Tokyo 2020 Olympics Day 8 live coverage: Jamaican sweep as Elaine Thompson-Herah wins 100m gold; Rohan Browning stuns in 100m heat
Elaine Thompson-Herah set a new Olympic record as she claimed her second 100m gold in a medal clean sweep.
- Jamaican sweep as Thompson-Herah wins 100m gold
- Browning stuns in 100m heat
- Barty, Peers win bronze after Djokovic withdrawal
- Aussie on track for BMX gold
- Ledecky beats Titmus in 800m
- McKeown wins second gold
- Is this the fastest Olympics ever?
Read how Day 8 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games unfolded below.
DAY 8 HIGHLIGHTS:
■ Triathlon, mixed relay — Australia 9th, Great Britain gold
■ Swimming, men’s 100m butterfly final — Matthew Temple 5th
■ Swimming, women’s 200m backstroke final — Kaylee McKeown GOLD, Emily Seebohm BRONZE
■ Swimming, women’s 800m freestyle final — Ariarne Titmus SILVER, Kiah Melverton 6th
■ Swimming, mixed 4x100m medley relay final — Australia BRONZE
■ Hockey, women’s Pool B — Australia 2 v Argentina 0
■ Diving, women’s 3m springboard semi-final — Esther Qin into final, Anabelle Smith out
■ Tennis, mixed doubles bronze medal match — Ashleigh Barty/John Peers (AUS) def Nina Stojanovic/Novak Djokovic (SRB) via WO to win BRONZE
■ Rugby Sevens, women’s placing 5-6 — Australia def USA 17-7
■ Basketball, men’s Group B — Australia def Germany 89-76
■ Boxing, men’s lightweight (57kg-63kg) round of 16 — Harry Garside (AUS) def Jonas Jonas (NAM)
■ Athletics, men’s long jump qualification — Henry Frayne misses out
■ Athletics, men’s discus final — Matthew Denny agonisingly short of bronze
■ Athletics, men’s 100m heats — Rohan Browning stuns, wins heat
Joe Barton11.46pm:Dream Team back on track with 119-84 win
Well … that got out of hand very quickly. And Team USA suddenly looks very, very scary again.
The Czech Republic had designs on being the latest team to upset the mighty Team USA when they burst out of the blocks to take a 25-18 quarter-time lead.
But midway through the second quarter, the flick was switched and Team USA looked every bit the world’s best basketball team again as they blew the Czechs out of the water to the tune of 119-84.
Through the final three quarters the USA outscored their opponents 101-59 and had contributions from everywhere.
Kevin Durant started the avalanche in the second quarter, and finished with 23 points, but it was Boston’s Jayson Tatum who had a game-high 27 – and Zach LaVine’s 13 points on 5-7 shooting
The upset has been avoided, the quarter-final spot booked, and Team USA once again has every other remaining Olympic team looking over their shoulder – including the undefeated Boomers.
Scott Gullan11.03pm:Jamaican sweep as Thompson-Herah wins 100m gold
The world record remained intact as did Jamaica’s reign over the women’s 100m with a clean sweep of the medals led by a dominant Elaine Thompson-Herah.
The defending champion from Rio took her second Olympic title in a record time of 10.61sec, breaking Florence Griffith Joyner’s mark from 1988.
It was a yellow and green domination with two-time Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce taking silver in 10.74sec with Shericka Jackson winning bronze in a personal best 10.76sec.
Thompson-Herah, 29, who also won the 200m gold at the 2016 Games, started brilliantly from lane four and in an enthralling battle over the final 20m managed to hold off Fraser-Pryce on her outside.
Fraser-Pryce, 34, had been trying to emulate Usain Bolt by winning a third 100m Olympic gold medal.
The expectation of something seriously fast had been raised in Friday’s heats – six women went under 11 seconds – and this was again confirmed in the semi-finals.
There has been plenty of talk in the lead-up to Tokyo about the revolutionary Nike spikes which have flooded the sport over the past 12 months and resulted in records falling almost weekly.
This development combined with the fast Tokyo track was the perfect recipe for sprinters.
And Thompson-Herah capitalised.
While Griffith-Joyner’s world record of 10.49sec, also set in 1988, survived, her Olympic mark of 10.62sec from the Seoul Olympics was taken down by just 0.01sec.
Thompson-Herah had sent a message to her teammates when two hours earlier she clocked 10.76sec in easily the most impressive semi-final win.
A shadow was cast over the women’s 100m earlier in the day when Nigeria’s medal chance Blessing Okagabare was kicked out of the Games for a positive drug test.
Less than 24 hours after winning her heat, it was revealed that the former Commonwealth champion had tested positive for human growth hormone in an out-of-competition test on July 19.
Okagbare, 32, was expected to challenge in the final after easily winning her heat in 11.05sec on Friday.
And there was another big name missing with British star Dina Asher Smith missing out on a place in the final and then pulling out of the 200m because of a hamstring injury.
The world 100m silver medallist and 200m champion from Doha 2019 was overtaken late in the opening semi-final heat, pipped by Switzerland’s Ajla del Ponte for second automatic qualifying spot.
Callum Dick10.39pm:Denny smashes PB, falls 6cm short of bronze
Matthew Denny has thrown a lifetime best 67.02m with his final attempt of the men’s discus final, falling an agonisingly close 6cm from claiming bronze.
Denny – and everyone inside the Olympic Stadium – sat with bated breath waiting for his throw to register on the big screen.
It proved a bittersweet moment for the Queenslander, who set a personal best by almost 80cm to come within a whisker of the podium.
Austrian Lukas Weisshaidinger’s 67.07m throw in the second round proved a mark a touch too far for the Aussie.
The boy from Allora led all-comers after the first round of attempts, recording 65.76m with his opening throw to take an unlikely lead.
That quickly changed in the second round, when eventual bronze medallist, Weisshaidinger, tossed 66.65m.
Enter 2019 world championships gold medallist Daniel Stahl and his booming throw of 68.90 – quickly establishing the 2019 world championship winner as the man to beat in the final.
It was a mark that would stand the test of time, and the challenge laid down by compatriot Simon Pettersson, whose 67.39m in the fifth round proved good for silver.
Scott Gullan9.50pm:History as Browning stuns world in 100m heats
Rohan Browning is now Australia’s second-fastest man and an Olympic semi-finalist.
In an extraordinary performance the Sydney university student stunned the world by winning his 100m heat in a personal best 10.01sec.
Browning now moves past Matt Shirvington on the all-time list and has Patrick Johnson’s 9.93sec national record in his sights.
Running from lane one, the 23-year-old started brilliantly and then held off former world champion Yohan Blake over the final stages.
Browning said he expected he had taken his rivals by surprise.
“I doubt those guys have any idea who I am,” he said. “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.”
He said he now believed he could make it to the 100m final on Sunday night.
“Without a doubt. Finals and beyond. I’ve never been here just to make a final,” he said. “No matter what the bookies say, the pundits or the punters. I hope there are a few more believers tonight.”
Shirvington was the last Australian to make it through to an Olympic semi-final in Sydney in 2000.
Hec Hogan is Australia’s only medallist, winning bronze in 1956.
There was a major surprise in an earlier heat with the world’s fastest man this year, American Trayvon Bromell, finishing fourth and outside the automatic qualifying positions.
He did manage to progress through to the semi-finals – the first three in each heat are automatic – as one of three fastest losers.
There were plenty of impressive performances including a national record of 9.94 by Italian Lamont Marcell Jacobs.
Canada’s Andre de Grasse, who has long been anointed as Bolt’s successor, reminded everyone of his talent with a 9.91sec heat win.
Madeline Crittenden9.25pm:Frayne misses long jump semis
Aussie long-jumper Henry Frayne has failed to qualify for the semi-finals in his third Olympic Games.
Under the long jump format, athletes are given three attempts to meet the qualifying standard with the best attempt counting.
The athletes that meet the standard will automatically reach the final round.
Frayne, the reigning Commonwealth silver medallist, posted two jumps at 7.82m, putting him in eighth position, while his third jump was slightly better, measuring 7.93m.
The jump pushed him up the ranks into sixth position in his group, but it wasn’t enough to qualify him.
During the competition, Frayne wore a black armband in honour of his agent Andy Stubbs who recently died.
Madeline Crittenden9.13pm:Men’s 100m favourite misses automatic qualification
The hot favourite for a gold medal in the men’s 100m sprint in Tokyo has failed to automatically qualify for the semi finals.
American Trayvon Bromell is the seventh fastest man in history and was tipped to win gold in Tokyo.
However, in his qualifier, he ran a time of 10.05, placing him in fourth spot.
He will have to wait for other results to know if he can compete in the finals series.
Scott Gullan8.43pm:Get ready for a fast women’s 100m final
The expectation of something seriously fast on this Tokyo track was confirmed in the semi-finals of the women’s 100m.
Reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah literally jogged down to easily win the opening semi-final in 10.76sec.
The Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson were locked together in the second semi-final on 10.79sec.
And in the final semi-final dual Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce blitzed her rivals in an incredible 10.73sec.
There has been plenty of talk in the lead-up to Tokyo about the revolutionary Nike spikes which have flooded the sport over the past 12 months and resulted in records falling almost weekly.
Fraser-Pryce clocked a career-best 10.63sec in June wearing the spikes to signal that the world record of the late Florence Griffith-Joyner of 10.49sec, which has stood since 1988, was on notice.
And on what happened in the semi-finals, something very special is on the cards.
Gadiel Notelovitz8.23pm:‘It ups the stakes’: Aussie boxing’s last hope
When Harry Garside realised he was the only Australian boxing hope left in Tokyo, he didn’t sweat it.
“It just ups the stakes,” he told News Corp before delivering a performance on Saturday night that has him one win away from an Olympic medal.
Garside was dominant on his way to a unanimous decision (5-0) win over No. 2 seed Namibian Jonas Jonas, with a quarter-final against Kazakhstan’s Zakir Safiullin now booked for Tuesday.
The 24-year-old from Melbourne came out fast, controlled things when Jonas got going in the second, and put the fight away in a third round that saw every judge side with the mullet in the red corner.
“I’m still pinching myself, to be honest,” Garside said after securing his second win in the lightweight bracket.
“I’m here for the gold medal, and there’s three more (wins) to go.”
Garside danced around his stance-switching opponent for three rounds as his eliminated Australian teammates shouted from the near-empty stands of the Kokugikan Arena.
After nearly 18 months out of the ring, Garside shook out the cobwebs against John Ume in his opener. Against Jonas, who had a bye to secure passage to the Round of 16, it was clear who the sharper fighter was.
Garside won the gold in 2018 at the Commonwealth Games fighting at 60kg in the lightweight division. Jonas stood atop the podium there too, but in the light welterweight division (63kg). In Tokyo, the divisions were merged – the limit set at 63kg – with Garside having to step up.
Step up is exactly what he did. And he’ll need to do it again in a few days if he wants a medal, of any kind.
“He’s a tough, tough, tough man from Kazakhstan,” Garside said of his next opponent. “I’ve never fought him, never done any sparring with him, but I’ve seen him at plenty of tournaments.
“I’ve done a lot of research on him; I really like his style, I really like watching him. I’m a big fan of his.
“But I know I can beat him. Everyone here is beatable. They’ve got two arms and two legs, and 24 hours in the day.”
Joe Barton8.03pm:Boomers remain undefeated with win over Germany
It still ain’t pretty, but Australia’s Olympic campaign remains undefeated following another victory that switched from scrappy to comprehensive with a late burst.
This time it was world No.19 Germany who pushed Australia across the 40 minutes – or maybe closer to 35 – before becoming the Boomers’ third victim this week as Brian Goorjian’s men locked up top spot in Group B with a 89-76 win.
Germany’s resolve finally broke in the fourth quarter, as Patty Mills ignited the Boomers’ offence to finish with 24 points and six assists as Australia sealed the 13-point win.
Prior to the fourth quarter, it just never felt like Australia were on the verge of switching gears and putting their opponent to the sword.
When Mills opened up a 10-point lead with a four-point play early in the third quarter, Germany responded with a 10-0 run of their own. It was that kind of game.
But another captain’s performance from Mills and a slick offensive display from Jock Landale (18 points) and Nic Kay (16) were enough to keep the unbeaten streak alive.
In the cagey affair Australia were, however, given a gentle reminder of what life without Aron Baynes is going to look like for the rest of the tournament.
His replacements, Landale and Kay, got to work and contributed 34 points to make up for Baynes’ absence in one sense.
But it was at the other end of the floor that could have Goorjian worried, with the star big man’s impact on the boards and defensive end keenly felt – with German centre Johannes Voigtmann outrebounding the pair 13-to-7.
Baynes will miss the rest of the Olympics after suffering injuries on and off the court – and this was their first full showing without him since he missed games in Australia’s warm-up friendlies.
There is, of course, plenty to be pleased about as well.
Having finished first in Group B, the Boomers cannot face any of the top-ranked sides from any group in the quarter-finals – nor the best second-placed finisher, which is likely to be the star-studded but underperforming Team USA.
Australia will find out their quarter-final opponent on Sunday, when a random draw of the two pots is conducted following Slovenia’s game with Spain which will close the group stage.
Will Swanton7.36pm:Barty, Peers win bronze after Djokovic withdraws
Australian tennis players Ash Barty and John Peers have won the mixed doubles bronze medal after Novak Djokovic withdrew from their playoff. Djokovic made his decision after losing a marathon singles bronze playoff to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.
It was a strange end to the tournament for Barty who was a shock loser in the first round of the singles to Sarah Sorribes-Tormo of Italy.
Barty and Storm Sanders were also bundled out in the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles by the Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.
The mixed doubles was her final chance at a longed for Olympic medal and she got it but not in the way she probably would have hoped.
Christy Doran7.11pm:Boomers lead Germany 44-40 at HT
Patty Mills started the second quarter with a three-pointer and his second with 3.44 left on the clock gave the Boomers a 33-31 lead over Germany.
After a wasteful opening quarter, which saw the Boomers trail 22-18, Mills’ side took a 44-40 lead into half time against the world No.17 side.
A three-pointer from Andreas Obst closed the margin to two points, but a quick response from Nic Kay gave Australia a four-point lead.
Mills has 11 points, while Jock Landale and Kay have nine-points each.
AFP7.03pm:Djokovic misses out on a medal
Novak Djokovic lost his second singles match in as many days as Pablo Carreno Busta beat the world number one to win the Olympic bronze medal on Saturday.
Djokovic, whose Golden Grand Slam hopes were ended by Alexander Zverev on Friday, lost 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 as Carreno Busta won the match on his sixth match point.
Christy Doran6.39pm:Boomers trail Germany 22-18 at QT
They might have already sewn up a place in the quarter-finals after escaping with a 86-83 win over Italy, but the Boomers have work to do against the world No.17 Germany – 14 places below Australia.
The Europeans made Brian Goorjian’s side pay for a number of misses early in the first quarter, with the Boomers leaving points out on the court. Australia only shot 20 per cent from the field, while the Germans were above 70 per cent with Patty Mills and Joe Ingles off target early.
But a three-pointer on the first-quarter buzzer from Chris Goulding saw Australia only trail 22-18.
Erin Smith5.40pm:Qin through to 3m springboard final
Esther Qin has landed herself a spot in the women’s 3m springboard final after a sensational performance in Saturday’s semi-final.
She finished the five dives with 309 points, putting her in eighth position.
It was heartbreak though for fellow Aussie Anabelle Smith, who dropped to 14th spot ahead of the final dive after incurring a 2-point penalty for a restart – leaving her with just 39 points from the dive.
She bounced back to pull off an impressive 63 point dive in the final round but it was not enough to bump her back into the top 12.
Qin will dive again in the final at 4pm tomorrow.
Callum Dick5.28pm:Smith in the mix for late medal charge
With the letters A-U-S shaved into the side of his head there is no mistaking Cameron Smith’s motivation as he takes the hopes of a nation with him into Sunday’s final round of the men’s Olympic golf tournament.
The 27-year-old’s flowing mullet and shaved-in patriotism captured all the attention prior to competition at Kasumigaseki Country Club, but it was his blemish-free display in round three that got tongues wagging.
Smith shot a five-under round of 66 to move up nine spots and position himself for a charge at the medal placings in Sunday’s final day of play.
The Aussie navigated the tricky Par 4 18th that brought him unstuck the previous afternoon to enter the clubhouse at nine-under and with hope of a final-day charge.
Smith hit a purple patch on the front nine, sinking birdies on holes five through eight to get his day off to a flyer.
Most Americans will be cheering on leader Xander Schauffele (-14) on Sunday, but one who will have eyes for Smith is his aptly-named Jacksonville barber, Lee Trevino.
The man who shares a name with – but is no relation to – the six-time major winner is the one responsible for Smith’s golden mullet and trimmed-in three-letter acronym, the Aussie revealed.
“His dad had the last name and he was a golfer so he decided to run with it,” Smith said of his barber, who styles many on the PGA Tour who call Florida home.
Smith’s magic mullet will have to make up five shots on Schauffele to have any chance at gold – a tough ask considering the American’s consistency and the stacked field at the top.
Joining Smith in the hunt for gold is fan-favourite and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, who played true to his standing as one of the world’s best golfers with some incredible iron play on day three.
McIlroy and compatriot Shane Lowry are both in strong positions heading into the final day, sitting at 11-under and 10-under respectively.
Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood produced a stunning run on the back nine featuring five birdies – four in a row – on his way to a day’s-best round of 64 and into 10-under.
Joining Schauffele at the top of the standings are local hope Hideki Matsuyama (-13), Great Britain’s Paul Casey (-12) and Carlos Ortiz of Mexico, also at 12-under.
Fellow Aussie Marc Leishman shot a one-over round of 72 to finish at even and well outside medal contention.
Madeline Crittenden5.14pm:Fields out of ICU after horror crash
American BMX racer Connor Fields, rushed to a Tokyo hospital after a horrific crash on Friday, has been moved from a critical care unit.
Fields was knocked unconscious in a nasty three-bike collision just seconds into the second heat and was carried off the track on a stretcher by medics.
He was intubated and rushed to hospital where he underwent CT scans on his head, spine and abdomen.
According to a statement issued by USA Cycling on Saturday, Fields sustained a brain haemorrhage.
“After a night in the ICU, the doctors are pleased to report that there has been no additional bleeding, and no new injuries were found,” the statement read.
“Fields has been moved out of the critical care unit and will remain in the hospital until cleared.”
Fields won gold at Rio and was tipped to do the same in Tokyo.
Scott Gullan4.50pm:Mask saved pole vaulter from being kicked out of Games
Wearing a face mask saved Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall from being kicked out of the Games.
Marschall found himself in the middle of a Covid lockdown on Thursday after he was in close contact with American vaulter Sam Kendricks, who had tested positive.
The entire track and field team was forced into a three-hour lockdown with Marschall, coach Paul Burgess and female vaulter Nina Kennedy immediately taken away from the village.
He has spent the past 48 hours in isolation and despite all the drama he cleared 5.75m when it mattered to qualify for Tuesday night’s Olympic final.
Marschall revealed he’d embraced Kendricks at the warm-up track given the pair, who are friends, hadn’t seen each other for a couple of years.
“I gave him a handshake and he wasn’t wearing a mask,” Marschall said. “I was wearing a mask and of course I was so stoked to see him, excited to see him.
“I hadn’t seen him for years so we embraced and it turns out the bloody idiot had Covid.”
Marschall admitted he was “absolutely stressing” when news of Kendricks’ positive test broke and he self-reported their meeting to team officials.
“It was like an hour where I was absolutely stressing,” he said. “My Games could have essentially been over if I hadn’t been vaccinated and if I wasn’t wearing a mask.
“Luckily I was and luckily protocols kept me in the Games. I’m just stoked to be here.”
The WA-based pole vaulter said he was quickly able to “get his head straight” about his new circumstances ahead of Saturday morning’s qualifying.
“The hotel they put me up at is pretty nice and I managed to get some sleep,” Marschall said.
“I got off my feet and almost distancing myself from the social aspect of the village has been a good thing for me.”
He didn’t manage to provide himself with more drama in the qualifying after missing his opening two attempts at 5.65m with another slip-up meaning he was out of the Games.
Several of the other medal hopes also had scares including world record holder Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis.
“At first I thought he (Duplantis) was a mystical being but then he missed the first attempt at 5.50 and I was like ‘He’s human’,” Marschall said.
“And then he just smoked the next few heights. He is amazing and I am not going to go and beat him in the final, it’s a race for second.”
Ellen Whinnett4.45pm:Family, chocolate: how Titmus will enjoy her homecoming
Australia’s newest swimming star Ariarne Titmus is hanging out for family time and chocolate.
The 20-year-old is taking her four Olympic medals back to Australia for two weeks’ quarantine in the Howard Springs camp near Darwin.
She said her parents Steve and Robyn had sent a goodie bag for her to enjoy in quarantine, with chocolate, knitting and a nail kit to help her pass the time.
“I feel pretty overwhelmed,’’ the clearly-exhausted champion said, ahead of her departure from Japan on a charter flight to Darwin.
“Quarantine first, then I’m looking forward to seeing my family, my boyfriend, my friends, going out and doing the simple things, driving my car, getting a good cup of coffee, a nice breakfast, I definitely miss that here so I am looking forward to the simple things and just having a relax and a break.
“Probably just going to chill for a bit and reflect and just enjoy my time out of the water.’’
The two weeks in quarantine will be the longest time Titmus has spent out of the pool in her adult life.
Erin Smith3.50pm:Aussie divers contest 3m springboard semi-final
Aussie divers Esther Qin and Anabelle Smith are back in action this afternoon as they fight for a spot in tomorrow’s 3m springboard final.
Qin, who finished sixth in this event in Rio, qualified for today’s semi-final (starting at 4pm AEST) in 10th.
Smith just scraped through to the final in 18th spot. It is her first time competing as an individual in the event after winning bronze in Rio.
China’s Tingmao Shi will also be one to watch. She has already snagged a gold in Tokyo, winning the 3m synchronised event.
Shi also won the double gold in Rio.
The top 12 progress to tomorrow’s final.
Ellen Whinnett3.35pm:Biles withdraws from two more events
Superstar American gymnast Simone Biles has pulled out of another two Olympic events as the 24-year-old continues to battle mental health concerns.
Biles has decided not to compete in tomorrow’s individual vault and uneven bars finals. She had already withdrawn from the individual all-around, after an uncharacteristically low-scoring vault prompted her mid-event withdrawal from the all-around teams event.
She later revealed she had been struggling mentally.
In a statement, US Gymnastics said Biles would continue to be evaluated on a daily basis and that her decision to withdraw was made after consultation with medical staff.
“We remain in awe of Simone, who continues to handle this situation with courage and grace, and all of the athletes who have stepped up during these unexpected circumstances,’’ the organisation said.
Biles has not yet decided whether to contest the floor event on Monday or the balance beam on Tuesday.
The four-time gold medallist from the Rio Games had been heavily tipped to sweep the field in Tokyo but has since revealed she felt overwhelming pressure and was not enjoying her Olympic experience.
After further consultation with medical staff, Simone Biles has decided to withdraw from the event finals for vault and the uneven bars. She will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam. pic.twitter.com/kWqgZJK4LJ
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) July 31, 2021
Madeline Crittenden2.35pm:Aussie hope on fire in BMX freestyle
With incredible tricks that can only be likened to gymnastics on a bike, Logan Martin stunned in his Olympic debut, flipping through the air with double backflips – all while holding the handlebars of his BMX bike.
Thirteen years after BMX racing made its Olympics debut in Beijing, its flashier counterpart, BMX freestyle, entered the mix for its debut on Saturday morning.
Australia’s Martin, 27, gave the world a spectacular taste of the sport, wreaking havoc on the course and landing two scores in the 90s in his seeding event. He was the only competitor to be awarded one score of 90 (let alone two) and goes into tomorrow’s final as the top seed.
Under the format for BMX freestyle, riders get 60 seconds to fit in as many crazy tricks as they can on a variety of obstacles including box jumps, hips, spines and quarter pipes as music blasts through the stadium.
The goal is to impress five judges, whose scores are then averaged to produce a number between 0 and 99.99.
Martin’s double backflips, tail-whip combinations and effortless flare amazed viewers and the judges – but shockingly, these aren’t even close to being his best tricks.
“Today was just about two clean, consistent runs, not trying to overcomplicate with the big tricks,” he said.
“These are you know, medium size tricks I suppose for me, I definitely have more in the bag. So I’m excited to showcase what I can do.”
A two-time world champion, three-time national champion and a star on the X Games circuit, Martin is in red-hot form – and if his finals runs are anything like the seeding performances, he’s got the best shot at bringing home gold.
“It’s super amazing to be one of the first athletes to represent freestyle BMX, I’ve been doing this for 15 years. I’m definitely stoked to see it appear in the Olympics,” he said.
“(I want to) take home the first gold medal for freestyle BMX, it would be the biggest thing ever- something super special.”
Australia’s Natalya Diehm also competed in the women’s seeding events, ecstatics after finishing fifth with two scores in the high 70s.
“You should have heard me on the course, honestly I was screaming and hugging the girls, I’m like ‘we are f … ing Olympians’,” she said.
“I honestly can’t explain the feeling. I’m so proud and this is something I’ll hold on to forever.”
The finals will get underway from 10am local time on Sunday.
Christy Doran2.15pm:Hockeyroos still unbeaten in Tokyo
Savannah Fitzpatrick used to bury goals from beneath their family home in NSW and on Saturday she continued the Hockeyroos’ perfect start to their Olympic campaign.
The striker ruthlessly hammered home after an Argentine error at the back which saw her reverse stick home emphatically to hand the Hockeyroos their fifth straight pool win.
Her goal midway through the final quarter came just a minute after Argentina was guilty of some questionable sportsmanship after calling for a video referral when the Hockeyroos countered after a muck-up from a penalty corner.
Emily Chalker then continued her rich vein of goals with 95 seconds remaining, tapping home after Fitzpatrick passed to her unmarked in front of goal.
The unbeaten start to Tokyo means the Hockeyroos will play the fourth ranked nation from Group A, which shapes as either Ireland or India, on Monday.
But as 2019 world goalkeeper of the year Rachael Lynch said, the pools matter little unless you win your quarter-final. A feeling she knows all too well, having been in goals when New Zealand dumped the Hockeyroos out in 2016.
5ï¸âƒ£ from 5ï¸âƒ£!
— Hockeyroos (@Hockeyroos) July 31, 2021
We claim victory after a stunning last quarter and complete the pool stages with a perfect record.
Quarterfinals, here we come!
🇦🇷 0-2 🇦🇺 #ARGvAUS#HockeyInvites#TokyoTogetherpic.twitter.com/0dO2egkGWh
“It is a good feeling but we’re not going to rest on that,” Lynch told News Corp.
“In the Olympics, the wins in the first few rounds don’t really mean anything unless you win your quarter-final, so we’ve got our eyes on that.
“But it’s also just improving each game – that’s our main goal.
“These aren’t the games that matter.”
Erin Smith2pm:Sharks face uphill battle to advance in water polo
Australia’s men’s water polo team have been outclassed 16-5 in Tokyo by competition medal favourites Spain in a physical clash.
With just the one win from four games, the Sharks will now need to record a win against Kazakhstan and hope other results go their way in order to book a quarter-final spot.
The first quarter was fairly even but Australia struggled to convert chances into goals – a problem Spain didn’t have. The Sharks went into the first break down 2-4.
Spain scored two quick goals in the opening of the second quarter, putting them four points ahead, as the Sharks struggled to get the ball past Spanish keeper Daniel Lopez-Pinedo, who pulled off five impressive saves in the first half.
#AUSvESP | 4th Qtr | Top of the table Spain proved too strong today…
— Water Polo Australia (@WaterpoloAus) July 31, 2021
AUS 5 ESP 16#TokyoTogether| #waterpolo | @ausolympicteampic.twitter.com/ovapLZOJXI
Going into the break, Australia was down 8-3.
Things didn’t get much better for Australia in the third quarter, the Sharks scoring two goals to Spain’s five.
Australia had the same number of shots on goals as Spain but just couldn’t find the net past Lopez-Pinedo’s super-fast hands.
The men face Kazakhstan, who are yet to win a game, at 8.50pm on August 2.
Brianna Travers1.50pm:Temple’s thumbs up for mixed medley relay
Victorian tradie Matt Temple said the mixed relay was “pretty exciting” to be a part of.
“Diving in not knowing where you sit within the field because of the male/female difference, you swim your own race, touch the wall, hopefully the next person can swim over the top,” Temple said.
“To win, come third and bring home a medal, there is nothing better than a relay medal for Australia.”
Temple said he found out on Saturday morning that he was in the relay.
“I wasn’t too sure what the order was,” he said. “With so many options and Australia’s depth, who knows who was in the relay. To be in the relay is something special and to win a medal means a lot for me.”
He said overall the event was “exciting” to be a part of and that he hoped it remained on the Olympic program.
Wally Mason1.15pm:Titmus needs to give shoulder ‘a good break’
Australian swim star Ariarne Titmus said she needed time off now to soak up her incredible Tokyo medal achievements, but would consult with coach Dean Boxall.
“I definitely think I need time to let my mind recover and my body recover. My shoulder needs a good break,” Titmus said.
“I do have to think about what I’ve achieved here and have time away from the pool so I can get ready and get up for next year.”
She was “over the moon” at notching a silver to add to her stunning haul – but conceded Katie Ledecky was in a world of her own in the 800m.
“I knew it would be tough for me to be up there with her today,” she said.
“I’m really happy with the silver medal behind her. She’s pretty much, in the 800m when she’s on, in a class of her own. So I’m over the moon to be on the podium.”
Titmus also revealed that the most entertaining part of her Olympic journey had been watching video of Boxall’s celebration after her win in the 400m freestyle.
“It sounds weird but looking back at videos of my coach with his reaction in the 400m, I would sit in my room and giggle rewatching it,” Titmus said.
“Every time it got funnier, that was a really good moment to see his reaction.
“I am not surprised by his reaction – that is who he is. That was a really fun moment for me.”
Boxall’s reaction went viral after he was captured by TV crews celebrating in the crowd after her historic win.
Julian Linden1.10pm:USA just leads Australian in swimming gold
The USA leads Australia by just one gold — eight to seven — heading into Sunday’s last day of swimming competition,
The most gold medals Australia has won in swimming at an Olympics is eight, in 1956. The most medals in total is 20, at Beijing in 2008.
The 18 won so far in Tokyo is the equal-second-highest total.
With bronze in the 4x100m mixed medley relay, Emma McKeon collected her fifth medal in total to equal the Australian record for most medals won at a single Olympics, and in a career (nine).
This Aussie 🥉 is @emma_mckeon's 5th medal at #Tokyo2020
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) July 31, 2021
She now equals @IanThorpe & @leisel_jones' records of the most Olympic medals won by an Aussie (9)!
As well as the record for the most medals won at a single Games (5), shared with Thorpe, Shane Gould & @Alicia_Coutts! pic.twitter.com/lXwXaE8u33
Daniel Sankey12.50pm:Bronze for Australia in mixed medley relay
Emma McKeon has swum a blistering final leg to snatch a bronze medal for Australia in the inaugural 4x100m mixed medley relay.
McKeon, who just minutes earlier had won her 50m freestyle semi-final in a new Olympic record time of 24.00 seconds, delivered as the 100m freestyle anchor with a 51.73 second leg. That’s more than two-tenths of a second quicker than the 51.96s she swan to win gold in the individual women’s 100m freestyle.
The bronze medal is also McKeon’s ninth Olympic medal, equalling the record jointly held by Leisel Jones and Ian Thorpe. She has the chance to take the record for herself in tomorrow’s 50m freestyle.
With star breaststroker Adam Peaty proving the difference with a 56.78s split — more than two seconds quicker than Australia’s Zac Stubblety Cook (58.82s) — Great Britain took gold in a world record time of 3minutes37.58sec. China (3:38.86) claimed silver, just ahead of Australia (Kaylee McKeown, Stubblety-Cook, Matt Temple, McKeon) in 3:38.95.
The USA was the only nation to select a male swimmer in the final leg, and even 100m freestyle individual gold medallist Caeleb Dressel couldn’t overcome the margin, his team finishing back in fifth.
Adam Peaty the massive difference for Great Britain there. They won by 1.28 seconds.
— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) July 31, 2021
His split for the breaststroke was 56.78.
Stubblety-Cook's was 58.82 (+2.04), Yan's was 58.11 (+1.33). #Tokyo2020#Swimming
Gadiel Notelovitz12.45pm:Stevens in tears after crashing out of discus
Four-time Australian Olympian Dani Stevens broke down in tears after missing out on qualification for the women’s discus final on Saturday.
Australia’s track and field co-captain had dealt with tremendous adversity to just get to her fourth Games, but ultimately couldn’t deliver what was necessary inside the Olympic Stadium.
Stevens finished 44 centimetres short of a bronze medal in Rio but in a major surprise couldn’t qualify for the final in Tokyo, with a best throw of 58.77 metres not nearly enough.
“I’m pretty disappointed,” Stevens said, speaking through tears. “You start thinking about all the people who have helped you along the way.
“ … I’m proud to be here, I’m very grateful for my health and to be here at my fourth Olympics.
“I gave it everything I had today and just didn’t make it through, unfortunately. That’s just what sport is.”
Dani Stevens has missed the final of the discuss by only 46cm and has finished in 14th place 💚💛#TokyoTogether
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) July 31, 2021
Stevens’ first throw went just 53.01m, before she managed 58.77m on her second attempt. The 33-year-old needed something far bigger on her third and final effort but could only muster 54.60m.
Stevens, a two-time Commonwealth Games and 2009 World Championship gold medallist, ultimately finished 14th in her heat and 22nd overall. The best 12 went through to the final on Monday, with American Valarie Allman qualifying top with a throw of 66.42m.
“On the last one, I left it all out there trying to let my body do what it knows how to do,” Stevens said. “They [the throws] were just too flat.”
A great morning for #OzAths🇦🇺
— @athsSTATS (@athsstats) July 31, 2021
Unfortunately Dani Stevens missed qualification in her 4th Olympics - such a champion - World Champion at all 3 levels, 4th her best #Olympics
Good that Matt Denny is flying Oz Discus flag this eve, with Frayne & Browning seeking to progress pic.twitter.com/SRxBn3QWkk
Stevens defied the odds to make it to the Games after overcoming a number of obstacles; the biggest a debilitating neck injury.
“My first goal was to get back daily function,” Stevens said of her injury journey. “I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t lift a bottle.
“I said to myself if I can throw a discus again, then that’s just a bonus on top. Now, I’ve just competed at the Olympics for the fourth time.
“I’ve got to be happy and content in myself that I overcame that.”
Daniel Sankey12.40pm:McKeon sets another Olympic record
Australia’s Emma McKeon is right on track for another individual gold medal, going through to tomorrow’s 50m freestyle as the fastest qualifier.
McKeon set a new Olympic record of 24.00, with Cate Campbell the sixth fastest qualifier in 24.27 after finishing fourth in McKeon’s semi.
There’s no time to celebrate for McKeon, though, who’ll swim the 100m freestyle anchor leg in the 4x100m mixed medley relay in just a few minutes’ time.
Jacquelin Magnay12.15pm:Titmus 800m freestyle silver ‘a bonus’
Double gold Olympic medallist Ariarne Titmus has won a “bonus” silver medal, with her fast finishing burst a few strokes shy of causing a major upset in the Olympic 800m freestyle final.
Katie Ledecky, the 1500m Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and 800m freestyle world record holder, was able to hang on after leading for the entire race, despite Titmus coming home fast.
Titmus, who mowed down Ledecky in the race of the championship, the 400m freestyle, earlier in the week, nearly did it again.
But Ledecky was able to claim her second individual gold medal in a time of 8mins12.57, about eight seconds shy of her own world record, while Titmus rocketed up the all time rankings with a personal best time of 8mins13.83s.
The Italian champion Simona Quadarella won the bronze in 8min18.35.
Australia’s Kiah Melverton was sixth in 8min22.25s.
Titmus said the 800m freestyle featured a tough field.
“We’re all around the same time at the moment, obviously Katie Ledecky’s world record is insane. I knew we’d all be at the same pace,” she said.
“I knew I had to hurt tonight. I tried to hold on, I’m not sure I did that, I tried to reel her in.”
Titmus, who will leave Tokyo as a double gold medallist, a double silver medallist and a bronze medallist said it was “good to be finished now”.
“Surely I don’t have to keep training, surely not. I’m really relieved I was able to perform here when it mattered and I’m looking forward to a good break now.”
Ledecky acknowledged Titmus immediately after the race, to which Titmus said: “I know that she would have worked so hard to be where she is and I feel really honoured that I’m the person that’s in the battle with her at the moment. I hope we can continue it going.”
Titmus will now head back home on a charter flight to Howard Springs in the Northern Territory. Once she is out of quarantine and can return to her Queensland home she faces a hero’s welcome, and also preparations for her 21st birthday in September.
Scott Gullan12.15pm:Bol shocks with new Oceania 800m record
The incredible journey of Peter Bol has a new chapter – Olympic semi-finalist and Australian and Oceania 800m record holder.
The former refugee ran the fastest 800m by an Australian at the Olympic Games on Saturday morning, surpassing Olympic gold medallist Ralph Doubell.
Bol took the Australian record off his training partner Joseph Deng by just 0.08sec, clocking 1min44.13sec to finish second in the opening heat of the 800m.
All three Australians made it through to the semi-finals with 34-year-old Jeff Riseley finally progressing for the first time at his fourth Olympic Games along with American-based Charlie Hunter.
Australia hasn’t had a runner in the 800m Olympic final since Doubell won gold in Mexico City in 1968.
Bol, 27, trains with the Justin Rinaldi group in Victoria alongside Deng and another former record holder Alex Rowe.
“I think I have been the second longest member in the squad without the national record,” Bol said.
“Alex Rowe tied it, Joseph Deng took it and now I have it again.
“But today wasn’t really about times, it’s awesome to have the national record but if I ran a national record and didn’t get into the semis I would have been complaining.
“The more I take out of that is getting through to the next round. Whatever it takes, that was my mindset coming so to get the national record I’m happy with that.”
Bol was born in Sudan before his family fled due to that country’s civil war. They spent four years living in a refugee camp in Egypt until moving to Australia at age eight.
He only turned his hand to running at the age of 16 when he lived in Perth.
Bol credited the new revolutionary Nike spikes in having a hand in the incredible time with his heat by far the fastest, won by Kenyan Ferguson Chjeruiyot Rotich in 1:43.75sec.
“With these new spikes and the track I was looking around (at the end of the race) because I didn’t think it was a 1:43 race, if I thought it was a 1:43 race I wouldn’t have been looking around I would have ran for 1:43,” he said.
“This is my third race in them, they are just so bouncy. I don’t think anyone runs 1:44 so relaxed or 1:43 (without them).
“Everyone is wearing (them). This was my third race in them and in the Australian season I ran in the old spikes and ran 1:44 low by myself.
“I guess really the mindset is a part of it.”
For Riseley, who clocked 1:45.41sec to finish fourth in his heat, it’s a story of persistence given he almost retired three years ago after multiple injuries.
Hunter, 25, clocked 1:45.91sec to also finish fourth in his heat and he was a last-minute inclusion into the Olympic team after running the qualifying time in the US.
In the women’s 100m hurdles, Liz Clay ran 12.87sec to qualify for the semi-finals in her Olympic debut.
Brianna Travers12.10pm:Seebohm ‘shocked’ at 200m backstroke bronze
Bronze medallist Emily Seebohm said she was “shocked” after her finish to claim bronze in the 200m backstroke.
“I was fine, I was shocked at first,” she said. “One of the volunteers was crying and that got me going. Otherwise I’m good, really happy.”
Seebohm said she was happy with the execution of her race.
“I had my race plan and I wanted to stick to my race plan,” she said.
“It was trying to not get distracted by the girls. I knew they were both in front of me.
It worked perfectly.”
She said it was “pretty unbelievable” to have medalled at four consecutive Olympic Games.
“I’m so grateful, it is so hard getting on this team every year,” she said.
“I didn’t think I’d get this again. It’s something I hold so social to my heart because these teams are the time of my life. To medal at every Olympics I’ve been to, as a little girl all I thought I wanted to do was go to an Olympics. “Medals weren’t really an option, I’ve been incredibly lucky, very blessed with the team around me.”
Daniel Sankey11.58am:Ledecky wins 800m freestyle, Titmus takes silver
USA superstar Katie Ledecky has held off a valiant charge from Australia’s Ariarne Titmus to win the women’s 800m freestyle – her third successive gold medal in the event.
Titmus set a new Oceania record of 8:13.83 but couldn’t overhaul Ledecky, who led from start to finish to touch home 1.26s ahead in 8:12.57.
Titmus’s Australian teammate Kiah Melverton was sixth in 8:22.25.
Daniel Sankey11.41am:Gold for McKeown as she claims backstroke double
Australia swimming superstar Kaylee McKeown has won her second gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics while Emily Seebohm won a bronze to join the elite club of swimmers to win medals at four Olympics.
McKeown added the 200m backstroke gold to her earlier win in the 100m after digging deep on the last lap.
It’s Australia’s seventh gold medal in the pool — matching the best haul by a Dolphins team at an Olympics away from home.
The all time record is eight, from the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, which Australia has a great chance of at least matching.
Seebohm – competing in her fourth Olympics – swam sensationally to win the bronze medal, just behind Canada’s Kylie Masse, who led for the first 150m but was overtaken on the last lap.
Seebohm joins Cate Campbell and Leisel Jones as the only Aussie swimmers to win medals at four Games.
One of the breakout stars in Tokyo, McKeown still has two more events to come with the mixed medley relay later today then the women’s medley on Sunday.
Julian Linden11.33am:Dressel claims 100m butterfly gold, Temple 5th
Australia’s Matt Temple has finished fifth in the men’s 100m butterfly final at the Tokyo Olympics won by American superstar Caeleb Dressel in a world record time.
Temple – who will return to the pool in about an hour for the mixed medley relay final – clocked 50.92 seconds to tie fifth.
Dressel won his third gold medal in Tokyo when he touched the wall in 49.45, breaking his own world record.
Hungary’s Kristof Milak won the silver medal.
Julian Linden11.05am:Swimming shock as Chalmers left out of relay
Kyle Chalmers has been left out of the Australian line-up for the inaugural mixed medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics.
Instead, the Australian selectors have chosen Emma McKeon to swim the closing freestyle leg – where she will be up against American superstar Caeleb Dressel.
Beaten by just 0.06 by Dressel in the individual 100m freestyle final, Chalmers was expected to be given the envious role of taking on the fastest man in water on the anchor leg, but it’s instead gone to McKeon, who won the women’s 100m freestyle gold.
McKeon was expected to swim the butterfly leg but that instead has been handed to Matt Temple, who will swim the individual final also against Dressel, about an hour before the relay.
World record holder Kaylee McKeown will lead off the Australian team in backstroke with 200m breaststroke gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook swimming the second leg.
Included on the Olympic program for the first time, the mixed medley relay allows teams two male and two female swimmers for whichever strokes they like, so the gaps between teams can widen and shorten dramatically depending on the head-to -ead match-ups.
The other seven nations are anchoring with women, so Dressel will start his leg trailing and will chase down a bunch of women on anchor. It'll be a sight. pic.twitter.com/K0RG1iNwEN
— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) July 31, 2021
Australia beat the US to win the gold medal at the last world championships by starting with two men, Mitch Larkin and Matt Wilson, to build up an early lead which McKeon and Cate Campbell held.
The US has selected Ryan Murphy, Lydia Jacoby and Torri Huske to join Dressell, while Britain and Canada also have strong line-ups.
Daniel Sankey10.55am:Bol sets Oceania record in 800m heats
Australia’s Peter Bol is through to the semi-finals of the men’s 800m after clocking a new national and Oceania record of 1:44.13 in his second-place finish in heat two.
Bol, who made his move on the final bend, taking the lead with Kenya’s Ferguson Rotich (1:43.75) on his shoulder, eased up in the final 20m with his place in the top two secure. However, he still beat Joseph Deng’s previous Oceania record by 0.08s and will go into the semi-finals full of confidence.
“That’s the best I’ve felt all year. It’s the Olympics, anything can happen, right?” he tod said.
“I’ve been chasing this top two, that’s what you need at the Olympics. It’s not about times today, it’s more about the positions.
“I was ready today.”
Scott Gullan10.45am:Star Nigerian sprinter fails drug test
Less than 24 hours after winning her 100m heat Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare has been kicked out of the Olympics for a positive drug test.
The former Commonwealth champion was told on Saturday morning that she’d tested positive for human growth hormone.
The Athletics Integrity Unit released a statement saying the out-of-competition test was conducted on July 19.
Okagbare, 32, was rated a leading medal chance and easily won her heat in 11.05sec on Friday.
She ran a wind-assisted 10.63sec (2.7m/s) to win the Nigerian trials and also clocked 10.89sec in Szekesfehervar, Hungary earlier this month.
The Nigerian track and field team has been under the spotlight with 10 athletes prevented from entering competition in Tokyo after failing to meet requirements for out-of-competition testing.
Nigeria has the highest percentage of athletes declared ineligible to compete at the #Tokyo2020 Olympics due to failure to comply with OCT requirements: 43% https://t.co/e4zhC2rC56
— Amara Nwankpa (@Nwankpa_A) July 28, 2021
Scott Gullan10.30am:Tiernan determined to ‘finish that race’
Heroic distance runner Patrick Tiernan has revealed he was desperate not to let Australia down when he picked himself up off the track after his body melted down over the final stages of the 10,000m final.
Tiernan produced one of the gutsiest moments of the Games after he was overcome by heat exhaustion during the final lap of the race, falling down three times before bravely stumbling across the finish line.
“It’s an honour to represent Australia and regardless of whether it is a performance I am pleased with or not, you still have to get across that line and finish that race,” Tiernan said.
“And for me being so close to that finish line, it was something that not only I could do but I needed to do.
“(I feel) frustration as it’s a long way to come to fall literally. Fall short of your goal. In my head I was just like, ‘Really?’.
“But at that point you have to get up and try and keep going. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened so it was frustrating in that regard but you get across the line then deal with this stuff again later.”
He was taken off the track in a wheelchair and spent several hours on Friday night with the Australian medical team getting his body rehydrated.
Tiernan, 26, had run brilliantly to stay with the lead pack but with two laps to go dramatically hit a wall, going from potential medallist to wobbling all over the track.
He staggered for 20 metres and then hit the deck, stumbling again when he tried to get up.
But Tiernan refused to give in and even when he face-planted onto the track at the 50 metre mark, he somehow got up to finish the race in 19th position.
“I thought I was in a really good spot as far as preparing for that, I hydrated during the day and thought I put myself in a good position but something wasn’t right,” he said.
“It’s the Olympics, we have been waiting for this for five years now and I got close.
“I think it was about the 180 when I collapsed for the first time and you don’t stop when you have only got 180 metres to go and at the time I didn’t think that I was completely done.”
How gutsy was that from Patrick Tiernan? The Australian hung tough with the leaders of the 10,000m before coming unstuck over the final lap - collapsing in the home straight before picking himself up and willing himself across the line. Determination personified. #TokyoTogetherpic.twitter.com/Q5TFv5QUiq
— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) July 30, 2021
Madeline Crittenden9.55am:Great Britain claim mixed triathlon gold, Aussies 9th
The inaugural Olympic mixed triathlon relay has ended in disappointment for Australia.
Under the format, four athletes – two men and two women – competed against each other in a 300m swim, 8km bike ride and a 2km run.
Matt Hauser, Jake Birtwhistle, Ashleigh Gentle and Emma Jeffcoat raced for Australia, fishing in ninth spot despite being ranked no.2 in the world going into the event.
Team Great Britain won the gold medal, with Jess Learmonth, Jonny Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee taking part.
Team USA finished second, with France third.
Birtwhistle said Great Britain was the team to beat going into the race.
“GB one of our tightest competitors, they were the hot favourites and it was their race to lose. We were going in as one of those top teams but unfortunately were not able to deliver,” he said.
“We know we are a top-tier team, we’ve made the podium in the worlds many times before, so it’s obviously a tough one to have a race like that and struggle to make the top 10. Unfortunately today the team was just a little bit off pace and we gave it all we could but that’s just the reality of what today was.”
Jeffcoat said while team Australia did it’s best, she was disappointed with the result.
“On the Olympic stage everyone is out there to medal and we definitely as a team have that ability and potential and I think the result today doesn't take that away from us, but we weren’t able to execute and personally I’m pretty disappointed,” she said.
Emily Bennamar9.45am:The most powerful image of the Olympics
A silent and simple gesture with massive impact. Three American athletes wore pink masks to stand against a teammate accused of sexual assault. That man is standing next to them.
Alen Hadzic is representing the United States at the Olympic Games. He has also been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, and has been separated from the rest of the athletes in Tokyo.
Hadzic’s three teammates on the US men’s épée team – Jake Hoyle, Curtis McDowald and Yeisser Ramirez – wore pink masks in apparent protest of Hadzic before their matchup against Japan on Friday.
Many protesters have previously used pink objects to express support of women.
Hadzic did not wear a pink mask. He also did not compete, as he was on the team as an alternate. The US lost 45-39 to Japan, clinching the Americans’ ninth-place finish.
Hadzic was suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport on June 2 after three women accused him of sexual assault on three different occasions. An arbitrator overturned the suspension on June 29 after Hadzic appealed, meaning the fencer was allowed to attend the Olympics.
“I think one case is enough for you to not be allowed to compete at the f … ing Olympics,” one of his accusers told USA Today anonymously. “It really makes you question how far someone needs to go in order for them not to be able to compete.’’ While he was allowed to attend, a “safety plan” was put in place. Hadzic was barred from the Olympic Village – he had to stay in a nearby hotel – and was required to fly to Tokyo by himself.
USA Fencing, along with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, imposed the restrictions.
USA Fencing was not in support of Hadzic – a graduate of Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey – attending the Olympics.
Daniel Sankey9.15am:Titmus faces her stiffest test in 800m final
She’s two-from-two against her great rival Katie Ledecky at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics — but Ariarne Titmus faces an uphill battle to topple the American great for gold in the 800m freestyle today.
Titmus has dominated Ledecky on her way to gold medals in the 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle, but the longer the distances get, the stronger Ledecky gets. The American was a dominant gold medal-winner in the first ever women’s 1500m freestyle earlier in the week, and she goes into today’s 800m final as the world record holder (8:04.79) and the owner of the 24 fastest times in the event’s history.
Ledecky barely raised a sweat qualifying for today’s final (11.46am) in 8:15.67, well clear of Titmus (8:18.99), who’ll swim from lane seven. Another Australian, Kiah Melverton, was the seventh-fastest qualifier (8:20.45) into the final and will swim from lane one.
The TAB has made Ledecky a near-unbackable $1.15 favourite, with Titmus the second favourite at $5.
Other medal hopes in the pool for Australia today include Emily Seebohm and Kaylee McKeown in the women’s 200m backstroke final, Matthew Temple in the men’s 100m butterfly and the Australian team in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final.
At the Yumenoshima archery field, Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Taylor Worth will take on Turkey’s Mete Gazoz in the men’s individual 1/8 eliminations, with victory taking him one step closer to the medal rounds.
In athletics, Peter Bol, Jeff Riseley and Charlie Hunter kick off their men’s 800m campaigns, Sarah Carli is in the heats of the women’s 400m hurdles, Kurtis Marschall contests the men’s pole vault qualification rounds and Liz Clay is in the women’s 100m hurdles heats.
Dani Stevens, the dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist and 2009 world champion, continues her quest for an elusive Olympic medal in the women’s discus qualifiers at 11.55am, while tonight, Rohan Browning is in action in the men’s 100m heats and Henry Frayne contests the men’s long jump qualifiers.
A bronze medal is on the line late this afternoon (AEST) for Australia’s tennis mixed doubles pairing of Ashleigh Barty and John Peers, who face the might of Serbia’s men’s world number one Novak Djokovic and Nina Stojanovic.
And the Boomers, minus injured centre Aron Baynes, will be aiming to keep their unbeaten record in tact when they take on Germany in their Group B preliminary at 6.20pm.
Australian Boomer Aron Baynes has been ruled out of any further play at the Olympics with a neck injury. The close knit team have rallied around him. Patty Mills ‘we’ve got Baynesy’s back, we’ll cover for him’. https://t.co/YdTdFJPK1m#Basketballpic.twitter.com/uHCE7RwVS3
— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) July 30, 2021
Callum Dick8.30am:Smith charges up leaderboard in men’s golf
A double bogey on the 18th hole soured Cameron Smith’s incredible charge up the standings on day two of the men’s stroke play from Kasumigaseki Country Club in Tokyo.
From the tee on the day’s final hole, Smith’s ball struck an empty grandstand and cannoned across the grass and into the pond on the Par 4.
He found the green in four but two-putted his way to a double bogey, undoing much of the hard work done to put himself within reach of the leaders.
With no fans allowed in the Olympic venues, Smith might further consider himself unlucky that the unused grandstand was there at all.
Smith started the second round eight shots back from day one leader Sepp Straka of Austria, but immediately found form with birdies on the opening two holes.
He tees off at 9.14am today in a tie for 20th at -4, still seven strokes behind current leader Xander Schauffele (USA), who at -11 is one shot ahead of Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz, with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama a further stroke back at -9.
Australia’s other hope, Marc Leishman, is even with the card in a tie for 47th and will tee off in his third round at 11.47am.
Read more on the golf here.
Scott Gullan8am:Could this be the fastest Olympics ever?
Dust off those record books because there was only one question being asked at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium after the opening morning of track and field – how low can they go?
The opening heats of the women’s 100m was jaw-dropping, eyebrow raising and pretty darn exciting. The clock was smashed, highlighted by the Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou dropping a 10.78sec.
Incredibly, six women ran under 11 seconds with Ta Lou’s heat time enough to win the silver medal at the past two Games.
Defending Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah was next on 10.82sec while two-time champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce cruised to 10.84sec.
There has been plenty of talk in the lead-up to Tokyo about the revolutionary Nike spikes which have flooded the sport over the past 12 months and resulted in records falling almost weekly.
Throw in the perfect warm and still conditions on offer in Tokyo and it adds up to an intriguing Saturday night final.
Read the full story here.
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