And with that, the day 11 live blog is done. Luckily we’ve thought ahead and there’s a day 12 one ready and waiting:
In news that will be – to put it mildly – immensely frustrating for those who’ve been up against them already in these Games, weightlifters from Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus will be banned from competition for a year after Rio, the International Weightlifting Federation has told AFP:
IWF president Tamas Ajan said the governing body would announce the bans at the end of September or beginning of October, adding that he expected to punish several other nations as well.
“After the Games we will suspend these countries. I give a guarantee about this … [It] will be Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus,” Ajan told AFP at the Rio Games.
Weightlifting has long been afflicted by doping scandals and the IWF has undertaken a major crackdown on athletes using performance-enhancing drugs, often from former Soviet Union or Eastern Bloc countries.
It prevented Russia and Bulgaria, both traditional powerhouses, from competing in weightlifting at the Rio Olympics for repeated and high-profile doping offences.
The IWF had also wanted to bar Kazakhstan and Belarus but the International Olympic Committee was unable to complete retesting of samples from the Beijing and London Games in time.
Ajan’s comments cast some doubt on the legitimacy of the seven medals won by Kazakhstan and Belarus in Brazil.
Kazakhs have won five medals at the 2016 Games – one gold, a silver, and three bronze – while Belarusians have claimed two second-place podium finishes.
There’s absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing amongst these athletes, however, with the imminent bans stemming from cheating at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
Always a highlight – here’s the best of the pictures from day 11:
Here’s our report on Faith Kipyegon’s “devastating burst” for the line that won the Kenyan runner the women’s 1,500m gold:
French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie – unpleasantly booed by the crowd as he collected his silver medal earlier in the evening – has spoken again of his anger, telling French TV:
It’s disgusting, there is a total lack of fair play and I want to stress that the Brazilian [gold medallist Thiago Braz Da Silva] is not involved at all.
But I am going to move on.
Appeals for silence were made before each event at the Olympic stadium on Tuesday night. It remains to be seen – heard? – if the crowd is listening.
Updated
There were two golds today for China – for diver Cao Yuan in the 3m springboard and for (naturally) the women’s table tennis team – but it’s not been enough to hoik them higher than third place in the medal table, or to fend off disgruntlement at home.
Tom Phillips reports from Beijing:
China has suffered “the worst Olympic flop” at the 2016 Rio games, the country’s official news agency claimed on Wednesday, as frustration grew at Team China’s failure to replicate its past glories in Brazil.
China is facing its poorest Olympic showing in two decades after a succession of disappointments in sports such as badminton, diving and gymnastics.
The country currently trails both the United States and Great Britain in the medals table, with Team GB taking 19 gold medals to China’s 17. The US has 28.
China has finished the Olympics in second place in every event since 2004 and claimed its highest ever gold medal haul – 51 in total – at the 2008 Beijing Games.
This was Kerri Walsh Jennings’ first Olympics defeat, an extraordinary record for the player who took three golds – in Athens, Beijing and London – with former partner Misty May-Treanor.
Associated Press tells me Walsh Jennings had lost only two sets in her entire Olympic career before this evening. That statistic is now doubled but still looks remarkable enough.
Three match points to Brazil at an utterly uproarious beach volleyball arena. They take the second. That’s it: Brazil are in the final.
Two thousand drunk people leap up and shout things.
Great stuff from Bárbara and Ágatha. Throughly deserved, and they’re off in the crowd embracing various overwrought fans, relatives etc.
Here’s Luis Miguel Echegaray’s verdict (he’s for Team USA but not complaining about that display):
Well, credit to Brazil. They were incredible as this was all about defense. A beach volleyball powerhouse is out and the host nation will savor this one.
Gotta feel for Walsh Jennings and Ross but Ágatha and Bárbara really killed it.
It’s Walsh Jenning’s first match loss in Olympic play. That’s incredible.
USA will go for bronze against Brazil once again, and Ágatha and Bárbara will play Germany in the final.
What a game. What a night. I’m off to sleep.
Important footnote: the live blog is not off to sleep. Stay right where you are.
Brazil beat USA to make women's beach volleyball final!
Ágatha and Bárbara have done it! Two sets won against the USA in this semifinal and it’s all over. 22-20, 21-18.
I’m guessing here, but I think US athlete Lolo Jones is watching the beach volleyball right now:
Agggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh
— Lolo Jones (@lolojones) August 17, 2016
*breathes*
aggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Luis again:
There have been some ridiculous rallies in this one. Take nothing away from Brazil because they are so talented, but this would be a HUGE upset. They have played out of their minds.
My colleague Luis Miguel Echegaray, who knows about these things, tells me:
The size different is evident and a clear advantage to USA but Ágatha and Bárbara are so quick on every ball and their defence makes it look like there’s four of them out there.
Ross took off her necklace and chains. SHE MEANS BUSINESS.
Hey, colleagues in Rio, I asked: do send me your volleyball insights.
I fear they are just taunting me now.
It’s 11-10 to Brazil in the second set now, with the US already a set down.
Midnight beach volley ball is the perfect post pub activity, it turns out pic.twitter.com/jXzYJVAtDw
— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) August 17, 2016
Brazil staging a dramatic comeback at the beach volleyball but taken all the way in the first set by the US, who look very strong. Set point at 20-19 for Brazil. US save it with some desperate defence.
Ágatha and Bárbara then take the set with a slightly bizarre ace, the occasion perhaps getting to the American pair.
It’s a full house here on Copacabana, a febrile atmosphere with a massive US contingent. This is beach volleyball as it should be in one of the sport’s real heartlands. All to play for here at the most Rio event of these Games.
Brazil take the opening set: Ágatha and Bárbara (as it seems Brazil calls them, which is, let’s be honest, easier for a live blogger than tapping out Bednarczuk and Seixas de Freitas each time) edged out Walsh Jennings and Ross (yeah, thanks) 22-20 to take the lead.
Updated
Back on the beach:
The greatest thing about Walsh Jennings and Ross is that the boos from the Brazilian fans probably adds fuel to their hyper-charged tenacity.
The first set is already proving that this will be a tight game.
It’s 19-19.
But it’s all over for one Brazilian women’s volleyball team: the indoor, close-fought quarter-final is over and China took it 3-2. They face the Netherlands next in the semi-finals.
Nothing between USA and Brazil in this women’s beach volleyball semi-final: the last few points have been 13-13, 13-14, 14-14, 15-14 and now 15-15. Phew.
Updated
Oh, and by the way, Brazil took the fourth set against China in the women’s (indoor) volleyball. So it’s two sets apiece in that quarter-final. Seems a bit mean, this, expecting Brazilian volleyball fans to pick beach or non-beach for their late-night viewing.
Here we go: it’s the USA v Brazil in the women’s beach volleyball semi-final.
Team Brazil wants Brazil to win. But the American pair of Kerri Walsh Jennings (already a three-time Olympic gold medallist) and April Ross might have something to say about that.
Nas areias de Copacabana, Ágatha/Bárbara buscam uma vaga na final do #vôleidepraia. Vamos pra cima! 🇧🇷 #TimeBrasil pic.twitter.com/X2TrqvRsxC
— Time Brasil (@timebrasil) August 17, 2016
And France have won that women’s basketball quarter-final against Canada 68-63, and move on to a semi-final against out-and-out favourites USA for their troubles.
The booing of French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie as he accepted the silver medal behind home winner Thiago Braz Da Silva certainly counts as a low point in these Games.
IOC president Thomas Bach has called it “shocking behaviour … unacceptable”, and IAAF president Sebastian Coe said Lavillenie “deserves respect”.
The Frenchman appeared to be in tears after the medal ceremony. His foolish Jesse Owens comparisons aside, it seems a rotten way to treat someone whose only apparent crime was to compete in a pole vaulting competition.
Uma vida treinando merece respeito. A lifetime of training deserves respect. #athletics #Rio2016 #olympics https://t.co/KIyq8V7WHv
— Seb Coe (@sebcoe) August 17, 2016
@sergey_bubka, @sebcoe, @Jean6625 et Thomas Bach viennent réconforter @airlavillenie !
— Kevin Legrand (@KvLegrand) August 17, 2016
Voilà une belle image ! pic.twitter.com/SD0co1qDbf
Updated
Italy will play Brazil in men's beach volleyball final
The men’s beach volleyball semi-final is over, and it’s Italy who go through, beating Russia two sets to one.
They’ll face Brazil on the beach in Thursday’s late-night final.
Updated
Just two minutes left in the battle for a women’s basketball semi-final place. France has an edge, 60-58 over Canada, but it’s not slowing down. The winner will play the USA, which is a reward of sorts.
China has taken the third set against Brazil in the women’s volleyball quarter-final, 25-22. They’re into the fourth now and it’s all very tense for a Tuesday night, let’s be honest.
With barely six minutes to go in the women’s basketball, France lead Canada 56-52. A place in the semi-finals is at stake here.
There’s still a whole beach volleyball match yet to start: the women’s semi-final between the USA’s Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross and Brazil’s Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas de Freitas doesn’t get going till 11.59 Rio time (that’s about 15 minutes from now).
The winner will play Germany in tomorrow’s final.
What else is still going on, as Rio rumbles towards the close of day 11?
In the women’s basketball, France and Canada are 50-50 (I mean, literally, not just percentage-ly, but also that) in the third quarter of their quarter-final.
Russia are one set up on Italy in the men’s beach volleyball semi-final.
And it’s 24-22 to China in the third set against Brazil in the women’s volleyball quarter-final.
Updated
After an introduction I can’t but fail to live up to, hello: this is Claire Phipps picking up live coverage again. It’s 20-17 to China in that third set against Brazil in the women’s volleyball. I’m not going to say hyped again.
China are hyped in the volleyball. Brazil are hyped in the volleyball. The crowd are hyped in the volleyball. The man who just changed the scoreboard to 15-14 to Brazil is hyped in the volleyball. And Claire Phipps is HYPED as she takes over this liveblog. I will leave you in her capable hands.
In 2008 the most oversubscribed event in Beijing was ... table tennis. At London 2012 it was the athletics. And in Rio I bet [NOTE: no scientific basis to these claims] it’s volleyball. Brazil are playing China in the women’s indoor event at the moment and it’s one-set all and 11-11. The winner goes to the semi-final.
We’ll have a full story on this shortly but the Ryan Lochte robbery story is still rumbling on in the background. This from AP:
Police investigating reports that American swimmer Ryan Lochte and three of his teammates were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi so far have found little evidence supporting the account, and say the swimmers were unable to provide key details in police interviews.
A police official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press that police cannot find their taxi driver or witnesses. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
Lochte’s attorney, Jeff Ostrow, said there was no question the robbery happened and that Lochte had 24-hour security hired after the incident. He had been staying in his hotel room and intended to go back to the U.S. soon.
“This happened the way he described it,” Ostrow said.
If you’re an Australian looking for an update on the action overnight, a seventh gold medal of the Games came thanks to sailor Tom Burton. He took out the Laser class, which isn’t quite as exciting as it sounds but certainly great news for him regardless. “The amount of hours I have put into this, the sacrifices I have made; not going to my sister’s wedding, skipping the Opening Ceremony to try and get a good result and it’s all perfect now,” Burton said afterwards. That and more in our Australian update.
Omar McLeod wins 110m hurdles gold
And so to the race. Orlando Ortega is last to go to his blocks after a quick prayer. But it’s McLeod who leads from start to finish and wins Jamaica’s first ever 110m hurdles gold medal. In contrast, the US are shut out for the first time ever in a 110m final. Ortega got second - that prayer worked. France’s Bascou won bronze. Allen finished fifth - not too bad for a kid on holiday from college.
Updated
Devon Allen’s parents are shown in the crowd. They look pretty calm. Then his college team-mates are shown in, erm, college. They look calm too. Allen looks calm. No one is panicking, this is very civilized.
The most interesting athlete in the 110m hurdles is Devon Allen, who is taking a break from college to compete at the Olympics. He should be studying. He’ll be back to Oregon soon enough where he plays wide receiver for the football team. It was Jamaica’s Omar McLeod who was comfortably the fastest qualifier for the final but the French pair of Dimitri Bascou and Pascal Martinot-Lagarde impressed in the semis as well.
Jenny Simpson’s medal is the first ever for an American woman in the 1500m at the Olympics.
Faith Kipyegon wins women's 1500m gold; USA's Jenny Simpson takes bronze
Dibaba breaks with two laps to go, and Muir follows her. They’re 1-2 with the last lap to go. But Dibaba and Kipyegon drop her as they sprint off. And Kipyegon has too much for Dibaba - the world record holder is beaten by the Kenyan! A shock. Jenny Simpson of the US storms through late to take bronze, she’s in tears. Kipyegon sinks to the floor, trying to take in the scope of her achievement.
Updated
The US have representation with Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury. Britain have the Lauras Muir and Weightman. It’s a 76sec first lap, the athletes obviously taking in the sights while they compete. Dibaba is happy to hover at the back ... for now.
The women’s 1500m final, in which we have the world champion and word record holder, Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba. She’s the sister of three-time 5000m Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba and Olympic silver medallist 10,000m Ejegayehu Dibaba, and the cousin of former Olympic champion Derartu Tulu. So, yes, a decent sporting pedigree in the family.
Tori Bowie and Michelle-Lee Ahye are the qualifiers from the final 200m semi. USA’s Deajah Stevens and Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith have made the final as fastest losers.
Derek Drouin of Canada wins gold in the men's high jump
He wins after Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko fails his attempt. Bondarenko takes bronze behind Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim. Britain’s Robbie Grabarz just misses out in fourth. Drouin is still jumping, by the way. And why not? It’s his moment and he can milk it.
Updated
Second semi of the 200m now. Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast, another athlete who excelled in the 100m, wins it ahead of Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova-Collio. The Australian and US athletes in the race - Ella Nelson and Jenna Prandini - are third and fourth and won’t make the final.
The women’s 200m semi-finals now. Daffne Schippers and the 100m champion, Elaine Thompson, face off and Schippers puts in a late surge to take the race ahead of the Jamaican.
Updated
Ugh, that’s ugly. Kim Mickle, Australia’s best javelin thrower, has dislocated her shoulder on her final effort. The bone is visibly protruding in a place it shouldn’t be as she walks away, clearly in quite some pain and shouting out for some medical attention. It eventually arrives and presumably that’s her Games over. You can find the image on Twitter ... if you dare.
High jump final: the 2012 bronze medallist, Mutaz Essa Barshim, flies over. The man who beat Barshim to silver in London, Erik Kynard, has one more chance to make his height but makes it. The American is still alive. I think his friends and family back home are pleased at that one. He’s out at the next height though, previously he’d cleared the height - 2.33m - that he’d won silver back in 2012 with too.
Updated
USA’s Byron Robinson is off like a shot but Haron Koech is faster than the speed of sound, apparently and surges past the American. Then again, the comparisons are getting strained here, Thomas Barr of Ireland must be travelling at the speed of light (he’s not) because he comes through late to win in an Irish record. He looks amazed at his performance. Koech is second. Robinson gets a PB but won’t make the final.
Updated
We’re into the men’s 400m hurdles semi-finals now. Kerron Clement of the US and Boniface Tumuti of Kenya went through in the first one. In number two Annsert Whyte of Jamaica and Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson made it through. There’s one more semi to come in a minute, the top two there advance to the final and then we find out who the fastest losers are. If you can be called a loser for making an Olympic final.
It’s early days of the women’s long qualifying but Russia’s Darya Klishina - the only Russian track and field athlete here, remember - is in fourth place after a leap of 6.64m. That will almost certainly ensure that she will qualify as one of the top 12 athletes for the final. So far, however, only Ivana Spanovic, with a jump of 6.87m, and Brittney Reese, with a leap of 6.78m are definitely through. Britain’s Lorraine Ugen (6.58) also looks in a good position but Shara Proctor (6.36m) Jasmin Sawyers (6.49m) will want more from their next two leaps - as will the American favourite Tianna Bartoletta, who jumped 6.44m in the first round.
Updated
Lusty boos for French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie as he received his silver medal at the Olympic Stadium moments ago, prompting gold medalist and overnight national hero Thiago Braz da Silva to applaud on the podium in an appeal to the Brazilian fans for respect. Last night Da Silva outlasted Lavillenie in a thrilling final marred by jeers for the Frenchman’s attempts – an atmosphere that prompted Lavillenie to compare his treatment to what Jesse Owens faced at the Berlin Olympics. He later apologized, but clearly the Brazilian fans clustered on the south end of the Engenhão didn’t get the memo.
Prepare to have your heart warmed to within an inch of its life (the Guardian does not accept responsibility for excessive heartwarming or excessive tear flow at the following article):
That’s it from me. Thanks for keeping me company. Tom Lutz takes up the baton.
Dalilah Muhammad of the USA won the last semi-final in the women’s 400m hurdles, ahead of Denmark’s Sara Peterson.
China takes women's table tennis team gold
The Chinese women’s team defeated Germany in the final. The three-member Chinese team, which lost only a single game, consists of the gold and silver medallists from Rio and the No1 player in the world. Japan took the bronze.
Updated
A fantastic, spirited run from Ashley Spencer, who trailed for much of her 400m hurdles semi-final, then clipped the penultimate barrier but still battled her way past Britain’s Eilidh Doyle and Jamaica’s Janieve Russell to cross the line first. Doyle faces an anxious wait to see if she qualifies on time.
Updated
In the first of the women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals, Zuzana Hejnova of the Czech Republic cruises through to the final in impressive style, with the Jamaican teenager Ristananna Tracey taking the second automatic spot.
Robbie Grabarz clears 2.29m as does Barshim of Qatar.
Updated
Canada’s Derek Drouin, meanwhile, has just gone clear at 2.29m.
Bad news for fans of Brandon Starc, who appears to have gained some kind of global recognition over these past few days – not, sadly, for his athletic prowess, rather for his name – is out of the men’s high jump. The Australian, whose brother is the Test cricketer Mitchell Starc, can’t get over the bar at 2.25m and he’s out of the final.
Updated
Rugby sevens has been one of the big hits of this Games so far. Matt Cleary predicts that this is just the start.
Renaud Lavilleinie looked absolutely devastated on the podium as he listened to the winner’s national anthem. He thought it should have been his.
Updated
Jubiliation in the athletics stadium as home favourite Thiago Braz da Silva receives his gold medal for last night’s dramatic pole vault competition. No appreciable booing for the French silver medallist Renaud Lavilleine this time.
A great run in the second 110m hurdles semi-final by the Serbian-born Cypriot, Milan Trajkovic. He set a national record to claim the second automatic qualifying position behind Dimitri Bascou of France, edging out Jeff Porter of the USA and Andrew Riley of Jamaica.
Lasha Talakhadze takes men's +105kg weightlifting gold and world record
The Georgian responded to the taunts of Iranian fans disgruntled at the elimination of Behdad Salimikordasiabi by setting a new combined world record of 473kg to claim gold. Silver went to Gor Minasyan of Armenia and another Georgian, Irakli Turmanidze, took bronze. By my reckoning, Irakli must be Georgian for Hercules.
Updated
On the track Spain’s Orlando Ortega and Ronnie Ash of the USA have qualified automatically from the first semi-final of the 110m hurdles.
Updated
And he has failed! A world record for Salimikordasiabi and half an hour later he is going home to Iran without a medal. He will be feeling particularly sore that his second lift was originally called good before being invalidated by the jury.
Drama in the superheavyweight weightlifting as the Olympic champion Behdad Salimikordasiabi fails on his first two attempts at 245kg in the clean and jerk. He needs to make his next lift to win a medal of any sort. All half an hour after setting a new world record in the snatch!
USA beats Japan 110-64 in women’s basketball
The Americans now face either France or Canada in the semi-finals. Read how it happened here.
Over at the João Havelange Olympic stadium the competitors are due out shortly for the start of the men’s high jump final. The finalists are:
Erik Kynard (US)
Brandon Starc (AUS)
Robbie Grabarz (GB)
Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT)
Bohdan Bondarenko (UKR)
Derek Drouin (CAN)
Tikhomir Ivaylo Ivanov (BUL)
Dimitrios Condrokoukis (CYP)
Majd Eddin Ghazal (SYR)
Trevor Barry (BAH)
Updated
After eight days of competition in Guanabara Bay, Giles Scott returned to the shore yesterday with a union jack wrapped around his back, ready to receive his first Olympic gold medal in the Finn class. It was a fait accompli. By the end of the tenth race on Sunday, Scott had an unassailable lead.
Read the full story:
While the rest of amateur boxing may have given the impression it was about to disappear down a toilet somewhere in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, British boxers Joe Joyce and Joshua Buatsi did their best to invest some legitimacy in proceedings.
Read more:
Updated
The USA women stepped up a gear against Japan in the basketball. They ended the third quarter 81-59 up.
Over at the weightlifting the big men are action. Superheavyweight Behdad Salimikordasiabi saw his snatch world record taken by Lasha Talakhadze of Georgia, who lifted 215kg. But Iranian immediately responded by putting another kilo on the bar and lifting 216kg for the second world record of the evening. Armenia’s Gor Minasyan is in bronze medal position as we await the clean and jerk.
Updated
Want to know how Jason Kenny won his sixth Olympic gold? Relive it with Helen Pidd.
Brazil’s latest gold medal winner Robson Conceição has quite a story behind his Olympic victory. He was so poor as a teenager that he couldn’t afford the bus to the gym. He proposed to his wife – also a champion boxer – live on TV. Jonathan Watts has more in this excellent profile.
Better late than never Olympic news from Reuters:
Russia has been ordered to return their gold medals from the 2008 Beijing Olympics 4x100m women’s relay, after Yulia Chermoshanskaya tested positive for a banned substance in a reanalysis of her sample. The International Olympic Committee disqualified her for testing positive for steroid use.
Robson Conceição wins lightweight boxing gold!
Electric atmosphere as the Brazilian makes history by scoring a unanimous decision against France’s Sofiane Oumiha.
Updated
Robson Conceição has taken the first two rounds of the lightweight final. He’s three minutes from Brazil’s first ever gold medal for boxing.
It’s official. Great Britain have their biggest ever medal haul for an overseas Olympics.
It’s looking toughter than expected for the USA, who lead Japan 54-46 at half-time in the women’s basketball. Hunter Felt has the live blog.
Jack Laugher wins silver for GB in 3m springboard
Jack Laugher has joined the elite list of British athletes to have won multiple medals at the same Olympics after securing silver in the men’s 3m springboard. Having earned GB’s first-ever diving gold in the synchronised 3m springboard competition in company with Chris Mears, Laugher again surpassed expectations to finish second behind China’s outstanding Yuan Cao.
The 21-year-old Yorkshireman, now officially GB’s most successful Olympic diver, had only sneaked into the final as the 12th and last qualifier but was never out of the medal positions on another gripping evening. No British diver, Tom Daley included, has ever won more than one than one medal at the same Games.
Updated
A deafening roar greets Robson Conceição as he makes his ring walk to face Sofiane Oumiha of France for the lightweight gold medal.
The whole GB cycling team, we imagine, is delighted for Jason Kenny. But none more than a certain Ms Trott.
Arghhhh!!!!!! I love him to bits @JasonKenny107 !! Our kids have to get some of these genes right?!
— Laura Trott (@LauraTrott31) August 16, 2016
Silva’s refereeing has been the least controversial aspect of the boxing tournament. The American Gary Russell is the latest to feel aggrieved by the judging.
The undoubted star of today’s boxing has been the Brazilian referee Jones Kennedy Silva da Rosario, who officiated Joshua Buatsi’s defeat to Adilbek Niyazymbetov. Every time he got the fighters to break the crowd cheered as if he’d scored a knockdown. The Brazilian crowd are just getting warmed up for the appearance of local hero Robson Conceição, who fights for gold in a few minutes.
Updated
Over in the women’s basketball, hot favourites the USA lead Japan 40-31 in the second quarter. Hunter Felt has all the details.
Thanks Jacob. And there’s more British success in the boxing ring where super heavyweight Joe Joyce has won a unanimous decision in his quarter-final against Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan. He’s guaranteed at least a bronze medal.
That’s all from me tonight. Thanks for keeping me company. The baton is passed to Chris Taylor.
So that was Team GB’s 49th medal of these games. They’ve exceeded their stated target and it’s the biggest haul they’ve ever managed at an away Games.
Updated
Silver went to Matthijs Buchli of the Netherlands, bronze to Azizulhasni Awang of Malaysia. But they couldn’t stop King Kenny.
This block was deleted because of technical difficulties earlier: because the camera wasn’t in the right place, they couldn’t enforce the rules. No riders were disqualified.
Jason Kenny wins gold in the keirin!
Just as this live blog threatens to completely grind to a pathetic halt, Jason Kenny produces an astonishing sprint finish in the final lap to win keirin gold for Team GB! There was nothing in that. In doing so, he joins Sir Chris Hoy as Britain’s most successful Olympian. It’s his sixth gold. Laura Trott is in tears.
Updated
DOPING BREAKING: IOC strips Russia of gold in women's 4x100 relay from 2008 #Olympics after Chermoshanskaya tests positive
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) August 16, 2016
Updated
Further diving update: China’s Yuan Cao is looking odds-on for the gold but Jack Laugher has consolidated his position in second place. His fourth dive was his worst of the final so far but a couple more half-decent dives from here will put him back on the podium.
It’s happened again! The derny has been overtaken again! This is ridiculous!
We go again. The keirin final begins once more.
In the men’s light heavyweight 81kg semi-final, Team GB’s Josh Buatsihas lost to Kazakhstan’s Adilbek Niyazmbetov on points. He’ll have to fight for bronze.
Jason Kenny is still in the race!
Everyone’s in the race! Everyone’s a winner! A relieved Laura Trott applauds.
The Team GB coaches are speaking to race stewards.
The judges are still scrutinising the footage. Kenny looks like the lead rider.
Updated
Just as they were about to start the charge, they overlap the derny bike before it was off the track! Could Kenny be disqualified? He was at the front with Azizulhasni Awang of Malaysia. Someone appears to have gone too soon.
Updated
And they’re off! The men’s keirin final is underway.
The final event of the track cycling is here. Can Jason Kenny win keirin gold?
Updated
Hunter Felt has live coverage of the USA versus Japan in the last eight of the women’s basketball.
There have been more allegations of boxing skullduggery. Les Carpenter has the skinny from Rio.
In the men’s hockey, meanwhile, Belgium have joined Argentina in the final. They’ve beaten the Dutch 3-1.
Here at the diving the men’s 3m springboard final is under way in a disconcertingly blue-looking pool. China’s Yuan Cao appears the clear favourite but Britain’s Jack Laugher, one half of the duo who claimed GB’s first-ever diving gold in the synchronised 3m springboard event, has started well and is lying second after the opening two rounds of the competition. There are six rounds in all and previous scores en route to the final count for nothing – which is handy for Laugher who only just scraped in as the 12th and last qualifier.
That takes Team GB;s medal’s tally to 48 medals. That was their target at the start of the fortnight.
Germany's Kristina Vogel wins gold!
The second ride in the final of the women’s sprint begins belatedly. There was a problem with Kristina Vogel’s bike at first. Once they get going, the German tries to get inside Becky James’s head. Once they really get going, Vogel’s ahead. She only needs this race and the gold is hers. But here comes James! She’s closing her down! She’s reeling her in! Is it going to be enough? No! Vogel wins it by the most slender of margins, inching clear in an epic struggle, even losing her saddles along the way! How good is that? James has to settle for silver.
Brilliant performance @BecksJames two silver medals! You should be so proud!x
— Jessica Ennis-Hill (@J_Ennis) August 16, 2016
Updated
Katy Marchant wins bronze!
She claims the medal in straight rides in the women’s sprint, edging Elis Ligtlee right on the line with a timely lunge! That’s a bronze in her first Olympics.
Katy Marchant getting bronze means every GB track rider who took to the velodrome in Rio has won a medal. An amazing achievement.
— Simon Richardson (@SRichardsonCW) August 16, 2016
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There’s been more boxing controversy.
Oh dear, another terrible @AIBA_Boxing official. Melian (Arg) tries to tell ref his gumshield has fallen out and ref stops the fight
— Ron Lewis (@RonLewisTimes) August 16, 2016
“I’m just so, so happy,” Trott says, who’s still so, so happy. She reveals that her husband-to-be, Jason Kenny, just told her he thinks he has the legs to win the men’s keirin. “He told me he hopes he doesn’t mess it up,” she says. “I hope he doesn’t mess it up.”
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The British national anthem blares around the velodrome as Laura Trott stands on the podium with her gold medal. She giggles and waves. Some champion.
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What a race! Germany’s Kristina Vogel pips Team GB’s Becky James on the line to take the first ride in the final.
Enough of all that, though. It’s the women’s sprint final between Becky James and Kristina Vogel...
Germany have beaten Canada 2-0 to reach the women’s football final. They’ll face those cowardly Swedes, who beat Brazil on penalties earlier.
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Katy Marchant wins the first ride! Elis Ligtlee almost reels her in but can’t quite do enough. There’s a suggestion Marchant strayed from the sprinter’s line but it seems the judges are going to be lenient.
Now for the bronze medal race in the women’s individual sprint. Will Team GB’s Katy Marchant take a medal? It’ll be tough against Elis Ligtlee. It’s best of three.
“I can’t believe it, I actually can’t believe it, I did not expect that at all,” says a laughing, crying Laura Trott. “I’m just so happy that it all came together. The people you don’t see, they’ve really helped me. I couldn’t have done it without every single one of them.”
She’s thanking everyone she can possibly think of and threatening to flood the Velodrome with salty tears.
Laura Trott is more than a little tearful. Well, she’s just made sporting history at the age of 24. She’s off to hug her family in the crowd. Sara Hamer of the USA wins silver and Belgium’s Jolien D’Horresneaks bronze
Laura Trott wins the omnium!
She’s Britain’s most successful female Olympian of all time! It’s her fourth gold medal! Wasn’t she composed?
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It’s almost done. She’s almost there. Two laps left.
Twenty laps to go. Laura Trott is pedalling her way to a record-breaking fourth gold here.
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Five more points for Trott! Her closest rivals appear to have given up any pretensions they might have had of winning gold.
Laura Trott is the winner of sprint five. Five more points. Over half the race has been completed. Her lead is enormous now. Barring catastrophe, it’s difficult to see how she won’t win this.
Laura Trott keeps scoring in these sprints. Her lead over Sarah Hamer is back to 24 points.
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After the third sprint, Laura Trott still leads by 22 points. She’s well placed.
Laura Trott scores in the second sprint. She has a 22-point lead. Sarah Hamer, in second place in the standings, won that on.
It looks like Germany will join Sweden in the women’s football final. Sara Daebritz has doubled their lead over Canada with a clinical finish from 18 yards. It’s Germany 2-0 Canada.
After the first sprint, Laura Trott has helped herself to another point. She’s adopted a defensive strategy. Cuba’s Marlies Mejias Garcia won that one.
A mere 100 laps to go. Strap in!
The points race in the women’s omnium final is about to begin. This is all about Laura Trott, who has a 24-point lead at the top. Can she defend it and win yet another gold?
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The second half of the second semi-final in the women’s football is about to begin. Germany lead 1-0 against Canada.
The second heat of the men’s keirin is won by Germany’s Joachim Eilers. Poland’s Damian Zielinski is second and Colombia’s Fabian Puerta is third. We’ve got our final six! Jason Kenny will go for gold later on. Sir Chris Hoy reckons Eilers is the biggest threat.
There's probable sailing gold for Team GB!
Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark have opened up such a big lead that they’ve surely won gold in the 470 race, but they’ve caught everyone by surprise. Seems it won’t be confirmed until Wednesday.
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Unlike their male counterparts, the women’s sprint final will not be an all British affair. Katy Marchant has just been beaten in straight sets, so to speak, in her semi-final against Germany’s three-times world champion Kristina Vogel, who will meet Becky James in the final. Marchant will contest the bronze medal match against Elis Ligtlee. In my far from expert opinion, Marchant had cause to complain about the manner in which Vogel weaved all over the track in race one. None was forthcoming.
Jason Kenny suddenly turns up the pace in the final lap to win the heat in emphatic fashion! Matthijs Buchli of the Netherlands is second and Malaysia’s Azizulhasni Awang is third. That was searingly good from Kenny.
Matthew Glazer of Australia is in the lead ... but here comes Kenny!
Off they go! Pedal! Pedal! Pedal!
The first heat in the second round of men’s keirin is up next. All eyes on Jason Kenny, who’s heavily fancied to rule the track.
In the second sprint semi, it’s Germany’s Kristina Vogel against Team GB’s Katy Marchant. Vogel’s already ahead from the first heat and she’s too strong for Marchant, racing clear to get herself into the final, where she’ll face Becky James. Marchant will race Ligtlee for bronze.
Laura Trott goes into the final event of the omnium in an incredibly commanding position, having just won the fifth of the six events, the flying lap, in a time of 13.708. She leads both Belgium’s Jolien D’Hoore and her American rival Sarah Hammer by a whopping 24 points. In the women’s sprint, Becky James has qualified for the final, where she will go up against her firend and team-mate Katy Marchant or Germany’s Kristina Vogel. Vogel leads Marchant 1-0 in their best of three semi-final.
In the second women’s sprint semi-final, Team GB’s Becky James looks unstoppable, blitzing away from Elis Ligtlee of the Netherlands in a time of 10.9sdec to reach the final! Wow. That was seriously impressive.
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Team GB’s Laura Trott has made a fantastic start in the Velodrome tonight. She tops the standings in the omnium after the flying lap.
And we’re back! Nile Wilson won gymnastics bronze for Team GB while I was away. Meanwhile they’re well into the cycling now. Sorry about all this.
We are experiencing a few technical problems. We’ll be back soon. Sorry.
Here’s your latest medal table on day 11 of the Games.
I’m going to grab some food. But don’t you guys go anywhere!
To total silence in the Maracana, Lisa Dahlkvist just squeezes her penalty past Barbara, who wasn’t able to keep it out despite getting a hand to the ball! That’s it! Sweden, the wild cards, win 4-3 on penalties to reach the women’s final! Cowards, eh?
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Andressinha’s penalty is saved by Lindahl! Sweden are through if they score their next penalty...
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Rafaelle scores for Brazil. It’s 3-2. Nilla Fischer strokes her effort home too. It’s 3-3.
It’s 2-2 after the third round of penalties, both players converting. Neither goalkeeper got near those two.
Cristiane’s effort for Brazil is saved by Lindahl, diving to her left! But Barbara saves Asllani’s penalty! It’s still 1-1.
Marta steps up first for Brazil and she just about squeezes it into the bottom right corner. Lotta Schelin scores confidently for Sweden. It’s 1-1.
The referee is talking to the two goalkeepers. She’s presumably telling Brazil’s Barbara and Sweden’s Hedvig Lindahl not to stray off their line.
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It’s finished Brazil 0-0 Sweden in the women’s semi-final. We’ll have penalties. Has anyone heard from Hope Solo?
One minute you’re taking your GCSEs, the next you’re winning a bronze medal at the Olympics. Amy Tinkler, ladies and gentlemen!
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Back to the football, it’s still Brazil 0-0 Sweden. Penalties are a few moments away.
Simone Biles goes out the way she came with gold. She has just sealed a win in the floor exercise, with her compatriot Aly Raisman taking silver. That’s four golds in all at this Olympics for Biles, which equals the Games record. Only a slip on the beam yesterday deprived her of a fifth gold. Still, four golds and a bronze - not too bad going. Britain’s Amy Tinkler won bronze.
The USA's Simone Biles wins another gold! And Team GB's Amy Tinkler wins bronze!
Now for Vanessa Ferrari, who was the third highest qualifier. Can the Italian push Amy Tinkler out of the bronze medal position? Or, even more unthinkably, whip gold out of the clutches of Simone Biles? Performing to the strains of Nessun Dorma’s a good idea from where I’m sitting. I’d give her gold for that alone. The judges might not be so smitten, but it was a very experienced performance from a gymnast who’s desperate to end her wait for an Olympic medal at the age of 25. It’s going to be close. 14.933 is what she needs to beat to get bronze. And she’s not done enough! She finishes with a score of 14.766! All of which means that Simone Biles is the Olympic champion in the floor exercise and it’s an American one-two, with Aly Raisman in second. And how about Team GB’s Amy Tinkler, the youngest British athlete in Rio? The 16-year-old’s won a very impressive bronze medal with a score of 14.933! And she’s the youngest British Olympic medalist in 32 years. Not bad.
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Now for the USA’s Aly Raisman, the defending champion ... but probably not for long. She’s at ease with herself on that mat. Hoppity! Hoppity! Hoppity! It’s a stunning routine from Raisman, who’s at the top of her game here. A brilliant double pike at the end could take her into second. Indeed, she gets 15.5, 6.6 for the difficulty, 8.9 for the execution. It’s not enough to beat Simone Biles, though. And with one gymnast left, Amy Tinkler is third with a score of 14.933.
Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber is up next. She stumbles at the end. That could count against her. It’s a score of 11.800. A low difficulty is her undoing in the end.
But now it’s the USA’s Simone Biles, the undisputed favourite. She bounces so high. The leaps are so effortless. She moves with such fluidity. Does she have springs in those legs of hers? It’s looking ominous for the rest of the field, for my money. Sure enough, she takes a huge lead with a score of 15.966! She’s way ahead of the competition.
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Team GB’s Amy Tinkler gets a score of 14.933! 6.4 for difficulty, 8.533 for execution. She’s loving that! It was a fantastic exhibition from the 16-year-old.
Floor final has started here, and as a pre-show to The Biles we’ve just had a fantastic performance from Mai Murikami of Japan. I’ve a particular softspot for the routine of Yan Wang of China, whose marching stompily round the floor pumping angry little arms - it looks like a kid working out her angst in her bedroom. Which, since she’s only 16, she may well be doing. Italy’s Erika Fasana is now doing a dramatic, sort of flamenco-y thing, to what sounds like the South Bank Show theme. Paganini, possibly. Everyone’s gone clean so far, anyway. But if Biles lands her routine, there’s no one can touch her.
Happy for Ukraine’s Oleg Vernaiev too, who took the parallel bars title. It’s the 22-year-old strongman’s favourite apparatus, and he deserved a gold after pushing Uchimara so close in the all around.
Gold for GB sailor Giles Scott
Here’s our story on Team GB’s sailing sensation Giles Scott sealing gold in the Finn class.
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Over to you, Erika Fasana, one of two Italians in this final. This is a powerful performance. She earns herself a 6.1 for difficulty, an 8.566 for execution and an overall score of 14.533.
Here comes China’s Wang Yan, a nimble performer. She looks assured, creative, highly skilled. She finishes with a smile. That’s a difficulty of 6.3, an execution of 8.366 and an overall score of 14.666. She moves into the lead early on.
Japan’s Mai Murakami gets the women’s floor exercise final underway. A series of jumps and twists and contortions makes for an efficient routine. She’s happy with herself as she makes her final landing. There’s a long wait for her score. The judges are having a good natter. At long last she gets a 6.3 for difficulty, 8.233 for the execution and 14.533 overall.
One last chance for Brazil but it’s not to be. Normal time has finished 0-0 and this semi-final against Sweden is going to extra-time.
The women’s floor exercise final will begin soon. Meanwhile Russia are dominating the duets free routine final in the synchronised swimming.
There are three gold medals up for grabs in the Velodrome this evening, with Brits in contention for all three. Laura Trott leads the omnium after four of the six events, Katy Marchant and Becky James are in the semi-finals of the women’s sprint and Jason Kenny is hoping to win his third gold medal of these Games in the men’s keirin. It’s going to be a splendid evening’s cycling entertainment and it begins at 4pm local time (8pm BST).
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Owen Gibson has written about Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish. They’re best mates now.
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Back to the football and Sweden are defending magnificently. Will Brazil keep their nerve? You can see them conceding a winner from a set-piece.
Next up is the women’s floor exercise final. Great Britain’s Amy Tinkler is hopeful of a medal.
Oleg Verniaiev of Ukraine wins gold!
The Ukrainian is a picture of pure delight after posting a wonderful score of 16.041 to snatch gold off the USA’s Danell Levya in the men’s parallel bars final! They share an embrace. Verniaiev is ecstatic. He’s the Olympic champion! Bronze goes to Russia’s David Belyavskiy.
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The last entrant is Japan’s Ryohei Kato, 22 years old. He finishes with a score of 15.233. Which means...
Cuba’s Manrique Larduet steps up. An inconsistent performance that features a mistake in the middle. He has 7.1 for difficulty, 8.525 for execution and an overall score of 15.625. No dice.
It’s still Brazil 0-0 Sweden in the football by the way.
Now for Ukrainian star Oleg Verniaiev, who qualified for this final with the highest score. He helped himself to silver in the all-around competition as well. But his back looks a little tight here. An expert finish, though, a cracking dismount. Has he pulled it back? Blimey! He gets a score 7.1 for difficulty, a 8.941 for execution and an overall score of 16.041! That’s a huge score! He’s pushed Danell Levya into the second!
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No fall from Russia’s David Belyavskiy, who delivers a rather lovely performance. He’s awarded 6.9 for difficulty, 8.883 for execution and 15.783 overall to move into the silver medal position. Danell Levya remains in the lead.
Now it’s time for another Chinese entrant, You Hao, the current world champion. A smooth effort at first, but he touches the bars at one point ... and, seemingly rattled, he puts too much into the dismount, loses concentration and falls on his backside! Oh dear. That’s got to hurt. He’s awarded a 7.4 for difficulty, 7.433 for execution, an overall score of 14.833. Gasps around the arena. He’s aghast.
Meanwhile here’s our take on big boy language’s Michael Conlan.
Here comes China’s Deng Shudi, who begins with a couple of nifty somersaults. He really knows his way around these bars. I think he’s done this before! His landing’s not so smart, mind you, and there was a little stutter in the middle. He gets a score of 7.2 for difficulty and 8.56g for execution, a score of 15.766. Danell Levya still leads.
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Romania’s Andrei Munetean is pretty pleased with himself too after swinging away on those bars. He’s awarded a 6.6 for difficulty and a 9 for execution, an overall score of 15.6.
In the gymnastics, the men’s parallel bars final is underway. The USA’s Danell Levya begins with a score of 6.9 for difficulty and 15.900 for execution. He roars and celebrates with his team. Despite a little wander midway through his routine, it was executed perfectly in the end. That’s a mighty score.
The Brazilian and Swedish players are emerging for the second half at the Maracana. It’s 0-0. Is there going to be a breakthrough? The Swedes are defending stoutly.
It’s Brazil 0-0 Sweden at the break in the semi-final of the women’s football. A tight, cagey contest so far. Good atmosphere, though.
I know Olympic football, like cargo shorts and also apparently Charles Manson now, isn’t “cool”. But there is still a note of gathering intrigue at Rio 2016 that might have just gone under the radar a little. The next few days are going to be fascinating for the world’s most beleaguered old footballing superpower-that-was (a title previously held by England, a superpower in 1872, deluded ever since). The Brazil men’s team have been desperate to win Olympic gold, an obsession given greater weight by the famous defeat to Nigeria in 1996 for Ronaldo and Rivaldo’s teams of all the talents. Brazil are also pretty keen on soothing the more recent agony of the 7-1 defeat by Germany in Belo Horizonte two years ago. In a lovely moment of symmetry should they get past Honduras tomorrow night they will then face either Nigeria, ghosts of Atlanta, or Germany, the hammers of 2014 in the final. It won’t be a breeze for Neymar’s happy band of angsty hyped up under-23s. Honduras finished above Argentina in their group. But should they get there the final looks delicious. One thing is certain. There will be tears.
A result in the men’s water polo: Serbia have beaten Spain 10-7 in their quarter-final.
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There are scenes of Argentinian jubilation at the hockey. The players are saluting the fans, the fans are saluting the players. Argentina have beaten Germany 5-2 to reach the men’s final, where they’ll face either Belgium or the Netherlands. That’s a terrific win for Argentina.
Sailing gold for the Netherlands!
Hello. I bring good news for the Dutch! Marit Bouwmeester has won gold in the women’s laser radial race, pipping Ireland’s Annalise Murphy into second place. Murphy’s delighted with her silver medal, though, and Anne-Marie Rindom has bronze for Denmark. They’re all happy. They’ve just jumped in the water to celebrate, a wonderful moment of sporting kinship.
Annalise Murphy wins Laser Radial silver - #IRL's first #sailing medal since Moscow 1980
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) August 16, 2016
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Right, that’s us - Jacob Steinberg will chat you through the next little session. Bye.
Hrgovic is the first Croatian to win an Olympic boxing - he’ll meet Yoka in the semi-final, and looks a real handful...
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And Hrgovic decks Pero with a left to the body! Then again with a right Pero takes full in the face, moving in! And that’s that; three knockdowns mean a TKO win.
Sweden get the break for which they’ve been hoping, but Blackstenius overruns the ball and it gets stuck in her feet. Turns out she was offside, but.
Here’s Mark Cavendish explaining how regretful he feels about last evening’s crash. This video is available to all, no matter what you do to live, thrive and survive.
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Hergovic lands a left to the sternum that puts Pero down - but Pero still wins the round with two judges.
The women’s laser radial medal race is underway - Annalise Murphy of Ireland leads, from Josefin Olsson of Sweden and Gintare Scheidt of Lithuania.
It’s now Pero of Cuba against Hrgovic of Croatia in the next super-heavy quarter.
Enjoyed this Lindy West piece on three things that need to happen before she’ll defend men from Olympic sexism.
Marta goes down the right - she is more or less never not on the ball - and absolutely pastes her marker, but the cross is blocked. Sweden have barely made it out of their own half.
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“I’ve just received an email from Omega House, a sort of after-hours sociall club for media folk working at the Olympics that is sponsored, as the name suggests, by a well known manufacturer of luxury Swiss timepieces. I have yet to darken its doorstep, but am tempted by an invitation to an evening of “rhythm and style” with Brazilian fashion model Caroline Trentini and legendary American sax-man Kenny G, who could hardly pick a more appropriate location to promote his new album Brazilian Nights.
Truth be told, I could also do with a free watch, as my own luxury Swiss timepiece, a blue Swatch, is looking somewhat the worse for wear after being repeatedly drenched with mosquito repellent which has rendered much of the strap black and corroded the face to the point where it’s now difficult to read the time. If it’s doing that to plastic and leather, what the devil is it doing to my pasty white Irish skin?”
Iashaish goes for Yoka at the end, but it’s still Yoka landing the better shots, and he moves on to the semis.
Finally, the men’s 3m springboard semi is over. Yuan Cao qualified for the final in top spot, and Jack Laugher in bottom spot. You can check on the ten in between, here.
After his DQ from the swim marathon, Jack Burnell delivered an excellent, considered, coherent and steam-powered assessment of the judges’ shortcomings. If you’re in the UK, you can enjoy it here.
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Yoka wins the second round, and looks an altogether tidier pugilist than Iashaish.
Brazil’s women’s football team have a player called Poliana. Got to love that.
Yoka, who is 6”5, takes the first round in the boxing.
Elsewhere, Brazil and Sweden have just kicked-off in the semi-final of the women’s football. It’s 0-0.
To replace it, we’ve got a quarter-final in the men’s super-heavy - Tony Yoka of France is fighting Hussein Iashaish of Jordan.
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So, that’s that for that session of athletics, that.
In the light-heavy boxing, La Cruz of Cuba, the number 1 seed, has outpointed Bauderlique of France to reach the final - he is now guaranteed silver.
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Aaaand the final 200m heat. Andre de Grasse, of 100m bronze fame, wins in 20.09 - that’s the quickest time of the lot - and he’s followed home by Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of GB.
Here’s a lovely story: Ans Botha, Wade van Nieker’s 74-year-old coach.
Bolt doesn’t love early mornings, he tells BBC, but was nervous because the 200m is his favourite event.
The principal of Bolt’s track club in Kingston told me that he turns his feet over as fast as everyone else, while taking fewer, bigger strides - which is why he’s so much better than everyone else. “If he’s fit, he’s unbeatable.”
Bolt starts ok runs a nice curve and eases up. He more or less walks over the line, wins in 20.28, and off he pops into the next round.
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For those watching in black and white, Bolt is in lane 5.
Meanwhile, we’ve got Julio Cesar La Cruz of Cuba against Matheu Bauderlique of France in the men’s light heavyweight semi-final.
Bolt rehearses some starts,enjoying the crowd. He is such a showman, though also, by every single account, as down to earth as he seems - he isn’t faking it.
"My #Olympics dream was robbed!"- @mickconlan11 hits out after controversial #Rio2016 exit: https://t.co/iPbUT88bbb pic.twitter.com/dqOfs5vRXE
— Newstalk Sport (@NewstalkSport) August 16, 2016
A wave of noise fills up the Maracana. Can you guess why?
Right, time for another 200m heat, and LaShawn Merritt wins it handily, as you’d expect with his 400m speed endurance - his time was 20.15. Christophe Lemaitre goes through with him.
Sandra Perkovic of Croatia wins women's discus, retaining her Olympic title
Robert-Michon of France takes silver, Caballero of Cuba bronze
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Usain Bolt is waiting to come out, sambaing for the cameras. He looks confident.
This world, eh. For those wondering, Cavendish joked after BBC kept him waiting for an interview that if it was Wiggins, they’d be with him right away. That’s it. Seriously.
“The simmering tension between Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins has been a theme throughout the Games, but now they both have medals around their necks they have sought to build bridges. The pair have a long, complex relationship that both have at various times described as being like quarrelling brothers. “I had a message off him now. It’s alright, everything is fine. It was blown way out of proportion,” Cavendish told Sky News. “It was something said tongue in cheek but I’ve learned my lesson for other interviews now.” Unlikely, I would suggest. Further to Barry’s update, Cavendish also addressed those who suggested he caused the crash that left the Korean Sang-hoon Park in hospital deliberately. “It was my fault. I messaged him this morning, the Korean lad. I felt terrible and really sorry for causing him hurt there. It was a racing accident. To suggest something was done on purpose and deliberate, it’s not a very nice thing to say.”
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Ashmeade wins in 20.15, Gemili takes second in 20.20 - they’re a long way ahead of the rest.
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We’re waiting for heat 6 of the 200m, and Adam Gemili is honoured with an introduction - not everyone gets one - but Nickel Ashmeade of Jamaica is favourite to take this one.
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A reminder of @owen_g's story earlier this month #OTBRio2016 https://t.co/w1k8yhMAlP
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) August 16, 2016
Earlier on today, Nicky Hamblin of New Zealand fell in the 4,00m heats, taking Abbey D’Agotino of USA with her. With both ladies out of the race, Hamblin stayed to help D’Agostino finish, and those of youse in the UK can watch that here.
Gatlin wins his heat in 20.42, easing up from about 60m out - it seems like he even had time to encourage Ramon Gittens of Barbados, his training partner. It didn’t work.
Justin Gatlin is on the track, and receives a mixed reception from the crowd, shall we say.
“Day Six at the track cycling and we’ve had some good - albeit unconfirmed - news about Park Sang-hoon, the South Korean cyclist who was stretchered off the track wearing an oxygen mask and neck brace after that awful three-man crash in the points race of the omnium last night. A British Cycling spokesman (spokes-man, geddit!) has said he has heard Park was taken to hospital and is suffering from a concussion, but is otherwise OK.
After being presented with his silver medal last night, Mark Cavendish admitted the crash was his fault, but escaped any form of penalty. The consensus among other riders in the race who commented on the matter seemed to be that it was just one of those things that can happen in the pell-mell of race-riding, but I notice that Cavendish has been getting no end of abuse in the comments section under my report on the event and elsewhere from readers who clearly know far more about track cycling than the world’s best track cyclists.
Cavendish exchanged angry words with one Dutch journalist last night, who asked him if he thought he should have been disqualified from the race. The newsman in question claimed that Cavendish was getting an easy ride from British journalists who hadn’t brought up the matter. They did bring up the matter, at which point the cyclist admitted the crash was entirely down to him and wished the stricken Park well.”
Read Baz’s report from last night here.
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Qualification for the women’s pole vault final is over - 4.60was the highest jump, and one of those who managed it was Holly Bradshaw of GB.
Ilia Zakharov, the defending champion, is out of the springboard diving. Going for a triple twist, he got a knee tremble, face planted, and with a score of 0, that’s that for him.
Quick bit of cycling “fall-out” from yesterday - the crash which involved Mark Cavendish and Lasse Hansen was ruled a “racing incident”, say PA:
The crash involving Mark Cavendish in the points race which concluded the omnium - and his search for an Olympic medal – was considered a racing incident following a video review by officials. The crash happened when Cavendish swung back down the track and Park Sang-hoon clipped his rear wheel, clattering to the track, moments after the Briton appeared to look in the South Korean’s direction.
Park spent the night in hospital and was diagnosed with concussion and was released on Tuesday. Scans showed no further injuries.
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They don’t half put the divers through it with a six-go semi-final. Yuan Cao of China leads, Jack Laugher in twelfth.
Here’s Michael Conlan on that decision - though be warned, the interview features some colourful language.
Michael Conlan irate after controversial loss. Watch here: https://t.co/Sg2KTSRTDS https://t.co/4fXhWtjbsK
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 16, 2016
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...and he jogs home in 20.13, though Bruno Hortelano of Spain catches him on the line and wins in 20.12. First two qualify, and four fastest losers.
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Yohan Blake is out for heat 2 of the 200m...
Ireland’s Michael Conlan has, it seems, been the victim of avant garde judging in the men’s bantam quarter-finals. He is less than gruntled by this development, and expressed his disquiet in blunt terms - more from Kevin Mitchell shortly.
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“Our oceanic correspondent Rob Kitson has pointed out that the helicopters are probably just providing tv coverage for the open-water swimming taking place at the far end of the beach. Stand down, everyone. Back to Def Con 5.”
Danny Talbot of GB wins the first head in 20.19 - only the nine more to go.
Round 1 of the men’s 200m is about to begin and we immediately have a disqualification, Demetirus Pinder of Bahamas.
The women’s discus final is underway, and Sandra Perkovic of Croatia, the reigning champion, has two fouls to her name. She enters the cage, spins hard, nearly falls - and hurls the thing 69.21m, 69cm further than the previous leader, Melina Robert-Michon of France.
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But he came down early in the back straight, ahead of Baranoski, and the judges might have an opinion or two about that.
But Skinner goes back to the front on the bell and leads them home! That was very nicely done.
Skinner still leads with three laps to go, but Baranoski goes by...
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That outstanding expression of fury from Jack Burnell that we discussed earlier - read more about it here.
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He immediately goes to the front, as Fabiana Murer of Brazil goes out of the women’s pole vault.
Callum Skinner is about to go in the repechage of the keirin.
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Is the name Brianna just a female version of Brian, or is there more to it than that?
“There’s a lot of helicopter action going on over Copacabana beach this morning. The beach itself is beautifully uncrowded on this hot sunny day - the only people out on the sand are the men working the diggers that prepare the beach volleyball courts – but what looked like an army chopper was joined by another helicopter, possibly police, and both hung around for some considerable time. Our Brazil correspondent tells me this is definitely not normal behaviour; it may have something to do with the two giant navy cruisers lurking just off the beach. Still, might be a safe day to go for a swim.”
Brianna Rawlins of USA has just steamed through her 100m hurdle heat, setting the fastest time of the round with 12.54. She is going to take some beating.
Talking of which, here’s a profile of Christian Taylor.
Check out our picture of the day: Will Claye, triple jump silver medalist.
As the pole vaulting women krich through their qualification, read more about the unbelievable men’s final from last night, won by Thiago Braz da Silva of Brazil.
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We’ve had five of our six first round heats in the women’s 100m hurdles, the results of which are too numerous to enumerate but can be viewed in full here. GB’s Cindy Ofili won hers, in the second fastest time so far, Tiffany Porter is also through, and the fastest time was run by Kristi Castlin of USA.
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Meanwhile, more aggravation - this time in heat 2 of the men’s 1500m. Ingerbrigtsen of Norway was disqualified for shoving Charlie Grice of GB, w has been put through in his stead.
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It’s huge ... but it’s a foul. So, his opening effort of 17.86m gets gold, with Will Claye, also of USA, taking silver, and Bin Dong of China sorting bronze.
Christian Taylor of USA wins gold in the triple jump!
Can he beat the world record with his final jump?
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And he can’t!
In the triple jump final, Will Claye skips down the runway for the final time - he needs to improve by 11cm to beat Christian Taylor...
Laura Trott finishes second in the women's omnium time trial
Annette Edmondson wins, Laurie Berthon is third, Jolien D’Hoore fourth and Sarah Hammer fifth. Trott is absolutely all over this, 12 points clear of D’Hoore in the overall standings. She’ll be back to procure gold later on.
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And here comes Laura Trott...
Sarah Hammer’s time in the time trial is not all that at all - fourth in 35.366.
Burnell is absolutely, wonderfully steaming. The judges were giving yellows for nothing he says, people were grabbing and all sorts at the end, he got a yellow card when there was no one near him, and has no idea what’s been going on.
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Controversy in the swim marathon - Jack Burnell, who was given the same time as the bronze medalists, has now been disqualified.
Nicola Adams is just the best - it’s impossible to hear her talk about boxing, or just talk, without smiling. She likes to compete relaxed, she says, and will get better through the rounds. She’ll have to be quick, because it’s semis next.
Back to the velodrome, Edmondson is now in the lead, with the leaders coming out.
Kob is holding her hand ready to be raised like she’s won, even though she knows she hasn’t - and it’s official. 40-36 on one card, 39-37 on the others. Adams shadow-boxes for the crowd, Kob copies her, and that’s that.
That was a really good row - Adams is through, but that was not at all easy.
Adams has taken some shots here - Kob is game as - and takes a straight left to the coupon for her trouble.
Next in the omnium with got Edmondson and Ellis - Berthon has taken the lead, with 35.275.
Kob is headhunting now, but with pressure - this is a really good test for Adams, who responds with an uppercut to the body.
Kpb has Adams on the ropes and is winging wide hooks, and Adams should go with straight shots that’ll get there sooner, but eventually catches her with a left hook. Adams wins the round on two of three cards.
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Kob is clinching wherever possible - and who wouldn’t, after Adams lands a belting left.
Back at the velodrome, we’re still waiting for the big dawgs to come out - currently, the best time is 36.625, held by Tsukagoshi of Japan.
Adams takes round 2, though one judge prefers Kob’s pushing of the pace and coming forward.
Kob lands a couple of nice digs to the body - she wants a fight in a phone booth, whereas Adams wants to box.
Adams is starting to bounce, landing that ramrod jab as Kob looks to tie it up and dirty box.
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Meanwhile, Adams establishes her jab and wins the first round on every card, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. She wasn’t timing Kob, but is just very clearly better than her.
We’re up and motoring in the women’s omnium time trial...
Nicola Adams of GB, reigning Olympic and world champion, number 1 seed and world ranked number 1, is finally in the ring, defending her flyweight crown. She’s fighting Tetyana Kobb of Ukraine.
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Weertman of Netherlands wins the swim marathon!
Gianottis of Greece takes silver, Olivier of France the bronze.
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Gianottis of Greece wins gold in the swim marathon! Or does he?
Still not sure who took silver and bronze either, but Burnell, despite enduring a buffeting from Bellouli, may well have taken bronze.
They’re forming an arrowhead, and Gianottis is charging for the wall! He’s going to get there! Roar after roar as they slam the wall!
Gianottis of Greece, born in Liverpool, has gone for it! About 100m to go and it’s going to need a photo!
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This swim marathon is a fantastic race, there are about 15 of them going absolutely nuts for the line! Jack Burnell is well placed, but it’s more or less impossible to identify who’s who, so many of them are there.
Kritina Vogel of Germany also progresses in straight rides.
Katy Marchant also qualifies for the sprint semi-finals, with a comprehensive win over Krupeckaite.
Oh wow! Back in the ocean, they’ve reeled Poort in! Very quickly indeed! He’s nowhere now, but can’t criticise the testes. Mallouli and Burnell are both involved - it’s hard to see who else.
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“Becky James has just got through to the sprint quarter finals in the velodrome, beating Chinese rider Tianshi Zhong in a fairly tight race. James won a hard-fought silver in the keirin over the weekend and will be hoping to add another medal to the cabinet. Her team mate, Katy Marchant, is up next, racing Simona Krupeckaite from Lithuania.”
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And off they go, James on the inside, and she’s got the run on Zhong! James goes through to the semis, in straight rides!
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Becky James is starting the second heat of her sprint quarter-final - win and she’s through.
“Jason Kenny wins his keirin heat, with the Colombian Fabian Hernando Puerta Zapata in second. This is the Bolton lad’s first chance to win Olympic gold in this event, now that Sir Chris Hoy has vacated the velodrome. Kenny would have been strong enough to contend in London, but the one-nation, one-entry rule meant he wasn’t allowed to ride. If he triumphs in the final later today he will win his sixth gold, putting him on a level pegging with Hoy.”
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This second 1500m heat is very tight indeed as they come round the top bend for the last time. Good luck, guys.
Kenny wins, he is not of this world. Puerta also qualifies.
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Off goes the lead bike in the keirin, and off goes Jason Kenny! He is flying!
Qualifiers from the first 1500m heat are (apart from me):
Kiprop, Kenya
Gregson, Australia
Souleiman, Djibouti
O’Hare, GB
Centrowitz, USA
Elkaam, Morocco
Webster of NZ takes the keirin heat, while Skinner found himself out of it, ending up last. Buchli of Netherlands also goes through.
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Back in waves caning into your face, Poort still leads, by “only” 40 seconds.
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The first heat of the men’s 1500m is off - there’ll be three of those, with the first six qualifying, as well as the six fastest losers.
Zielinksi and Glaetzer qualify from the second keirin heat. Callum Skinner goes in the third.
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Christian Taylor still leads the triple jump - good luck catching him - and Dong Bin is now in third, with Will Claye of USA in second, 10cm off the lead.
“Morning from the athletics stadium where there has just been a heart-tugging moment in the women’s 5,000m heats. New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin took a tumble towards the end of the back straight and brought the US runner Abbey D’Agostino down with her. The American was clearly struggling to continue but, rather than running on and leaving her fellow competitor lying stricken on the track, Hamblin stayed with her and encouraged her to continue. Both women eventually finished way behind the rest of the field but shared a consoling embrace at the end before D’Agostino was taken away in a wheelchair.”
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In the men’s kayak single 1,000m a little while ago, Marcus Waltz of Spain took gold, Jozef Dostal of Czech Republic silver and Roman Anoshkin of Russia bronze.
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The Olympics of lurve continue apace as Tom Boswell proposes to his boyfriend. Share their mazel, brocha and naches, here.
D’Almeida of France and Joachinm Eilers of Germany qualify by right from the first keirin heat.
Jack Laugher, already a gold medalist, currently leads the field in the springboard semi-final - he’ll have enough to make the final already.
The quarter-fnal of the men’s keirin is about to start ... it’s started...
Elis Ligtlee of Netherlands beats Anastasiia Boinova of Russia in their sprint.
Mazal tov!
He said YES!!! pic.twitter.com/roXsw7oq8f
— Tom Bosworth (@TomBosworth) August 15, 2016
Almaz wins the second 5,000m heat, Teferi, also of Ethiopia, is second, Cheruiyot of Kenya is third, Grovdal of Norway fourth and Eilish McColgan - daughter of Liz, as I’m sure she loves being known - is fifth.
Kristina Vogel has won her first race on the track against Sze Lee.
We’ve just seen a nasty collision, though - though those involved were not in contention.
Meanwhile, the second heat of the women’s 5,000m is hotting up - but they’ll need to go some if they’ve any interest in qualifying as a fastest loser, because they’re much slower than the other heat, apart from Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia, who’s miles ahead.
Katy Marchant of GB has beaten Simona Krupeckaite of Lithuania in their first sprint.
“I’m out volunteering at one of the training grounds and been sharing the news which I saw this morning with my colleagues here - race walker, Tom Bosworth, proposed to his boyfriend and from what he posted on Twitter he got the answer he wanted! So not only has he been preparing for the Olympics it seems he has also been getting ready to propose!”
Back to welcoming the hockey players to the training ground for me!
Laura Trott met Bradley Wiggins aged 12, Callum Skinner was mentored by Chris Hoy as a teenager and Joseph Schooling trained with Michael Phelps at 13 - read about that, here.
The cycling has started with heat 1, race 1 of the women’s sprint quarter-finals - it’s GB’s Becky James against Tianshi Zhong of China, the world champion, and James wins the first of the set - it’s close, but at the same time, never looked in doubt once she came down from on high.
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Poort is now more than a minute ahead, with the rest still pretty bunched. What a ridiculous piece of performance this’ll be if he wins.
Oh, and there’s Christian Taylor, who casually gets going with a monster of 17.86m. He’s in the lead.
Dong Bin of China opens the triple jump with a belter - “that’s long from Dong - that works” - says our commentator. It’d 17.58m, a lifetime best, and he takes the lead.
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The second heat of the women’s 5,000m is underway - about 15.20 should be enough for the final.
Strewth. Starting in five minutes, we’ve got the women’s sprint quarter-finals in the velodrome and the men’s springboard semis, in addition to the bare other things already going on.
The men’s triple jump final is just getting underway - Christian Taylor of USA is a huge favourite, and there’s speculation that he might have a bash at the world record.
Lisa Carrington of New Zealand wins gold in the women's kayak single 200m
Marta walczykiewicz of Poland takes silver and Inna Ospienko-Rodomska of Azerbaijan takes bronze.
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Hellen Obiri of Kenya leads the 5,000m at the bell, in a group of five who have broken away. Others who make it through are: Yasemin Can of Turkey, Mercy Cherono of Kenya, Shelby Houlihan of USA and Susan Kuijken of Kenya.
“We seem to be particularly blessed in this Olympics by having a collection of pro-forma athletes who stop you having to work out the minutiae of sports you do not understand,” emails Michael Hunt. “Having someone who is clearly and demonstrably exactly everything you are meant to be and do for a collection of events is a really helpful tool to those lazy enough to not even work out the rules, let alone actually do the sport themselves. I was particularly aware of this once again trying to get my head around the cycling yesterday and not understanding why it isn’t just 100m, 1500m or whatever, then finally realising that the rules for each event are do whatever Trott does. It’s not just sportspeople doing really well, such as with Van Niekerk, as that wasn’t expected. It’s the knowledge in advance that if you watch Biles you know basically all you need to for (all) gymnastics. Ditto Bolt and short distance running, Phelps and Ledecky for anything water. Farrah, and (not that I’ve seen it) Rudisha too I guess. Longer term I suppose it should make things dull, but no one seems that upset by the boredom of Phelps’ dominance or Biles emergence yet so we’ll see.”
In general, dominant champions are good for sport - see Tiger Woods, Phil Taylor, and more. People want to be amazed.
Meanwhile, we’ve got the women’s kayak single 200m final ready to go.
And what’s this! Uehara is back at the front!
Uehara has been caught now, and looks like she’s going backwards.
“Groups of men with rakis and coffees clapping and tapping their tables in muted, late night appreciation,”. says Andrew Wallacew of the aforementioned Kosovan gold.
In the swim marathon, Poort is just under a minute ahead of Mellouli, who’s leading a group which also includes Burnell.
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Luara Whittle of GB has had enough, and she’s speeding up the main group, stretching them out. The gap’s closing fast now.
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Uehara is going well - even pace from here might be enough from her to qualify, with a lead of 80m.
Incidentally, the first five in each heat go through, with five more fastest losers from both heats combined.
Uehara of Japan has gone out fast, and no one has gone with her.
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No one is disqualified, but the commentator is disappointed to miss out on such a thing, which is kind. On which point, here’s a piece on why the one strike and you’re out rule is a nonsense.
A flying start in the 5,000m! Now there’s a thing. Oh come on, please don’t disqualify someone ... they don’t have reaction times...
On the track, we’re set for the heats of the women’s 5,ooom - there’ll be two of them, and the first is set.
Szabo and Kozak of Hungary win gold in the women's kayak double!
Germany’s Weber and Dietze take silver, Poland’s Naja and Mikolajczyk the bronze.
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It’s a photo finish...
Poland have dropped, but Germany come back, they cross the line with Hungary, and it’s not at all easy to see who’s won!
Hungary from Germany from Poland - they’ve pulled away, and teeth are gritted.
Szabo and Kozak of Hungary hit the front at halfway, Germany chasing back...
So off they go, and Germany get away best. From the wide shot, the look like flitting moths - this might be the most beautifully symmetrical event.
“All the action expected to come lanes 3,4,5 and 6” - so, er half of them, then.
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Right, the women’s kayak double is ready to get going.
“Here in coastal Albania we have a German cable channel,” emails Andrew Wallace, “which only broadcasts from Rio EVERY OTHER DAY or state channel TMSH which is all mumbly live handball, yesterday’s reruns and newsflashes about Macedonia. On the plus side we did find a massive outdoor pub screen showing the judo finals when Kosovo won gold. Nice moment.”
What happened? Sounds very nice indeed.
I guess the other think about Poort going off like that is that the field might need to work together to catch him - hard to do when you’re swimming into waves - and end up not wanting to risk silver or bronze for the futile pursuit of gold.
Here’s Alex Stackhouse on the Czech coverage: “Having spent a long weekend in Prague celebrating my first wedding anniversary, I can report Czech coverage was really very enjoyable. One 24 hour sports channel showing as much non-stop sport as possible meant we could keep up with events. This despite my wife and I only knowing the 4 pillars of Good Day, Good Evening, Please and Thank You in Czech.
Our drunken stumble back into the hotel every night was greeted by the dramatic events in the velodrome and the lazy starts demanded by Czech Pilsner were a great opportunity to catch up on events in the pool, despite little hope of any home success. However I have garnered that after ice hockey the two biggest sports in the Czech Republic are tennis and canoeing, as we were told with much pride
The bias truly kicked in when the Lukas Krpalek won the gold medal in the judo. Cue hours of replays and interviews, and me struggling to explain what an ippon is to my bemused wife, who was only really interested in watching anything Simone Biles ever does...for the rest of time.”
The lead is abot 60m now, and Oussama Mellouli has had enough, and set off in pursuit.
Old mate Jarrod is still getting it did - I wonder if he can slow it up now because no one’s arsed to catch him yet, then step on again later.
Next up, in just seven minutes, we have the women’s kayak double 500m final.
Sebatien Brendel wins gold for Germany in the men's canoe single 100m
Isaquais Queiroz dos Santos of Brazil takes silver, Serghei Tarnovschi of Macedonia nabs bronze.
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There’s a great race going on in the men’s canoeing, Santos of Brazil against Brendel of Germany the defending champion.
It was considered early yesterday when someone went with 160 lengths of your local pool to go. This lad’s gone from the beach, with 400 to go.
Jarrod Poort of Australia has gone off like the proverbial proverb - he’s opened up a lead of several metres. This literally looks like the most unpleasant experience imaginable.
I say that, but actually these waves are absolutely piling into them here.
It’s pretty calm today - conditions that didn’t favour Keri-Anne Payne - but Jack Burnell was clear he wasn’t bothered about conditions.
Off we go in the men’s swim marathon. I feel tired and tearful even thinking about it.
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Did everyone see the women’s swimming, in which Aurelie Muller was disqualified for climbing over Rachele Bruni. Really, it’s amazing that kind of thing doesn’t happen more often, though I guess it’s rare after 10km that two people are involved in a dash for the line.
Haile Gebreselassie was punched in the head once - it actually increases his momentum.
In the UK, we’re watching a piece with Jack Burnell, GB’s entrant in the marathon swimming - he’s a very impressive chap, and in with a genuine shot of gold, apparently.
“Does upstaging have to be Olympic?” asks Luke Richardson. “I offer Graham Dilley’s 2nd inns 50 at Headingley 1981, upstaging (and inspiring) Beefy.”
“I only moved to the ‘better side of the Atlantic’ from Canada a little less than four years ago,” emails Hubert O’Hearn, “so these are the first Olympics i have watched from a British and BBC perspective. To summarise the experience: I know BBC takes a lot of stick, but compared to what North America offers, this coverage is brilliant, mesmerising. What a joy to actually stick with an event to conclusion rather than hopping all over Olympic Park. British athletes are of course the focus, yet all winners are honoured and celebrated. I admire all the presenters (even John Inverdale?) I admire most of the presenters, although my late nights are emptier now that they aren’t filled with swimming’s Richard and Judy - Becky Adlington and Mark Foster. Oh, and I want Brendan Foster’s voice. God Bless the License Fee!”
Heh - I do love the BBC, though don’t think this has been their greatest effort. The star, in mine, is Mike Costello on the radio - he does athletics and boxing, and is easily the best commentator un the UK, I’d say. Check him here:
"The glory run again for Mo Farah!"
— BBC 5 live Sport (@5liveSport) August 14, 2016
Spine-tingling #Olympics commentary.
Our team got excited on that final lap: https://t.co/oAIJ4fWSdg
Are we all agreed that Wade van Niekerk’s performance was the best of the Games so far, yes? Do we think that Games takes a capital G?
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Oh, and back to Bolt, he’ll be on the track this afternoon for round 1 of the 200m. That’s at 11.50 local time. I think he might qualify.
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“Here in Sweden there is no coverage on the public service channels,” emails Olivia Skjöld. “There has been some discussion about it, since the leader of the Left party couldn’t watch Sarah Sjöström’s swimming in his summer cabin a week ago, and went out publicly and demanded change. But the Olympics are deemed too expensive for the public broadcasting company... At least last winter Olympics (same situation then) it made for some very peculiar viewing, when they had never ending shows about the skiing, but weren’t allowed to show any moving pictures at all… I haven’t watched those shows this year, though.
In fairness I think most swedes do have at least some of the premium channels that are broadcasting the games. I’ve been going over to my parents house a couple of evenings instead… I especially liked the team fencing. Russia coming up from behind on France in the foil event was great drama!”
That leader of the left, what a man of the people!
Something which occurred to me the other night: on two of Usain Bolt’s biggest nights - winning the 200m in London, and winning the 100m in Rio - he was upstaged by world records arguably even more staggering than any of his. Rudisha in the 800m in London and Wade van Niekerk in the 400m in Rio.
Any other classic upstagings?
Meanwhile, Ashley Redfearn emails about watching the Olympics in Portugal: “We’re visiting family in Portugal and it’s been incredibly frustrating watching the Olympics. We’ve one state broadcaster who do not have back to back coverage so it’s often interrupted with an hour’s news update or an episode of ‘The Price is Right’
Although such sports are supposedly popular here, we’re subjected to long coverage of handball matches - group stages - which do not even involve the national team. The commentators are based in a studio in Lisbon which means there isn’t the same ‘live experience’ you get with the BBC.
All round, quite frustrating - and quite a few Portuguese agree!”
Who doesn’t love the Price is Right? Provided it’s the Leslie Crowther version.
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“Laura Trott looked imperious in the opening three events of the Omnium yesterday,” emails Sam Trott. “What astounds me is that she seems to be the best in the field at both endurance riding and sprinting. We know that she is a specialist in the long, sustained, streamlined effort of the pursuit (having already won gold in the team pursuit); and sure enough she came first out of the 18 riders in that leg of the Omnium. She also won the elimination race, a sustained effort ramping up every two laps for a sprint. AND, she won the bunch sprint at the end of the points race to take second place (behind a rider who had already taken a lap over the field). Which other athletes, in any sport, consistently come out on top in disciplines with such different demands?”
Yes, agreed - I was lucky enough to be on the blog for that, and these ease with which she destroyed the field in that elimination race was awesome and bizarre.
It’s tricky to find a similar kind of all-rounder because not much demands as much as the omnium. David Rudisha - with whom you can read an interview here, and he really is exactly as he seems - has the sprint finish but decided to become a frontrunner as less can go wrong; Gary Sobers bowled in three different styles and was an incredible batsman and fielder ; there’s that football cliche, “if they wanted to fight, we’d beat them at that, if they wanted to play football, we’d beat them at that” - the first team I remember it being said of was Manchester United 93/94, but I recently heard Thierry Henry say it of France 2000; Georges Saint-Pierre and Jon Jones have outwrestled and outstruck pretty much everyone, without getting submitted; any more for any more?
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So, we have got:
9am - men’s 10km swin
9.08am - men’s canoe single 100m final
9.23am - women’s kayak double 500m final
9.30am - women’s 5,000m track, round 1
9.47am - women’s kayak single 200m final
9.50 - men’s triple jump final
Let’s leave it that - it’s the first hour of competition this morning, which begins at 1pm BST.
I literally do not know where to start with précising all that’s coming up, all the more so given my fascination with the word I’ve just learnt. So, what words have you learnt recently?
And, now that I’m about to start précising, was my “literally” above hyperbolic nonsense, or have circumstances just changed? As Willy Wonka once said: “So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.”
Bon dia para todos. We have a quite absurd amount of live, elite sport to enjoy in this next little bit, so let’s get on with enjoying it.
Any thoughts or comments, please do send them to daniel.harris.casual@theguardian.com or @DanielHarris.
And that, my friends, is me. Thanks for your smashing company through the graveyard shift. It’s 8am in Rio now, which is time for Daniel Harris to walk out the middle and do what he does best. Remember to keep your Everything You Need tab open, and have an excellent day 11. See you tomorrow.
This is excellent. If you want to understand how wrestling world in the Olympics, as opposed the type where Donald Trump is in the hall of fame. Honestly, what a world. Anyway, check it out. As noted below, we have a couple of Greco Roman finals later on (68kg and 98kg). And they play for keeps.
Here are the things I am looking forward to today. Just my own preferences. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of other great stuff.
- Women’s 1500m final. Sure, it isn’t till 2:30am if tuning in from London, but the blue riband events are worth it. World champ 25-year-old Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba goes in fave, as World Champ. Commonwealth Games winner, Kenyan Chepngetich Kipyegon, her main competition.
- Cycling track finals. Laura Trott is going to bliiiitz it in to win the omnium. I’m not even putting in a caveat. And her husband-to-be Jason Kenny can stitch up the men’s keirin a touch over an hour later. They’re on in prime time for Brits.
- This afternoon (1pm London) is the men’s marathon swim, the 10km. Third time up. Tunisian Oussama Mellouli won in the Serpentine last time around. This time, it’s at the Copa, Copa Copacobana. American Jordan Wilimovsky is the one the smart people fancy.
- Wrestling! Greco Roman Wrestling. More on that in a tic with a nice little explainer for you. Flick between the velodrome and this to catch the men’s 98kg div medal rounds. Armenian Artur Aleksanyan picked up bronze in London and has a couple of world champs since then. Iranian veteran Ghasem Rezaei won in London and he’s there too. Let’s hope they meet for gold.
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Last bit of this coverage topic before I start to throw us on forward to day 11. The sun is through in Rio, twitter suggests. Good signs.
Roger Kirby has some perspective on the whole topic:
“You ask us to tell you about watching these games on tv but what about Olympics pre Internet? Depending on time zone you might have had to wait 2 days to find out results of certain events not covered on tv by buying a newspaper, your only reference was the Guinness book of records and apart from the big events, you only saw the event once, if you missed it, you had missed it forever. The difference is so vast, how far we have come in 20 years is truly amazing.”
Poses an interesting question about how we gather to watch events. Is it a more meaningful experience going through it together in places like this and social media? Or are we missing a trick by not having to be somewhere at a certain time to emphasise the importance of what we’re tuning in for? Take that as a comment, like I said, forward looking from now.
Oh, and Polly - a Londoner in Australia - says nice things about the blog like “very funny” and “highly informative” (presumably in reference to Claire) before thinking about having a crack at the Australian TV but holding back. A piece on that from last week, via Russell Jackson.
Shifting gears. Here’s a piece from Dvora Meyers looking into the differences between men’s and women’s gymnastics in the context of the American fellas and their struggles at the Rio Games so far. Quite interesting, to those (like me, to be fair) who follow the sport once an Olympiad.
The mistake that Armour and many others have made is assuming that men’s and women’s gymnastics are directly comparable, when they’re barely the same sport. The men compete in six events, the women in four. There is only direct overlap on two apparatuses – the vault and the floor exercise – though in the latter, the women have dance requirements in addition to the tumbling. The uneven bars is similar to the high bar though not exactly the same, and the women don’t perform on any apparatuses like the pommel horse or rings.
Fair bit of feedback below the line on where GB might medal (it’s a verb now, I know, I hate it too) by week’s end. To collate:
- A sailing gold later today gets added on via Giles Scott
- Brownlee brothers in the triathlon on Thursday
- Nicola Adams in the flyweight boxing; her quarter final is tonight
- Modern pentathlon (good shout, GB always win this)
- Tom Daley...
- Mo’s 5000m defence
That’ll do for now.
Meanwhile, Gavin Coyle caught the London 2012 Games in Finland.
“We got exhaustive coverage of the javelin with each throw and warm up examined in intricate detail. As this took place at the same time as Mo Farah’s 5,000m final the only way we could work out what was going on was through brief hints as the runners went past in the background of a huge shouldered man preparing to throw. Also learned from the opening ceremony that Mr Bean is much more popular than the Queen and James Bond in downtown Espoo.”
Actually maybe another GB medal hope for later in the week? Sorry.
Team GB moved to second on the medals tally overnight, passing China. Remember this time last week when it was all “oh, this is a bloody mess / why can’t it be like London 2012 again!?”. I do. Anyway, if you’re British, you have plenty to be pleased about.
Jon Short, though, wants to know if this is sustainable. Principally, where the medals come from next?
“The news has been full of the fact that GB are ahead, in the medal table and total medals won, of where we were in 2012 - but where are the rest of the medals coming from in the last few days? Can you give us a run down on which GB athletes are in with a shout of medalling before the final ceremony?”
Well, what I do know is that Jason Kenny and Laura Trott - engaged to be married next year - are every chance of picking up a gold each tonight within 70 minutes of each other in the velo. Becky James and Katy Marchant could go 1-2 in the women’s sprint as well. So don’t get greedy. I say this as an Australian. We stopped winning medals (full stop) a couple of days ago.
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How do you watch your Olympics? It came up earlier when we given given a day in the life of the French broadcast. Tomi Málits has written in to tell me how they do it in Hungary:
“I thought I get in touch with you about my country, although presumably nobody really cares about our Olympic coverage, but you asked for it, so you might find it interesting.”
Tomi, mate, I care. I live for this.
“I am watching the Games on our two public media channels. The events with Hungarian athletes obviously have the greatest importance, and sometimes we miss spectacular live events to see Katinka Hosszú’s swimming world record and gold medals for the 228th time (a great achievement even on the 228th watch, but still, I would rather have watched the tennis final or cycling action - the final stage of the men’s road race was broadcast hours later).”
Clearly a global affliction.
“But the biggest letdown is that although they are sports channels, they are still public media, so the coverage is interrupted every half hour with the so-called “One Minute News”, with the usual topics of terrorism, migrant crisis, politics. Oh, and in at least every hour we are reminded that on 2 October Hungary will have a referendum about the EU’s compulsory migrant quotas, and that since the start of the migrant crisis, more than 300 people in Europe died in terror attacks. What’s that, if not true Olympic spirit?”
Fascinating. Keep ‘em coming. Maybe you were watching in Kenya as Rudisha went back to back? Or the Bahamas as Shaunae Miller launched herself over the line? You know the drill: Adam.Collins.Freelance@theguardian.com / @collinsadam.
Great coverage on the Olympics. Thank you very much. They’re the words of Alex Loucaides, and we thank them for it. And he come with a theory:
“I happened to be mulling the adage that TeamGB are traditionally good at sitting down. Clearly they still are with the fantastic results in cycling, rowing, sailing and horse antics.
However, I’ve noticed a new trend. We seem to have become very good at spinning around too. Obviously this started with the diving but has progressed to gymnastics and trampolining. What particularly caught my attention and made me think this is a trend was the stunning result by Sophie Hitchon in the hammer.
It can’t just be coincidence, surely?”
This feels pretty on point, as I think the kids say. Given I reached another year into my fourth decade yesterday, I feel comfortable with phrases like “as they kids say.” I also feel comfortable linking to Kylie Minogue to act as a theme to your hypothesis. Or if you prefer, how it was used in this scene. Probably better.
Okay, the below video doesn’t include the best punchlines. But you get the gist. It seems they have taken it down from youtube, which is a crime against comedy.
Also very amusing is the Claire Phipps daily briefing. This is really good stuff. If you want to know what happened on day ten, it’ll be here. What to watch for on day 11, it’ll be here as well. Lobs into your inbox at 7am each morning (London time). You won’t regret signing up.
I like it when the high-hurdles start because it is a timely reminder about the dimensions of a running track. No better illustrated than in this clip from the genius 1999-2000 series The Games. “How long is the 100 metres track?”
Bit of housekeeping. Make sure you have the medals and results tab open all day and all night. It’s a title that undersells the product somewhat, for mine. It basically ensures you don’t miss anything. Maybe that’s what it should have been called: The Don’t Miss Anything? Next time. Anyway, it’s essential.
While we were sleeping here in London David Rudisha did something very special, defending his 800m crown from 2012; the first Kenyan to win the same event twice. He had to turn it on in that second lap, too. A special moment from the stadium, documented for us by Sean Ingle.
It was the night before the Olympic 800m final, and the world’s greatest middle distance runner had a message for his nation. After three years of frustration and only occasional elation following keyhole surgery on a serious knee injury, that old unmistakable tingle had returned. And he was ready to show it.
And some lovely words on this topic from reader Tom Cameron about the lot in life of the 800 metre runner:
“Is the 800m the most gut wrenching of the track events? It surely is. I can recall meeting a nice fella who was the Australian 800 meter champion back circa 1996. He was the strapping boyfriend of a mate’s sister who I rowed first crew with back at Ballarat Grammar - so it goes. Anyway I’ve long forgotten his name but I remember him telling me success in the 800 meters is really about “the deep dig” because it’s quite simply just flat out, all the way round, two laps. The 800 is rare in that sense isn’t it. It’s all turbo but you have to reach right down into the bowels of human fortitude to find it, especially in that second lap. Hope that now middle ageing champion is doing well anyway, and watching Rio in happy comfort. They’re quite something those 800 metre specialists.”
Updated
You know how I asked for your thoughts earlier? Reader Simon Darvill sent me four long paragraphs of them about watching the Olympics on TV in France. This is precisely what I’m talking about.
Here’s his (edited!) story:
“Up until 2012, the BBC was the only place I had ever watched the Olympics. I watched the London Olympics on TV in the USA and it has to be my single most disappointing sports viewing experience ever. Now I live in France and I have to say that I am rather taken by the way the French cover the Olympics on TV.”
Wall to wall coverage from getting up to going to bed, one never has to be without the Olympics. I have watched events I never even knew existed - the 25m rapid fire pistol final was gripping. And ones that I did, fencing, but had never watched - who knew you could do it as a team.
And don’t let anyone ever tell you that the French hate the British. They may call the athletes competing “l’anglais” most of the time (although they did call Andy Murray “l’escosse”) but they seemed to be genuinely happy when a British competitor wins, especially in the cycling, really caring about how “le Cav” was doing. They have seemed to be happy when Murray won the tennis, Rose won the Golf and Sir Bradley Wiggins (as they insist on calling him) won his gold. And we got a bi-lingiual interview with Mo Farrah after his win on Sunday morning, which he rather sweetly ended in French.
Right, I’m off to see how they have reacted to winning silver in the Mens Pole Vault and see what todays Brazilian “cooking with the presenters” recipe is (hey, its France).”
Where are you tuning in from? Tell me about your experience. Unless it’s to complain about Australia/US TV - we’re quite across those shortcomings.
Team GB’s sole gold on day ten came in the individual dressage (or horse dancing, as people now prefer). For Charlotte Dujardin that means... Back-to-Back! Back-to-Back!
Petter Higginson on this topic: “Don’t you find the Equestrian Dressage is the most mystical piece of judging since Solomon had to discern something about whose baby belonged to whom?” I feel as qualified to comment as [insert line about Donald Trump].
Here’s Barney Ronay’s bit, from the Equestrian Centre:
For Dujardin the result is the culmination of four years of transformative dressage during which she has raised the bar for the sport and confirmed her status as its great innovator and current all-round superstar. Valegro will now retire, severing a career-long partnership.
They will talk about this one for a while. Whether it was an intentional dive for the line or just a timely tumble, Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller will always be known for the result of it: a gold medal in the 400m. Knocking off Allyson Felix - a legit superstar of the sport - at the last available moment. Helluva thing. Here’s Les Carpenter from the stadium.
All she knew was that she had run the race of her life, the 400m at a blazing, beautiful pace and now she was staring at the stadium lights unsure what to think, just wanting lie of the cool wet track because she had no energy left. Then she heard her mother screaming from the stands. “Get up! Get up!” And this was how Shaunae Miller learned she had won Olympic gold. Later, there would be time for the details.
Updated
Back to the, you know, sport. Mark Cavendish won a bloody medal last night! But... I think he subscribes to the old Nike commercial of the 1996 Games: ‘you don’t win silver, you lose gold’. Here’s Owen Gibson on his moodiness.
After Cavendish was left out of the victorious team pursuit quartet that delivered Wiggins his fifth gold, the Manxman suggested he had been frozen out. Now, he said, he was “super happy” for them. Yet even here in his moment of Olympic redemption, as the BBC asked him to hold on a minute before coming to air, he quipped: “You’d be straight on for Brad, wouldn’t you?”
Gotta say, I don’t mind it when athletes express disappointment at not winning. If these things didn’t hurt when they don’t work it, it wouldn’t make the elation as acute when they do. Or something like that.
Updated
I slipped a cheeky Andrew WK reference into an early post, and he’s just retweeted the blog. So if you’re reading, you wonderful human, I hope you’re partying hard wherever you are.
Meanwhile... no brazilians in Rio. How the UK cyclists solved their saddle problems. Or had it solved for them. You can’t make this stuff up.
Updated
Probably the best bit of my day when the photo gallery of the day before comes online. I’ve said it all before, but what an utter treat Olympic photography is. Enjoy.
Another day, another Olympics marriage proposal. Just what it says on the tin. Some people started kicking off about it the other day. All there in Elle Hunt’s story. Got a strong view? Hit me with it. My take: I liked it better when the it was fashionable to use sky-writers for these things. And what happened to sky-writing as an artform? I feel like it was a really big deal when I was a kid. These are thoughts that legitimately go through my head on a daily basis.
Here’s a video of Kiribati patriot David Katoatau’s dancing routine (sadly, for UK eyes only). What a ripper.
Peter Higginson has some views. He’s shared them with me on the email. You can too.
He says: “Early in the morning I know, but is it worth considering what the Olympics would be without precision clocks?”
Okay, I’m listening...
“The margins necessary to win are recorded in tenths and hundreds of seconds, which are time-scales a human being can’t actually live by- we guesstimate time by chunks of which a few seconds is the best we can guess. But the Olympics has a machine-like quality of measurement in micro-seconds which seems to make the achievements quite alien to normal people and closer to the realms of science than the art of life. Though the British successes are compelling, I can’t help feeling the margins of victory make the athletes untouchable, like global icons of machine-time (Jason Kenny) rather than estimable artists of the human past like Cassius Clay.”
Out there. I think I feel your philosophical point. But I’d take precision over the old days. Or maybe I wouldn’t? If i could have a time machine, the 1904 Olympic Marathon would definitely be right up there for things I’d want to see.
We’d been waiting for this. The dancing weightlifter, as he’s unimaginatively known, in action overnight. But it’s all a bit more serious than it appears. David Katoatau jives away after his lifts and it’s pretty much the everything; especially in the context of such an unhappy 2016 broadly speaking.
But it’s the ‘why’ he does it that’s less nice. Simply: his home nation of Kiribati is sinking. The Commonwealth champ lost his own house to a cyclone, and he wants to raise awareness of his homeland before it’s too late, concluding that his unique approach to competition will help with that mission.
“Most people don’t know where Kiribati is,” Katoatau told Reuters. “I want people to know more about us so I use weightlifting, and my dancing, to show the world. “I wrote an open letter to the world last year to tell people about all the homes lost to rising sea levels. I don’t know how many years it will be before it sinks.”
Olympism.
Updated
More from China, a refreshing bit of honesty from Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui. She just called it as it is, saying her period contributed to underperformance in the medley relay.
Yuanhui is the same swimmer who gave this brilliant interview last week, finding out on live telly that she’d won a medal.
Updated
I forgot something. It’s the middle of the night in Rio, so we should talk a bit. You know, get to know each other via hot takes and nonsense. Even some considered analysis? I’m open to any or all of it. Adam.Collins.Freelance@theguardian.com for the longer, @collinsadam the shorter. How’s that sound?
Not partying? China. Tom Phillips in Beijing reporting on expectations and reality not quite marrying up for the 2008 hosts.
“China expects 30-36 golds,” boasted the front page headline in the Global Times, a tub-thumping Communist party controlled tabloid, as the first Games to be held in South America kicked off on 5 August.
But less than a fortnight later those expectations are being downgraded as Chinese sports fans and their soft-power obsessed leaders come to terms with the fact that the Rio Games are unlikely to bear the fruits they had hoped for.
Some great lines in this. Team GB are getting some grief in the athletes village because when they like to party, they will party hard.
Owen Gibson has the skinny from Rio.
Let’s get out of the blocks with some highlights. Sorry to say you’ll only be able to watch this if in the UK. Includes the ridiccc end to the women’s 400m on the track.
Good morning from London
Day 11? Already? It’s this part of any Olympics when I get a bit of pre-emptive ennui. It’ll be over in a week, you know. Less than that. So best we embrace every moment. Adam Collins here, and I’m taking you three the brief hours in Rio where the city sleeps.
A bit of an odd day yesterday, as covered wonderfully below in the Claire Phipps Compulsory Reading Briefing. Rain, fire. Not many medals USA or China. Nor GB, but they’ve leapt to second place anyway. Meanwhile, Australia are having a rugged start to week two, not adding to their tally with a couple of fancied teams bundled out before the medal rounds.
But then we did have an epic end to the women’s 400m on the track, David Rudisha defended in his 800m crown in style, and the Olympic Record was knocked off in the pole vault. Most of which will it chucked it down with rain. Makes for some great highlights.
So we’ll get into all that as the words flow in from our corros on the ground, then throw forward to the day ahead. I look forward to your company.
Updated
Day 11 briefing
Welcome back for day 11 as Rio’s athletes towel off the rain, primp their windswept hair and prepare for another day of action.
Your Guardian correspondents will do the same (even those of us miles from Rio) to keep you updated on what happened and what’s coming up.
The big picture
After the medal storm of day nine, day 10 was all about the weather. There was too much wind. There was too little wind. There was a lot of rain. There was a huge forest fire flicking ash over the hockey pitch. And in enthusiastic bursts between it all was some sport.
Whether it was prompted by a puddle, a stumble or a desperate effort to catapult herself across the line first, Shaunae Miller’s dive to win the women’s 400m – ahead of favourite Allyson Felix of the US, who was first to cross the line with her feet but ended up with silver – was the dramatic centrepiece of day 10.
Miller, of the Bahamas, later confirmed the lunge was not part of her training plan: “I’ve never done it before. I have cuts and bruises, a few burns. It hurts.”
An invigorating encore came courtesy of the men’s pole vault, pushed back into closing time by the weather but culminating just before midnight with a soaring win from Brazilian Thiago Braz Da Silva.
An Olympic record-busting 6.03m vault saw off the challenge from French favourite Renaud Lavillenie, who at least took the silver – and the boos from a partisan crowd – graciously. Just kidding: he compared it to Nazi Germany.
Renaud LAVILLENIE (FRA): "In 1936 the crowd was against Jesse Owens. We've not see this since. We have to deal with it." #AT #pv #silver
— Olympic News Service (@ONS_Rio2016) August 16, 2016
The two late nailbiters threatened to drag attention away from a tremendous win by Kenya’s David Rudisha in the men’s 800m final. He adds to his London 2012 gold and to the googling of “synonyms for graceful” by athletics reporters.
There is headscratching in China, third in the overall medal table being an uncomfortable position for a country used to being a notch better than that. At the close of day 10, it held 15 gold medals (the tally at the same stage of the 2012 Games was 31). You can read about what’s inevitably being labelled the Great Fall of China here. Team China won’t be.
You kidding me? The country which has never finished above China is about to... pic.twitter.com/ejyIuwFoZ9
— Team China (@XHSports) August 16, 2016
You should also know:
- German canoe slalom coach Stefan Henze dies of injuries after car crash.
- Egyptian judoka sent home for refusing to shake Israeli opponent’s hand.
- Yuliya Stepanova ‘certain’ there are athletes doping at Rio Games.
- Aurélie Muller disqualification mars Olympic swimming marathon.
- Ireland’s Katie Taylor, 2012 winner of lightweight gold, goes out in boxing quarterfinals.
Team GB roundup
Take a moment to consider that a day that produced a gold, a silver and a bronze, and kept Britain in second spot overall, felt a bit quiet. Charlotte Dujardin was that gold-winner (along with Valegro: does the horse get a medal?), showing off a technically brilliant display that should put to rest any comparisons between dressage and that dog who won Britain’s Got Talent.
Mark Cavendish was, you know, fine with silver in the men’s omnium, his first Olympic medal confirmed when he escaped punishment for his part in a pile-up during the points race:
I have to be happy. I did everything I could in the race and ultimately I couldn’t have done any more. I have to be happy.
That bronze hangs round the neck of Sophie Hitchon and is Britain’s first Olympic hammer medal. The 25-year-old will no doubt now encourage countless young Brits to fling hammers around in the hope of securing the second. Legacy, people, legacy.
There are prospects spilling all over that shiny velodrome floor today, with Laura Trott, Becky James, Katy Marchant, Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner all in action again.
Divers Jack Laugher and Freddie Woodward will contest the men’s 3m springboard; and there are nailed-on medals for Joshua Buatsi (at least a bronze in the light-heavyweight boxing) and Giles Scott (a must-be gold in the Finn sailing). Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge take on China’s Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan in the badminton men’s doubles semifinal.
- Great Britain’s women hockey team beat Spain to progress into semi-finals.
- Team GB asks partying competitors to keep noise down in Olympic village.
Team USA roundup
Heartbreak for America’s best female sprinter, Allyson Felix, in the 400m, pipped at the line by a tumble from Shaunae Miller. In truth it was an underwhelming day, if one is allowed to be underwhelmed by the overall medal leaders. It was silver (Laurie Hernandez) and bronze (Simone Biles) – and not the predicted gold – for Team USA in the women’s balance beam.
The women’s hockey team are out, losing 2-1 to Germany in the quarter-finals.
There were track and field bronzes for Emma Coburn in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase; for Clayton Murphy in the men’s 800m; and for Sam Kendricks in that taut men’s pole vault final. But no golds. U ok hun?
No men’s basketball today, but news that Team USA will face Argentina in the quarter-finals. The men’s volleyball team reached the same stage with a 3-0 win over Mexico.
Australia team roundup
Tom Burton sails today – probably, depending on the right amount of wind – for gold in the men’s laser, after another weather delay meant a second day without medals for Australia, still lodged in ninth position in the overall table.
Team captain Anna Meares battled home 10th in what she labelled a “brutal” women’s individual sprint, and immediately found herself fending off questions about retirement. “Give me a week or two and I’ll let you know,” said Meares, who’d just cycled eye-blinkingly fast around a treacherous velodrome and probably needed to think about breathing first.
The women’s water polo and hockey teams both waved goodbye at the quarter-final stages. But there was a stronger showing from discus thrower Dani Samuels, who lobbed her way into the final with a throw of 64.46m.
Keep an eye on the canoe sprints on Wednesday morning: Murray Stewart qualified fastest for the men’s K1 1,000m final, which will charge off at 11.12am AEST. Alyce Burnett and Alyssa Bull also scooped a place in the final of the women’s K2 500m event.
Picture of the day
Team GB cyclist Mark Cavendish double-checking his silver medal for the men’s omnium.
Diary
All times below are local to Rio: here’s the full timetable tweaked for wherever you are. Or add four hours for UK, add 13 hours for eastern Australia; subtract one hour for east-coast US and four for west coast.
There are 27 golds available today, including the two sailing finals held over from day 10 (please just assume I’m appending “weather permitting” to any outdoor events, so I don’t have to keep cutting and pasting it).
- Back on track (and field) with athletics and the morning session kicks off at 9.30am, with the men’s triple jump final at 9.50am and the women’s discus final at 11.20am. Heats for the men’s 200m – Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin again, plus Team GB’s Adam Gemili – start from 11.50am.
- The evening session offers the men’s high jump final at 8.30pm (Australia’s Brandon Starc qualified fourth), the women’s 1,500m final at 10.30pm and the men’s 110m hurdles final at 10.45pm. Unbanned Russian athlete Darya Klishina will appear in the women’s long jump heats at 9.05pm.
- Another big day in the velodrome where there are three track cycling golds in play and Team GB have their eye on all of them: the women’s omnium (three rounds: 10.57am, 4.10pm, 5.05pm; Laura Trott leads the way), the women’s sprint at 5.44pm (Becky James and Katy Marchant are pushing for an all-British final), and the men’s keirin at 6.20pm (team sprint gold-winners Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner race again).
- In diving, Britain’s synchronised winner Jack Laugher goes solo in the men’s 3m springboard semifinal at 10am and – let’s be positive – the final at 8pm.
- More gymnastics, with finals in men’s parallel bars at 2pm, women’s floor at 2.47pm (Team USA’s Simone Biles goes for a fourth gold) and men’s horizontal bar at 3.34pm: Britain’s Nile Wilson qualified second here.
- Weather delays mean there are four sailing finals due: the women’s laser radial at 1.05pm; the men’s laser at 1.50pm (Australia’s Tom Burton is assured a medal); the men’s finn at 2.35pm (we already know Britain’s Giles Scott will get the gold); and the Nacra 17 mixed at 3.30pm. Probably.
- In boxing it’s Brazil v France in the final of the men’s lightweight at 7.15pm, but watch out earlier for British favourite and defending champion Nicola Adams, who pops up at 11am in the women’s flyweight quarter-final. Teammate Joshua Buatsi is guaranteed at least a bronze from his light-heavyweight semifinal at 6.30pm.
- British pair Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge face China in the badminton men’s doubles semifinal at 10.40am.
- Four to-the-minute finals in the canoe sprint: the men’s canoe single 1,000m at 9.08am; the women’s kayak double 500m at 9.23am; the women’s kayak single 200m at 9.47am; and the men’s kayak single 1,000m at 10.12am – Australia’s Murray Stewart was fastest qualifier.
- The men’s 10km open water swimming splashes off at 9am; and there’s a synchronised swimming gold for the duets at 2pm.
- The women’s table tennis final is at 7.30pm, with China unable (rules, eh?) to take on China so instead battling Germany.
- The weightlifting men’s +105kg final is at 7pm; and there are two golds going in the Greco-Roman wrestling: in the men’s 66kg and the men’s 98kg.
Underdog of the day
Because anyone up against all-conquering gymnast Simone Biles is an underdog of sorts, gold for Sanne Wevers of the Netherlands on the balance beam was a double triumph. The 24-year-old – ancient in gymnastic years, ridiculously – became the oldest beam champion since Eva Bosakova in 1960, and takes home the first Dutch gold in women’s artistic gymnastics since a team win at the home Games in 1928.
Just deal with it of the day
Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui – she of her hilarious “Whoooaah! I was so fast!” post-race interview fame – has broken what is apparently a big Sports Taboo, saying she’d not been at her best in the women’s 4x100m medley relay because she had her period.
It’s a dead heat in the candour stakes with news from Team GB’s cycling strategists, who brought in vulval specialists to sort out saddle-sore female cyclists. Tilting the seat and banning waxing are the answer, it turns out.
Tweet of the day
Last week this 10-year-old photo resurfaced of a nine-year-old Katie Ledecky meeting her swimming hero Michael Phelps (then with a tiny haul of six Olympic gold medals to his name). Now the world-record-holding and gold-winning Ledecky has returned the favour, saying she was “more than happy to sign a poster for the greatest Olympian of all time”.
A lot can change in 10 years! @katieledecky with @MichaelPhelps in 2006 and today in Rio! #Rio2016 #RioTODAY pic.twitter.com/cYwUyz3PZO
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 15, 2016
If today were a song
It would be anything by Earth, Wind and Fire. Or Wet Wet Wet.
And another thing
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