Welcome back as we scoot seamlessly from day six to day seven and Rio heads into its wrap-up of week one and the first day of the athletics.
Catch up with it all in the briefing, find out what’s coming up and stick with the live blog to see it all as it happens.
The big picture
Day six brought us golds for Team GB in the velodrome, for China v China at the table tennis table, for Romania (the country’s first this Games) in the women’s épée, and, in an unexpectedly heartstring-tugging result, Fiji in the men’s rugby sevens.
Not forgetting Team USA’s Simone Biles, who took the all-around gymnastics gold that had her name on it since before the Games began. Oh, and Michael Phelps won another gold. His 22nd. And then had a little rest while the others battled for silver in the 200m individual medley.
Just look at that gap!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 12, 2016
There aren't enough superlatives to describe Michael Phelpshttps://t.co/QWD4R21txF #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/3ZErqTxd7U
Twice-banned Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova, winning her second silver of the Games, attempted to drag Phelps into the doping row by pointing out he had been photographed in 2009 holding a marijuana pipe. But more serious doping news came with confirmation from China’s official state news agency, Xinhua, that swimmer Chen Xinyi tested positive for a banned substance at Rio on 7 August. Chen came fourth in the women’s 100m butterfly final and is due to take part in the 50m freestyle.
How is this even possible news of the day came courtesy of Canada’s Penny Oleksiak, who – along with the USA’s Simone Manuel – tied for first place in the women’s 100m freestyle, despite being born in June 2000. It makes her the first person born in a four-digit-year-beginning-with-2 to win an individual gold at any Olympics. And yes, I would say “the first born this century” but the pedants would get me.
- WADA targeted by hackers seeking athletes’ drug testing data.
- ‘Rugby is our religion’: Fiji erupts in celebration of Olympic sevens gold.
- Birdies beat the snakes and crocs as golf comes to Rio’s Teletubbyland.
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Daily Beast website takes down article discussing Grindr dates with Olympic athletes
Quote of the day
The unparalleled Simone Biles:
I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I’m the first Simone Biles.
Team GB roundup
A happy evening in the velodrome as Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner tore round the track to claim gold in the men’s cycling team sprint. Skinner in fact claimed more than a medal, commandeering a flag in the celebrations that followed. But being well schooled in manners as well as bicycling, he issued an apology:
Sorry to the person whose flag I stole. 🇬🇧
— Callum Skinner (@CallumSkinner) August 12, 2016
Hopes will be high and speedy in the track cycling on day seven too, as Bradley Wiggins, Owain Doull, Steven Burke and Ed Clancy, who came first in qualifying in the men’s team pursuit, race for medals. Laura Trott, Joanna Roswell-Shand, Katie Archibald and Elinor Barker took a world record in their women’s team pursuit qualifying; they’re back on day eight. Skinner and Kenny are also back today in the men’s sprint qualifying.
It was silver for GB in the men’s rugby sevens, but only the hardest-hearted could mind, as Fiji took their first ever Olympic medal of any colour with a stomping display of rugby (43-7) and a stirring display of pride and vocal harmony with their post-match team singing.
Andy Murray took three sets to see off Italy’s Fabio Fognini and move on to the men’s tennis singles quarter-finals, only to find his downtime turn into a mixed doubles match. With news that Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Florin Mergea had dropped out came a call for the reserves, Murray (not bad for a reserve) and Heather Watson – who then beat Spain 6-3, 6-3 to reach their own quarter final. But non-reserves Jamie Murray and Jo Konta lost to Americans Jack Sock and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Earlier, as the weather finally perked up, Katherine Grainger became Britain’s most successful female Olympian, collecting silver (behind Poland) with rowing-mate Vicky Thornley in the women’s double sculls. Like Steve Redgrave she now has medals from five separate Olympic Games.
David Florence swooshed up with his third successive silver, he and Richard Hounslow coming second behind Slovakia in the canoe slalom doubles.
Today, with the start of the athletics, come Jessica Ennis-Hill, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jo Pavey from a UK-friendly lunchtime BST.
Australia team roundup
Make it an early start on Saturday morning to catch the men’s team pursuit in the velodrome: Team GB’s Wiggins and co fancy their chances but Australia are the world champions. So too is Kim Brennan, who starts in the women’s single sculls semifinals at 11.10pm AEST Friday.
On day six, there was heartbreak for the Campbell sisters in the pool: first (Cate) and second (Bronte) on the outgoing lap of their 100m freestyle final; fourth (Bronte) and sixth (Cate) at the close. On a glum night in the pool, Cameron McEvoy and Emily Seebohm failed to make it to, respectively, the men’s 50m freestyle final and the women’s 200m backstroke final. Belinda Hocking will make that latter one, though.
It was better news for Mitch Larkin, who grabbed silver in the men’s 200m backstroke, overtaken by American Ryan Murphy at the last.
Another wet silver for Karsten Forsterling, Sasha Belonogoff, Cameron Girdlestone and James McRae in the men’s rowing quad sculls, and a bronze for Jessica Fox in the K1 canoe slalom rounded off the day in medals.
But all in all, it was a bit of a comedown from the Golden Day of Kyle Chalmers, which Adelaide fans could at least relive with 12 not remotely hyperbolic pages in the Advertiser.
12 pages of Kyle Chalmers coverage in @theTiser today #thebigtuna pic.twitter.com/pv8ZbqCvwX
— Reece Homfray (@reecehomfray) August 11, 2016
Team USA roundup
In a day when five more gold medals kept Team USA on top of the medal leaderboard, let’s not forget Aly Raisman, who won a strong silver behind her all-conquering teammate Simone Biles in the all-around gymnastics.
In a good day for Simones, Simone Manuel became the first African American woman to make the podium in an individual swimming event, and the first black female swimmer to win an Olympic final, grabbing a gold medal in the 100m freestyle in a deadheat with Canada’s Penny Oleksiak, with whom she’ll now figure out a complicated custody arrangement for weekends and holidays. They took an Olympic record too, just for the fun of it.
Here’s what Manuel had to say about her various record-breaking achievements:
It means a lot, especially with what is going on in the world today, some of the issues of police brutality. This win hopefully brings hope and change to some of the issues that are going on. My colour just comes with the territory …
But at the same time, I would like there to be a day where there are more of us and it’s not like ‘Simone, the black swimmer,’ because the title ‘black swimmer’ makes it seem like I’m not supposed to be able to win a gold medal.
Kayla Harrison won her second successive Olympic judo gold, and it was gold, too, for Ryan Murphy in the men’s 200m backstroke. Oh, and Michael Phelps took his 22nd gold medal, demolishing his rivals – including teammate Ryan Lochte, who wallowed home in fifth – in the men’s 200m individual medley. In an alternate universe (well, Canada) Lochte romped home, as CBC commentator Elliotte Friedman spent the whole race mistaking the two swimmers and rueing Phelps’ poor show.
Picture of the day
Diary
All times below are local to Rio: here’s the full timetable tweaked for wherever you are. Or add four hours for UK, add 13 hours for eastern Australia; subtract one hour for east-coast US and four for west coast.
- Athletics limbers up, starting with men’s discus qualifying at 9.30am, and the women’s heptathlon charging off with the 100m hurdles heats from 9.35am (yep, that’s with Jessica Ennis-Hill).
- There’s even some track and field golds to watch out for: the women’s 10,000m at 11.10pm (with Jo Pavey running for Britain); the men’s 20km race walk at 2.30pm; and the women’s shot put at 10pm.
- Four rowing golds (usual weather disclaimer): the lightweight double sculls for women and men; the men’s four and the women’s pair. Action is due to start from 8.30am.
- It’s the final of the equestrian team dressage at 10am. Germany leads Britain in the standings so far.
- More track cycling action with golds dangled in the women’s team sprint at 6.04pm and the men’s team pursuit at 6.42pm. The British men set the fastest time in qualifying. Keep an eye on Australia’s double gold-medallist Anna Meares, too.
- It’s Spain (Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez) v Romania (Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau) in the men’s doubles tennis final, some time after 1pm.
- At the overly precise 3.42pm it’s the final of the women’s trampoline gymnastics. No Team USA final five here, but GB No 1 Kat Driscoll jumps up.
- The men’s individual archery comes to an end at 4.43pm with a gold bout; and there are finals in fencing – the men’s team foil at 6.30pm – judo (women’s +78kg at 5pm, men’s +100kg at 5.20pm); and shooting (the men’s 50m rifle prone at 11am, women’s skeet at 3.45pm).
- In the swimming it’s the women’s 200m backstroke final at 10.03pm; the men’s 100m butterfly final (Phelps!) is at 10.12pm; the women’s 800m freestyle at 10.20pm, and the men’s 50m freestyle final at 10.44pm (GB’s Ben Proud is through).
Underdog of the day
Pity Simonas Bilis, a Lithuanian swimmer competing in three men’s events but destined to spend the whole Games clarifying that he is not Simone Biles.
Tweet of the day
Cheering to see Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten – after a terrible crash in the women’s road race that left her in intensive care with three cracks to her spine – back by the track, if not on it, to support her teammates in the velodrome. Olympians are made of strong stuff.
Supporting our (#teamNL ) trackies! pic.twitter.com/KOit7CfvPI
— Annemiek van Vleuten (@AvVleuten) August 11, 2016
If today were a song
It would be whatever the Fijians were singing. But in a creditable silver position is Belle and Sebastian’s The Stars of Track and Field, coiled like a spring for athletics day one.
And another thing
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