as a formidable competitor who “took it to the next level”.
“It is legendary — Australia’s first Olympic skateboarding gold. What a beast.
“He’s a super cool dude. We’ve been pushing each other and skating better and better.”
Madeline Crittenden2.06pm:Double kayak gold for Australia
Young Aussie stars Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen have pulled off a surprise gold medal in the final of the K2 1000m.
Green and van der Westhuyzen were ahead from the start, leading at the 200m and 500m, lifting their strokes rate in the final 50m.
It was a tight battle between the Aussies and German world champions, but Green and van der Westhuyzen managed to shock with a huge finish.
The heats, where they set an Olympic best time, were the best mates’ first international K2 race.
Tokyo is now officially Australia’s equal second most successful Olympics – our 16 gold medals matching the haul from Sydney and just one behind the 17 from Athens.
Madeline Crittenden1.40pm:Wood misses out on K1 medal
Australian paddler Alyce Wood failed to medal in the women’s K1 500m final at Tokyo’s Sea Forest Waterway.
Wood, 28, got off to a strong start but fell behind the pack midway through the race – finishing in eight position.
New Zealand’s star paddler Lisa Carrington won gold with an incredible run, finishing the course in just over 1 minute and 51 seconds.
Hungary and Denmark’s paddlers took silver and bronze.
Erin Smith12.45pm:Wu through to fourth Olympic diving final
Australian diver Melissa Wu is through to her fourth consecutive Olympic final.
The 29-year-old had a fantastic semi-final, pulling big scores across all five dives to score 334.50.
It was the fifth-highest score of the semi-final.
Chinese teen diving sensations Hongchan Quan, 14, and Yuxi Chen, 15, finished in first and second.
The final 12 divers will be back on the platform at 4pm.
Scott Gullan12.35pm:High jumpers safely leap through qualifying
Australia’s leading medal hopes in the high jump, Nicola McDermott and Eleanor Patterson, have both safely navigated the qualifying round.
McDermott, who became the first Australian woman to jump over 2m this year, looked impressive with no mishaps on her way to clearing the 1.95m automatic qualifying height.
The 24-year-old moved the national record to 2.01m during a successful European campaign in the lead-up to Tokyo, which puts her right in the medal frame.
Patterson, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion, is also a special talent and is ranked No. 10 in the world with a personal best of 1.99m.
She missed at her opening leap at 1.95m before nailing it on her second attempt to book a spot in Saturday night’s final.
Scott Gullan12.04pm:Moloney hanging hard onto silver spot in decathlon
Ash Moloney continues to hang onto the silver medal position after two more events in the decathlon at Tokyo’s National Stadium.
The 21-year-old Queenslander finished the first day of competition in second place, just 81 points behind Canada’s Damian Warner in the fight for gold.
He opened proceedings on Thursday morning by producing a personal best of 14.08sec in the 110m hurdles.
However, Warner went even better, setting a new Olympic record of 13.46sec which pushed his lead out to 162 points.
Moloney then responded with a decent result in the discus, throwing 44.38m in the opening group.
Three more events remain — pole vault, javelin throw and 1500m — with Moloney on the cusp of winning Australia’s first medal in the event.
Brianna Travers12.01pm:‘Unexpected’: Aussie skateboarder who toppled cameraman
Aussie skateboarder Kieran Woolley described his crash with a cameraman on his Olympic debut as “crazy”.
“Yeah that was unexpected,” he told News Corp. “I got out of it all right, he got out of it all right, so it should be fine, it was crazy.
“I didn’t think he was still going to be filming. It’s one for the memory books.”
As for his score, which will see him make the final, Woolley said it was unexpected.
“I am super stoked with that score, I did not expect it,” he said.
“I’m stoked to land it, I am just having fun, went as high as possible and it worked out.”
Woolley came extremely close to not making it to the Olympics after he was shut-out of a qualifying tournament in Iowa following a Covid outbreak among the Australian team.
“It benefited me, nobody saw how I was skating, no one saw any of my tricks and I came out firing,” he said.
“Luckily people fell off and I made it through, it is a blessing in disguise.”
Selina Steele11.52am:Duo survive searing heat to set up gold showdown
One win and two big fist pumps away from an Olympic gold medal in the women’s beach volleyball.
Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar shrugged off first set nerves to overcome Latvia and book themselves into Friday’s gold medal final in Tokyo
Turning to the small handful of Aussie supporters, the pair hugged, squealed and enjoyed their moment in the Olympic sun.
And boy, oh boy, what a sun.
It was 32C in the shade and with the sand hotter on the court, players were granted extended breaks.
An ace from Clancy wrapped up the first set 23-21 but Latvia’s Anastasija Kravcenoka and Tina Graudina dug in for the second.
Down 8-10, the Aussies rallied with Clancy a fortress at the net.
Switching at the back, Artacho de Solar was the steadiest defensive player on the court and Clancy stepped up her serving.
Standing 1.84 metres, Clancy was regularly serving at 69kmh — easily 10km faster than anyone else on the court.
With a knack for getting elevated at exactly the right time, Clancy got Australia back in the game with a big defensive block to make it 12-11 in the second.
Latvia’s only beach volleyball pairing on the world stage rallied but wilted as the game headed towards the 50th minute and Australia wrapped up the second set 21-13.
The Australians will now play American pairing of April Ross and Alix Klineman whose record remains unblemished. The Americans won their semi final 21-12, 21-11 against Switzerland’s Joana Heidrich and Anouk Vérgé-Depre.
Debbie Schipp11.45am:Australian beach volleyballers get shot at gold
Beach volleyballers Mariafe Artacho and Taliqua Clancy have guaranteed themselves an Olympic medal – now all that remains is to discover the colour.
The Australia duo demolished Latvia in two sets to win a spot against the US in the gold medal playoff., downing the Latvian world No. 15 combination of Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka.
It gives the Australians a guaranteed silver medal, and the chance to emulate the feats of Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst, whose unforgettable gold medal came on the sands of Sydney in 2000.
Madeline Crittenden11.35am:Rising stars cruise into K2 final; Wood, Bull into K1
Rising stars Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen have cruised into the final of the K2 1000m after setting an Olympic best time in the heats.
At the halfway mark of the race the pair were well ahead of closest rival, fellow Aussies Jordan Wood and Riley Fitzsimmons.
But the combination of Wood and Fitzsimmons failed to qualify, falling behind in the last 200 metres, as their fellow countrymen won the semi-final.
The Aussies beat New Zealand and China with a time of 3.17.077.
Australian paddler Alyce Wood is in the final of the women’s K1 500m after a fabulous semi-final run.
Wood was drawn in the lane next to star New Zealand paddler Lisa Carrington and finished just behind her on the leaderboard.
Fellow Aussie Alyssa Bull was also in the race, finishing in fourth position.
Wood is the wife of K2 paddler Jordan Wood and is coached by his mum Anna.
Brianna Travers11.34am:Woolley wipes out cameraman, and hits leaderboard
Australia’s teen skating superstars hope to make their mark today as heats in the men’s park event get under way in Tokyo.
NSW skater Kieran Woolley, 17, came into the competition with flair, accidentally crashing into a cameraman, who fell flat on his back but managed to keep on filming.
Spectators warmed to Woolley after he offered the cameraman a fist pump and helped him to get up — all with a cheeky grin.
The accidental crash didn’t make an impact on Woolley’s score, as it was enough for him to hit the leaderboard, pushing in front of eight other skaters.
It places him in a great position to make today’s final.
Australian Keegan Palmer, 18, will compete in heat four later this morning.
Debbie Schipp11.24am:Beach volleyballers claim first set
Team Australia beach volleyballers Mariafe Artacho and Taliqua Clancy have won the first set of their semi-final against Latvia 23-21.
It was a hard-won first set: Clancy and Artacho del Solar opened up an early break, then lost it as Latvia replied with four unanswered points to level 17-all. The Aussies called a time-out to regather, and went on to seal it 23-21.
Erin Smith11.10am:Wu faces tough task to make fourth straight diving final
Aussie diving queen Melissa Wu will look to secure her spot in her fourth straight Olympic diving final this morning.
Wu qualified for the semi-final after finishing fourth in yesterday’s preliminary round with a score of 351.2.
She is up against some tough competition including Chinese teen superstars Yuxi Chen, 15, and Hongchan Quan, 14.
The top 12 will progress to this afternoon’s final.
Debbie Schipp11.05am:Beach volleyballers on cusp of medal
Team Australia beach volleyballers Mariafe Artacho and Taliqua Clancy have just begun their push for a spot in the gold medal match semi-final, opening their match against Latvia’s world No. 15 combination of Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka.
A win today would give the Australian duo a spot in the gold medal playoff, and a chance to follow in the footsteps of Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst, whose unforgettable gold medal came on the sands of Sydney in 2000. Defeat means a bronze-medal match awaits.
Debbie Schipp10.25am:Moloney opens day two of decathlon with another PB
Day two of decathlon duties has kicked off in Tokyo, with mixed fortunes for Australia’s Ash Moloney and Cedric Dubler. The pair lined up in the same 110m hurdle leg, with Moloney lucky to stay on his feet after hitting second hurdle, but still crossing third in a personal best time of 14.08 seconds. All despite carrying a knee injury. He’s started the day’s events in the silver medal spot, but day two is traditionally his weaker one.
Dubler is clearly troubled by leg injury, but ran on regardless, crossing in eighth in 15.10. Now it’s on to the discus.
Debbie Schipp10.00am:Aussie athletics team knocks off personal records
As our athletics team hits some personal highs in Tokyo, some interesting observations have come from statistician and historian David Tarbottom of last night’s action.
Our 800m hero Peter Bol’s gutsy fourth was the highest place by an Australian male of the athletics track since Darren Clark finished fourth in the 400m event 33 years ago.
Decathlete Ash Moloney’s gallant day one performance saw him clock up a 28-point personal best, setting him ahead of his 8492 Australian record. It came on a remarkable day which also saw him run a personal best 100m time and equal his personal best high jump performance.
Our remarkable women’s 1500m duo of Jessica Hull and Linden Hall are making great strides. Australia hasn’t had a finalist in the women’s 1500m in 25 years: since 1995. In Hull and Hall we have two. and Hull’s 3:58:81 time in the semi was her fifth Australian record in just over a year. It also knocked 0.86 seconds off the record held by … you guessed it … Linden.
Debbie Schipp9.30am:Aussie Edwards goes the distance for 12th
Australian distance swimmer Kai Edwards lost his cap during the swim, but managed to finish 12th in the 10km mens marathon swim in Tokyo.
The 22-year-old was making his Olympic debut in sweltering conditions in Japan.
The race was won by German swimmer Florian Wellbrock, who led from start to finish to take gold by 25 seconds, in a time of 1:48:33.7 from Hungarian silver medal winner Kristof Rasovsky, with Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri taking bronze.
Edwards was four-and-a-half minutes behind the winner in a time of 1:53:04.0.
Daniel Sankey7.30am:Aussie underdogs with chance to shock the world
If ever there was a day for the Aussie underdog spirit to shine, it is on Day 13 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
There is no bigger task in men’s basketball or women’s football than facing the might of Team USA, the official world no. 1 in each sport. But that’s exactly who Australia must defeat if our women’s football and men’s basketball teams are to keep their medal hopes alive.
The Matildas are $3.50 outsiders in their bronze medal match (6pm AEST) against the USA ($1.70 favourites), who have won four of the six Olympic tournaments contested. But with superstar forward Sam Kerr leading the line, anything is possible for the Matildas. Kerr has scored five goals so far this tournament — including two in the Matildas’ thrilling 4-3 quarter-final victory over Great Britain — to be third on the goalscoring list.
If the Matildas have a tough task, then spare a thought for the Boomers. Australia’s men’s basketball team, chasing a historic first Olympic medal, are prohibitive $5.20 outsiders against Team USA, near unbackable favourites with the TAB at $1.18. Led by all-stars Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Draymond Green, they’ve swept through the tournament in style, highlighted by a 95-81 win over 2016 bronze medallists Spain.
But guard Patty Mills, one of Australia’s flag-bearers at the Tokyo opening ceremony, believes the Boomers are primed for the biggest upset of the games.
“This is what you prepare for,” Mills said. “To have the opportunity to go to a gold medal match. Against the best team in the world.”
Speaking of underdogs … did you hear about the 21-year-old Aussie who’s currently second in the standings for the men’s decathlon, an event in which no Australian has ever medalled at an Olympic Games?
Well, let me introduce you to Ashley Moloney, who unleashed a blistering 46.29 second 400m last night — the third-quickest 400m time EVER by a decathlete — to rocket into medal contention.
At the halfway point of the gruelling event, Moloney currently has 4641 points, trailing only Canada’s Damian Warner (4722). Moloney will continue his unlikely bid for a medal when the decathlon continues today with the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m.
And in another bolt from the blue, Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen — considered only outside hopes for a medal going into the canoe sprint K2 1000m — are now equal favourites for gold after their Olympic record 3:07.773 in their heat.
Green and van der Westhuyzen will be joined in the semi-finals (10.26am AEST) by a second Australian pairing in Riley Fitzsimmons and Jordan Wood, who advanced after winning their quarter-final yesterday.
Also in the medal hunt are our women’s beach volleyball team of Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy, who already have one of the biggest upsets of this games on their record.
They defeated Canada’s reigning world champions Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes 21-15, 19-21, 15-12 on Tuesday night to advance to the semi-finals. Victory against the Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenkova at 11am today will guarantee Australia’s first Olympic medal in beach volleyball since the Sydney 2000 games.
And tonight, Australian 1500m stars Stewart McSweyn and Oliver Hoare will run for a place in the final. Ranked no. 5 in the world, McSweyn is a $13 gold medal hope, according to the TAB, while Hoare has rocketed to the seventh line of betting after an impressive third in his heat on Tuesday.
Christy Doran7.15am:Australia hot favourites to win men’s hockey gold
If the Kookaburras defeat Belgium tonight to take home gold, they might well look back to 2019 as the inspiration behind their success in Tokyo.
When Australia defeated New Zealand in the Oceania Cup to qualify for the Olympics, the Kookaburras were joined in the sheds by the entire squad that won gold in Athens.
There, in the sheds of a Rockhampton hockey pitch in September, the current squad and the 2004 gold medallists sung The Mighty Kookaburra song together 15 years after their success in Athens.
“After they won the Oceania Cup to qualify, they invited us into the change rooms to sing the song, because we actually made the song in 2003,” 2004 gold medallist Mark Knowles told News Corp.
“The 2003 group got John Williamson to make a song for us, so they invited us into their change-room and we sang it in a big huddle together.”
Later that night, the two generations of Kookaburras, some recently retired like Knowles and Jamie Dywer and others who gave up the game soon after the 2004 success like Troy Elder and Michael Brennan, shared stories and gave insights ahead of a Games fast approaching.
When Lachlan Sharp tapped home Australia’s third goal against Germany on Tuesday night to seal their semi-final triumph, watching on was a dozen from the 2004 squad who had linked up via Zoom to cheer on.
Some of the best from yesterday's #AUSvGER semi-final win! Gold medal match tomorrow night at 8pm AEST, #AUSvBEL. Full results here: https://t.co/XkQAywTdV6. @AUSOlympicTeam@FIH_Hockey@7olympics#PrideoftheKookas#Tokyo2020#TokyoTogether#HockeyInvites#Hockeypic.twitter.com/5HBK93HZLN
— Kookaburras (@Kookaburras) August 4, 2021
The Kookaburras’ Class of 2021 are a $1.50 favourite to defeat Belgium ($2.60) tonight to win Olympic gold. Read more about their journey here.
Brent Read6.45am:Handwritten note that inspires Nicola McDermott
Nicola McDermott will include a pad and pen among her high jumping paraphernalia when she begins qualifying in Tokyo on Thursday morning, but a handwritten note to self has emerged as the inspiration behind her pursuit of an Olympic gold medal.
When McDermott was only 10 or 11, having been told by her coach Matt Horsnell that she had the potential to represent her country, she wrote an ode to her Olympic dream.
News Corp has obtained a copy of the note, which was written on lined paper and includes a drawing of McDermott raising her hands in triumph.
“I’m standing out there alone but I’m not afraid,” it reads. “The sun is shining, there is no shade. Everyone is cheering. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I wish I could fly.”
On it goes, ending with McDermott writing: “We all feel like cookies and cream, Going to the Olympics is my greatest dream.”
Read the full story here.
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