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The Guardian - AU
Sport
Claire Phipps and Tom Lutz, Jacob Steinberg, Daniel Harris, Nick Ames and Ben Fisher (earlier)

Rio 2016 day two: Phelps wins 19th Olympic gold – as it happened

Michael Phelps celebrates USA’s win.
Michael Phelps celebrates USA’s win. Photograph: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images

Day three is dawning and it’s time for a fresh live blog: head over to our new one here for ongoing coverage of all things Rio.

Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

Updated

While Michael Phelps beamed his way through his 19th time on the podium top step, two of his fellow relay swimmers – Caeleb Dressel and Ryan Held – found it all a bit much. There were tears. But Dressel later revealed the veteran Phelps had offered some advice:

I tried to tell myself I wasn’t going to cry. I was too tired to cry. But as soon as I heard that national anthem play, the tears rolled down my face. I just couldn’t hold back.

Michael just said to let it out, let it go, to take my time to enjoy the moment.

Sweden took its first gold medal of the Games, courtesy of Sarah Sjöström’s 55.48 world record in the 100m butterfly:

The feeling is totally crazy. I didn’t realise it was a world record. I knew I was the big favourite. I was under pressure, so I tried to focus on no disasters.

Before the start I said to myself: ‘It’s just a pool. It’s nothing. I know what to do.’

And her pre-race preparations? A game of Yahtzee and some music:

I’ve never done that before.I listened to music for the first time before a race. Why not?

Also watching that amazing Adam Peaty win was his grandmother, Mavis Williams, who has has been enthusiastically tweeting her #OlympicNan observations from her home in Sheffield:

British sprinter Asha Philip shared this tense-turned-triumphant clip of Team GB watching Adam Peaty’s superb win in the pool on Sunday night.

The apparent buffering of the live stream they’re watching mid-way through only adds to the atmosphere.

Another diplomatic contretemps, as the Israeli team says it was barred by the Lebanese delegation from joining a bus to take them to Friday’s opening ceremony:

The head of the Israeli delegation, Gili Lusting, said organisers had told them to take the bus to the Maracanã stadium, and that alternative transport was arranged only in response to antagonism from Salim al-Haj Nakoula, the Lebanon chef de mission.

“The organising committee saw the blunt behaviour of the head of the Lebanese delegation and immediately arranged a different bus for us,” Lusting said in a statement to the Associated Press. “The behaviour of the head of the Lebanese delegation contradicts the Olympic charter.”

Lebanon and Israel are officially at war and have no diplomatic relations.

Nakoula said the bus had been reserved for the Lebanese delegation and that he had the right to prevent another team boarding.

He reportedly told Lebanese media the Israeli delegation had been “looking for trouble” and had their own designated bus to take them to the Games. “Why did they want to board a bus with the Lebanese delegation?” he reportedly said.

The two teams were eventually taken to the ceremony in separate buses.

No doubt this is one of the toughest losses in my life and in my career. It’s not easy to handle, especially now, just after the wounds are still fresh.

But, you know, you have to deal with it. It’s not the first or the last time that I have lost a tennis match. But the Olympic Games, yeah, it’s completely different.

Delpo was the better player and he just deserved to win. That’s sport. He just came up with some extraordinary tennis and I have to congratulate him.

I’m very sad and disappointed from my side to go out in a tournament this early, but on the other hand I’m glad a good friend of mine, and somebody who has struggled the last couple of years with injuries, is back and playing at this level.

Novak Djokovic: it’s Rio-ver.
Novak Djokovic: it’s Rio-ver. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Updated

It’s not all peace, love and world records in the pool, however, as a spat between Australia’s Mack Horton and China’s Sun Yang has escalated into a diplomatic face-off.

Horton’s description of his rival as a “drugs cheat” has earned him the opprobrium of China’s state-controlled Global Times newspaper, which said “Australia should feel embarrassed” about his remarks. And not just that, it huffed:

In many serious essays written by Westerners, Australia is mentioned as a country at the fringes of civilisation. In some cases, they refer to the country’s early history as Britain’s offshore prison. This suggests that no one should be surprised at uncivilised acts emanating from the country.

In a further sledging, a commenter on Sina Weibo hoped Horton would be “killed by a local kangaroo”. (This is in fact very unlikely; they are fairly peaceable creatures.)

Few are watching the Olympics with as much enthusiasm as Leslie Jones, the Ghostbusters and Saturday Night live actor. She’s sending lively and extremely frequent tweets, of just about every event but often in support of Team USA:

Her lively commentary drew the attention of Mike Shoemaker, a comedy producer, who tweeted at Jim Bell, NBC’s executive producer for the games, suggesting that he send Jones to Rio:

Jones was enthusiastic about the offer: “I would have the whole Olympics pumped!!”

Actor Samuel L Jackson seems keen to jump on the celebrity commentator train too:

Associated Press reports that Brazilian football fans jeered their own team – and applauded Iraq, who held the hosts to a 0-0 draw:

Brazil, which has never won the Olympic gold medal in men’s football, failed to win for the second consecutive game.

The result leaves Brazil tied for second place in Group A. The team needs a victory over Denmark on Wednesday in Salvador to advance and avoid another huge embarrassment at home two years after the 7-1 loss to Germany in the World Cup semifinals.

Neymar, the tournament’s biggest star, played below expectations for the second straight game, and promising young strikers Gabigol and Gabriel Jesus also struggled.

Voicing their frustration, the fans chanted “Marta, Marta” in reference to the five-time world player of the year who has been thriving with the women’s national team.

And as the Iraqis rejoiced on the field after the draw, the fans applauded the team and broke out into chants of “Iraq, Iraq.”

The crowd of more than 60,000 started supporting Brazil but it grew anxious as the team struggled against Iraq, jeering the players at halftime and more and more toward the end of the match.

Gabriel Jesus, who last week secured a multimillion-dollar transfer to Manchester City, missed a few decent chances early and was loudly booed when he was substituted in the second half.

Brazil also had a goal by Gabigol disallowed in the 28th because of offside. Midfielder Renato Augusto had his team’s best chance, but his volley from close range sailed over the crossbar with the goalkeeper already beaten.

Katie Ledecky has described her stonking win in the 400m freestyle final as “pure happiness”.

The world record time was “really good”, she added, in what is a shoo-in for today’s “massive understatement of the day” award:

I checked my time and said: ‘Oh, awesome.’

The men’s 4x100m relay swimmers are getting their medals and non-flowers (some sort of loopy mini-sculpture) now.

Michael Phelps has done this a few times but manages to look very much not jaded at having to haul himself up to the top step again. He gets a huge cheer because, well, he’s hugely amazing.

Hi, this is Claire Phipps in Sydney picking up the baton from Tom Lutz, who probably needs a nap after that adrenaline-packed end to the Rio evening.

And yes, confirmation that hosts Brazil have failed to beat Iraq in football’s Group A, ending 0-0. So what happens next? We are facing the exciting possibility of a straw-draw:

I’ll hand over to Claire Phipps now, what a night in the pool.

Phelps speaks: “I tried to get these guys as much open water as I could.” Well, he definitely did that. What a second leg, France were ahead and Phelps took them into a lead they never lost.

Not to rain on Phelps’s parade but in the football Brazil have drawn with Iraq - Iraq! - and are in danger of dropping out of the football tournament.

Michael Phelps wins his 19th gold medal as USA take 4x100m relay

Phelps enters for the second 100m. He enters the pool in second with the French in first by 0.02 seconds. The French extend the lead at 150m but here comes Phelps! He takes the US into the lead at 200m. What a leg from the all-time great, swimming like ... an all-time great. But France come back and narrow the US lead after 300m. US extend their lead at 350m and ... the US win. That was so much down to Phelps’s excellence. USA win gold, France get silver and Australia bronze.

Phelps howls with delight. Where have we seen that before?
Phelps howls with delight. Where have we seen that before? Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

We’re off. Brazil, USA, Canada after the first 50m.

The teams are introduced for the 4x100m relay. Brazil, unsurprisingly, get the biggest cheer - they finished fourth at the worlds and are no pushovers. Then the world champions France and the Aussies who are Australian and therefore brilliant at swimming. Last out are the US and then Russia. The Russians are booed heartily.

A shot of Michael Phelps poolside in full athlete mode: hood up and headphones on. Then he does a kind of cough-sneeze thing and looks a bit like some guy on the bus.

So, it’s still Brazil 0-0 Iraq in the 83rd minute. Denmark beat South Africa in today’s other game. So if Brazil draw or lose to Denmark in their next game they could well be out. The top two teams from each group advance. Brazil’s captain is Neymar - it’s not a joke team.

Shall we wander over to the men’s football while we wait for the swimming? Yes, I think we shall. Brazil are STILL drawing 0-0 with Iraq. This is a wonderful result for Iraq given its current turmoil and suffering. It’s also a terrible result for a host nation who drew against South Africa in their opener. The kings of football are in danger of going out of the Games in their own backyard. The match is in the 77th minute.

It’s the women’s 100m backstroke semi-finals next. And then a little guy called M Phelps is up in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay final.

We now have a report on Novak Djokovic’s shock defeat to Juan Martin Del Potro in the tennis. That’s two early exits for the world No1 at Wimbledon and the Olympics.

Away form the pool, Brazil still can’t break down Iraq in the men’s football. It’s 0-0 after 60 minutes.

Things aren’t going to plan for Neymar and co.
Things aren’t going to plan for Neymar and co. Photograph: Marques/AGIF/REX/Shutterstock

Updated

Ledecky speaks: “I was really confident (I would break the world record”. I guess being a superhuman athlete helps your confidence.

Ledecky wins the gold in world record time

And Ledecky smashes her own world record. GB’s Jazz Carlin gets silver, USAs Smith has bronze. The victory was in doubt for about 0.0004 seconds - the first 0.0004 seconds. An amazing swim from an amazing champion.

Katie Ledecky obliterates her own world record.
Katie Ledecky obliterates her own world record. Photograph: Michael Dalder/Reuters

Updated

Ledecky is three seconds ahead of Carlin in second with 100 to go.

Ledecky is simply awesome, she’s a body length ahead of the world record (her world record) Britain’s Carlin is in second.

Ledecky is out to a big lead after the first 100m. Canada’s Maclean is in second but she is a good 1.53 seconds behind.

Katy Ledecky has never lost in a major final, so no prizes for predicting what is likely to happen in the 400m freestyle final.

Peaty speaks: “I’m so emotional. It’s great to race against guys like Cody Miller who push me”

Adam Peaty wins gold and breaks his world record

Peaty leads after 50m but a good distance and on world record time. He only extends his lead as he nears the end. And Peaty wins in world record time! He’s the first British man since Adrian Moorhouse in 1988 to win Olympic swimming gold. The US’s Miller gets bronze.

Adam Peaty on the way to victory in the men’s 100m breaststroke final.
Adam Peaty on the way to victory in the men’s 100m breaststroke final. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian

Updated

Novak Djokovic is out!

Well, that didn’t quite go according to Djokovic’s plans – he fails to win a single one of the first five points of the tie-break and despite some brief, late resistance, he eventually goes down, conceding defeat on a Del Potro net cord. The world No1 is out! And the mightily impressive Argentinian progresses

Updated

And now for the 100m breaststroke final. Britain’s Adam Peaty is the huge favorite here after breaking the world record earlier in the Games. But South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh and USA’s Cody Miller will be in the hunt for the silver and bronze.

Djokovic aces to complete a love service game and send the second set, like the first, into a tie-break.

Lilly King wins the second semi-final and raises her finger in victory. She’s asked about the significance of the gesture and explains “I’m not a drugs cheat”. A reference surely to her Russian opponent Yulia Efimova.

Updated

More news from the Djokovic v Del Potro: this is fast becoming something of a classic – and we’re only in the second set. Both players trade some sensational shots as Djokovic manages to stay in the match and level at 5-5.

Updated

It’s a little known fact that Brazil are half-decent at football, they may even have won the World Cup once or twice (I’ll have to check). They’re playing Iraq at the moment and it’s 0-0 after 32 minutes.

Del Potro is one game away from beating the world No1 - but he’ll have to break Djokovic’s serve if he is to do it next game. 5-4 to the Argentine in the second set.

Murray brothers lose in men's doubles

An epic tiebreak in the men’s doubles as Andy and Jamie Murray take on the Brazilian pair of Sa and Bellucci. It ends 16-14 to the Brazilians, who win the match in straight sets, although that’s about a tough a two-set victory as you’ll see. After the Williams sisters loss in the women’s it has been a bad day for sibling-based tennis teams.

Jamie and Andy Murray were beaten by Thomaz Bellucci and Andre Sa.
Jamie and Andy Murray were beaten by Thomaz Bellucci and Andre Sa. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Updated

The swimming venue is 75% full. There are four sections of empty seats but they are behind giant support piles for the stadium’s roof, making them obstructed view. It looks as if none of these tickets has been sold, creating an odd look in an otherwise filled arena. The building’s acoustics do not amplify crowd noise much and so the roar during races is not deafening. The crowd does seem to favor the US though not heavily.

Djokovic draws level at 3-3 in the second set after saving break point in a thrilling sixth game against Del Potro. The crowd appear to be creating something of a carnival atmosphere.

It’s the men’s 200m freestyle semi-finals next. USA’s Conor Dwyer takes the first ahead of Germany’s Paul Biedermann and GB’s James Guy.

Sjostrom is interviewed after her world record. She has won Sweden’s first women’s swimming Olympic gold. “It’s hard to believe I have won an Olympic medal,” She says. “I’ve had lots of ups and downs. I’m so happy.”

Sjöström breaks the 100m butterfly world record

The race is off to a flying start with Sjöström in front after 50m. We’re around world record pace and Sjöström stretches to victory in WR time. Vollmer wins bronze for the US, Canada’s Oleksiak, who is just 16, gets second place.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom celebrates her new world record.
Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom celebrates her new world record. Photograph: David J. Phillip/AP

Updated

And the swimming is about to start. Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps, Adam Peaty are all in action. But first we have the women’s 100m butterfly final. Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström is favorite in this one: she is the WR holder too. Dana Vollmer of the US is also in with a shout, she would be the first person to win in this event after giving birth. Not directly afterwards, obviously.

Updated

Meanwhile, there’s another shock brewing in the men’s doubles where the Murray brothers are a set down to the Brazilian team of Bellucci and Sa. It’s 5-5 in the second.

Djokovic saves a break point in the second set and we are 1-1 with Del Potro one set up.

If you’ve ever wondered what losing at the Olympics is like:

Djokovic in trouble

Juan Martin del Potro has just crushed a blistering forehand winner to take a first-set tiebreaker from Novak Djokovic in a highly entertaining first-round match amid a boisterous Davis Cup atmosphere at the Olympic Tennis Centre. The rematch of the bronze medal match from four years ago – when the Argentine won in straight sets at the All England Club – was meant to go off hours ago, but the freakishly high winds at midday forced a delay in the order of play. The atmosphere is all the better under the lights as the well-lubricated crowd chants and sings and cheers raucously between every point. Delpo is now one set away from finishing the day far better than he started it: when he was trapped in an elevator for 40 minutes after localized power cuts hit the athletes’ village.

Updated

It’s just been confirmed that Michael Phelps will swim the second leg for USA in the men’s 4x100m freestyle final. That’s at 11.52pm Rio time.

Updated

Bellucci and Sa have just taken the first set against the Murray brothers, 8-6 in the tiebreak. But the Britons have broken serve in the second.

Weightlifting gold for China!

Long Qingquan of China set a world record in winning the gold medal in the men’s weightlifting 53kg category at the Rio de Janeiro Games, AP reports.

Long’s total score of 307kg set the record and was aided by his final lift in clean and jerk of 170kg.

He was leading the competition after snatch and all the way through clean and jerk until Om Yun-Chol of North Korea lifted 169 kg on his final attempt to tie Long for the lead.

Long then came out for his final lift, raised his bar and celebrated the gold medal by pumping his fists in the air. Om took silver with 303kg and Sinphet Kruaithong of Thailand won bronze.

Updated

A slightly ugly result in the men’s field hockey for hosts Brazil: they’ve just lost 12-0 to Belgium.

Serena Williams may not have been expecting defeat in the women’s doubles, but she took it in good part:

“I wouldn’t say it’s devastating,” the world No1 said. “We had a chance to compete for our country and we did the best that we can. We had a blast out there. It was a lot of fun and we’ll always remember these moments and these matches, and I think that’s what matters most.

“We’ve had so many Olympic doubles golds, so many grand slam championships. It’s been unbelievable.”

Staying with tennis, early today Rafa Nadal was much too good for Argentina’s Federico Delbonis. Kevin Mitchell was watching:

World No1 Novak Djokovic is in action in the men’s singles: he’s currently at 4-4 in the first against Juan Martin del Potro. In the men’s doubles, the Murray brothers have a 6-5 lead in the first set against home duo Andre Sa and Thomaz Bellucci.

A result in the men’s soccer: Nigeria have qualified for the quarter-finals by beating Sweden 1-0 thanks to Sadiq Umar’s goal. Denmark also beat South Africa 1-0. Brazil play Iraq later this evening.

We’re about an hour away from another big night in the pool. Britain’s Adam Peaty goes for gold, and another world record, in the men’s 100m breaststroke final, Katie Ledecky goes in the women’s 400m freestyle final, and we could see Michael Phelps in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay, even though he didn’t swim in the heats.

“That’s something I’ve had the privilege to be a part of since 2004, and I’m hoping to have the opportunity again,” Phelps said of swimming the relay. “It’s always super-fast and there are always some wild, crazy splits that take place.”

Croatia shock world No2 Spain in the men’s basketball! Spain were favorites to take the silver medal behind the mighty USA team and they will still progress to the next round but this is a definite setback. The game was a thriller too - Spain had a healthy lead at half-time but found themselves four points down with 16 seconds to play. A three-pointer took them to within one but a free-throw for the Croats took the deficit to two and they held on for victory.

No country might be more obsessed with Olympic medal counts than the United States and nothing tastes better to an American audience than gold. At some point in these Rio Games the US will win their 1,000th gold medal in a summer Olympics. Presumably this will not be celebrated with cannons of confetti and a banner with a number 1,000 the size of a small SUV. But gold medals are important to the US so you never know.

So far that pursuit has not been as fast as everyone might have hoped. Two days into the Olympics, American athletes have only one gold medal to go with five silvers and a bronze. It is not the haul of a powerhouse. In fact, The Guardian’s handy interactive medal traker has the US in sixth place behind Australia, Italy, China, Korea and Hungary. Obviously it is just two days into the Olympics and things can change quickly. We are only starting to get into the big swimming and gymnastics events where the US dominates and still have track and field lingering next week. America’s medal count will explode.

Still, it is weird to see the US languishing in fifth place on an Olympics medal chart. And there have been some disappointments already. Their narrow loss to Australia in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay wasn’t a surprise – Australia won gold in the event in 2012 – but the closeness of the race made the defeat sting. Venus Williams’s illness this weekend that led to to her losing her singles match to 67th-ranked Kirsten Flipkens and the Williams sisters’ doubles defeat on Sunday was a signifiant blow.

In a few days this will probably all be forgotten. By then America’s swimmers and gymnasts will have delivered their predicted wins and all those gold medallions will gleam in the lights for NBC. Everyone will talk excitedly about American dominance at the Olympics. No one will remember those first few days when Australia ruled Rio. By then, attention will have turned to a bigger question.

Who will get that 1,000th summer gold for the US? Only 22 more medals to go.

Simone Biles will be one of the most famous people on the planet by the time the Olympics up (well, she’ll be in the top 12,000 anyway) and she kicked off her Olympic campaign today. Bryan Graham was there to witness it and says Simone did pretty, pretty well:

A report on the Williams sisters’ defeat in the first round of the doubles:

Spain are in trouble against Croatia in the men’s basketball. After leading comfortably at half-time the Spaniards are now 57-56 down with six minutes to go. Spain are No2 in the world, Croatia are No12.

Bojan Bogdanovic wrestles for a rebound as Croatia play Spain.
Bojan Bogdanovic wrestles for a rebound as Croatia play Spain. Photograph: Elsa/Getty Images

Updated

To put that loss in context, the Williams sisters had won the women’s doubles at the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. They had a good excuse for missing out in 2004 - Serena chose not to go. Oh, and they have 14 grand slam women’s doubles title to their name too. So, yes, a first round loss is just about a shock. Venus hadn’t been well earlier this week, and that is almost certainly her last Olympics. A sad way to go out.

Jo Konta, who might have gatecrashed the world’s top 10 last week but for slipping up against a qualifier in Montreal, made no such error against rank outsider Stephanie Vogt of Liechtenstein on Sunday, cruising into the second round 6-3, 6-1 in an hour-and-a-quarter. Seven aces by the British No 1 proved too powerful for Vogt, ranked 290 in the world, to handle.

Williams sisters out of the women's doubles!

A volley down the T gives the Czechs two match points against the Williams sisters. They waste their first chance with an errant forehand but Venus slaps a forehand long and the favorites are out!

Updated

An update on Annemiek van Vleuten who ended up in hospital after a horrific crash in the women’s road race:

The Czechs have two break points to go 5-4 up in the second and serve for the match but with the court open they volley into the net and the Williams sisters live to fight another day. Or do they? Venus sends a forehand long and the sisters are staring at early defeat.

Argentina secure victory against Algeria in the football. The game ends 2-1 but Argentina were in trouble earlier when they were 1-0 down (by the way, AFL fans in Australia/NFL fans in the US I know your football is the REAL football and soccer is for weakling Europeans).

Spain lead by six (38-32) at halftime against Croatia in the men’s basketball. Pau Gasol has been the star man for the Spaniards - and to think he was thinking of staying home to wait out Zika.

The Williamseseseseseses (I think that’s the correct plural) break back to loud cheers of USA! USA! USA!. The chant is greeted with boos from the rest of the crowd, which is either made up of Czechs or cheering the underdogs.

It’s getting spicy in the tennis. The Williams sisters - three times doubles gold medallists – find themselves a set and a break point down against the Czech team. They save the first two at advantage but can’t make it third time lucky and they’re now one set down and 3-2 down in the second with the Czechs serving.

Serena and Venus Williams consult during their match against Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova of Czech Republic.
Serena and Venus Williams consult during their match against Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova of Czech Republic. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Updated

Jonathan Calleri scores for Argentina to make it 2-1 against Algeria. I’ve now written two posts about them being rubbish and they’ve responded brilliantly each time by scoring - these guys are all big Guardian readers.

Argentina are back in trouble! They’re down to 10 men in the football and Algeria have just drawn level. It’s 1-1 and Argentina are in danger of an early exit from the tournament. Although Algeria have now had a man sent off too. Makes things interesting.

Updated

Is there a shock in store in the tennis? Venus and Serena Williams (not really sure I needed to add their surnames) are one set down in the women’s doubles. Venus lost in the singles last night, and has been unwell so that could be a factor. It’s 1-1 in the second, they’re playing Lucie Safarova (who is no slouch) and Barbora Strycova.

Updated

Some news on Annemiek van Vleuten, who suffered that horrific crash in the women’s road race. It looks like her injuries are, thankfully, not serious.

Let’s check in on in a little basketball. Spain are 13-4 up early against Croatia. You may remember Spain as the team that would be really good if America didn’t spoil thing by being really, really, really, really, really, really, really good (even when LeBron and Steph stay home to have a nap on the couch).

Argentina follow my pep talk of two minutes ago and go 1-0 up against Algeria. Me and Lionel Messi, who is actually sitting next to me, never doubted them.

Argentinian football isn’t having the best of runs at the moment. They lost to Chile in the Copa America final last month, their FA is a mess and now they’re struggling to beat Algeria. It’s 0-0 at half-time and the South Americans are a man down.

And that’s all from me for tonight. I’m going to leave you in the capable hands of Tom Lutz, the 15th best fencer in Birmingham. Bye!

New Zealand are too strong for the US in the women’s rugby sevens. They lose a player to the sinbin but the Americans can’t break down their experienced opponents and the All Blacks are going for gold. A brave effort from USA, who held the Kiwis to a 5-0 scoreline.

Updated

I forgot to mention, by the way, that it finished Great Britain 2-2 New Zealand in the Pool A of the men’s hockey. Honours even.

Mark Gleghorne of Great Britain and Shea Mcaleese of New Zealand compete during the men’s pool A hockey match
Mark Gleghorne of Great Britain and Shea Mcaleese of New Zealand compete during the men’s pool A hockey match Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Updated

The US women’s rugby team are hoping to upset New Zealand in the sevens. They’ve already done well against another southern hemisphere team - they drew with a strong Aussie team earlier in the day. They’re 5-0 at half-time though but some of their team know how to handle adversity - one of their stars, Jillion Potter, came back from cancer to be here

The sobering report from the Dutch media is that Annemiek van Vleuten is in intensive care with concussion three fractures to her spine after her terrible fall in the women’s road race final. Horrendous.

Simone Biles’ Olympic debut has been simultaneously expected and extraordinary. The three-time world all-around champion posted the highest scores on the floor exercise (15.733) and vault (16.10) before a near-capacity crowd at the Rio Olympic Arena. And just now she’s scored a 15.000 on the uneven bars, which is lone apparatus where she’s shown flickers of mortality. The US team leads all teams after three rotations with a preposterous 8.642 points. So it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing them in Tuesday’s team all-around final.

Jo Konta is a set away from the second round of the women’s tennis after taking the first set 6-3 against Liechtenstein’s Stephanie Vogt. Meanwhile Bryan Armenh Graham has gymnastics news.

Canada have secured a famous win in Pool A of the men’s volleyball over local rivals and hot favourites USA. They’ll have enjoyed this one.

And on a more positive note, here’s one about shooting gold for Australia’s Catherine Skinner.

Here’s a story about ... doping!

The first break goes to Jo Konta against Stephanie Vogt. The British No1 leads 3-2 in the first set.

Great Britain are through to the semi-finals in the women’s rugby sevens. They’ve beaten Fiji 26-7, an impressive win.

Oh, Benoit!

There’s some volleyball going on. It’s not going well for the American men. Canada are just happy to take part, though.

Updated

There are tries all over the place in the third rugby sevens women’s quarter-final. Great Britain are 19-7 up against Fiji.

Updated

Fencing gold for Italy!

And that’s it. Garozzo wins gold for Italy in the men’s foil but USA’s Alex Massialas stages a brave comeback bringing it back to 11-14 before the Italian lets out a roar of victory with the clinching point. Then he remembers he should check that the judge has made it official so there’s a little awkward pause until his victory is confirmed. Garozzo was ranked No11 in the world coming into the tournament so it’s a surprise victory for the 24-year old at his first Olympics.

It finished Canada 15-5 in the second women’s rugby sevens quarter-final. In the third, Great Britain have scored an early try against Fiji to lead 7-0.

Alex Massialas is hoping to win USA’s second gold of the Games in the men’s foil against Daniele Garozzo of Italy. He’s struggling against the Italian after the first period though, and he’ll have to fight back from an 8-14 deficit, the first man to 15 wins. The US have won just two fencing golds in Games history.

Back to the tennis now and Britain’s Johanna Konta is taking on Liechtenstein’s Stephanie Vogt. They’ve just started. It’ll be a while before Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro on Centre Court, though.

More drama in the football! Serge Gnabry grabs his second goal in stoppage time and rescues a 3-3 draw for Germany with South Korea.

In the first rugby seven’s women’s quarter-final, Australia gubbed Spain 24-0. In the second, it’s currently Canada who lead 15-5 against France.

A late goal for South Korea in the men’s football and they lead 3-2 against Germany! Oh my. It’s all happening.

But wait! Timur Safin finds the crucial strike he needed and he wins fencing bronze for Russia to leave Great Britain awaiting their first medal of these Olympics.

Updated

Richard Kruse looked down and out in the bronze medal match in the men’s foil - but he’s mounting a stunning fightback against Russia’s Timur Safin, who’s suddenly looking very nervous. The Russian was so close to the medal but he’s on the ropes at the moment.

Judo gold for Italy!

Fabio Basile has won the gold medal match in the 66kg event, beating South Korea’s An Baul. He’s delighted.

An equaliser for Great Britain in the men’s hockey. It’s Great Britain 2-2 New Zealand in the second quarter.

The moment gymnastics fans have been waiting for is almost upon us. It’s Simone Biles time. (And friends.)

Updated

In the bronze medal match in the men’s foil, Timur Safin is in control against Great Britain’s Richard Kruse. The Russian is bossing this as he closes in on fencing bronze.

Into the second quarter in the men’s hockey and New Zealand, who were trailing, have scored an outstanding goal to lead 2-1 against Great Britain. The men in black look rightly pleased with themselves.

Men’s football update: Germany 2-2 South Korea in the second half. There’s no splitting these two.

Archery gold for South Korea!

There’s no beating in the South Korean women in the team event! They’ve just won their eighth consecutive gold in this event! That’s ridiculous. Russia will have to settle for silver; the set score was 5-1 to the Koreans, who can barely contain their excitement.

In the men’s hockey, New Zealand have equalised against Great Britain. It’s 1-1 near the end of the first quarter.

In fencing, Britain’s Richard Kruse will fight for the bronze medal after losing his semi-final in the men’s individual foil to Alexander Massialas of the United States. Kruse, the more careful and methodical of the two, had no consistent counter to the rattlesnake-like speed of the American and lost 15-9. He should not be too disappointed: even a defeat in the bronze match, against Russia’s Timur Safin, would easily beat Kruse’s previous best eighth-place Olympic finish, recorded in his first Games in 2004. Should he win, he will be Britain’s first men’s Olympic fencing medallist since Bill Hoskins’ silver in Tokyo 1964.
Massiallas will face Italy’s Daniele Garozzo in the gold medal match after the latter despatched Safin in a speedy, hyper-aggressive contest.

Updated

In the first rugby sevens women’s quarter-final, Australia are walloping Spain. It’s 19-0.

Olympic gold for Kosovo!

Yes, really! Their first ever Olympic medal is a gold! And it’s all thanks to the brilliant world champion, Maljinda Kelmendi, who has produced a stunning performance to beat Italy’s Odette Giuffrida in the 52kg judo final! The world champion looks understandably emotional, wiping away a fair few tears as her achievement starts to sink in. This is what sport should be about.

Majlinda Kelmendi of Kosovo cries after being awarded the gold medal.
Majlinda Kelmendi of Kosovo cries after being awarded the gold medal. Photograph: Soutello/AGIF/REX/Shutterstock

Updated

Men’s football update: it’s Germany 1-1 South Korea in Group C. Serge Gnabry of Arsenal equalised for Germany after Hywan Heechan’s opener for South Korea.

And what of the archery? In the women’s team match, it’s Taiwan who take bronze, beating Italy 5-3. The gold medal match between Russia and South Korea is on the way.

Diving gold for China!

The women’s 3m springboard final is all over and it’s glory for the Chinese pair of Shi Tingmao and Wu Minxia, who finish with a score of 345.60. Italy’s Cagnotto and Dallape take second with a score of 313.83. And how about this? Abel and Ware of Canada finished with 298.32. But bronze goes to Keeney and Smith of Australia thanks to their score of 299.19. It was that tight!

Scratch that! Great Britain have swept into a 1-0 lead over New Zealand already.

In the men’s hockey, all eyes on Group A, with Great Britain taking on New Zealand. It’s still 0-0.

One ready meal, Ben. It’s an Olympics fortnight, after all, we all need to keep in shape. But back to the action. Because sporting history has been made in the women’s judo 52kg event, with Majlinda Kelmendi set to win Kosovo’s first ever Olympic medal after reaching the final. She’ll take on Italy’s Odette Giuffrida for the gold medal. Meanwhile Japan’s Nakamura Misato has taken bronze.

Updated

In the synchronised diving, China are leading the way with Italy in second, with Great Britain yet to make their fifth dive. And with that, Jacob is back from a quick ready meal or two.

Shi Tingmao and Wu Minxia of China enter the water simultaneously in the 3m springboard competition.
Shi Tingmao and Wu Minxia of China enter the water simultaneously in the 3m springboard competition. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

Updated

In the tennis, Rafa Nadal wrapped up the second set no problem after a minor blip. He’s into the second round then after a straight sets victory against Argentina’s Federico Delbonis.

Alex Massialas is through to the fencing individual foil final! The American will face Italy’s Daniele Garrozo in the final. As for Richard Kruse, he could still win a medal, depending on the outcome in the bronze medal match a little later. A fine effort but Massialas showed some extra nous to get the job done.

Updated

Kruse is not out of this yet, but Massialas is in the driving seat as such. Massialas has a five-point lead over the Briton at the moment with the American nearing closer to that 15-point target.

Kruse finds two quick-fire points to get back into it in the second round. Massialas is now being urged to show some calm by his father and coach. Elsewhere, another British heavyweight is gearing up for an Olympic showdown:

Kruse is behind 8-4 at the moment, and Alex Massialas is in pole position at the moment. The Briton started very strongly but Massialas is looking difficult to deal with at the moment. Kruse is being roared on by his coach. “Next one now, Richard” he says.

Elsewhere, there’s some good news for a Nepal earthquake survivor:

Kruse control, kind of! The Briton went into the lead for only a second time, but the American is showing plenty of experience to block off Kruse. He must keep his head in this one as Massialas looks to frustrate Kruse, who is three shots behind at the moment. Massialas is landing almost every hit at the moment.

There is some big American support in the building for Massialas. It’s 3-2 to the world No1 at the moment but it’s still very early days. Interestingly, Richard Kruse speaks fluent Hungarian.

In the fencing, Richard Kruse is one-up against Alexander Massialas of the United States. A fine start for the Briton. Can he go all the way?

Rafa Nadal has recovered from that early setback in the second set, to establish a 4-1 lead after taking the first set 6-2 against Argentina’s Federico Delbonis. That match is surely going in only one direction now.

Earlier on, Andy Murray did not break sweat one bit:

Updated

In the football, Euro 2016 winners Portugal are leading Honduras. There’s no Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani or Jose Fonte of course. Porto’s Gonçalo Paciência has scored their second goal with 25 minutes left on the clock in that one.

The Brazilians are next in the water. A steady effort, but they record 45 and are already a few marks behind Great Britain, Canada and the rest of the group. Some people have said they’re making up the numbers, but that’s a little unnecessary.

Updated

Team GB are in action in the synchronised diving. Alicia Blagg and Rebecca Gallantree have recorded 49.8 in the first round of the 3m springboard final, just shy of the magic 50. It’s unlikely for us to see too much develop until round three.

Updated

Anna van der Breggen has spoken after picking up that cycling gold. Here’s more from esteemed colleague Niall McVeigh:

Looking ahead, Richard Kruse, who faces the world No1 in the individual foil semi-finals, could win Britain’s first fencing medal since Bill Hoskyns in 1964. That one gets underway in a few minutes time.

In the handball stakes, Denmark are currently edging out Argentina in Group A. It’s 25-19 at Rio’s Copper Box equivalent – the Future Arena.

Updated

Empty seats have been commonplace so far at this Games, sadly. A few seats spare for the hosts match against Lithuania in the basketball here. Lithuania are in front, just. They lead 80-76 at the moment in Group B.

Brazil
Brazil in full throtttle against Lithuania. Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

In the men’s tennis singles, Rafa Nadal took the first set 6-2 but he’s been pegged back in the second, losing the first game. Sam Groth and David Goffin are just underway too.

Holland's Van der Breggen takes gold in women's road race!

Anna van der Breggen timed a perfect run, beating Emma Johansson in something of a photo finish.

It’s a tantalising finish in the women’s road race. Just 1km to go, with Mara Abbott in pole position! Follow that pulsating finish here:

Updated

I’m going to head off in search off some grub. Ben Fisher will be your guide while I’m off.

Everyone’s talking about an awful crash in the women’s road race. Here it is. It’s not for the faint hearted. Annemiek van Vleuten had been in the lead. You can follow the rest of the race here.

They’re deep into the fourth quarter of the men’s basketball match between Brazil and Lithuania in Group B. The hosts have just cut the deficit to 75-64. It could be a thrilling finale.

Andy Murray is through to the second round of the men’s tennis. The defending champion was far too strong for Serbia’s Victor Troicki and he wraps up a 6-3, 6-2 victory, a perfect way to begin the defence of his title. He’ll play doubles with his brother Jamie later and faces Juan Monaco in the second round. Meanwhile Rafa Nadal has a firm grip on the first set of his match against Argentina’s Federico Delbonis.

Murray goes through.
Murray goes through. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/EPA

Updated

The quarter-finals of the women’s team archery are all over. It’s finished Taiwan 5-4 Mexico, South Korea 5-1 Japan, Italy 5-3 China and Russia 5-4 India. The semi-finals have just got underway, with Taiwan taking on South Korea and Italy duking it out with Russia.

Shooting gold for Australia!

In her first Olympics, Catherine Skinner is accurate one last time with a gold medal on the line, making her final target to beat New Zealand’s Natalie Rooney, who has to settle for silver! The women’s trap final finishes 12-11 to the Australian.

With three targets left, Catharine Skinner leads 9-8 in the women’s trap final against Natalie Rooney. It’s the Australian’s gold medal to lose now.

How about some men’s handball? In Group A, in front of a boisterous crowd, it’s Denmark 13-10 Argentina at the moment.

The USA’s Corey Cogdell is weeping tears of joy. The bronze medal is hers after Spain’s Fatima Galvez, who was two shots away from victory, misses a difficult target in the shoot-out to hand the bronze medal to her American opponent in the women’s trap! Now it’s time for the final.

Updated

Andy Murray leads by a set and a break against Victor Troicki. And in the shooting...

The bronze medal match in the women’s trap has gone to a sudden death shoot-off! Corey Cogdell couldn’t watch as Fatima Galvez nailed her final shot to keep her hopes of a medal alive. It’s 13-all after 15 targets.

The women’s road race is approaching a cracking denouement. Follow the finale here.

In the shooting, the women’s trap semi-final is over. And the bronze medal match will be contested between Spain’s Fatima Galvez and the USA’s Corey Cogdell, while the gold medal match will be between Australia’s Catherine Skinner and New Zealand’s Natalie Rooney. But say goodbye to Australia’s Laetisha Scanlan and Italy’s Jessica Rossi.

The first set belongs to Andy Murray. The world No2 takes it 6-3 against Victor Troicki. Broken in the first game, it was an impressive response to that setback from Murray, who looks too strong for the Serb.

In other wind news, Team GB women cyclists have just fallen for the oldest trick in the book and missed a move on the flat, where a few riders took advantage of crosswinds to leave the bunch behind. Bad news for them, but good news for those of us tasked with writing 850-word sidebars about “wind”.

Andy Murray consolidates the break to lead 5-2 in the first set. Victor Troicki will serve to stay in it.

The women’s trap semi-final is underway in the shooting. Someone will have a gold medal in the bag in an hour so. Tense times.

Andy Murray’s been chipping away at Victor Troicki in the past 10 or 15 minutes and the world No2 has broken at the fourth attempt to lead 4-2 in the first set on Centre Court. He should take the set from here.

Lithuania are having a stormer in the men’s basketball. They lead 56-28 in their Pool B match against Brazil now.

While Andy Murray gets to grips with Victor Troicki on Centre Court, Rafael Nadal has emerged for his first round match with Argentina’s Federico Delbonis. The Spaniard is about to play his first competitive match since withdrawing from the French Open with a wrist injury. He’s bound to be rusty. This has to go down as a wonderful opportunity for Delbonis.

Katie Ledecky sets new Olympic record

The absurd Katie Ledecky has just delivered an absurd performance in the 400m freestyle heats. The 19-year-old American, who’s going to win absolutely everything this year, just set a new Olympic record, shooting home in 3m 58s. She could be setting a new world record in the final later tonight.

Updated

And t’s finished China 1-1 Germany, meaning that Netherlands are sitting pretty at the top of Pool A in the women’s hockey. Spain are bringing up the rear after their 5-0 thrashing at the hands of the Dutch.

In the women’s hockey, it’s still China 1-1 Germany. Is there going to be a late winner? Elsewhere in Pool A, meanwhile, the Netherlands thumped Spain 5-0.

Updated

Lithuania are giving Brazil a going over in the men’s basketball. They lead 33-19 in the second quarter.

As for those spoilsport Mexicans, they now lead 5-1 against Fiji in the football. To think that Fiji were 1-0 up an hour or so ago. Where’s the romance?

But Murray hits straight back. He breaks back to 15 against Troicki and it’s 1-1.

A poor opening game from Andy Murray, who makes a few errors to give up a break point, before dragging a forehand wide to hand Victor Troicki an early break. That’s not the start Murray would have wanted. Troicki leads 1-0 in the first set.

In the women’s basketball, Spain and Serbia are locked in a fierce battle. The Serbians have a slender 15-13 lead at the moment.

Andy Murray and Victor Troicki are up and running on Centre Court. The Brit has opened the serving.

I’s not going to plan for Brazil in their Group B match against Lithuania in the men’s basketball. The hosts trail 21-14 in the first quarter.

Women’s hockey news now! In Pool A, it’s already China 1-1 Germany. This could be a closely contested match.

On Centre Court, flag-waving’s Andy Murray, fresh from almost poking Princess Anne’s eye out with a flag, has emerged for his first round match against Victor Troicki. The world No2 and defending champion holds a 7-0 winning record over his Serbian opponent.

Looks like those of us hoping for an upset in the men’ football are going to be disappointed. It’s now Fiji 1-3 Mexico. Quite the comeback from the champions.

British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi scored the first TKO of the tournament earlier, stopping Uganda’s Kennedy Katende in the third round.
“It’s a good start,” Buatsi said. “I’ve just been told that just I got the first knockout of the competition so it is great to get that. The primary aim was to go out there to get the win and I got that which is all that matters. He’s a very experienced guy but I’ve been training hard and wouldn’t let him stop me.

“He’s considerable more experienced than me so to stop an opponent like that is a great confidence boost. It was a right hand to the head that ended the fight. It landed well and the referee didn’t step in so I landed another big right and that was the end of it.

“We’ve all got nerves going in but I’m good at hiding them. I would never have believed growing up that I could be at the Olympics but here I am. This is the biggest stage and there is hype and talk but all I can do is go into the ring and give my very best.”

Updated

Ok, maybe Serena Williams isn’t past. The American is through to the second round of the women’s tennis after a 6-4, 6-2 win over Australia’s Daria Gavrilova, a talent who was handed the toughest possible draw. Next on Centre Court: Andy Murray and Victor Troicki.

Updated

So, David, any thoughts about the Russian ban at the Paralympics?

Russia to be banned from Paralympics

Updated

Serena Williams has just squandered two match points against Daria Gavrilova. She’s past it.

“The freakishly high winds are not only playing havoc with the sporting programme: reports now suggest the athletes’ village has lost all TV signal and wifi, while localised power cuts have already seen Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro become trapped in a lift for 40 minutes,” says Ian Prior. “Thankfully he’s only got Novak Djokovic to beat later in the men’s singles.”

Presumably Del Potro handled his lift scare with all the calm of Niles Crane.

Updated

Another result in the women’s rugby sevens, with Australia and USA battling to a 12-all draw in Pool A. Meanwhile in another American-Australian bout, the biggest since Bart Simpson avoided The Boot, Serena Williams is closing in on victory over Daria Gavrilova. She leads by a set and a break.

Juan Martin del Potro hasn’t chosen a strange way to prepare for his first round match against Novak Djokovic. The big Argentinian, who won tennis bronze four years ago, only went and got himself stuck in a lift and had to be rescued by members of the Argentinian handball team.

A goal in the football and there’s a shock in the making! The defending men’s champions, Mexico, trail Fiji after a goal from Roy Krishna. It’s 1-0 to the underdogs.

The men’s 200m freestyle heats, then. Great Britain’s James Guy has made it into tonight’s semi-final, speeding in at fifth fastest in his heat. China’s Sun Yang dominated, though, finishing first. The semi-finals are at 2.11am BST. See you then, I assume.

Updated

While we were switching over, Serena Williams – the USA’s Serena Williams – took the first set against Australia’s Daria Gavrilova. 6-4 to the American. I’m a neutral in all this but the Guardian’s Australian and US desks are rumoured to have a major falling out over this.

Jacob Steinberg is here. That’s right, I’ll be referring to myself in the third person all evening. Hello.

What?

Right, chaps - that’s me. Jacob Steinberg will take you through the next portion of the day.

Road race update - two have broken away.

100km to go for Kopecky, who is closing in on the first Grumari circuit, and leads Kasper by 2min 39s. The 20-year-old Belgian, around four minutes clear of the peloton, is the youngest rider in the race.

“The IPC showed strong leadership today in holding Russia’s state-organized doping program accountable. Their unanimous decision goes a long way towards inspiring us all – most importantly clean athletes – and upholding the Paralympic values we admire.”

-Travis T. Tygart, CEO, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency

Back to Edgbaston, England have won! By 141 runs, an absolute thrashing, though it really was not such thing.

And Serena loses her serve, would you adamandeve. 5-4.

Tennis latest:

Serena Williams is serving for the first set against Daria Gavrilova, but is 0-30 down.

Meanwhile, James Vardy has equalised for Leicester at Wembley. Follow that here.

Pakistan’s last-wicket partnership is beginning to nauseate England. They’ve already seen away 10 overs - 15 more to earn a remarkable draw. Coverage here.

USA now lead Senegal 94-38 in the basketball.

Result: that India-Japan women’s hockey match finished 2-2. Earlier in the day, New Zealand beat Japan 4-1.

Updated

“At the organising committee and IOC’s daily press briefing here in the main press centre this morning, one of the more bizarre rumours of the Games so far was laid to rest.

On Friday, a Sky News anchor on UK television asked a somewhat startled reporter to confirm that a kayak had been capsized after hitting a submerged sofa at the canoeing venue in the Deodoro complex.

This was news to the reporter and indeed everyone, and acquired a life of its own on social media. The sofa’s own Twitter account inevitably followed.

It always sounded unlikely - buoyant sofas anyone? - and today Mario Andrada, the organising committee’s spokesman, confirmed there was no evidence whatsoever such an incident had taken place.”

If it no go so it go near so. Or something.

Result: Germany 32-29 Sweden. That was a lot of fun.

Germany score in the handball to make it 31-28 - there’s just a minute left, so that is that done, you’d assume.

Result: Great Britain have beaten Canada 22-0 in the women’s rugby sevens. That is very impressive indeed.

Updated

“Fencing’s a bit dull,” tweets Hubert O’Hearn. “Dance, poke, BEEP! Suggest it be replaced by ‘After Hours Parking Lot Pub Fight.’ Who wouldn’t watch?”

One arena in which literally every country would fancy themselves.

Update from the women’s road race:

“The peloton are setting a sluggish pace early on – just 26km/h – allowing Kopecky to power clear, moving at just over 30km/h. A long way to go, but cobbles and climbs may restrict the pack’s ability to reel in breakaways. Belgium after the hat-trick – women’s gold to go with men’s gold and, obviously, best kit.”

Handball latest: Sweden drew level with a penalty, Germany quickly re-established their two-goal advantage.

Apparently, British fans are keeping the waiting crowd at the canoeing entertained with vuvuzelas, in the widest recorded definition of “entertained” since records began.

Updated

Thriller in the handball - Germany lead Sweden 25-23, but Sweden have a penalty ... and it’s there. 25-24!

“Brown retires v Bellucci, who can rest up for his doubles match v the Murrays.”

Serena Williams and Daria Gavrilova have just started.

Updated

Great Britain are giving Canada an absolute seeing-to in the women’s rugby by sevens - it’s 15-0, and given how impressive Canada were yesterday, a warning to the rest of the field.

Elsewhere, England have very nearly beaten Pakistan at Edgbaston - a phenomenal effort, given how dominant the tourists were on days 1 and 2 - follow the denouement here.

Meanwhile, Jesse Lingard had scored another absolute bazzer at Wembley - Manchester United lead Leicester in the community Shield. Follow that here.

It never blows but it gusts.

Updated

Meanwhile, here’s Niall McVeigh on the women’s roadrace:

“Still a gentle pace early on here, with Anna van der Breggen, a former La Course winner and among the favourites, leading the pack. The USA, a team reportedly at odds over tactics, with all four riders fancying their medal hopes, have Kristin Armstrong involved at the front.

As they reach the first climb, Armistead is forced to pull over with a mechanical issue. She’ll get a bike change and will have to fight to rejoin the main bunch. She’s not helped by her British team-mate Emma Pooley upping the pace as they reach the first short, sharp climb. She doesn’t get away but stretches the bunch all the way down the hill.”

Steven Donnelly wins, 29-28, 30-26, 30-27. He looks pretty hard - wonder how much deodorant he can take on his arm.

“This is Craven’s key point: ‘This is not about individuals or individual sports. This is about a state sponsored doping system.’”

This planet.

On which point, Great Britain’s women lead Canada’s women 5-0, with just over a minute remaining in the first period.

“Quite enjoying the Rugby 7’s, but dear me can Sir Clive Woodward sound even just a little bit excited?” tweets hubert O’Hearn. “Flat as Easter pancakes.”

Few too many tries for his tastes, I shouldn’t wonder. I believe I have just committed bantz.

Nice scrap going on in the men’s boxing, welterweight division - Donnelly of Ireland v Kedache of Algeria. Donnelly has taken both rounds so far, one judge giving him the second 10-8. Kedache needs something huge to progress now.

Just about to start are the first heats of the men’s singles canoe slalom. Involved in that is Kazuki Yazawa, the Buddhist priest - you can read his fascinating story here.

Updated

“The IPC will send every Russian sample from Sochi for further re-examination.”

Handball latest: Germany, first in the world, lead Sweden, fifth in the world, by 18-15 at half-time.

Strong stuff from yerman: “I believe the Russian government has catastrophically failed its athletes. The medals over morals attitude disgusts me”.

USA now lead Senegal 31-7 in the women’s basketball.

More from Craven: “The facts really do hurt. They are an unprecedented attack on every clean athlete.”

IPC president, Sir Philip Craven: “It is our responsibility to ensure fair competition. That is vital to the integrity and credibility of Paralympic sport.”

See? It’s not that hard.

BREAKING: RUSSIA BANNED FROM PARALYMPICS

As revealed by Owen Gibson yesterday.

In the women’s basketball, USA are 20-5 up on Senegal. I think they might sneak this one.

Owen Gibson is at the Rio Media Centre to hear whether Russia are going to be banned from the Paralympics. We’ll report the news as we get it.

Women’s hockey latest: India 2-2 Japan, after Japan took a two-goal lead. India are sixth favourites.

New Zealand have beaten France in the women’s rugby sevens, 26-7. During this, they showed vulnerability, which tells you just how ridiculously good they are.

Tennis latest: Dustin Brown of Germany won the first set against Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil, 6-4. It’s 4-4 in the second set.

As for what’s coming next, you can check that here, and the current medal table leaderboard here.

In the team competition, China lead Belgium, 175.279 to 167.838.

So, in the women’s all-around artistic gymnastics, Yan Wang of China leads the way, with 57.599; Chunson Shang, also of China, is second on 56.532 and Nina Derwael of Belgium is third on 56.532.

Talking of which, you can follow a wheel-by-wheel blog of what promises to be an absolute thriller, here.

Cyclists in the women’s road race are signing in on the beachfront at Copacabana - biggest cheers for the US and Canada. Belgium refused to play ball over Greg van Avermaet’s win yesterday.

“How high is your morale now?”

“Yes. It’s good.”

“Have you seen his gold medal?”

“No. We saw it on television.”

No sign of Team GB yet. The wind has droppped a tiny bit but it’s still blowy and the sun is now scalding its way through the clouds. Not the easiest conditions on a tough old course.”

In the women’s rugby sevens, we’re enjoying a battle to decide who wins pool B. Currently, New Zealand lead France 19-7, and what a team they look.

“I’ve been lucky enough to spend time in all of these,” emails Pamela Taylor: “San Francisco, Sydney, Hong Kong, Cape Town. But Rio tops them all!”

In the men’s welter boxing, Reda Benbaziz of Algeria has just handed Mahmoud Abdelal of Morocco a real going-over, repeatedly tagging him and knocking him down. Oddly, though, the round was scored a 10-9.

At Edgbaston, England are rolling - Pakistan are 125-6, and you can follow that here.

“Watching the volleyball on the website and the TV,” emails Nigel Goddard. “I have just noticed that at the end of every point a short burst of random pop music is played, thankfully quieted when play restarts. Is there any reason for this? Who wants it? Why not just let the sport stand on its own, including relative quiet between points? Is this happening at every venue and every sport? Thankfully there is no music during play. This was not so in the World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge last year in the Copper Box, when I was nearly ready to scream every time Coldplay’s “Clocks” struck up when play started. Surely elite sport, and there can be no sport more elite than the Olympics (or Paralympics), does not need a soundtrack of trashy popular music. What do other people think? Am I on my own?”

I’m certain that you’re not. Oddly, they’re into this in the Bundesliga, where you’d think a quick refusal to mention the word “football” would have things sorted quicksmart.

“A little lie in on a Sunday morning then with the women’s road race beginning later than that awesome effort yesterday. I’ll be heading out on the bike up to Grumari to watch the girls roll up. I overtook the whole of Team Germany last week at the bottom of the sharp hill… oh yes. A proud moment for an amateur cyclist. The fact that they were stopped at the bottom because they didn’t know whether to go right or left is neither here nor there. It isn’t always the fastest rider who wins a bike race. Also unimportant is the fact that they passed me at the top of the climb, and then rolled casually past a couple of minutes later on the flat and were soon out of sight. I kept up with them going downhill at least.

We’ll be looking out for Team Thailand today as well. Here they are at the men’s race yesterday holding our Olympic baby, whose name is already famous in the cycling world.. .*whistles innocently*.”

Mazal tov!

baby

Remember that handball game from earlier? Well...

“Qatar’s controversial ‘league of nations’ handball team have beaten the far higher ranked Croatia 30-23 in their opening match. In perhaps the most obvious example of the tiny Gulf state with hugely ambitious sporting plans using naturalised talent as a shortcut, it began importing players from around the world before the hosting the 2015 world handball championships in Doha. That side finished second amid controversy about the refereeing and fans improbably imported from Spain. The same side are competing in Rio, including a former world champion with France in Bertrand Roine, Bosnian-Serb goalkeeper Danijel Saric and Montenegro’s sharp shooter Zarko Markovic. Only three of the side were born in Qatar. If they do well it will only intensify wider debates in sport about the rules around importing athletes who have previously competed for other nations.”

Zhang wins the gold for China!

She shoots 9.5, Batsarashkina shoots 9.7, and it’s not enough. Still, Batsarashkina is 19-years-old. But how many cans of Kestrel can she drink without being sick?

Zhang does better in the next round - and she’s nearly there!

Batsarashkina shoots a 10.5, and when Korakaki repsonds with 9.9, it’s not enough. So, Korakaki takes the bronze, and Zhang returns to contest the gold.

So, our shooting medalists are Zhang, Korakaki of Greece, and Batsarashkina of Russia. They are currently in that order, and Zhang handles the pressure beautifully! A score of 10.9 might just be enough to secure gold.

Tennis will resume in 15 minutes - Dustin Brown leads Thomaz Bellucci 5-3

Zhang of China leads the women’s shooting final by a point.

Email from Jon Watts: “Not sure if you are still interested in crowd sizes, but just drove past Sambodromo archery venue, which looked to be considerably less than half-full. A friend, who is in a local archery club, says he won’t attend because it is too hot. The sambodromo (usually used at night) is a concrete cauldron during the day.”

Obviously.

In the gymnastics a little while ago, Oksana Chusovitina has taken the acclaim of the crowd after a fine vault. She’s in her seventh Olympics at the age of 41, representing her third country - this time, it’s Uzbekistan.

It really is exceptionally windy, not here in Rio. Too windy even for tennis, I think.

Result, judo men’s 66kg: Kilian Le Blouch of France has beaten Colin Oates of Great Britain in the equivalent of a 0-0 draw. Neither player could muster an attacking point, and Oates lost after conceding a penalty. One for the purists.

Colin Oates and Kilian le Blouch compete. Le Blouch goes through.
Colin Oates and Kilian le Blouch compete. Le Blouch goes through. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

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Hi again!

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Daniel Harris will now resume all Olympic live blog duties after scoffing down his lunch.

More on the postponement of Sunday’s rowing, due to “high winds”:

This has been a Games full of widespread allegations. And with that in mind, Kenya’s team at the Rio Olympics is promising it “will deal” with one of its athletics officials if allegations are proven that he offered to protect cheating athletes from drug testing. Team Kenya have said Michael Rotich could be on “the next available flight” of out Rio de Janeiro “if the allegations are true that he was actually asking for (a) bribe so that he can inform athlete(s) when the officers from anti-doping are coming.”

More painful news now. Yesterday, we saw France’s Samir Ait Said break his leg while performing the vault. Today, Irish artistic gymnast Kieran Behan carried on to complete his final floor exercise despite a suspected dislocated knee. “He came back to the athletes’ village with physiotherapist Aidan Woods and has been assessed by the medics and is being treated,” say Team Ireland.

So, Ben Fisher will be taking over for next half an hour or so. The rowing is the big news in Rio, but there’s plenty else going on in shooting, equestrian and volleyball.

“Two hours before his fiance Lizzie Armitstead is due to start the women’s road race at Fort Copacabana, Irish cyclist Philip Deignan has posted a loved-up picture of the couple on Instagram. “Can’t wait to call this women my wife very proud of how she has coped over the last week,” Deignan wrote, above the monochrome shot of the couple gazing into each other’s eyes. Last week the Irishman went on the attack after Armitstead was called ‘shameful’ by her French rival, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, making allegations on Twitter - in a hastily deleted post - about Ferrand-Prevot’s personal life.”

Result: Brazil beat Ukraine in the women’s beach volley, 21-14, 21-16.

Fencing result: James-Andew Davis, winner of Britain’s first ever European fencing gold, is through to the individual foil round of 16. He beat Mohamed Ferjani of Tunisia 15-7.

James-Andrew Davis beats Mohamed Ayoub Ferjani in the Men’s Foil Individual to go through.
James-Andrew Davis beats Mohamed Ayoub Ferjani in the Men’s Foil Individual to go through. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

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Apparently, the crowd have yet to be informed of the cancelled rowing. I’m not surprised.

In the gymnastics, China are leading the way in subdivision 1.

Handball latest: Croatia, 12 in the world, lead Qatar, 70 in the world, 18-9. We played handball in our playground at primary school, as football wasn’t allowed at morning or afternoon break. We also played football with a stone, until someone got hit between the eyes.

On the plus side, we are a mere 35 minutes away from our first final of the day: the 10m air pistol final (women).

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All rowing cancelled for the day.

Eff eff ess. Does the cosmos not know that it’s the Olympics?

In the Trap women’s qualification, Mariya Dmitriyenko of Khazakhstan currently leads. She’s 350 ahead.

Brazil have taken that first set, 21-14.

Elsewhere: Moeen Ali has had first innings centurion Azhar Ali caught at gully. Pakistan are 80-2, and you can follow what could well be a thrilling final day, here.

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Brazil are easing to take the first set off Russia. They are very, very good, and Larisa has just served three consecutive aces.

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Result, women’s archery: Italy 6-0 Brazil. “Roberto Baggio says hello.”

“The French gymnast, Samir Ait Said, who broke his leg in that stomach churning Incident yesterday, has sent this video from the hospital where he is recuperating - complete with a Tricolor cast on his leg.”

The Derek Redmond de nos jours.

BREAKING NEWS: Serbia has advised its athletes competing at the Rio Olympics to withdraw from any medal award ceremonies if they have to share the podium with athletes from breakaway Kosovo.

Serbia has never recognised Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from it.

Speaking on the state TV website, Serbian Sports Minister Vanja Udovicic said that the issue is “complex” and the final decision is up to the athletes themselves, while the government has issued only a recommendation.

Kosovo was officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee in 2014 and has sent eight athletes to Rio, some of whom competed for Albania at the 2012 London Olympics.

Serbia’s government does not want to undermine its athletes, says Udovicic, but “we cannot listen to the anthem and watch their flag.”

What a world.

In the women’s beach volley, the favourites are ready to get going - Brazil, who take on Russia over the best of three sets.

Result, women’s 10m air pistol qualification: eight have made it through to the final, with Vitalina Batsarashkina and Ekaterina Korshunova or Russia finishing at 1 and 2, with Anna Korakaki of greece finishing third. The final of that is at 11am.

Result, women’s team archery: Japan 6-2 Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Guru Singh tweets his top five cities:

  1. Barcelona
  2. Berlin
  3. Budapest
  4. New York
  5. Vancouver

I seem to recall an OBO debate about the overratedness of Barcelona...

More from yerman: “Cheers in the press room as the electricity generator, which had gone down, comes on. Suddenly we have lights, power, and air-conditioning again. But still now rowing. Just popped outside and winds seem as strong as they were earlier.”

He also says that one of the Kiwi boats sunk in training this morning.

Redgrave reckons this is hopeful - it takes half an hour for a crew to warm up, so no chance we’ll get going before 11.

“More delays in the rowing, which will not get started until 10.30am at the earliest although some wise hands are predicting we won’t get underway until at least early afternoon. Meanwhile FISA president Jean-Chistophe Rolland has told those rowers who complained that about yesterday’s conditions to put up or shut up. “We look at three important factors,” he said. “Safety, fairness and ‘rowability’. We determined that the athletes were not in danger out on the course, the conditions were considered to be the same across the six lanes, and it was rowable, meaning boats were not sinking. It is definitely not pleasant to row in these conditions, but the weather is not predicted to get better over the next four days, so it would not have made it better to postpone racing. We will continue to use these three factors to determine how racing will continue. These tough conditions will test the skill of the athletes.”

Rowers warming up for today’s event.
Rowers warming up for today’s event. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

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So, the women are warming up for the gymnastics, the first of five subdivisions. Each team puts four of their five competitors into each apparatus, and the top 8 in each of qualify for the final. But only two women per nation can advance, regardless of where they finish. And the top 24 of those who compete on every apparatus will progress to the all-around final, on Thursday. Got it?

Japan are now 3-2 up in the archery - they need just one set to win, and if they do, will face the mighty South Korea.

More priming: “The extraordinary Simone Biles, the best athlete in America today” - here’s Bryan Armen Graham.

“If you’ve got a life when you’re preparing for the Olympics then you’re not doing it right.” So says Denise Lewis, who, remember, did what she did pre-lottery funding.

She should try liveblogging the Olympics.

In the second game, Ukraine have taken a 2-0 lead against Japan.

In the women’s archery team quarter-final, Mexico walloped Georgia 6-0. On the plus side, that gives the Georgians a lot of time to enjoy perhaps the world’s best city. My personal, non-political top five:

  1. Rio
  2. Cape Town
  3. Tel Aviv
  4. Accra
  5. New York

Feel free to correct me.

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“There were six cushions last night,” tweets @MonkeyOfTheMoon. “Confusing to say the least.”

I’ve probably miscounted.

Interested in boning up on the USA women’s gymnastic team? You should be, and this is a great digest of their particular wondrousnesses.

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News elsewhere: Paul Pogba is going to sign for Manchester United. Read about it here.

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The BBC have cushions on their couch - they do, really - but get this: of them, there are five, and each is in a colour of an Olympic ring! How do they think of these things? Amazing! Not a detail missed!

This is great - beautiful, even! Adam Peatty’s nan, Mavis Williams, has “taken to Twitter”. Her bio is better than yours - “Proud Nan to a World Champion Breaststroker” - and told BBC 5 live that she is “really, really proud, so I could burst”.

“I am watching at home. Last night I was on my own and I still screamed for him but my neighbour didn’t mind.
“Since I have been going to watch Adam it’s given me a new life, a different life, that I never dreamt that I would have and I have loved every minute of it. I can’t wait for tonight.
“I am really nervous but really excited too, not just for me but Adam - he has got a lot of pressure.
“He has achieved so much these last few years. It is a tremendous achievement, what he has got, and all the family are very proud of him. But it’s nerve-wracking for me.”

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Right! sport!

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning are on BBC radio explaining that as people, they are opposites. They have a really lovely rapport - as you might expect to expect, before you remember Redgrave and Holmes.

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So, what is your first Olympic memory? Mine is LA in 1984 - Carl Lewis, Evelyn Ashford, Valerie Brisco-Hooks - and the women’s 3,000m. I am still reminded of the fact that, aged 5, I was at a dinner table in a Lelant hotel, the adults were conversing about whatever - don’t be cheeky - at which point, I interjected knowingly, “It was the end of Mary Decker’s dream.”

A full schedule of our “activities” today can be found here.

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Email! “The women’s Rugby Sevens heats up today, advises BC Cvav,”and GB have a good chance at securing a shot at the medals. Canada v GB at half four (BST) should be absolutely incredible and well worth checking out.”

Consider out collective cards marked.

“Good morning from the Lagoa Stadium, where the winds are even stronger than forecast and the river looks treacherous. So it comes as no surprise that today’s racing, which was due to start at 8.30am, has been pushed back until 9.30am, because the wind has caused some technical problems with the buoy system. Assuming we get going, today’s highlights the Serbian pair whose boat capsized yesterday their repechage (10.30am); Britain’s women’s pair of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, who are unbeaten since 2012 in their heat, (10.50am), and Britain’s men’s four, who are also big favourites for gold (1.20pm).”

Aside from the Brits, the Dutch team are expected to be strong, though Marianne Vos, the defending champions, is coming back from injury. USA are also strong, and Italy too, or, put another way, the race will be an absolute jazzer.

Armitstead will need to stay in touch, they reckon, until the final climb, which is where she’ll come into her own.

The men who competed yesterday struggled with the wind and cobbles - it’s thought that it might lead the women to revise their tactics. They, though, will only descend the cobbles once - as they’re coming down to the finish! Limbs AOTS.

BBC Radio are playing an interview with a tearful Lizzie Armitstead, who realises she’s on a hiding to nothing. If she loses, she loses, and if she wins, she’s the one who missed tests. She also feels bad for the team-mates who had to answer unnecessary questions.

And one thing’s for sure: if she does win, she is even more mentally tougher than your usual cyclist.

Aw! But a wise decision, I guess - let’s find out who the best is in the most sensible conditions.

All times are for Rio - some highlights for the next bit:

9.45 - Women’s gymnastics qualification begins.

10.10 - Heats of the women’s coxless pairs, featuring Heather Stanning and Helen Glover, reigning Olympic champions and unbeaten since

11.00 - Final of the women’s 10m air pistol

12.00 - US v Senegal women’s basketball

12.15 - Women’s road race, featuring Lizzie Armitstead

12.15 - Serena Williams v Daria Gavrilova

12.30 - Canada v Great Britain, women’s rugby sevens.

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So, let’s have a look at what we’ve got for our delectation in this next session of ridiculous quantities of elite sport...

Afternoon all, and here we go. I wish I owned 17 sets of eyes.

That’s enough from me – now over to Daniel Harris for what should be a superb afternoon’s Actual Sport. It all begins shortly. Take it away ...

Paul Tailor writes with his take on exactly what the Olympics mean:

“Most of the world work years, decades, even lifetimes without any acknowledgment, just to accomplish something that they hope can be seen as good—support a family, support a cause. These athletes are the same--ordinary people, living down the street, who work their butts off for decades, all the while others telling them whenever they speak of aspirations of glory that they are merely tilting at windmills. It’s the ‘Common Man’ Games, no?”

In just a couple of hours’ time, we’ll get our first Olympic glimpse of the remarkable Simone Biles (I embedded a bit of footage two or three hours ago, if you’re so inclined). So give this a read, by Bryan Armen Graham, on exactly why she is the best athlete in America today.

Anyone with even a passing interest in gymnastics has known about Simone Biles for years. Although she’s yet to compete in an Olympics – she was born three months short of the age cutoff for London 2012 – the 19-year-old has already been widely hailed as the most talented gymnast in history. Last year Biles became the first woman ever to capture a third straight world all-around championship, finishing an eye-popping 1.083 points ahead of her team-mate and reigning Olympic champion Gabby Douglas. She’s won 14 overall medals at worlds, including 10 golds, and is the first woman since 1974 to win four consecutive all-around titles at US nationals. It’s been three years since she entered an all-around competition and didn’t walk away the winner.

The hockey was good yesterday, wasn’t it? Fun, anyway – if you’re Australian you might not have appreciated the 2-1 defeat to Great Britain in the women’s event. Another Antipodean nation, New Zealand, faces the British men at 9pm Rio time later – both sides need to get something after defeats on Saturday. Also in the men’s event, Australia face Spain and Ireland, who narrowly lost to India yesterday, face a Netherlands side that was surprisingly pegged back by Argentina.

Interesting comment down below about the spectacle of weightlifting at the Olympics:

User avatar for oommph

As I said earlier, I went in London and it was absolutely brilliant. It's highly engaging. Each gets two minutes and so they strut on give it a go, and you cheer if they make it and groan sympathetically if they don't.

The audience, most of us who'd never seen it before, was literally bouncing in its seats and punching the air by the end (you can see it on Youtube) and the winner got a 10 minute standing ovation when he got his medal.

A little over an hour, now, until we can watch some sport. Are you hungering for it? Thirsting for it? Should you need something in the meantime – while keeping this blog open, ‘cos I’m watching you – we have MBMs of England v Pakistan in the cricket and QPR v Leeds in the Championship on the go. With the Community Shield on later too, it’s quite the day of sport.

Did your barber know everything? Are you a barber who knows everything? My barber used to keep things safe and agree wholeheartedly with any statement put to him, however contradictory.

While there’s no sport going on, you could do worse than keep on prepping for what’s to come. So what about this Donald McRae interview with Adam Peaty, he of last night’s world record and tonight’s gold attempt in the pool? It’s a fascinating article and Peaty confirms what we already were aware of – that barbers know everything.

Peaty laughs at the mysterious powers of barbers and hairdressers who so often double up as sympathetic amateur psychiatrists or agony aunts and uncles. “It’s always the way,” he says. “Your barber always knows everything that goes on in the town, doesn’t he?”

So what tormented secrets did Peaty confide to his barber four months before the start of his first Olympic Games? “I kind of told him I was doubting myself that day. That’s the way my mentality works. Before competition I start to question things. I don’t know why it happens but you’ve got to control it so you don’t get too far out of the race. I wasn’t too bad but it was a bit of a mental dip that day. My barber sorted me out right there and then. He said: ‘You’ve got nothing to worry about it. It’s simple. You’re world champion, aren’t you?’”

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Affluence and effluence go hand in hand at the Olympics, says our own Simon Burnton. Read his excellent piece here:

There’s Olympic football on later, by the way, if you’re pining for a stop-gap before the Premier League season. You’ll need to be a bit of a diehard though. Neymar and Brazil face Iraq at 10pm Rio time, really needing a result after contriving to draw 0-0 with a 10-man South Africa. Fortunately, Brazil are known to handle the pressure of a home football tournament consummately.

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A reminder, should you be joining us after your lie-in/Sunday chores/brunch/other, that today’s action begins in earnest at about 8.30am Rio time, 12.30pm UK.

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An Olympic first that you might have missed overnight: Vietnam’s 10m air pistol shooter Xuan Vinh Hoang won his country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal yesterday. By day he is a military officer; the rest of the time, he’s officially the best in his discipline. “Making this gold medal is a life memory, never forget this,” he said. Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing our correspondent below was on about?

This is a good sentiment, isn’t it? The news has, for obvious reasons, rarely been too positive but there will be moments of delight for us all to find:

User avatar for BobvonWeisenheimer

There is just something about the Olympic Games. Something that still have a whiff of romance and the ideal of friendly competition left. It's faint but it's there. Watch the best archers, field hockey players, pellet gun virtuosos, and many other athletes competing in sports normally forgotten between Games, and get inspired by their dedication and commitment.
Enjoy the many athletes who treasure just making it to the games, giving their all, despite knowing their chances of making it out of the first rounds are slim to none. Enjoy the guy or gal setting a personal best in lane 8.
Relax and forget the cynicism for a couple of week.

Very much visible to everyone is another view on the Aussies’ early fortunes, sent by Rebecca G:

“I just hope there’s no more bad luck for the Aussie’s in the cycling between Gerrans not making it to Rio through injury and Porte yesterday. To put all that work in and not even get the chance to finish, I wouldn’t even wish it on the British ;) ”

Miss any of yesterday’s action? Here’s our own handy video wrap (warning, only available to UK viewers):

Rio 2016 Olympics, day one: What you might have missed

Apropos of, well, his gold medal yesterday – here’s Russian judoka Beslan Mudranov grappling with another specialist in the art:

Here’s an Aussie who feels optimistic about their sporting prospects. I know, right? Jack Lawson says:

“Australia always tend to start strong and then fade after swimming because of their pool prowess. That is why everyone was so disappointed with only the one gold in 2012. This year we should do a lot better. I mean, we’ve already doubled our swimming gold medal tally from the last Olympics in one day!”

Away from UK-based TV thoughts for the moment, anyone from Australia still out there? Was yesterday the start of something special or simply a nice early flourish? Interested in your take.

A view, and a correction I should have made myself, from Mike Sanderson:

“I don’t have a problem with the live BBC coverage but they are greatly missing a one stop hour long show with analysis etc. The problem is I think there might be too much choice in what highlights are available I just don’t really know where to look for it.

“And of course the time differences means that the break between morning and afternoon/evening sessions falls in UK prime time in the most part leaving them broadcasting a mix of live and highlights.

“Also that guy is wrong about it being shown on Eurosport next time. BBC have secured rights for plenty of games to come.”

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Comment from below the line by “bdb2003” in relation to Max Pendleton’s thoughts (below) on missing drugs tests:

“I think Nicole Cooke said it best. You’d already be completely stressed out after a first miss and would be extremely vigilant not to let it happen a second time, let alone a third time. In top sports it’s all about the details, it seems difficult to imagine that something like this could happen.”

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Sinuous curves and anthem gaffes – it’s our Rio diary:

Rio 2016 day one – in pictures! Some delightful stuff to feast the eyes on here:

Sam Charlton shares Ian Childs’ view on that telly issue:

“I did watch the seven minute montage and had those exact thoughts myself. Especially after iPlayering the entire opening ceremony safe in the knowledge I could skip the boring bits. Remember, this is the last time it will be on free-to-air TV, with Eurosport getting the next rights. I’m sure today will see better coverage from the BBC. Especially how we will see more Team GB medal hopes throughout today.”

“Connect me to Rio Games,” demands Dickson Ng. It’s here, Dickson. Raw, vibrant, visceral and, as soon as it all gets going again, live!

Ian Childs is our first emailer of today, asking what we think of the BBC’s “catch-up” coverage, which I agree is pretty important here in the UK given that so much of the action takes place in the small hours. He points out that there seems to be a choice of whistle-stop seven-minute set of montages/clips, or a four-hour highlights package beginning around now, and asks whether and hour-long “Today in Rio” kind of thing would be more appropriate. Any thoughts on what’s on telly so far? Is Ian missing something? Am I?

Would you like a handy link to today’s full schedule to go with your Olympic breakfast? Gobble it up here:

Gymnastics analysis “BTL”. We welcome knowledgeable comment like this:

User avatar for ameliaposte

Can't wait for Women's gymnastics qualifying today.

Good luck to Team GB and I'm also hoping the Dutch and Russian teams do well. Mustafina is an excellent competitor and still has injury problems so I hope the whole thing (her swansong) will be a positive experience.

With the Dutch gymnasts, I'm not sure they have the difficulty to sneak into team finals without a major upset but I'm hoping to see the Wevers twins and Thorsdottir make a couple of finals.

It seems redundant to wish Team USA luck so I won't but I do hope Simone Biles can seal the deal on AA gold. She's been the gymnast of the quad. Also one of the Chinese gymnasts Shang Chunsong is well worth watching but I'm crossing my fingers for her because I think China start on beam and she's had a fair few falls from it over the last few years depsite being excellent at it.

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Oh, this is very nice – an interactive of how Australia broke their own record in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Lap it up:

We are, as ever, open for emails and tweets. Observe, scold, praise, dissect, inform, engage in badinage ... all at the addresses above.

Lots of excited chatter about the Olympic debut of Simone Biles (around 9.45am Rio time), and quite rightly. You might or might not watch gymnastics religiously, but one of the Olympics’ biggest joys is seeing people performing at the very, very top of their discipline. Biles is a phenomenon and you’ll know her name pretty well in a few hours’ time if you don’t already. Here’s a great example of what she can do:

Have to send best wishes to the French gymnast Samir Ait Said, by the way. He was competing in the men’s vault yesterday and sustained what seems to have been a badly broken leg. No way for your Games to end, and hopefully he’ll make a full recovery at the top level.

Victoria Pendleton’s dad Max is on the telly over here, talking about the constraints imposed on cyclists by the rules on drug testing. He says it’s all too tight, the windows too narrow, and that unless somebody is supporting the rider constantly then mistakes could well happen. “If not turning up at the right time costs you your future it’s a big stretch,” he says. Do we agree? Obviously, we’re looking ahead to Lizze Armitstead’s big moment later.

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If you’re just waking up in Europe, here’s a handy look at the first day’s medal table. It looks very nice for Australia – and, indeed, Hungary:

Worth adding to your to-watch list today that there’s some good tennis on later. Serena Williams plays Australia’s Daria Gavrilova at 12.15pm, Andy Murray is up against Victor Troicki at 1.45pm, and we’ll also see Novak Djokovic v Juan Martin del Potro at 4.45pm. Murray will be back at 5pm with his brother Jamie for the men’s doubles. Looks like a cracking day’s action, that.

Actually, look – we ran an article about Yazawa here. It’s a good tale:

Among today’s more notable competitors will be Kazuki Yazawa, who competes in the men’s K-1 canoeing. Yazawa is a novice Buddhist priest who, back home, undertakes religious duties from dawn until around 3pm each day before hitting the river. He finished ninth at London 2012, but hadn’t chosen his new path at that stage. In 2013, though, he entered the priesthood – and won the Japanese national championships in 2015. Keep an eye out for him from around 1.28pm, Rio time.

Good morning/afternoon from London! We go again after yesterday’s fun. A fortnight more of this, eh? After you’ve digested my colleagues’ comprehensive briefing below, here’s a rundown of all today’s medal events. Remember – all times are in Rio time:

Archery 5.07pm Women’s team event; Cycling 12.15pm Women’s road race; Diving 4pm Women’s synchro 3m springboard; Fencing 5.45pm Men’s foil individual; Judo 4.40pm Women’s 52kg; Judo 5.20pm Men’s 66kg; Shooting 11am Women’s 10m air pistol; Shooting 3.45pm Women’s trap; Swimming 10.03pm Women’s 100m butterfly; Swimming 10.53pm Men’s 100m breaststroke; Swimming 11.01pm Women’s 400m freestyle; Swimming 11.52pm Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay; Weightlifting 3.30pm Women’s 53kg; Weightlifting 7pm Men’s 56kg

What are your hopes and dreams for today?

Day 2 briefing

After what seemed like an eternal buildup to these Games, culminating in the pomp and pageantry of the opening ceremony, the time for sporting action to finally take centre stage in Rio arrived. That’s what the Olympics is about, after all.

Yet despite the first medals beings won – three of which (two gold and one bronze) made a resurgent Australia the tentative leader on the medal table – this is Rio 2016, and the day did not, could not, pass without its fair share of drama to vie with the beaming smiles and hunks of precious metal on display on the winners’ podium.

The big picture

While 271 Russian athletes have been cleared to compete, not so their Paralympic counterparts, with the International Paralympic Committee set to ban the entire Russian team from taking part.

In an exclusive, Owen Gibson reports that a provisional decision has already been made:

The International Paralympic Committee is set to do what its Olympic counterpart did not and ban Russia outright from its Games later this month, the Observer has learned.

In the wake of the publication of Professor Richard McLaren’s report that revealed jaw-dropping details of systemic doping in Russia, the IPC provisionally suspended Russia from the Paralympics.

Trouble elsewhere threatened to overshadow the first full day’s action with a stray bullet fired into a media tent at the equestrian venue and a controlled explosion conducted near the finish line of the road cycling. There was also anger at the long queues outside venues, some of which were eerily empty.

The bullet
The bullet that passed through the wall of the media centre at the Olympic Equestrian Centre. No one was injured. Photograph: Rob Carr/Getty Images

But even these blots on the Rio copybook failed to overshadow a general mood, which finally appeared to shift from scandal to celebration, as Jonathan Watts reported:

It has been a long time coming, but the Olympic feelgood factor has finally arrived in Rio de Janeiro despite a sore test by lengthy queues and security scares. After a year of doom and gloom – in which the build-up was plagued with financial calamity, political upheaval, collapsing infrastructure, rising crime, and the Zika epidemic – the mood in the host city appeared to have been transformed overnight by Friday’s successful opening ceremony and the start – finally – of the sport on Saturday morning.

Sure, some venues were elusive as logistics proved cumbersome, perhaps a rowing scull here or there might have sunk, but hey, peaks without troughs makes for some anodyne action, no?

But as if the Refugee Olympic Team hadn’t already won our collective hearts, another touching moment in the pool confirmed the overall sentiment. The flaws have been well detailed, but the heart of these Games is beyond questioning.

You should also know:

Picture of the day

The view from the stands
The view from the stands at the beach volleyball competition on Copacabana beach. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian

Diary

All times are local: add four hours for UK, add 13 hours for eastern Australia; subtract one hour for east-coast US and four for west coast. Or let this website help you.

  • More medals are up for grabs in the pool today. Russian Yulia Efimova, having been cleared to compete despite doping offences, races in the women’s 100m breaststroke while Sun Yang of China – who has his own murky doping past – goes in the men’s 200m free. Team GB’s James Guy will look to upstage him and claim another “win for the good guys”. Australia will look to build on day one’s success with Emily Seebohm a medal contender in the women’s 100m backstroke, while Mitch Larkin goes in the men’s event.
  • In cycling, the women’s road race gets under way at 12:15pm, with Britain’s Lizzie Armitstead likely to attract plenty of attention.
  • If you like your sports well-suited to Bond films, look no further than the fencing competition and today’s men’s individual foil event, starting at 9am, while the women’s trap shooting concludes with the gold medal match at 3:45pm.
  • We will get a first look at the incredible Simone Biles, America’s best athlete, in the artistic gymnastic competition.
  • Three of the world’s top four-ranked teams in action in the men’s basketball competition – Spain (against Croatia), Lithuania (hosts Brazil) and Argentina (Nigeria), all at Carioca Arena 1 from 2:15pm.
  • Brazil will look to make amends for their disappointing goalless draw with South Africa when they meet Iraq – kick-off 10pm – in the men’s football tournament. Portugal, Germany and Argentina are among the other teams in action.
  • More hockey, with world numbers two and three, Netherlands (12:30pm v Spain) and Germany (1:30pm v China) both playing in the women’s competition. In the men’s later in the day, Great Britain take on New Zealand (5pm) and world No1 Australia play Spain at 8:30pm.
  • And the rugby sevens competition is getting into the swing of things; by the end of day 2 we’ll know the identities of the women’s semi-finalists. Great Britain face a tough assignment against Canada (12:30pm) while favourites Australia play the US at 1:30pm to wrap up the group stage.

You can find the full event schedule for day one here.

Team GB roundup

No medals to show for thus far, but some definite high points.

Adam Peaty threw down an impressive opening gauntlet, breaking his own world record in the heats of the 100m breaststroke, meaning an 18-year wait for men’s gold in the pool could soon be over. But both Hannah Miley and Max Litchfield later missed out on bronze in their events.

William Fox-Pitt took pole position in the dressage, just 10 months after emerging from a coma, as Team GB chase a fifth consecutive eventing team gold at the equestrian.

Kyle Edmund and Heather Watson started with wins at the tennis, but there was no joy for Chris Froome or Geraint Thomas in the cycling road race, as Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet won a crash-marred finish.

Heather Watson
Heather Watson toiled in beating world No264 Peng Shuai in three sets. Photograph: Charles Krupa/AP

There was better news – and no British injuries – in gymnastics as Max Whitlock and Louis Smith limbered up for a potential gold medal showdown on the men’s pommel, with the team performing strongly as well.

Team USA roundup

Teenager Virginia Thrasher won the first gold medal of the Games, holding her nerve to clinch the women’s 10‑metre air-rifle event, while the men’s archery team grabbed a first silver.

In the pool, Chase Kalisz did as the name suggests and hunted down (most of) his rivals, claiming silver in the 400m individual medley, while Madeline Dirado equalled her compatriot in the women’s equivalent. Team USA had a troika of silvers in the end as the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team also finished second.

The hotly-anticipated men’s basketball team took to the court for the first time and brushed past China in trademark, inimitable fashion, while Carli Lloyd’s goal saw the women’s football team notch two from two, edging key group rivals France 1-0 – at the same time more Zika chants were aimed at goalkeeper Hope Solo.

Hope Solo
Hope Solo is still pay for a tweet that pictured her in a mosquito head net and holding a jumbo-sized bottle of insect repellent. Photograph: Pedro Vilela/Getty Images

Australia team roundup

An unlikely first medal of the Games came in the men’s team archery as Taylor Worth, Ryan Tyack and Alec Potts upset China in the bronze medal playoff, but there were no surprises as it was gold, gold, gold (OK, just two) in the pool.

Mack Horton held off a fast-finishing Sun Yang to edge the 400m freestyle in “a win for the good guys”, before the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, anchored but the indomitable Campbell sisters, Cate and Bronte, flew home at world record pace.

But it was a horror day for cyclist Richie Porte who crashed out of the men’s road racing, and will withdraw from the time trial event having broken his scapula.

The Boomers (Australians love giving their national teams nicknames) made an impressive tournament debut, beating medal contenders France comfortably with Andrew Bogut in imposing form, with the Opals also recording an impressive first up win over Brazil.

Andrew Bogut
Andrew Bogut showed he was back to fitness in Australia’s win over France. Photograph: Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images

A late goal ruined the Matildas’ (told you) hopes of upsetting world No2 Germany, with the teams settling for a share of the points after a 2-2 draw.

Underdog of the day

Confirming the maxim that big things come in small packages, Thailand’s Sopita Tanasan won just her country’s eighth Olympic gold medal, flexing her muscles and blowing away the field in the women’s 48kg weightlifting.

Tweet of the day

If today were a song

It would be Roots Manuva’s Witness the Fitness. A no-brainer really, but with the tracksuits coming off, the world has witnessed the incredible specimens that make up the Olympic Games. From the sinuous stamina of the cycling road race, the raw power of the rowers, to the incredible agility of the gymnasts and the brute strength of the weightlifters. Time to move on from the Tongan flag bearer.

And another thing

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