So, a remarkable day’s action. Mo Farah, Neymar, Caster Semenya. Surprises from Centrowitz, 37-year-old Ruth Beitia in the high jump – need we go on?
Well, yes, in the best spirit of Samuel Beckett, we must go on; we’ll go on.
This brings a close to day 15 from Rio but the live action continues here:
Speaking of London 1908, not only did Great Britain wipe the floor in the tug-of-war, but it’s also the last time that the United States won gold in the men’s 1500m.
That is, until now:
An update on China and Great Britain’s respective chances in the men’s marathon tomorrow – both countries have three competitors in action, but within a field of 155 runners in all.
Should GB hold on to second spot overall it will be the best finishing position at an Olympics since the London Games. No, not 2012 – London 1908. What a remarkable achievement that would be.
There’s quite a thought-provoking editorial in the Observer about this very topic too – with a plea to ensure top-end success feeds back into grassroots participation:
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The battle for second place in the overall medal table will play out on Sunday, with Britain and China no doubt nervously checking their prospects for the final day of action.
Team GB is guaranteed one more medal: whether that’s gold or silver depends on Joe Joyce’s ability to fend off France’s Tony Yoka in the men’s super-heavyweight boxing final.
I’m not sure either nation holds out especially high hopes for the men’s marathon, and both are absent from the crucial rhythmic gymnastics team all-around final. China does have Yeerlanbieke Katai in the wrestling 65kg heats.
And both have an entrant in the men’s cross-country mountain biking. Could this be the clincher? Let’s say it’s … unlikely.
If you missed it, Caster Semenya was in imposing form as she comfortably won the women’s 800m final to claim gold in a personal best time.
That won’t unfortunately be the end of it, with the South African runner seemingly set to face further scrutiny from the IAAF and its President, Sebastian Coe.
Andy Bull was there in the stadium and is across the latest in this complex case:
A lovely report from Owen Gibson from the Olympic Stadium on Allyson Felix, the remarkable American sprint-star who claimed her sixth gold medal anchoring home the women’s 4x400m relay.
The jury appears to still be out on whether Felix was hard done by in the individual 400m after stumble-tumble-dive-gate, but surely this achievement will put a smile back on the Olympic champion’s face.
And if you missed the day’s big story from the men’s football (no it wasn’t Germany losing a penalty shoot out, although that is a minor miracle in and of itself) – Brazil have won their first ever Olympic gold in the sport – adding to their five World Cups.
Throughout the tournament so much expectation lay on the shoulders of star striker Neymar Jnr, so perhaps no surprises when it was the Barcelona forward who stepped forward to calmly stroke home the winning penalty.
Some fabulous scenes from the Maracanã, captured here for your viewing pleasure.
Unless of course you’re German, in which case you’re only ever one google search away (ie “David Luiz crying”) from feeling cheerful again.
With that final gold medal of the night in women’s volleyball factored in, it has suddenly become an intriguing battle for second spot on the overall medal tally:
End of #Rio2016 day 15 and it's still #USA 1, #GBR 2, #CHN 3 in the overall medal table https://t.co/bpuxciBbDA pic.twitter.com/Kp5I6sTQKv
— Claire Phipps (@Claire_Phipps) August 21, 2016
Can China reel in Great Britain on the final day (in wrestling? rhythmic gymnastics?) – or will GB’s super heavyweight hero Joe Joyce have the final say?
Our man on the ground in Beijing, Tom Phillips, had some interesting things to say on the ‘demise’ of China at these Olympics. That assessment may yet prove premature:
In case you hadn’t heard enough from and/or about Ryan Lochte – he’s just broken, re-broken, recommenced the non-cessation of silence (please help me) over that incident, in a TV interview critics are acclaiming as ‘tearful’ – with the American apologising for intoxication, immaturity and stupidity (among other lesser evils).
Speaking of McGregor – I believe he’s just taken to the octagon – you can follow that all here, if that’s the stuff that tickles your fancy:
And forget Conor McGregor and the UFC, at the real wrestling it’s been a strong day for Turkey, who’ve continued their solid Olympics in the discipline.
In the men’s freestyle 125kg division Taha Akgul proved too strong for Iran’s Komeil Ghasemi, winning their gold medal bout 3-1.
Also a silver for Turkey’s Selim Yasar who went down to Russia’s Abdulrashid Sadulaev in the men’s freestyle 86kg category.
Incidentally, something that may have escaped your notice during the Games (but certainly just piqued mine) – in the women’s freestyle wrestling it’s been almost a clean sweep for Japan, who have taken home four gold and one silver across the six weight division.
Fun fact: 33% of Japan’s entire gold yield at Rio has come from women’s wrestling.
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If you missed it amid the excitement of the athletics track, there’s been some special moments at the taekwondo.
Having already delivered first-ever gold medals for Ivory Coast and Jordan, taekwondo has now helped Niger’s Abdoulrazak Alfaga claim his nation’s first-ever silver medal, and companion to its only ever Olympic medal, a bronze in boxing from Munich 1972.
Alfaga’s opponent, Radik Isaev, emerged victorious in the men’s +80kg division, winning the gold for Azerbaijan. With China’s Shuyin Zheng also grabbing gold at Carioca Arena 3 in the women’s +67kg category.
So that draws to a close the action from day 15. Still plenty to be resolved before the shutters are pulled down in Rio and the media caravans wend on their merry way.
There’s wrestling, volleyball, handball, a smidgen of gymnastics and mountain biking, boxing, basketball and the men’s marathon still to come; and naturally, all the pomp and pageantry of the closing ceremony.
They came fourth in their group, only just sneaking through after three loses, but they’ve send home the world’s best ranked team and hosts, Brazil – they’ve seen off the Netherlands – and now they’ve beaten Serbia!
Congratulations, China – women’s volleyball gold medallists.
Tears of consternation and celebration in both quarters, but when the dust settles some of these distraught Serbian players will remember, they’ve won Olympic silver.
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A massive spike from one of the Chinese players and we have a woman down! A fierce smack to the chops, and some concern among the Serbian players.
A huge miss here – Serbia have pushed their serve wide, and suddenly it’s China 24-23 and just one point away from Olympic gold.
It’s an absolute nail-biter – China were looking like being just a few points away from gold, but Serbia have locked this up at 20-20. Can they go on and force it to a 5th set?!
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It won’t be the final gold of this evening’s session, that honour goes to either China or Serbia who are currently locked in a cracker of battle in the women’s volleyball gold medal match.
We’re in the fourth set presently, where China leads 18-16, having won two sets to one. Massive contingent inside the Ginásio do Maracanãzinho to support the Chinese. Although they did knock out the hosts Brazil in the quarter-finals, so I imagine they won’t have too many neutrals cheering them on.
Both the finalists from London 2012 – Brazil and the United States – stormed through their groups, but fell short when facing these two sides. The Americans did however win bronze earlier today, so some consolation there for world number two ranked side.
Hi all, Richard Parkin in the chair, starting the Australian leg of this never-ending Guardian Olympics relay.
And pretty good timing on that Chelimo reinstatement – the medallists from the men’s 5000m are just mounting the dais now. The American appears to be taking it all in in reasonably quiet fashion, but I bet he’s proud as punch on the inside.
Cheeky stuff from Mo Farah here, with the sleight of hand of a seasoned magician he’s conjured his 10,000m gold out of his pocket and is marking this special moment with dual golden orbs. And why not?
Paul Chelimo reinstated to silver in 5000m
Looks like there have been movements on the track (or off the track but you know what I mean). This from AP:
American runner Paul Chelimo has been reinstated and will get his Olympic silver medal in the men’s 5,000-meter race after all.
Chelimo finished second in Saturday night but was later disqualified for a lane infringement. A short time later, track and field’s governing body said Chelimo did not break any rules and would get his medal.
Mohammed Ahmed of Canada also was reinstated to finish fourth.
The decision means Bernard Lagat of the U.S. has been bumped from the bronze medal back to fifth place. He had been moved up after the initial disqualifications.
Mo Farah won the race to complete his second straight Olympic long-distance double.
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Some more on the end of the 5000m (and the disqualifications). This from AP:
The governing body for track and field says Paul Chelimo, who originally finished second in the men’s 5,000-meter race, was disqualified for a lane infringement.
The IAAF says Mohammed Ahmed of Canada and Muktar Edris of Ethiopia also were disqualified for the same reason.
The decision to disqualify the trio allowed Bernard Lagat of the United States to take bronze in the race behind winner Mo Farah and second-place Hagos Gebrhiwet.
Swimming’s very own Walter Mitty, Ryan Lochte, has spoken to NBC about his night out on the town. Of course, he did that earlier in the week but this time his story is a little closer to the truth. If you are one of the 12 poeple in the weorld who doesn’t know the story - and it really is a story - Lochte said he was robbed on a night out in Rio. Only it turns out he engaged in some petty vandalism and had to pay security guards for the damage, which is slightly different. “I’m taking full responsibility for it, because I over-exaggerated the story,” Lochte told NBC on Saturday. “If I had never done that, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
We’ll have the full story up soon.
Samuel L Jackson has this to say about Mo Farah’s victory. Short but sweet:
Mo Doubling Down on da Gold!! Cheers Mate!! pic.twitter.com/Rlm6BaIZMz
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) August 21, 2016
The US top the medals table from track and field, as they did in the swimming (but where were they in the modern pentathlon, eh?) with 13 golds. Jamaica are second with six golds.
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USA win the men's 4x400m relay
Botswana won’t let the US go, they’re still chasing LaShawn Merritt as we hit the turn but Merritt will win it. Botswana fade badly (boo) and Jamaica finish second with the Bahamas comes third.
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The men’s 4x400m now. And in the lead after the first lap are ... Botswana? I LIKE THAT. I like it so much I write it in caps by accident. Ah, the US are now in first after two laps. That is less CAPS worthy.
Allyson Felix is now the most decorated Olympic female track athlete of all time with that gold.
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USA win women's 4x400m gold, Jamaica second, GB third
Going into the final lap it’s USA leading Jamaica by 0.5secs and after that... everyone else waaay back. Felix will take USA’s anchor leg with all her experience - and she pulls away. That’s her sixth Olympic gold (with some help from her team). Jamaica second, GB third.
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Sean Ingle’s report on Farah’s magical double is here:
And now we have the women’s 4x400m. USA and Jamaica will be favourites here.They are 1-2 after the first lap.
A few disqualifications in the 5000m, USSA’s Chelimo loses his silver after some pushing in the pack.
Looks like there've been some DQs in the 5000m. If they stand, it's #silver for Gebrhiwet and #bronze for @Lagat1500 pic.twitter.com/WVXdz06wuN
— IAAF (@iaaforg) August 21, 2016
Germany's Thomas Rohler wins javelin gold
Kershorn Walcott, the defending Olympic champions has his last throw but he will have to settle for bronze. And Thomas Rohler of Germany takes his title.
With Farah’s win, Team GB now has 65 medals, equalling the record haul of London 2012 - and with another guaranteed silver or gold to come from Joe Joyce’s super-heavyweight boxing final on Sunday.
Farah speaks: “I can’t believe it, after the 10k I was so tired. I can’t believe I did it. It’s every athlete’s dream. It’s been incredible, I just want to go home and see my beautiful kids .”
On the race: “When I hit the front I wasn’t going to let anyone get past me.”
On his motivation: “I hate losing, even at computer games .... I’ve missed time with my kids, I wanted to make that time count”
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Drama in the javelin, where the leader Julius Yego injured himself on his fourth attempt and will have to sit and watch the rest of the competition. It gets worse: Thomas Rohler of Germany then throws a huge effort to take the lead. Yego looks on, devastated.
Ruth Beitia of Spain wins women's high jump
Beitia is 37 and it’s her first ever Olympic medal. Worth the wait, I’d say.
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Brendan Foster on the BBC has just called Farah “Britain’s greatest ever sportsmen”. Foster was a 5000m and 10000m runner himself so he may be a little biased but he has a good case.
Farah goes to the British fans in the crowd, draped in the Union Jack. Looking at the final lap a few of his rivals collided in the pack behind him, but even then he ran a 52.8sec final lap. After running 4600m before that. How many people can run 400m in 52.8sec full stop?
For the record USA’s Chelimo was silver and Ethiopia’s Gebremeskel third.
Mo Farah wins 5000m!
Bernard Lagat, maybe the only man who can rival Farah for speed moves into a good position to strike. It is USA’s Chelimo who will challenge Farah in the final straight though but he can’t beat the champion. No one can beat the champion! Farah coasts home, serene. And it’s perhaps the easiest of his four Olympics golds.
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Two laps to go Farah still leads. And we’re into the final lap.
Farah is joined by fellow Brit Andrew Butchart and Uganda’s Cheptegei with 1km to go. Still no push from anyone else though.
Once again, Farah’s opponents seem to be helping him out by slowing the pace - few of the other guys in the race can compete with his finishing speed so it’s in their interest to try and stretch it out. But he’s plodding along at the front setting the pace that suits him at the moment.
And now over to Tom Lutz. Thanks for reading!
Paul Chelimo of USA also running strongly in third after the first kilometre. The pace is 2:37.40 – that’s pretty quick.
The two Ethiopians, Gebremeskel and Gebrhiwet, have gone to the front early. Farah back in about ninth place after 800m.
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And we’re off in the men’s 5,000m final. It’s Farah’s to lose, but he stands on the brink of history: only Lasse Viren has won the 5,000m and the 10,000m in the same Games, and then returned to repeat it at the next one.
Yego still leads in the javelin. Thomas Röhler is second with 87.40m, and Walcott third. We’re through three rounds.
Next up we’ve got Britain’s Mo Farah competing in the men’s 5,000m final. He’s aiming to do the “double double” – gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at successive Olympics.
Matt Centrowitz is talking to NBC: “It’s unreal right now.” His dad, also called Matt, competed for USA in the 5,000 at Montreal 76, and was going crazy as he watched his son come down the home straight. “Like father, like son,” says Centrowitz Jr, who’s also got that motto tattooed on his chest.
Britain’s Lynsey Sharp ran a PB of 1:57.69 to finish sixth, incidentally. Fifth-placed Jozwik of Poland also ran a lifetime best, as did Wambui.
Semenya passed Niyonsaba with 200m to go, and no one could catch her. Wambui of Kenya passed Canada’s Melissa Bishop in the final stages to make it an African 1-2-3.
South Africa's Caster Semenya wins women's 800m gold!
Semenya wins gold! Niyonsaba second, Wambui third! 1min 55.28sec the time – outside world record pace, but good enough!
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At the bell, it’s Semenya with Niyonsaba of Burundi.
And we’re off! Semenya leading through 200m.
Now it’s Caster Semenya in the women’s 800m final. Can we expecting a world record from the classy South African? From the inside, it’s Grace of USA, Poland’s Jozwik, Semenya, Wambui, Niyonsaba, Bishop, Sharp, Arzamasova.
The high jump bar is going to 1.97m with 12 women still alive – Beitia of Spain, Lowe of USA and Trost of Italy are perfect so far.
Meanwhile, Julius Yego, the world champion, has moved into the lead in the javelin with a throw of 88.24m in the first round – that’s a season’s best for the Kenyan.
Mel Sheppard was the man who won the 1500m at London 1908. Matt Centrowitz joins an exclusive club.
What a superb run from Centrowitz: he just managed to hold off Makhloufi in the final stretch. 3min 50.00sec the winning time – Makhloufi ran 3:50.11, and Willis 3:50.24. Souleiman was fourth, and Iguider of Morocco fifth. Kiprop was sixth – he left himself too much to do.
Matt Centrowitz of USA wins 1500m gold!
The first American to win this event since 1908! Makhloufi was second, and I think Nick Willis of New Zealand took the bronze. Where was Kiprop?
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At the bell, it’s Centrowitz and Souleiman of Djibouti in the lead. Ronald Kewmoi tripped earlier – he’s back on his feet, though.
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Centrowitz, Bustos of Spain and Willis of New Zealand leading through 700m. It’s not excessively quick.
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And we’re off! Matt Centrowitz of USA is also in contention for a medal.
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Now we’re ready for the men’s 1500m final. Asbel Kiprop, the 2008 Olympic champion, and Taoufik Makhloufi, the 2012 champion, go head-to-head. Makhloufi won silver in the 800m earlier this week.
Walcott, who won gold in London as a 19-year old, opens with 83.45m. Johannes Vetter follows that up with 85.32m.
And the men’s javelin final is about to start. Keshorn Walcott, the reigning Olympic champion, threw 88.68m in qualifying – if he gets anywhere near that in the final, he’ll be difficult to beat. But the German Thomas Röhler has thrown 91.28m this season. It should be competitive.
Big cheers in the stadium as Usain Bolt and his Jamaican team-mates receive their gold medals for winning the 4x100m relay.
In the high jump, everyone is over at 1.88m. We move on to 1.93m.
The women’s high jump final has just got under way. Seventeen finalists, which means it could take some time. USA’s Chaunté Lowe, who jumped 2.01m at the US Olympic trials in July, is a strong contender for gold.
Away from the football, IAAF president Sebastian Coe is giving his close of Games press conference. On empty seats, he admitted “there have been some sessions where we would have loved to have seen more people in the stadium” but that federations needed to do more to help market their sports and sell tickets. The remote Olympic Stadium, away from the main Olympic Park, has been a factor, but Coe said it was important not to leave white elephants (which followers of London’s Olympic Stadium saga might find a mite ironic). He also insisted it had been a good week for his beleaguered sport despite the doping controversies and patchy crowds: “We’ve learned our sport is alive and incredibly strong with a great appetite for public consumption.”
He also promised to take action on suspicious qualifying times, amid concerns that some countries were gaming the system, and look again at “transfer of allegiance” after revealing that there were recently 24 transfers to new countries in a single day.
Finally, he said he wanted to offer Usain Bolt a job when he retires. I’m sure he won’t be the only one.
“With all the things he will go on to do, I am very keen for him to carve out some space to help us develop the sport, and not only in an ambassadorial role. He has a broader role he can play. When the time does come, we really want him to stay in the sport,” Coe said.
Barney Ronay was at the Maracana for that dramatic shootout. Here’s his match report:
Well, after all that football drama, it’s time for some track and field. Seven finals tonight, including the men’s 1500m, the women’s 800m, and the 4x400m relays. Lots to enjoy.
The only place not to be if you’re Brazilian tonight is inside the athletics stadium. Yet when Neymar’s penalty went in the Brazilians in the crowd went as berserk as if they were in the Maracana, surprising the medallists in the men’s hammer who thought the reception was for them as they ascended the podium. In the press tribunes, volunteers crowded around laptops to watch streams of the climactic shootout.
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Well, that was great. Germany’s players are receiving warm applause from the Brazilian fans. They played well tonight, but maybe didn’t quite have enough in extra time to force a winning goal. On balance, Brazil probably deserved it.
I am in my hotel room in Copacabana and the noise outside is incredible, intimidating, incessant. The moment Brazil’s final penalty went in the net, there were screams in the street as if Godzilla had invaded, and every car began beeping their horns – they still are. It’s going to be difficult to get any sleep tonight …
That was a great shootout. Brazil’s five penalties were of such high calibre – Horn barely got near any of them. The pressure, kicking second! And then Weverton saved from Nils Petersen, and well, it was written for Neymar. Brazil have their first Olympic gold medal in football, and a nation can party.
Neymar’s lying on the floor, heaving. Timo Horn looks disconsolate. Everyone in the stadium is on their feet. It’s emotional!
What a moment! The Maracana has erupted! Brazil’s players are lying on the floor. Neymar’s in tears. The emotion! Such a cool penalty – he sent Horn the wrong way.
Brazil win Olympic gold for the first time ever!
Germany 4-5 Brazil! Neymar scores, and Brazil win gold!
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Germany 4-4 Brazil! Weverton saves from Nils Petersen! He guessed right, and beat it away! Now Neymar to win it!
Germany 4-4 Brazil! Luan sends Horn the wrong way! With a stutter step. Great penalty again!
Germany 4-3 Brazil! Niklas Süle scores, well. Great kick.
Germany 3-3 Brazil! Lovely from Rafael Alcantara. Six penalties, all converted.
Germany 3-2 Brazil! Great penalty from Julian Brandt – he sent Weverton the wrong way.
Germany 2-2 Brazil! Marquinhos sends Horn the wrong way. Nerveless.
Germany 2-1 Brazil! Gnabry scores, but Weverton should have saved it! It slipped under him.
Germany 1-1 Brazil! Renato Augusto scores confidently!
Germany 1-0 Brazil! Ginter scores, low in the corner.
Looks like Germany to kick first.
We’re tossing up to decide which end we’ll kick from. Both teams in huddles. Weverton and Horn getting last-minute instructions.
Well, you would have guessed it, wouldn’t you? It’s come down to the inevitable penalty shootout. What drama.
Full time, extra time: Brazil 1-1 Germany
We’re going to penalties!
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A minute left, and then it’s penalties.
Nothing comes of it. Germany counter with Julian Brandt, but Gnabry was miles offside.
Three minutes left. Rafael Alcantara with a chance in the box, but it’s blocked. Corner.
Felipe Anderson dazzles his way into the box again, but that’s an excellent tackle from Klostermann, was it, and Germany win it back.
Neymar looks as though he’s got a problem. He’s not moving freely. But surely he’ll be OK to take a penalty? Six minutes to play.
Every time a German player touches the ball, the whistles from the crowd start up. The nerves! Neymar races clear but the flag was up for offside. It was the right call.
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Ten minutes to go. Neymar has a dip from 20 yards, but it’s over the bar.
Despite what must be intolerable pressure from an entire football-mad nation, Brazil look good here: Germany have faded somewhat as an attacking force. Felipe Anderson is in down the left, but he can’t quite pick out a team-mate with the cross.
Oh, Felipe Anderson! That could have been the moment: Neymar with a perfect through ball, and Anderson accepted the pass, and ran clear of the back line, but Horn stood up well to block! Anderson went with the outside of his right foot when he might have hit it with his left. That was a big chance.
We’re under way in the second period of extra time. Brazil 1-1 Germany, and we’re 15 minutes from penalty kicks.
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The last Olympic gold medal match to go to penalties? Spain v Cameroon in Sydney, 16 years ago – Cameroon won 5-3 on spot-kicks. Are we heading for a repeat here? That’s the whistle, and we’re level after the first period of extra time.
In the past five minutes or so, it’s just become cagey again. No real chances for either side. It’s tense!
If Brazil were to prevail here, they’d become the first host nation, on the men’s side at least, to win gold since Spain in 1992. And lest we forget, Brazil, who have won every other championship going, have never won an Olympic title.
And Brandt with a volley just over the top! It’s heating up here.
Oh, chance! Luan raced clear for Brazil, Horn stayed at home, but the Brazilian attacker couldn’t find the finish! He cut back inside on his left foot, shot when he might have passed to Neymar, and Germany got players back to block.
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Gabriel Jesus looks thoroughly exhausted, so Rafael Alcantara, the Barcelona midfielder, is on in his place.
Chance for Gabriel Jesus, but Hoffenheim’s Niklas Süle does very well to ease him off it and win the foul.
We’re under way in extra time in the football. Usual rules apply – two periods of 15 minutes, and penalties if the scores are level. No golden goal here.
Serbia win men's water polo gold!
The Serbs have dethroned the reigning Olympic champions Croatia in what sounded like a final full of snap and bite. Serbia, the current world champions, beat their arch-rivals 11-7 – Dusan Mandic scored four times – and finally got the gold after two successive bronze medals.
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Thanks John! We’ve got a big evening of track and field later, but it’s all eyes on the Maracana right now. Thirty minutes of extra-time, and then maybe penalties. The drama! Stick with us for all the latest news.
And that’s that. Brazil 0-0 Germany. We go into extra-time. Who will take home the gold? Tim Hill is the man who will take you through the next 30 minutes and penalties if necessary.
… which comes to nothing.
Neymar’s shot takes a deflection. 93rd mintue. Corner …
Three minutes of injury time to be played.
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Another Germany booking: Sule gets a yellow card for clattering Gabriel Jesus in the centre circle.
Weverton is quickly off his line to deal with a dangerous through-ball towards Gnabry. Into the final two nervy minutes.
Into the final five minutes now and Brazil are finishing the 90 much the stronger. That said, Meyer has just dragged a half-decent chance wide on the break.
Bender and Promel both go into the referee’s Big Book Of Bad Men, the latter for a minor trip, the former for a wild challenge on Gabriel Jesus.
Less than 15 minutes to go now in the Maracana. Both teams have gone into their shells a little so I’d say extra-time is on the cards. Having just typed that, Felipe Anderson is denied by a brilliant Klostermann challenge and Neymar curls an effort just wide.
The first corner is met by a German head, the second is cleared to halfway but Brazil surge forward again.
Renato Augusto forces his way forward and wins Brazil a corner. He gees up the crowd too, and they need no second invitation (though Neymar gives them one anyway).
Promel replaces the stricken Lars Bender.
Gabriel Jesus sidefoots wide after a brilliant burst from Renato Augusto. Toljan came across to make a superb challenge. In other news, Lars Bender is in tears because an injury is about to force his substitution.
Controversy in the water polo. The Croatia coach is going absolutely ballistic on the sidelines, claiming a Serbian player punched one of his charges. The referees have missed it, though. And at the end of the first quarter Croatia lead 3-2.
Meyer, it should be pointed out, wears No7. Brazilian football fans must be pretty sick of Germany and that number. Thirty minutes remain on the clock.
GOAL! It’s an equaliser for Germany! Tolyan crosses from the right, finding Max Meyer on the edge of the box. He sweeps the ball first-time past Weverton. It’s a lovely finish and it has taken the edge off the atmosphere at the Maracana.
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In another ball-sport decider currently ongoing in Rio, Serbia lead Croatia 3-1 in the all-Balkan battle for men’s water polo gold (a sport for which you appear to need to be built like a brick outhouse and capable of surviving multiple dunkings by other brick outhouses).
Neymar surges down the left, passing Ginter like a 100m runner tearing past a middle-distance athlete. His cross can’t find Gabriel Barbosa, however.
At the start of the second half Germany’s Davie Selke goes into the book for a soft challenge.
In the Tom Daley-less 10m men’s 10m diving final, China’s Chen Aisen has taken gold, with Mexico’s German Sanchez picking up the silver and David Boudia of the USA winning bronze.
That, if you’re keeping score, moves China closer to Great Britain in the medals table. It’s likely to go down to the wire for second spot behind the USA.
There’s plenty of reading to catch up on during the half-time break:
The set-piece comes to nought and the referee blows for half-time. Brazil lead 1-0 thanks to Neymar’s sublime free-kick but Germany have hit the woodwork not once, not twice but thrice and are still well in the contest.
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Injury-time in the first half and Barbosa picks up a free-kick near the right corner quadrant after Klostermann’s clumsy challenge.
Gabriel Barbosa (or Gabigol if you prefer) goes into the book, slightly harshly, for pulling back Sven Bender.
Lesun takes the gold for Russia in the modern pentathlon.
Luan bursts into the area to win Brazil a corner. Which comes to nothing. Though Neymar did attempt a ludicrous/wonderful bunny-hop loop-de-loop type thing. Which also came to nothing. But still.
And indeed, just as I type that, Choong drops down the field into the pack. Lesun still looks a shoo-in for the gold, though.
Meanwhile over in the men’s modern pentathlon, Aleksander Lesun of Russia leads with a fair bit to spare in the running/shooting. Team GB’s Joe Choong is in silver medal position but under severe pressure.
Germany’s turn to have a dangerous free-kick on the edge of the box. And for the third time they hit the woodwork, Sven Bender glancing Brandt’s cross onto the bar.
Germany could be level, but Weverton makes a superb stop to deny Brandt.
Isaev turns it on in the final round to take a 3-1 lead and he goes into the final. Go both British taekwondo fighters will fight for bronze rather than gold later on today.
GGGOOOAAAAL!!!! Neymar curls the free-kick in of the under side of the bar! A glorious goal! And the Maracana goes bananas.
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Neymar, not for the first time this tournament, needs some treatment after taking crack on the ankle. He lines up another free-kick, perhaps 30 yards out.
Cho takes the lead midway through the second round with a punch to the chest. Just one point in it, though.
Several thousand people crammed in front of big screens in the Olympic Park. Many chanting “revenge”. Memories of two years ago, but unlike then the hosts have gone an entire 15 minutes without conceding a goal and actually looked more like scoring.
Twenty minutes in at the Maracana and it’s still Brazil 0-0 Germany.
Next up in the taekwondo arena is Team GB’s Mahama Cho against Azerbaijan’s Radik Isaev. Will he fair any better than Walkden?
… but he softly drifts the ball in pretty aimlessly and Germany head clear.
Despite Germany hitting the bar, Brazil have had the better of the opening stages in the Maracana. Neymar is lining up a dangerous free-kick, 25 yards out …
Zheng unleashes a head shot to claim the golden point and go through to the final. Walkden will have to fight again for bronze.
The taekwondo semi-final is 1-1 after three rounds, so we go to a golden point round. First fighter to score a point wins it.
Meanwhile Zheng is 1-0 up with 30 seconds remaining of the final round of the taekwondo semi-final. But Zheng is penalised for holding, so it’s back to 1-1.
Germany hit the bar at the Maracana! It’s a beautiful curling effort from distance from Brandt, but it pings away.
This is cagey. As cagey as the hamster section in a pet shop. Still 0-0 at the end of the second round. What’s the taekwondo equivalent of parking the bus?
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A tight opening round: 0-0, with neither Walkden or Zheng taking control.
Next up in the taekwondo arena is Bianca Walkden, who takes on Zheng Shuyin.
Brazil kick off in a packed Maracana. Germany are in their away kit. The home side are out for revenge (a small sliver of revenge at least) after That Game at the 2014 World Cup.
A decisive win for Abdoulrazak in the first of the men’s semi-finals in the taekwondo, while Espinoza progresses to the women’s final.
And to no one’s great surprise, USA have hammered Spain in the women’s basketball final:
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The teams for the men’s football gold medal match:
Brazil: Weverton, Zeca, Rodrigo Caio, Marquinhos, Renato Augusto, Douglas Santos, Luan, Gabriel Barbosa, Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Walace.
Germany: Horn, Toljan, Klostermann, Ginter, Suele, S Bender, Meyer, L Bender, Selke, Brandt, Gnabry.
The taekwondo semi-final lineups are finalised:
Women’s 67kg: J Galloway (US) v M Espinoza (Mex); S Zheng (Chn) v B Walkden (GB).
Men’s 80kg: I Alfaga Abdoulrazak (Niger) v D Shokin (Uzb); M Cho (GB) v R Isaev (Aze)
With 20 seconds to go, Russia hit the target once more to open up a three-point lead and that’s that. Russia win handball gold, France take silver.
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Into the final minute in the handball and it’s 21-19 to Russia.
Already pretty thronging at the Maracana ahead of the gold medal match, Brazil versus Germany 5.30pm local time. Among the crowds at the entrance here there’s’s a group of very friendly middle aged women offering “Abrazo gratis” or free hugs. After I’d had my ten minutes they asked me “Do you believe in Jesus son?” I thought about it, then said “Yes, I do, he’s grown into this tournament and looks to have a finish in both feet”. They wept openly.
With apologies to every other sport, this watered down clash of the giants is going to be the biggest event of these Games for Brazil. Bars in every street in every city will be packed out tonight as Brazil play out their frankly baffling obsession with Olympic football. It will be down to Neymar, Gabriel Jesus and the excellent Gabigol to see Brazil through this trauma, with defeat grisly prospect for the home fans. Serge Gnabry, Max Meyer and Lars Bender are likely to play for Germany. On a separate note I once again successfully smuggled a bottle of water past the stadium guards by including a “dummy” empty bottle in my bag which i can then ruefully surrender post x-ray machine. That’s how you’re going to beat them Butch. They keep on underestimating you.
A brilliant strike from Russia takes their lead out to 19-15 but France again pull one back. Time is running out for the France team, though. Just over four minutes remain.
Russia step back on the gas and open up a three-goal lead, before France pull one back. 17-15 with just over six minutes to go.
The women’s handball final has turned into a thriller. Russia still lead but by just the one goal: it’s 15-14.
A turning kick to the body doubles Walkden’s lead and another couple as the seconds tick down makes the result safe. A 4-0 win takes her into the semi-finals.
The second round is just as tight. Walkden’s lead stays at 1-0.
Walkden lands a push-kick with a second or so to go in the first round to take a 1-0 lead into the break.
Next up is Bianca Walkden, who faces Milica Mandic in the women’s heavyweight quarter-finals.
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With five seconds left on the clock, Cho finally lands a kick on Mardani’s chest protector. He heads into the semi-finals.
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As they enter the sudden-death stage the referee again tells the competitors to make contact. Their caution is understandable at this stage, though.
It’s 3-3 at the end of the third round so we’re going into a golden point round.
Fair to say this quarter-final isn’t a classic, with the referee having to urge the fighters to get on with it on several occasions. Cho leads 3-2 as they go into the third round.
At the end of the first round Cho leads 3-1.
China’s Zheng Shuyin defeats Gwladys Épangue to progress to the women’s +67kg taekwondo semi-finals. She’ll take on the winner of Walkden and Mandic. Next up, though, is Team GB’s Mahama Cho against Iran’s Sajjad Mardani in the men’s +80kg.
Half-time in the handball. Russia lead 10-7.
To bring you up to date with all things taekwondo: in the men’s event Cuba’s Rafael Alba squeezed past Dmitriy Shokin of Uzbekistan to reach the last four, while in the women’s event María Espinoza of Mexico defeated Morocco’s Wiam Dislam to set up a semi-final with Jackie Galloway on the USA later on.
Russia seem to have the measure of their French opponents in the handball arena – their lead is now 8-5.
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There’s been a cagey start in the women’s basketball final. Follow it live here:
The women’s handball final is under way. Ten minutes into the first half it’s France 2-3 Russia.
Disappointment for the home fans as Issoufou Alfaga Abdoulrazak of Niger beats Brazil’s Maicon de Andrade Siqueira in the men’s 80kg taekwondo quarter-finals.
If you’re in the UK you can watch highlights of Nicola Adams’ win here:
Lopez wins another gold for Cuba with a unanimous decision.
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The men’s middleweight gold medal bout has been a cracker, with Lopez superb. Melikuziev is two rounds down but he’s giving it his all in the final round. It won’t be enough against the classy Cuban but it has made for an absorbing contest.
Victory for the USA in the first women’s 67kg taekwondo quarter-final, Jackie Galloway progressing to the last four on “superiority” after a 1-1 draw with Reshmie Oogink of the Netherlands.
Some slightly odd scheduling in the boxing arena. the two finals were followed by a slew of medal ceremonies, and now we’ve got the final fight of the session: the men’s middleweight gold medal bout between Arlen Lopez of Cuba and Uzbekistan’s Bektemir Melikuziev.
Sunday’s men’s superheavyweight gold medal match sounds like it might get quite tasty:
Coming up over the next couple of hours are the quarter-finals of the men’s over 80kg and women’s over 67kg taekwondo events. Team GB’s Mahama Cho, one of the favourite for the men’s event, takes on Sajjad Mardani of Iran in the third of four quarter-finals, while Bianca Walden is last up in the women’s event against Milica Mandic. Also coming up soon: the final of the women’s handball tournament (France v Russia), a whole lot of freestyle wrestling, diving, the men’s modern pentathlon and at 5.30pm in Brazil (9.30pm BST) the final of the men’s football: Brazil v Germany for the gold.
Bronze too for Nigeria in the men’s football, who have survived the Honduras onslaught in the final seconds to secure a 3-2 win.
It’s bronze for the USA in the women’s volleyball. After back-to-back silvers in 2008 and 2012, they now have a bronze for the collection.
There’s a grandstand finish in in the bronze medal match in the men’s football. Honduras have come back from 3-0 down to trail Nigeria 3-2, with three minutes of the 90 remaining.
Coming up in an hour or so, it’s USA v Spain for the gold in the women’s basketball. You can follow it here with Hunter Felt:
Ramirez does just enough in the final round to win his second Olympic gold. It’s Cuba’s fourth gold of these Games and it’s a very popular one in the hall.
Robeisy Ramirez swept the first round, Shakur Stevenson did likewise in the second. The bantamweight gold comes down to the final round …
The USA have bounced back in the women’s volleyball to take the third set in the bronze medal match. They lead the Netherlands 2-1.
Nigeria are on their way to a bronze medal in the men’s football. They’re now 3-0 up against Honduras with half an hour to go. Roma’s Umar Sadiq and Aminu Umar, who plays in Turkey with Osmanlispor, have given the Nigerian side a comfortable cushion.
The women’s cross-country mountain biking finished during that Adams fight, with no drama in the final stages. Jenny Rissveds won gold for Sweden, Maja Wloszczowska claimed the silver for Poland, while Canada’s Catharine Pendrel took the bronze.
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Next up in the ring: Shakur Stevenson (US) v Robeisy Ramirez (Cuba) for the bantamweight gold.
Here’s a quick take on Adams’s gold:
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Not since 1924 has a British fighter defended an Olympic boxing title. “I can’t believe it,” Adams says. “I’m now officially the most accomplished amateur boxer we’ve ever had.”
Nicola Adams wins women's flyweight gold
It was close – much closer than expected – but Nicola Adams has retained her flyweight title, becoming the first woman to win double golds in the ring.
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Round four: A solid body punch shakes Ourahmoune as both fighters begin the final round in frantic style. There’s a whole lot of holding going on. Adams has tired badly in this final round. And again I’d say Ourahmoune has nabbed this one.
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Round three: Ourahmoune is a little more consistent with her work here and lands a nice left jab to the jaw. I’d say the French fighter shaded that one. And the judges do too. This time a 10-9 clean sweep for Ourahmoune. This is going to the wire.
Round two: Adams gets on the front foot in the middle of the round and lays in a few decent shots. She looks the superior fighter, as you’d expect. This time it’s not particularly close. Do the judges agree? Yes they do. Another 10-9 clean sweep for Adams.
Round one: A frenentic opening before things settle down midway through the round. Ourahmoune, ranked No15 in the world, has lost all four of her previous meetings with Adams but it’s very even in the opening exchanges here. The judges unanimously give the round to Adams.
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Elsewhere, the Dutch have pulled it back to 1-1 in the volleyball bronze medal match against the USA.
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Out comes Nicola Adams, to plenty of noise at Riocentro. She looks relaxed enough.
We’re less than 10 minutes away from the women’s flyweight final. Great Britain’s Nicola Adams takes on France’s Sarah Ourahmoune. Adams, a gold medallist in London, is the narrow favourite after an impressive semi-final win over Ren Cancan:
Over at the mountain bike course, cross-country mountain biking, Rissveds has put the hammer down on the final lap and has pulled clear of Poland’s Wloszczowska. A gold medal is in the offing for Sweden.
It’s half-time in the bronze medal match in the men’s football. Nigeria lead Honduras 1-0.
In the bronze medal match in the women’s volleyball, the USA have taken the first set against the Netherlands and are ahead in the second.
Hello all. You join me just as Inbee Park confirms her gold medal in the women’s golf – it’s been a cruise, the victory margin five shots. New Zealand’s Lydia Ko rolled in a nervy putt on the 18th for silver, with Shanshan Feng picking up the bronze for China.
Right, OK, that’s it from me. John Ashdown will now guide you through the night as Park readies herself for gold in the golf. You can contact him at john.ashdown@theguardian.com if you so wish. Or on the Twitter @John_Ashdown.Bye.
We’re on to lap four in the women’s cross-country mountain biking. As it stands Poland’s Wloszczowska is in the gold medal position, Sweden’s Rissveds is second and Neff of Switzerland is in third, 29 seconds behind the lead pairing.
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Here’s Emma John’s take on Tom Daley’s misery.
Feng has given Ko a sight of silver here. She can only par the 18th. Behind her Ko wallops a fairway wood off to the side of the green, where a child spectator grabs holds of it and offers it to a despairing steward. He’s only trying to be helpful. She’ll have a 30-yard chip on to the green and a putt for a birdie to join Feng in a playoff for silver.
Let’s bring our focus back to the golf, where Inbee Park is going to stroll down the 18th whistling a jaunty tune on her way to adding an Olympic gold medal to her career grand slam of majors. She ain’t bad. She’s birdied the 17th to move to -16. The real interest lies in the other medal placings, with Feng (-10), Nomura (-9), Lewis (-9) and Ko (-9) all in the reckoning for silver and bronze. There’s drama as Feng sends her eagle putt on the 18th steaming past the cup to leave a long, long birdie putt that could ruin her chances of winning a silver medal outright and put her in a play-off.
And what a result for Serbia in the women’s basketball. They’ve beaten France 70-60 in the bronze medal match.
Norway’s handball team have romped to bronze with a 36-26 thrashing of the Netherlands. It’s fair to say they’re pretty chuffed with that.
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What a couple of days for Daley. More Jekyll and Hyde than Liverpool. Daley finished last in the 10m diving semi-final with a score of 403.25. In yesterday’s preliminary round he was the highest scorer with a masterful 571.85. That is some swing in form.
Charley Hull’s hopes of getting a medal in the women’s golf have all but evaporated. The 20-year-old from Kettering is two shots off third place and running out of holes on which to make them up. South Korea’s Inbee Park (-15) leads by five strokes on the 15th hole from China’s Shanshan Fen, who is on 16. Behind the pair, there are three players tied on nine under. Two of them – Stacy Lewis (USA) and Harukyo Nomura (Japan) – are in the clubhouse, while New Zealand’s Lydia Ko has three holes left to try and spare herself the anguish of a play-off.
There’s a worrying sight as Claudias Rivas of Mexico, who finished 9th in the triathlon, is treated by doctors after collapsing at the finish line. Hopefully it is nothing more serious than exhaustion.
Gwen Jorgensen wins triathlon for the USA!
The American’s face turns from pain to elation as she sobs tears of joy as she crosses the line. She has been a class apart. While behind her Spirig wins silver and Vicky Holland pulls away from Stanford with a sprint summoned from who knows where to win bronze for Britain.
Tom Daley does not qualify for the 10m diving final!
Daley goes in with his back bent. What an upset that is. He simply did not get going. No rhythm. Not much of anything really. He slopes away, a picture of deflation.
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Daley’s qualification opponents have all dived incredibly well. He needs 101 points to make the final. That will be some dive. Here he goes …
Jorgensen has pulled away from Spirig. She increases the length and pace of her stride and puts the pain on the defending champion, who has nothing in the locker. Behind Spirig British best mates, Stanford and Holland, will test the strength of their relationship when they go at each other for bronze. That could be a tasty finish.
We’re into the third quarter of the women’s basketball bronze medal match and Serbia lead France 53-40, meanwhile in the triathlon Jorgensen and Spirig appear to be exchanging a bit of beef. Jorgensen seems to be inviting Spirig to overtake her and do her bit if she wants gold. But Spirig more than did her bit on the front, putting in an extraordinary effort in the lead pack in the cycle section.
Over in the octagon, Britain’s Bianca Walkden has completely outclassed Samantha Kassman of Papa New Guinea, winning 16-1 to power on into the last eight.
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Tom Daley’s penultimate dive has brought him back in contention to make the 10m final. He’s in 15th place but a massive 91.5 on that last dive has clawed back the gap to the all important qualifying position in 12th place - he’s now within 18 points. Jane Figueiredo, his coach, still doesn’t look happy with him though.
The Olympic champion, Spirig of Switzerland, has applied some pressure on Jorgensen. She takes a two-second lead as they finish lap two of the four-lap run in the triathlon. Meanwhile, it looks like Britain will win bronze. Holland and Stanford have pushed marginally ahead of Riveros but are 23 seconds behind the leaders.
Daley isn’t gone yet! He has nailed his fifth dive to record 91.8 and move up to 15th place. He’ll need a similarly impressive performance on his final dive to make up 18 points and enter tonight’s final. This is delicious drama. Well done Tom.
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After lap one of the four in the triathlon run Jorgensen is unable to shake Spirig. The Swiss is sticking to her like a limpet. Behind that group Stanford and Holland of Britain look likely to do battle with Chile’s Riveros for bronze.
A little breathing room for Park in the golf – Feng has dropped a shot and is four behind again. Park is out in front on -14, Feng on -10 and Nomura, Lewis, Ko and Piller all on -8 in the bronze medal position. Do they have enough bronze medals to hand out?
The two heavyweights of the triathlon, Jorgensen and Spirig, look like they’re going to go toe-to-toe for gold. It’s shaping up brilliantly. They have both pulled clear in the run – the defending Olympic champion Spirig, just off the shoulder of the in-form favourite Jorgensen.
Right, here we go in the triathlon. The athletes leap off their bikes and into their running shoes. There are good transitions for Jorgensen, Spirig and Norden. A little further back are the two Brits, Holland and Stanford, with Moffatt of Australia in close company.
Switzerland’s Spirig takes the lead as the triathletes go through lap seven of eight on the bike race. The lead group is still up at around 18 and contains USA’s Gwen Jorgensen.
Daley lands his fourth dive much more comfortably. But he’s still last fter collecting sevens off the judges. The gap from 18th to 12th is 30 points, which means two incredibly nerveless fault-free dives are required if Daley is to make the final.
Tom Daley is having a shocker in the semi-final of the 10m platform dive. Having qualified in first place for the semi – seven points clear! – he is now languishing in bottom. It’s all the Firework’s fault - the crazy difficult 3.5 somersault twist dive that seems to have sent him over the edge here in the second round. He scored only 54 with it, and as he prepared in his armstand for his next dive - a back three somersault pike - his legs seemed to wobble. The splash on entry was like something from Sea World. He scored 47.25, one of his worst dive scores in eight years of competition. He needs a big comeback here. On the positive note, that’s exactly what he did in the world championships last year, turning 19th place into a bronze medal. Fingers crossed. The top 12 qualify.
The lead group in the triathlon have whizzed through to finish lap six of eight and Gwen Jorgensen of the USA leads. She’s a fantastic runner so is looking good for gold.
Maria Verchenova has just finished her round in a splendid nine under par 62 here at the women’s golf tournament. It’s too little too late for the Russian, who scored a hole in one on the fourth and is tied 15th overall at four under. South Korea’s Park Inbee continues to lead on 14 under, but only by three shots from China’s Shanshan Feng. Great Britain’s Charley Hull is seven off the pace but just one shot off the bronze medal position. There could be a serious scramble for the minor placings here.
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On the subject of tension, China’s Shanshan Feng has injected a little into the women’s golf. She’s enjoying herself on round four and is up to -11, just three shots off Park, who has dropped a stroke and is back to -14. It’s not nail-biting time yet, but another birdie from Feng might just put the frighteners on Park.
I should add that the usually unbeatable Qui Bo of China is down in 10th in the diving at present. It’s as though all the favourites are deliberately cocking their dives up to add a bit of drama. It’s working. Mexico’s Ivan Garcia currently leads in the semi-finals.
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Mahama Cho of Great Britain lands a deliciously brutal headkick in the final moments to seal a 12-6 win over Gabon’s Anthony Obame to go through to the last eight. That’s some result. Obame won silver in London four years ago.
Tom Daley is up on his hands and ready for an armstand back triple somersault. That handstand is something to behold in itself. But his landing looks so-so in my eyes, hisback partially bent. The judges agree. Daley is now 18th out of 18 but Leon Taylor seems completely unconcerned. He reckons Daley will easily pull into the top 12 with his next three dives. OK, take your word for it Leon.
After lap four of the triathlon bike race the breakaway group of 18 has a lead of over one minute over the rest. That group includes Bermuda’s Flora Duffy. If she can dig in for a medal will be the little nation of just 65,000 people’s second in history.
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A bit of drama in the triathlon, where Sarah True of the US has come tumbling off her bike. She bends over and grimaces in pain as she tries to get back aboard but it looks like the jig is up. She shows grit to clamber back onto her bike and gingerly make her way up the hill on lap four of the bike race but I think she would be better advised to seek out a doctor. A shame.
A rapid roundhouse kick from Cho gives Cho an early 3-0 lead. He then adds another point with a kick to the back and after the first round he’s 4-1 up and looking good.
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Britain’s Mahama Cho is ready to do battle with Gabon’s Anthony Obame in the men’s +80kg taekwondo round of 16. He looks confident as he enters the octagon. He turned to taekwondo after being bullied at school. Can he bully his opponent here?
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At the risk of causing a diplomatic incident, I think I’ve finally figured out why Guardian golf correspondent Ewan Murray is always so cranky. At my first ever golf tournament, I have pitched up at a long table full of American golf journalists to plug in my laptop, connect to the interweb and do what passes for my work, and they are proving insufferable. I thought listening to British hacks moaning about each other was tedious, but these guys bring it to a whole new level of viciousness and their attempts to outdo each other in the “banter” stakes are toe-curling. One of them hasn’t stopped whining since I got here and has just thrown a massive strop because a photographer came over and dumped his kit on the table a little bit too near where one of her colleagues – who was out on the course – is parked. “You’re so rude,” she said to the completely baffled snapper. “You’re just so rude putting your equipment there when there’s clearly somebody else sitting there. Look, there’s a coat on the chair.” It’s been a long two-and-a-half weeks and we’re all a bit frazzled, but jayzus … pick your battles. As for bringing a coat out to this furnace … I dunno.
Tom Daley is having a bit of trouble locating his mojo. He’s 17th after round two having gone into the water at an angle after his second dive, which diving fans (hello diving fans!) will know is not a good look. Tut-tut. He’ll have to raise his game to get into the top 12 but he still has three dives to put his early wrongs right.
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There’s a breakaway group of 22 riders in the triathlon who have a 28-second lead that includes Vicky Holland and Non Stanford of Britain and Flora Duffy of Bermuda. The one to watch is Gwen Jorgensen of the USA, who is nestled nicely in the pack too.
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Just over one third of the 60 golfers who teed off in the women’s tournament have family members on the bag this week, according to the wonderful source of useless information that is the Olympic website. Aged 18, Indian golfer Aditi Ashokis the youngest player in the tournament and has her dad Pandit Gudlamani caddying for her, while Irish golfer Leona Maguire has her twin sister Lisa working out her yardage. Canada’s Brooke Henderson and Italy’s Giulia Molinari have also brought their sisters along to Rio as unpaid help, while the brothers of Pornanung Phatlim of Thailand and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda are in charge of polishing their sisters’ brassie niblicks. Victoria Lovelady from Brazil is putting her marriage under the ultimate strain by employing husband Jacob as caddy, while Karine Icher (France), Azahara Muñoz (Spain) and Ursula Wikstrom (Finland) are also testing their marriage vows. South Africa’s Ashleigh Simon and Marianne Skarpnord aren’t married yet, but have their respective fiancés doing the heavy lifting. Belgian golfer Chloé Leurquib, Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg, Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Finland’s Noora Tamminen are all here with their boyfriends.
Tom Daley was down in eighth after the opening dives in the 10m platform semi-final. Not where he’d want to be. Plenty dives left, mind.
British Athletics have responded to the decision to disqualify their men’s 4x400m relay team, who set for a medal after they won their semi-final last night. The team’s appeal was rejected because Matthew Hudson-Smith was judged to have part of his foot outside the takeover zone when he began running for the takeover. A British Athletics spokeswoman said: “As part of the appeal we reviewed video footage in the stadium, and as provided by the BBC. The process of appeal (146.8) states if such evidence including any available video evidence is not conclusive, the decision of the referee shall be upheld. Unfortunately the video evidence was inconclusive and the appeal was rejected. We are hugely disappointed on behalf of our 4x400m team who we are confident would have won a medal in the final, however we are now completely focussed on supporting the women’s 4x400m team in their preparations for tonight’s final.”
There’s a touching moment in the taekwondo as Pita Taufatofua, of Tonga, is beaten 16-1 by Sajjad Mardani of Iran. A thrashing you might think? Yes, but this was all about the emotion shown by Taufatofua as he scored his point. He was overjoyed. In fact, he crouched and looked close to tears as he prepared to leave the arena having let it all sink in. The crowd loved it. Well done Rio.
Not a bad idea Gary.
There should be a Rio Pentathlon at these Games: Merengue, Cha-Cha, Boxing, Wrestling and Shooting @GreggBakowski
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) August 20, 2016
Back to the golf, where Park maintains a five-shot lead through the eighth, but behind her Shanshan Feng of China is making a move. She’s up to -10 a shot clear of Lydia Ko, who is on -9 in third.
The big news in the triathlon is that New Zealand medal hope Andrea Hewitt is swimming without goggles. She started without them. Has she been forgetful or is this her preference? I can’t imagine she’d choose to go without them when swimming in the Rio water. Carolina Routier of Spain leads at present, with USA’s Katie Zaferes second and Emma Moffatt of Australia third but there’s a way to go yet.
The men’s badminton world champion, China’s Chen Long, has made the shuttlecock sing in the second game and can now call himself the Olympic champion! He defeats Lee Chong Wei 21-18 to upgrade his London 2012 bronze to Rio 2016 gold.
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Maria Vechenova, who scored the third hole in the women’s golf earlier, is fond of wearing some splendid attire. Here she is in the first round looking for all the world like she’s off to the races and heading nowhere near a golf course. Just look at that hat!
You want diving? Good. The men’s 10m platform semi-finals, in which Tom Daley is taking part, have begun and guess what? The pool is blue. I’ll let you know if there’s any drama, upset etc.
The women’s triathlon is go! They sprint off down the Copacabana beach, battle their way through the waves and head out to sea like a shoal of four-limbed fish.
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Eat my golf! Russia’s Maria Verchenova has just shot a hole in one on the fourth hole here at the Olympic golf course. Given her nationality, there’ll be questions about how exactly she managed to hit that iron off the tee so accurately, but it looked fair dinkum from where I’m sitting. She looks delighted with herself and gets a big hug from her caddy. Verchenova is the third woman to score a hole in one in this tournament, while two blokes, including eventual winner Justin Rose, got aces in the men’s competition.
There is some seriously serious taekwondo going on at the moment. Uzbekistan’s Dmitriy Shokin and Qiao Sen have delivered some brutal headshots and roundhouses in a points-fest. Shokin finally shows his class and wins 15-8 but a blow to the noggin delivered by Sen levelled the last-16 bout at 8-8 at one point and rocked Shokin, literally. He was sent stumbling backwards in most unbecoming fashion and had to adjust his headguard. It’s one of the Olympics’ more entertaining sports in my humble one.
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Chen Long has come from a couple of points behind to lead Lee Chong Wei 9-8 in the second game of the men’s badminton final. And there he goes, whipping down a smash to extend his lead to 10-8 and move ever closer to the gold medal.
Back to the golf, where Great Britain’s Charley Hull has delivered a first birdie of the day to move to -6 and two shots off the bronze medal position. Meanwhile, the USA’s Gerina Pillar has also picked up a birdie to move back up to evens for the day at -9. She’s still five shots off Park, mind, who looks peerless. Park has a curious backswing, but it’s delivering today.
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The women’s triathlon is 20 minutes away. What does it involve you ask? Well, in the ultimate test of skill, speed and endurance the triathletes will do battle in a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run to cross the finish line at Copacabana with hopes of a gold medal. Britain’s prospects are Helen Jenkins, Vicky Holland and Non Stanford, who have plenty of experience and multiple world championship titles between them. Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig won the event in London four years ago and will be looking to retain the title. While, the other medallists from four years ago, Sweden’s Lisa Norden and Australia’s Erin Densham, are also in the field and in the hunt for something shiny.
The Tiffany Chan fan club is out in force on the final day of the women’s golf. A group of Chinese fans, ranging in age from their late sixties down to their mid-twenties have just gone out on the course holding Chinese flags and cardboard cut-outs of the 22-year-old from Hong Kong’s head on sticks, which doesn’t look at all sinister or weird in any way. That said, poor Tiffany is going to need all the support she can get, as she’s currently 17 shots off the lead set by South Korea’s Inbee Park, who is 14 under for the tournament (three under for the day) after five holes of the final round. She leads by five shots from Gerina Piller (USA), with Lydia Ko (New Zealand) a further stroke back. Great Britain’s Charley Hull is eight off the pace on six under, but remains well in with a shout for a silver or bronze medal. Or possibly even gold if Ms Park has a meltdown. The jig looks up for Tiffany, though.
Another gold for Germany! Their men’s kayak fours have beaten Slovakia (silver) and Czech Republic (bronze) in the 1,000m final in a time of 3:02.14. While over in the badminton the world champion, Chen Long, has shown his class and held his nerve to come from four points behind to win the first game 21-18 in 35 minutes.
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The rhythmic gymnastics group all-round qualification is under way. In case that means nothing to you, it’s the one in which five gymnasts choose some jaunty classical music, wear broad smiles and wave streamers around in ways that look impossible while pulling off incredible throws and catches and flinging their limbs around in a synchronised fashion. China appear to be very pretty good at it. Their team has just pulled off a stunning display of choreography yet rank only fourth so far. Italy lead but Russia are up next. And I’m told they’re expected to dazzle the Rio crowd. They’re dancing to samba music. Yup.
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Park your golf gold medal hopes unless your name is Park. The Korean has drained a monster 30-foot putt on the fifth to make another birdie, her third in a row, to increase her lead to six shots.
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The women’s triathlon gets going in just under an hour’s time. But the men’s badminton gold medal match is already under way – and the standard is incredible. Dropping a shuttlecock just a centimetre over the net to wrongfoot your opponent is not easy – Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei is making it look that way. He has taken an 11-7 lead over China’s Chen Long. He has magic in his wrists.
It’s shaping up to be a golden day for Park in the golf. She’s gained a shot in the windy climes of the Marapendi Natural Reserve. Meanwhile, both Ko and Piller have a blemish each on their fourth-round cards so Park has a four-shot lead. There could be a right old fight for bronze and silver if they get pegged back by the group of eight players behind them who are within two or three shots of second place. Among those are Stacy Lewis of the US, Charley Hull of Great Britain and Anna Nordqvist of Sweden.
There’s a bit of an upset in the badminton bronze medal match as Denmark’s Axelsen pulls out some extraordinarily classy shots to beat his better-ranked Chinese opponent Lin Dan and claim Denamrk’s eighth bronze of the Games. He’s in tears. He didn’t expect to take away a gong from Rio 2016. Well done Viktor.
Germany, in a splendid pink boat, power away and take an early lead. GB, in the outside lane are a bit sluggish out of the, erm, blocks. At halfway Hungary are an inch or two ahead of Germany. The rest are being left to paddle through their waves. Hungary pick up the pace and power through the water to nose ahead of Germany and pip them to gold by a second. Beep! Cue exhausted in-boat celebrations. Belarus win bronze. Britain finish up sixth or seventh.
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So, we’re ready for the women’s kayak four 500m final. Germany and Hungary are the medal favourites. The rest will likely battle for bronze. Beep! Off we go …
Get your highlights of Liam Heath steaming to gold for Great Britain in the kayak 200m singles right here (UK only).
Before the final of the women’s kayak four 500m, in which Great Britain’s Rachel Cawthorn, Louisa Gurski, Rebekah Simon and Jessica Walker will hope to sneak a medal, why not feast your eyes on some wonderful photography from the Games by following our Guardian Sport’s Instagram account. It’s great and unlike your friends’ accounts, isn’t smug.
There’s some sparkling badminton on display in the bronze medal match. It’s 12-11 to Axelsen in the deciding game with some feather touches by both players near the net as they pull each other around the court. The gold medal match will follow between Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei and China’s Chen Long.
David Webster would like someone, anyone, to tell him what GB’s infringement was in the 4x400m relay. Here he is: “Most of us watching athletics get pretty keen and given the depth of coverage these days it’s frustrating to not know exactly what the GB Infringement was? Three experts on the BBC couldn’t come up with an answer and UK Athletics seem content to limit themselves to a tweet about the failed appeal. It sounds a lot like the athletics establishment might even be a little embarrassed - I mean, why else would no-one make a clear statement? I thought there have been successful appeals regarding out of lane infringements where no advantage was gained. What did GB do that broke the rules to their advantage (or someone else’s disadvantage)? I recommend the lottery that is the Modern Pentathlon Show Jumping this afternoon (10pm finish). I’ve been a fan since 2004. Literally the sublime to the ridiculous although alas it appears these days everyone knows how to ride a horse.”
Right, back to the men’s canoe double 1,000m final, where there’s a huge roar as the home favourites Queiroz dos Santos And Erlon de Souza Silva burst out and take an early lead. They maintain that through the halfway stage and look comfortable as they power into the last 250m. Germany and Russia start to edge back into the picture, bodies upright and shoulders moving rapidly. Germany draw level as Vandrey and Brendel pick up their pace at just the right moment and stay there. Beep! Gold for Germany, silver for Brazil and bronze for Ukraine, who nose ahead of Russia at the last. That’s Santos’s third medal of these Games. He’s delighted. So are the crowd, despite their paddlers being pipped near the finish.
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It’s one game apiece in the badminton bronze medal match with Axelsen proving too deft for Lin Dan in the second game.
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Heath’s was Great Britain’s 25th gold at these Games. That keeps GB in second place in the medals table, three golds in front of China. Four more golds and GB will match their tally at London 2012.
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There was a touch of Usain Bolt about Heath there. A shoddy start but an absurd amount of power to burst forwards and reach a pace beyond the rest of the field. So, so quick.
An overjoyed Heath takes a deep breath and gasps: “Absolutely incredible. It’s been in my mind every single day for the past four years. I feel like I switched on to automatic as I paced up there. It’s worth every hour [of pain]. I hadn’t really thought about [being Britain’s most successful canoe sprinter]. I still look up to the other guys but it’s an incredible feeling.” And here’s our take on Heath’s gold.
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Great Britain's Heath wins 200m kayak singles gold!
They’re off! Heath gets off to a slow start but picks up the pace as his arms windmill through the Rio air sending him splashing forwards at a pace. France’s Beaumont is just in front of him but here he comes … Heath noses in front and powers through the line in 35.917sec to become Britain’s best-ever paddler. He has added gold to the silver he won in the doubles in Rio and the bronze he won in London. What a splash! What a dash! Bronze is a photo-finish. It’s given to Spain and Germany equally. There’s a wonderful moment as Ronald Rauhe leaps up from a despairing crouch as he realises he has been awarded bronze. His face a picture of utter joy.
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Mark de Jonge of Canada and Olympic silver medallist Saul Craviotto of Spain will be Heath’s main rivals in this splash and burn race for the line. Here we go …
We’ll have the canoe sprint finals soon. Liam Heath of Great Britain goes off at in a few minutes’ time. He qualified fastest in the men’s 200m kayak singles and will have his eyes on gold after winning silver in the K2 200m doubles.
Lin Dan, as predicted, won the first game in the men’s badminton singles bronze medal match. Meanwhile, over at the golf the wind’s picking up and causing a few problems. Drivers are being overlooked in favour of irons. One player not having any trouble this morning is Ireland’s Leona Maguire, she’s birdied three of the first five and is motoring up the leaderboard. Much more of that and a medal could be in sight.
If you haven’t already seen Great Britain’s Lutalo Muhammad’s emotional interview following his last-gasp gut-wrenching loss to Ivory Coast’s Cheick Sallah Junior Cisse in the Olympic final of the -80kg taekwondo in Rio, here it is. Have a hanky ready, you’ll feel for him. It’s raw.
Splosh! Piller and Ko have clattered their final-round opening drives into the sand. Not the start they’d have liked.
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Oh, and to follow on from Tom’s musings about sports worthy of inclusion in the Olympics, surely darts has to be considered. The skill involved without the assistance of constantly evolving technology as well as the potential for a crackling atmosphere and some big personalities makes it a shoo-in for me. But I don’t work for the IOC.
The leader in the women’s golf, Park (-11), has strolled out towards the first tee. She’ll be joined by Gerina Piller of the USA (-9) and Lydia Ko (-9) of New Zealand, who joined Justin Rose in scoring a hole in one at the Rio 2016 course after acing the eighth yesterday. She’ll hope to follow Rose all the way on to the podium with a gold medal round her neck if she can peg back Park this morning.
The men’s badminton singles bronze medal match is just about to start. It will be contested between Lin Dan of China and Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. The Chinese player is the higher-ranked and the favourite for bronze. And here’s a fact for you: Axelsen speaks Mandarin. So he can sledge Lin Dan if minded to. But apparently he’s very polite. So don’t expect any badminton bantz as much as you might want to see a sprinkling of on-court spice.
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It’s the final round of the women’s golf and it’s getting exciting. The medal contenders are now beginning their rounds. Great Britain’s Charley Hull (-5) has just nailed her opening drive down the perfectly manicured fairway to coos of appreciation from the healthy little crowd. Her drive is followed by two equally fine tee-shots from Australia’s Su Oh (-4) and South Africa’s Paula Reto (-4). They have a fair way to go to catch up with South Korea’s Inbee Park, who is leading the way on -11. But unlike majors, finishing second or third is worth more than just a pay cheque. You get a shiny medal for your efforts.
Thanks Tom. Baton received without any fuss. Hello everyone. You want medals? Good. We have loads of them today. In my particular stint on this shift medals will be up for grabs in the men’s and women’s canoe sprint singles, doubles and fours, beginning at 1.07pm (UK time), the men’s singles badminton final at 1.30pm, the women’s triathlon at 3pm and the women’s cross country mountain biking at 4.30pm. There will also be Tom Daley leaping off the 10m platform board in the men’s diving semi-finals to keep an eye on at 3pm as well as the last 16 of the men’s 80kg and the women’s 67kg taekwondo at 4.30pm. Phew. There’s loads of other stuff of course, so do stick with me.
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Right, as things hot up in Rio – and get windier, if the golf is anything to go by – I’ll hand the baton over to Gregg Bakowski, whom I trust to take it up smoothly within the changeover zone and not get us into any bother with officialdom. Thanks for following.
Email him at gregg.bakowski@theguardian.com or tweet @GreggBakowski
The Australian athletes detained by police in Rio for not having accreditation to watch the basketball have been released. They will be fined, according to the Australian Olympic committee. No one arrested or charged. Here’s the story:
Back in the golf, Catriona Matthew has dropped a shot on the second and is one over for the day, while Lexi Thompson is three under after only three holes, albeit way back in joint 24th overall.
Sportsmanship news: Evan Dunfee of Canada, who was briefly upgraded to bronze in the 50km walk after Japan’s Hirooki Arai was disqualified for alleged elbowing before a successful Japanese appeal restored their man to third, has issued a statement saying he does not intend to take the case further. He explains why here.
It was … left for me to decide whether to pursue this further with an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Following my return to the village and my viewing of the incident I made the decision not to appeal, as I believe the right decision stood.
Not many people can understand the pain athletes are in three and a half hours into such a grueling race. I believe that both the Japanese athlete and myself got tangled up but what broke me was that I let it put me off mentally and once I lost that focus, my legs went to jello. Contact is part of our event, whether written or unwritten and is quite common, and I don’t believe that this was malicious or done with intent. Even if an appeal to CAS were successful I would not have been able to receive that medal with a clear conscience and it isn’t something I would have been proud of.
I will sleep soundly tonight, and for the rest of my life, knowing I made the right decision. I will never allow myself to be defined by the accolades I receive, rather the integrity I carry through life.
“I am working through the relay disappointment with some ‘limerick therapy’, chimes Lucy Briggs. “Not podium quality, rustled up on the morning run.
After a late night of relay frustration
Can we have a clear explanation
Of why quite near the end
Maybe on the last bend
There’s a random disqualification?”
Out on the golf course, the players who’ve gone out early might benefit from the relatively calm conditions early on, but the wind is now picking up, so who knows what will happen?
She’s back in the field, but Lexi Thompson of the USA has just produced a stunning second shot on the par-five 10th, driving 250 yards from mid-fairway to the green and inches from the pin to give herself a tap-in for eagle, which she duly sinks to go back to even par. On the 1st, Matthew looked in line for a birdie after a strong tee shot but had to settle for par, but Mexico’s Lopez birdied it and her compatriot Llaneza made par despite finding a bunker off the tee.
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So yes, US have topped the medals table comfortably, but how will they fare in four years’ time, post Phelps, Gatlin and others? Beau Dure assesses the prospects
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Glass half-empty-ism of the day, from basaya, below the line:
USA have won the Olympics by miles. Team GB will end 2nd or 3rd. Hardly worthy of celebration in my opinion. When my Tottenham team finished 3rd in the premiership everyone called them failures.
Strong winds are forecast at the Olympic golf course, which has prompted organisers to split the schedules, with players on the bottom half of the leaderboard starting on the back nine. Weather looks sunny and glorious at the moment, mind.
We’re a quarter an hour or so from the first live sport of the day, the final round of the women’s golf. Britain’s Catriona Matthew is out in the second group, with the two Mexicans Alejandra Llaneza and Gaby Lopez. Charley Hull goes out at 12.22 BST (08.22 local time) with the Korean pair of Su Oh and In Gee Chun. The top three on the leaderboard – Inbee Park of South Korea, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Gerina Piller of the USA – tee off at 12.44 BST (08.44 local).
There’s some Olympic japery to enjoy in this week’s Gifs that keep on giving, including another possible contender for future Olympic sport, headis. Observe:
One more from last night. Time was when a British Olympian taking silver or bronze would confer instant household-name status on its winner, but now the country’s drowning in gold, silver can feel like heartache. It certainly did for Lutalo Muhammad, beaten at the last by Ivory Coast’s Cheick Sallah Junior Cisse. But the Walthamstow Warrior deserves plenty of plaudits none the less, and not just because he hails from the same part of town as your correspondent (and before it became allegedly fashionable too). Here’s Helen Pidd’s report:
The latest update on what we might call Lochte-gate (or we might not, on second thoughts): his team-mate Gunnar Bentz has spoken at length to give his side of the story over the gas station incident in Rio, insisting that no one vandalised a bathroom but that Lochte had pulled down a metal advertisement. Read it here:
“This is something we will not see again in our lifetimes” – watch Jamaica celebrate sprint relay glory and Usain Bolt’s triple treble:
Lots of focus this morning on GB’s historic women’s hockey gold, and understandably so. There’s plenty to focus on.
Here’s Owen Gibson on how Kate Richardson-Walsh and Maddie Finch’s heroics epitomised a triumph of teamwork:
Kate Richardson-Walsh on the emotion of winning Olympic gold with your wife beside you:
And Emma John’s report of the dramatic shootout win over the Netherlands in yesterday’s final:
Regarding potential future Olympic sports, some shouts below the line for surfboarding, skateboarding, outrigger canoeing and bungee jumping. How about dodgem racing? Or are we straying too far into monkey tennis territory?
Loosely on the subject of outlandish sport, here’s Leo Benedictus on the popularity of extreme sports:
Another massive event taking place today is one I’ve long contended should be an Olympic sport – stone-skimming. The All England championships take place at Windermere, and m’colleague Simon Burnton has the skinny on skimming. Let’s throw it out there: what other sports ought to be included in future Games? The case for cricket is a contentious one, but how about beach cricket? Usual rules – six for hitting it into the sea, tides a factor in the toss, plenty in it for the spinners if bowling last etc. What else?
There’s some mighty fine photography of Day 14’s biggest moments in this gallery here:
If you’re just waking up in the UK, you might want a quick video catch-up of what happened yesterday, so here you go (UK only, I’m afraid):
Looking ahead to the 4x400m relay finals, there’s been disappointment for Britain’s men, whose appeal against disqualification has not been successful.
The team of Nigel Levine, Delano Williams, Matt Hudson-Smith and Martyn Rooney came home first in their semi-final in 2mins 58.88secs, but shortly after leaving the track they were disqualified for starting outside the changeover zone. It was not immediately clear which changeover was penalised but it’s thought that on the second changeover Hudson-Smith transgressed.
Rooney told BBC Radio 5 Live: “In the first changeover you have to be between two red lines which are about 20m apart. You have to stay within those red lines. From then on there is a solid red line across the track which is about 10m before the finish line and 10m afterwards you have to exchange within the zones. I haven’t seen it, but I can’t see how any of us went outside those zones.”
Their disqualification meant Brazil advance to the final instead.
Unfortunately our appeal against the Men's 4x400m DQ has not been successful. #Rio2016
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 20, 2016
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Post-event Olympic high-jinx among Olympians have gained a certain notoriety in recent days – Ryan Lochte and pals, those Australian athletes getting into bother with the police – but Max Whitlock hasn’t been off duty (don’t try this yourselves, kids):
Some stuff to peruse, while we wait:
A natty interactive of how Jamaica brought home the gold in the 4x100:
GB hockey’s Kate Richardson-Walsh on bowing out at the top after that emotional shoot-out victory over the Netherlands:
And a nice little vignette from Clive James on the compelling joy of the Olympics and Rio in general:
Morning everyone, from the other side of the world (That London). Tom here, teeing you up for what promises to be some kind of alliterative Saturday. We’ve got just under three hours until the first action gets under way, the final round of the women’s golf, which is currently led by Inbee Park of South Korea followed two shots back by Gerina Piller of the USA and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko. Britain’s Charley Hull dropped back to fifth yesterday.
Among the action likely to keep you sedentary on the sofa today are, or should be, the badminton final between China’s Long Chen and Malaysia’s Chong Wei Lee (1.20pm BST, 9.20am local time), Tom Daley’s 10m diving semi-final at 3pm/11am (the final is at 8pm BST, 4pm local), canoe sprint finals from 1pm (9am local), likeability’s Nicola Adams in her boxing final against Sarah Ourahmoune of France, Brazil v Germany in the men’s football final at 9.30pm (5.30pm local), and a whole load of super Saturday action on the track, including Mo Farah’s bid for a double double gold in the 5,000m (1.30am, 9.30pm local), Caster Semenya in the women’s 800m final (1.15am BST, 9.15pm local) and the 4x400m relay, always one of the most compelling races of all.
In Brit-centric news, there are to be victory parades for the nation’s Olympians in both London and Manchester, which invariably invites debate about which other cities might merit some festivities. Cardiff? Glasgow?
Anyway, email your musings to tom.davies@theguardian.com or on the Twitters at @tomdaviesE17.
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Well, after the briefest of brief spells (especially given the marathon efforts put in on this blog by erstwhile colleagues over this past fortnight) Tom Davies is ready on the other side of the world and willing to take over the reins. So adieu from Sydney, and hello London!
It’s no secret that to become an Olympic champion requires an incredible amount of dedication and hard work. Just ask Andy Murray if you want proof, though. The Rio Games are still in progress, but the British dual gold medal winner clearly isn’t one to rest on his laurels and he’s already back on tour, seeing off Bernard Tomic (who, of course, didn’t feature for Australia in Rio) to reach the semi-finals of Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The Scot will play Milos Raonic for a place in the final.
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High drama at the basketball earlier this evening (Rio time), as Serbia crushed Australia to reach the gold medal match against the US, but also some high jinks it seems, with several (nine or 10, depending on who you believe) Australian athletes taken for questioning by police over a schmozzle to do with accreditation as they attempted to gain access to the arena to watch their mates in action.
Full story here:
Here we go again
Hello and welcome back for a 15th day of Olympic fun in Rio. Not much else to add to Claire’s excellent briefing below and by now I think we all know that Usain Bolt has completed his incredible triple treble (which I can tell you has caused quite a stir among the grammar enthusiasts in the Guardian’s Sydney bureau – hypen or no? Answer: no).
But if you want details, here’s a blow-by-blow account of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay gold, in a rather neat interactive format:
Mike Hytner here with you for a brief stint in the hotseat before London wakes up and takes the controls. Feel free to get in touch (email mike.hytner@theguardian.com or tweet me @mike_hytner) if you have anything particularly pressing you need to get off your chest.
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Day 15 briefing
Day 15, another Saturday – Super Saturday? Satiating Saturday? – and the biggest gold rush of the Games so far, with a full 30 on offer today. Follow them all here, if only to test the live blog team as we try not to miss any.
Here’s our recap of day 14, when half of Britain remembered how exciting hockey can be (the other half knew already) and the greatest athlete continued to be the greatest athlete.
The big picture
It’s nine golds for Usain Bolt as he motored Jamaica home in the men’s 4x100m in laughably brilliant style. That’s the triple treble – 100m, 200m and 4x100m in three successive Games – and, he says, the end of his Olympic career.
A special note for pedantic readers (you’re my favourites) – you’ll see a lot of “triple triple”s flying about, but I’m sticking with “triple treble” and the man himself confirms it:
"Triple Treble" https://t.co/u2aOqaQC8y
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) August 20, 2016
Japan’s men zoomed into a surprising second place in that men’s 4x100m, but the relays were dotted with disqualifications. The US men completed their celebratory lap before learning the bronze was not theirs: the Mike Rodgers-Justin Gatlin baton swap was outside the zone, and Canada found themselves with an extra medal.
Team GB topped their 4x400m men’s relay heat but won’t be in today’s final after they too exchanged the baton in the wrong place and were disqualified. Trinidad and Tobago’s men managed their own unique double, disqualified from both the 4x100m final and the 4x400m heats.
Disqualification isn’t the end, though (I mean, technically it is, most of the time). The US women’s 4x100m team, out of the final then in again, ended up with the gold medal ahead of Jamaica and Team GB.
You should also know:
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Germany beat Sweden 2-1 to win their first women’s football gold.
- Brazil to play for pride not revenge in men’s football final.
- Rio Paralympics to be downsized amid disappointing ticket sales.
- Gunnar Bentz: Ryan Lochte shouted at guards during gas station incident.
Picture of the day
Team GB roundup
A final, a penalty shoot-out: the omens weren’t good but the result was. Team GB’s women emerged golden and glorious over the Netherlands in the hockey final, winning the shootout 2-0 after the match ended 3-3. Unbeaten in Rio, the team made history in all sorts of ways: the first women’s hockey gold for Britain, and the first same-sex married couple (captain Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh) to win Olympic gold.
History too for Nick Skelton, at 58 the second oldest British gold-winner (but you have to go a long way back – 1908 – for the oldest), as he leapt remarkably to the top of the podium for individual showjumping. In seven Games he’s now collected two golds – and a broken neck and a hip replacement along the way – and he says he’ll keep going as long as his horse, Big Star, keeps jumping.
Ain’t that a kick in the head: Lutalo Muhammad was leading in the men’s -80kg taekwondo until – literally; abandon suspicions of hype – the final second. The foot of Ivory Coast’s Cheick Sallah Cissé made contact with Muhammad’s helmet and that was that: Ivory Coast’s first gold, and silver for Britain. It was one up on Muhammad’s 2012 bronze but he was heartbroken, weeping in his post-bout interview as he apologised (no need!) to spectators who’d stayed up late to watch him.
Insomniacs would also have caught a bronze in the women’s 4x100m: Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryl Neita ran it in 41.77s and nabbed Britain’s first women’s sprint relay medal for 36 years. The sleepless will be rewarded tonight as Mo Farah runs in the 5,000m at 1.30am BST, with Team GB’s women (if not the disqualified men) taking up the baton for the 4x400m after that. Those with less stamina can still catch Tom Daley and Nicola Adams earlier in the day (see diary below).
- Team GB to return to victory parades in Manchester and London.
- Joe Joyce reaches super-heavyweight boxing final.
- Hockey: Twitter reacts to ‘one of the best moments of the Games’.
Australia team roundup
Chloe Esposito describes herself as “chronically indecisive so I do modern pentathlon”. Luckily, she does it decisively well. Esposito took gold in the women’s quintet of fencing, swimming, show jumping, pistol shooting and cross-country running – Australia’s first ever Olympic medal in the discipline – recovering from seventh place before the final round to emerge as champion. Her brother Max Esposito will be gunning for a second in the men’s event today, if only because it’s really annoying when your siblings beat you.
Just weeks after he was finally presented with the gold medal he should have worn at London 2012 (the belated disqualification of Russian drug cheat Sergey Kirdyapkin bumping him up from second place), Jared Tallent won a silver in Rio in the 50km walk. He was briskly ahead with five minutes to go but, as Tallent put it, “ just ran out of legs” and lost out to Slovakia’s Matej Toth, who had retained his legs to the last.
One gold, two silvers and a bronze make Tallent Australia’s most decorated Olympic athletics competitor. In the women’s pole vault, Alana Boyd only just – having hit the same heights but with one more miss than third-placed Eliza McCartney of New Zealand – failed to win a medal.
It was boo-hoo time for the Boomers, who crashed out 87-61 in the semi-finals of the men’s basketball. Their vanquishers? Serbia, whose women’s team knocked Australia out at the quarter-final stage. Serbia (men’s) now face the mighty Team USA on the final day of the Games; the Boomers scrabble for bronze against Spain at 11.30am on Rio’s Sunday morning (that’s 12.30am Monday AEST for the really committed).
And no BMX medals will be coming home after high hopes Caroline Buchanan (who crashed out in the women’s semi-final) and Sam Willoughby (sixth in the men’s final) went up and over and out.
- Australian athletes questioned by police in Rio over basketball accreditation.
- Emma McKeon will march in closing ceremony after apology for Rio night out.
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Team Australia day 14 roundup.
Team USA roundup
Three golds counts as a lull when you’re top of the leaderboard, although there was a highlight in the commanding victory for the US women in the 4x100m relay final they nearly didn’t make. An impressive (understatement) team of Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix, English Gardner and Tori Bowie – three of them already with Rio medals stashed in the locker – saw off Jamaica and Britain in 41.01s.
Felix, now the first female track and field athlete to win five gold medals, incredibly gets another go at besting that in the 4x400m finals today. The US women qualified fastest, do I need to add?
It looked as if the women’s gold would be paired with a bronze by the men’s sprint team before they were turfed out of their 4x100m finals for a baton-swap mishap. Bartoletta, Felix, Gardner and Bowie will instead have to compare golds with the women’s water polo team, who fended off Italy 12-5 in their final.
Connor Fields swiped gold on his way to men’s BMX victory, too. Alise Post took silver in the women’s BMX, as did Sandi Morris in the women’s pole vault.
Diary
All times below are local to Rio: here’s the full day 15 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.
- Seven golds to watch for in athletics: the women’s high jump at 8.30pm; men’s javelin at 8.55pm; men’s 1,500m at 9pm; women’s 800m at 9.15pm (is Caster Semenya unbeatable here?); men’s 5,000m at 9.30pm (COME. ON. MO.); the women’s 4x400m relay at 10pm; and the men’s 4x400m relay at 10.35pm.
- Britain’s Nicola Adams will be after the double in her women’s flyweight gold bout against France’s Sarah Ourahmoune at 2pm. Two other boxing finals: the men’s bantamweight at 2.15pm and men’s middleweight at 3pm.
- The men’s 10m platform diving semi-finals jump off at 11am, with the final at 4.30pm. Britain’s Tom Daley qualified first.
- Team USA take on Spain in the women’s basketball final at 3.30pm.
- And it’s the final, too, of the women’s handball: that one, also at 3.30pm, is France v Russia.
- Men’s football sees Brazil v Germany in the final at 5.30pm. Honduras and Nigeria scrap for bronze at 1pm.
- It’s China v Serbia in the women’s volleyball final at 10.15pm. Netherlands and the US play for bronze at 1pm.
- The men’s water polo washes up with a Croatia v Serbia final at 5.50pm.
- The badminton concludes with the men’s singles gold match; China or Malaysia will win that one.
- They’re sprinting through the canoeing finals with four today: the men’s kayak single 200m at 9.07am (featuring GB’s silver medallist Liam Heath); men’s canoe double 1,000m at 9.22am; women’s kayak four 500m at 9.47am; and the men’s kayak four 1,000m at 10.12am.
- The women’s triathlon gets going at 11am.
- It’s the first outing for cycling of the mountain bike variety, with the women’s cross-country at 12.30pm.
- The final round of the women’s golf – shall I? Yes – tees off at 7am. South Korea’s Inbee Park leads NZ’s Lydia Ko in the standings.
- It’s the final of the rhythmic gymnastics individual all-around at precisely 4.59pm.
- Five heats of the men’s modern pentathlon conclude at 6pm. Australia’s Max Esposito is under pressure after his sister Chloe took gold in the women’s.
- Two taekwondo finals: the women’s +67kg at 10pm – Britain’s Bianca Walkden is world champion and would like to be there – and the men’s +80kg at 10.15pm.
- The penultimate day of wrestling closes with two finals in the men’s freestyle 86kg and 125kg.
Sportspersonship of the day
There was drama in the men’s 50km walk as Japanese athlete and third-placed finisher Hirooki Arai was disqualified and then reinstated. Which meant Canada’s Evan Dunfree was – all too briefly – a bronze medal-winner. He explained why he decided not to appeal against the decision:
Even if an appeal to CAS [court of arbitration for sport] were successful I would not have been able to receive that medal with a clear conscience and it isn’t something I would have been proud of.
I will sleep soundly tonight, and for the rest of my life, knowing I made the right decision. I will never allow myself to be defined by the accolades I receive, rather the integrity I carry through life.
Tweet of the day
When Team USA had a second shot at qualifying for the finals of the women’s 4x100m – and blitzed it – it was China that was shunted off the start list. Still, they’re taking news that they were bumped for the eventual winners in good spirit. Ish.
What a drama! A team dropping baton at preliminary can finally win the women's 4X100m relay #TeamUSA @iaaforg pic.twitter.com/Mh2Cdh4APt
— Team China (@XHSports) August 20, 2016
If today were a swing classic
It would have to be Dean Martin’s Ain’t That a Kick in the Head. Sorry, Lutalo.
And another thing
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