In case you hadn’t heard, Great Britain has its first double medallist of the Games and it’s Welsh swimmer Jazz Carlin, who finished behind Katie Ledecky in the 800m freestyle to take silver.
If you want more on Joseph Schooling, err, schooling Michael Phelps, Andy Bull has got you covered here:
More reasons to avoid horses here, and I guess also proof that equestrian is a far more badass sporting endeavour than we give it credit for, via Reuters:
A British groom was injured as the medal ceremony for Friday’s Olympic dressage team competition was about to start in Deodoro. Robbie Sanderson works for the gold medal-winning German team, and he was leading team member Sonke Rothenberger’s horse into the arena when it reared up and struck out, catching Sanderson in the forehead.
Sanderson was knocked to the ground, before being helped out of the arena. “Cosmo (Rothenberger’s horse) jumped up a bit and swooshed his front right leg and swiped him on the forehead,” Rothenberger said. “Robbie seems fine and he is on his way to the hospital to get checked up. Thank God it looked worse than it hopefully was.”
Fencing results! Get your fencing results! Really I just wanted to type the words “men’s foil team bronze medal match” in a sentence and now I have. In it the USA has beaten Italy 45-31 to claim third place. In the gold medal match Russia has beaten France 45-41.
Some brief boxing news in the men’s middleweight final 16: Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan has beaten Australian Daniel Lewis.
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If you missed our update earlier, one of the juiciest items of news to emerge from the pool overnight was that reigning 1500m champion and chief Mack Horton sparring partner Sun Yang bombed out in the heats of that event and will not feature in the final. Word is he was ill, though he’ll be happy enough with a gold and a silver medal out of these Games.
Here’s a little more on Rafa Nadal and Marc Lopez’s gold medal win in the men’s tennis doubles earlier.
Those empty stands: perhaps the broadcasters are doing a good job of hiding it, but the 60,000-seat Olympic stadium that wasn’t half full on the opening day of track and field. Venue staff outnumbered spectators in some sections. It seems local fans have ignored Usain Bolt’s hostage-style plea to buy tickets.
Five days until the start of T&F - get your tickets Rio2016_es @Rio2016_en @Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/xON6sdGuOF
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) August 7, 2016
Joseph Schooling has now joined Katie Ledecky in the hallowed halls of athletes who had their photo taken with Michael Phelps as gawky children and ended up Olympic heroes themselves. It’s a growing photographic genre.
Four #OlympicGames later...the fans grow up, win #Gold, and @MichaelPhelps is still here going strong 💪 🏊 pic.twitter.com/deQwkuZq3J
— Rio 2016 (@Rio2016_en) August 13, 2016
Some Kiwi news now, which was rather lost in all the celebrations of Michelle Carter’s shot put win for the USA. New Zealand’s 31-year-old champ Valerie Adams claimed silver after looking likely to become the first woman to win three successive Olympic golds in the one individual event. It wasn’t to be. “It is bittersweet but at the end of the day... it’s sport,” Adams told Reuters. “You have to take the good with the bad. I’m going to enjoy this moment.”
Tennis update: A gold medal now for Rafa Nadal (and Marc Lopez) in the men’s doubles! The Spanish pair has downed Romania’s Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau to clinch their country’s third gold medal of the Games. The Spanish pair took it out 6-2 3-6 6-4. In the other match, American duo Steve Johnson and Jack Sock beat Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil 6-2 6-4 to claim the bronze medal. Nadal, remember, is still alive in the singles draw too. He’ll face Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-final.
Team GB’s defending Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford has scraped through to the final of his event, finishing tenth out of 12 qualifiers having faced a disastrous exit. The world record-holder made two foul jumps before managing 7.90m on his last attempt. “I know 7.90 metres is not good but it was just a matter of making (the) finals,” Rutherford said afterwards. “Going into the final round I definitely wasn’t as stressed as my family were at home.”
If you want the whole gory (or Gorry?) tale on that nail-biting Brazil-Australia quarter-final, we’ve got you covered here.
He has said this before, but Michael Phelps appears absolutely certain on his decision to retire after the Rio Games. This via Reuters:
No means no. No amount of cajoling, arm-twisting and pleading by his team mates and swimming fans around the world will make Michel Phelps change his mind about retiring after the Rio Olympics. The great American swimmer made that abundantly clear on Friday after winning the 27th Olympic medal of his career, a three-way dead-heat silver in the men’s 100 metres butterfly
“No,” he said as the question was still leaving the journalist’s lips, a succession further ‘no’s following in close succession. “Done. (South African co-silver medallist) Chad (Le Clos) asked me in the award area and the Dwyers were chanting ‘four more years’.”
“They did the same thing in London. The 800 free relay guys said four more years ... No. I am NOT going four more years. And I’m standing by that,” Phelps insisted. “I’ve been able to do everything I’ve ever put my mind to in this sport. And 24 years in the sport. I’m happy with how things finished.”
One more women’s football update: with that result we have our semi-finalists. Brazil will take on Sweden, with the winner to take on either Canada or Germany, who meet in the other semi.
The Australians will be shattered with this result either way but particularly so that the Brazilian keeper Barbara was off her line for almost every one of those penalties, including the decider.
Look how far off her line the Brazilian keeper was for that save. Are the refs asleep? It's happened every attempt! pic.twitter.com/UzN1VUeXXu
— Alistair Hogg (@alistairjhogg) August 13, 2016
Brazil win! The Matildas are heartbroken as Barabara dives successfully to her left to save Alanna Kennedy’s seventh spot kick with a one-handed save. Australia are out and Brazil are through to the semi final! What a finish. The local crowd is going berserk.
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Both teams miss! Oh my word, Lydia Williams looked like being the hero when she saved Marta’s rocket but Barbara steps up to save the next! Katrina Gorry had the chance to ice the game but it’s been saved!
Women’s football penalty shoot-out: both teams nail their first shot, with Alves going wild after hers for Brazil, perhaps in an attempt to psyche out Williams. The Australian goes a fingertip from stopping the next but soon it’s all square after three shots each when Emily van Egmond sends Barbara the wrong way. Anyone have any fingernails left?
Australia’s Lydia Williams is among the best goalkeepers in the world and Matildas coach Gary van Egmond is not shy in reminding her of this fact as he revs her up for the shoot-out. An Indigenous Australian, Williams has been inspired in her feats in this game by the legacy of Cathy Freeman’s famous win in the 400m at Sydney.
We’re going to penalties in the women’s football! Marta went perilously close to scoring for Brazil with a close-range shop but Williams did a power of work between the uprights and kept it out, along with one final corner. This is going down to the wire. Penalty time!
Call me crazy, but there’s probably a decent Venn diagram overlap between fans of Ryan Lochte and fans of Matthew McConaughey. If you fit that bill, here’s an absolute treat for you.
Me and Mathew McConagauhey chillin in the Warm down pool area! #mathewmcconaughey #olympic… https://t.co/9geNw9uVPS pic.twitter.com/gnhppskjW3
— Ryan Lochte (@RyanLochte) August 13, 2016
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Women’s football: it’s end-to-end stuff as this game enters the final five minutes of extra time and there’s a scorching run for Michelle Heyman, who is tackled before she can get a shot off and in the aftermath Caitlin Foord misses a golden opportunity with a raking right footed shot across the goal mouth. Shortly after Thaisa goes off for Brazil and Andressa comes on. The latter scored in Brazil’s 3-0 win over China and she’d be a hero if she repeated the feat here. There’s three minutes of extra time remaining.
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Another thing about Anthony Ervin that wasn’t mentioned before: one of the things he did in all that downtime between Sydney and now, would you believe, was to sell his 2000 gold medal on eBay. It commanded $17,000. But why? So he could donate the funds to Unicef’s tsunami relief fund, of course.
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Women’s football: Ooh, there’s a chance here for Brazil just on 107 mins after an Australian handball just outside the box, but Andressa Alves curls her left-footed shot well over the top and the Matildas breathe a sigh of relief.
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Still 0-0 in the football as the first half of extra time ends: Moments before the whistle Larissa Crummer came on for Sam Kerr to provide some fresh legs for Australia. She’s the leading scorer from last season’s W-League, which is the top flight of Australian club football. We could be headed for penalties. The prize up for grabs: a semi-final against Sweden, who downed the top-ranked Americans.
Elsewhere at the pool: Australia’s Campbell sisters are trying to overcome their disappointment of yesterday in the 50m freestyle heats and they’ve done it well enough. Cate swam 24:32 to qualify second and Bronte was fifth in 24:43. That’s going to be a scorcher of a final. But the news was not as bright for Belinda Hocking, who finished fifth in the 200m backstroke final.
Back at the football, Marta has had a shot on goal for Brqazil and Williams didn’t handle it well with the gloves but Australia live to fight another day. We’re 102 mins deep in this one now.
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More women’s football: Hello all, Russell Jackson here taking over from Mr Lutz. I have the pleasure of taking you through extra time in this Brazil-Australia football clash, which is getting very, very nervy. Sam Kerr had half an opening for the Aussies but there’s been chances at the other end too as players are run ragged.
Women’s football: Full-time: Australia 0-0 Brazil. Lydia Williams keeps Australia in the game with a stunning save, right at the death! The Matildas keeper somehow manages to get a big hand to a goalbound effort in time added on. There’s just time for an appalling challenge by Andressa Alves (that is punished by a yellow card) and for Kennedy to knee a dangerous cross inches wide of her own goal, before the full-time whistle goes. And we’re heading into two periods of 15-minute extra-time.
USA’s Simone Manuel, GB’s Fran Halsall and Australia’s Cate Campbell are all into the 50m freestyle final tomorrow. Denmark’s Pernille Blume qualified fastest.
Women’s football: Is that the moment? Australia’s Logarzo strikes the bar with a stunning effort that swerves all over the show in the air to leave Brazil keeper Barbara beaten all ends up. It comes after Michelle Heyman had a penalty appeal turned down, and then Marta hooned off down to the other end of the pitch on a, well, Marta-esque dribble, but couldn’t find the finishing touch. Still no breakthrough.
Women’s football: We’re approaching squeaky-bum time in Belo Horizonte, and tired legs are beginning to show in the number of yellow cards being showed. Alana Kennedy is the latest to go into the referee’s book, for a lungeing, mis-timed challenge by the goalline, just outside the box. Brazil are threatening with just 10 minutes remaining. Still 0-0.
Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, the defending women’s 100m champion, is easily through in her 100m heat. She wins in the fastest time so far this evening.
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Reuters have a little something on China’s first ever track cycling gold:
When China’s Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi won the women’s team sprint to secure their country’s first ever track cycling gold it was hard to see their faces under bright red helmets.
But the beaming smile across the French coach’s face was clear for all to see.
“It was a sport orgasm. It’s the best feeling in my sport life,” Benoit Vetu, who has coached the Chinese sprint team since 2013, told Reuters after the race.
The Chinese broke the world record in qualifying and were too strong for Russians Anastasia Voinova and Daria Shmeleva in the final on the brand new Rio track.
As the heptathletes take a breath or two after their exertions it’s worth noting that the world number one, Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton is struggling back in sixth place overall, 186 points behind Ennis Hill. She was expected to do much better and, let’s be honest, it would have been quite pleasing if she and Johnson-Thompson could have made it into the top three with Ennis-Hill, thus completing double-barrelled threesome.
And a little more on Michelle Carter’s win in the shot put:
Michelle Carter of the United States upset favorite Valerie Adams in women’s shot put with a throw of 20.63 meters. Adams had been trying to win the event for the third straight Olympics.
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A bit more on Ervin’s gold from the Associated Press:
Sixteen years after winning his first individual gold medal at the Olympics, Anthony Ervin picked up his second with a furious dash from one end of the pool to the other.
Completing a remarkable journey in the blink of an eye, the oldest member of the U.S. swimming team touched first in the 50-meter freestyle, edging the defending Olympic champion, Florent Manaudou of France, by a mere hundredth of a second.
Another American, Nathan Adrian, took the bronze.
The 35-year-old Ervin won his first gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, tying teammate Gary Hall Jr. for the top spot. Then, Ervin walked away from swimming, skipping the next two Olympics while he embarked on a journey to find his purpose in life.
Turns out, it was swimming all along. He returned to make the American team in 2012, but failed to win a medal in London. Now, improbably, he’s back on the top of the podium again.
Michelle Carter wins gold for USA in the shot put
Say hello to @ShotDiva, the #Rio2016 shot put #GOLD medalist! pic.twitter.com/n2N5dCmthj
— U.S. Olympic Team (@TeamUSA) August 13, 2016
More on the men’s long jump. The drama around Greg Rutherford’s near-failure to qualify for tomorrow’s final obscured a strong performance from China’s Jianan Wang who was the best qualifier with a jump of 8.24m. The USA’s Jeff Henderson was in second with 8.20m. Rutherford won it with 8.31m at London 2012 by the way.
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Heptathlon: So Ennis-Hill is well-placed to repeat her famous gold medal triumph of four years ago but she will be pushed hard, I’ve no doubt, by the Belgian Nafi Thiam who is 72 points behind in second place. Akela Jones of Barbados is in third and Katarina Johnson-Thompson will start Saturday in fourth place.... 100 points behind Ennis-Hill.
Anthony Ervin wins the 50m free at the age of 35!
These are all big dudes. It’s a surprise they float. Ervin of the US wins! He flexes his muscles in victory. He’s 35! Eat that Michael Phelps - maybe you can go to 2020. Ervin has won this event before ... in 2000. Manaudou of France is second, USA’s Nathan Adrian is third.
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Now for the men’s final of the 50m freestyle. This is as quick and dirty as you can get while still immersed in water.
Women’s football: Just before the whistle goes at the end of the first half, Debinha goes mighty close to breaking the deadlock. Her shot, though flies over the bar, and the host nation and Australia head into the dressing rooms at 0-0. Plenty still to play for in the second half, then.
Women’s heptathlon – the British contenders Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jessica Ennis-Hill have just posted a one-two finish in the fourth heat of the 200m. KJT, as she is inevitably known, ran 23.27 seconds which takes her up to fourth from sixth place. But Ennis-Hill shows her staying power by running 23.49 and moves up to first place in the standings at the end of day one. Strong stuff from the British pair.
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From the slow, langour of the 800m free we have the smash, dash and crash of the 50m.
Men’s long jump - there was nearly a huge upset in the qualifying after Team GB’s reigning Olympic champion Greg Rutherford fouled on his first two jumps. He managed to step behind the line on the third attempt, making 7.90m, and it was enough to see him through to tomorrow’s final.
Katie Ledecky breaks her world record in the 800m free final
Ledecky is so far ahead none of the other swimmers are in the same frame on the TV. She will win gold and break her own world record. Jazz Carlin of GB is second. A distant second.
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Rafa Nadal wins gold in the men's doubles
He is still in the singles too ..
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500m of the 800m free gone and Ledecky is well ahead of her world record - and far, far, far (repeat) ahead of the rest of the swimmers. She is actually accelerating.
Katie Ledecky has started her inevitable race to the gold in the 800m free. She has actually already swum across the Atlantic already before the rest of the field finished their first 50m.
Women’s football: Bad news for the Matildas with 19 minutes on the clock as one of their star players, Steph Catley, is forced off with an injury. Chloe Logarzo comes on and she very nearly makes an immediate impact as Kyah Simon’s cross-shot only just escapes her desperate lunge with the goal gaping in front of her.
Women’s football: A quarter of an hour gone in Belo Horizonte, and no break through as yet, although Australia’s Steph Catley has just gone close with a cross that at one point looked like it was going to loop in at the back stick. Moments later, Brazil enjoy their best moment of the game as Lydia Williams is forced into a making a sharp save to deny an effort from distance. This one is hotting up now.
Cseh, Le Clos and Phelps all share silver in that race. Schooling came at the king and he didn’t miss. Phelps is interviewed after the race. “It’s OK, I’m going to race tomorrow.” Phelps is asked what he wants his son Boomer to learn from his father “I dunno ... shit happens. Oops I’m on live TV.”
Michael Phelps finishes second in 100m butterfly
Plucky underdog Michael Phelps is now up in the men’s 100m butterfly final, an event which he was won more times that you have had hot dinners provided you don’t like sushi. At halfway, Phelps isn’t even in the top three. Joseph Schooling is way ahead. Phelps finsihes ... second? Did we know he could come second? Is that in the rules? I’m pretty sure that’s not in the rules. A great swim from Schooling though, who wins his country’s first ever swimming medal.
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Men’s hockey: As expected, no hiccups for the Kookaburras in the second half and they run out 9-0 winners against hosts Brazil. As convincing as you can get really. Australia secure their passage to the quarter-finals, where they will now play Netherlands.
Women’s football: And we’re under way in today’s fourth quarter-final between Brazil and Australia at what looks like a packed Mineirão stadium in Belo Horizonte. Over 50,000 are there apparently, and judging by early noise,it’s a partisan crowd that the Matildas will have to deal with.
USA's Madeline Dirado wins an upset gold in the 200m backstroke
And first up in the pool tonight we have the 200m women’s backstroke. Katinka Hosszú is likely to clinch this - if she does it will be her fourth individual gold of the Games. And the Hungarian leads after 100, with USA’s Madeline Dirado second and Canada’s Hilary Caldwell third. Hosszu wins ... no she doesn’t! Dirado wins. The American stormed back to win by 0.06sec.
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Meanwhile, in North Korean news:
Heptathlon update
In the women’s heptathlon, the reigning Olympic champion, Great Britain’s Jessica Ennis-Hill, is second after the completion of the shot put. Not one of her strongest events, she threw 13.86m to earn 785 points (her personal best is 14.67m). She trails the Belgian athlete Nafi Thiam who has gone into first place in the standings after a huge throw of 14.91m.
Things haven’t gone so well for the other British contender, Katarina Johnson-Thompson who was leading after setting a new British record of 1.98m in the high jump has fallen to sixth after a poor bit of shot puttery.
They go again in the 200m in about 20 minutes.
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Kirani James, the reigning Olympic 400m champion (roars from the crowd) is running in his heat next. Top three qualify automatically. James comes through in the final 100m, he has a chance to look at the stragglers as he crosses the finish line. He records the fastest time so far. Show off.
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Men’s hockey: A quick-fire hat-trick (and by “quick-fire, we mean inside six minutes and 53 seconds) by Glenn Turner has put Australia in what you could call a commanding position at half-time in their pool A match against Brazil. The Kookaburras lead 6-0 at the break, and barring an utter disaster now, they’ll line up in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
LaShawn Merritt has strolled through his 400m heat. Well, not strolled. He ran. Really fast. The 2008 gold medallist looked very comfortable there.
USA squeeze past Serbia in basketball
Here’s what happened with USA’s men’s basketball against Serbia.
So, welcome to a session that will involve Michael Phelps winning (possibly) his final ever individual Olympic gold, Katie Ledecky winning (probably) not her final one and a shot-put gold being awarded to (I think) Valerie Adams of New Zealand. This is the bit where you tell me she’s injured.
Heptahtlon update: Jessica Ennis-Hill is currently second with 3027 points. She trails Nafissatou Thiam who has 3107 points. Right that’s me done! I leave you with the nicest man in Guardian US - Tom Lutz.
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400m - Heat 3: Wayne Van Niekirk from South Africa wins it. Luguelin Santos from the Dominican Republic and Javon Francis from Jamaica also qualify.
400 meters - Heat 2: Bralon Taplin from Grenada wins it, walking by the end of it. Brenes from Costa Rica and Sibanda from Botswana also qualify.
Right now to Athletics: Men’s 400m: Gil Roberts goes through after qualifying. Michael Cedenio from Trinidad and Tobago wins it. In the Heptathlon: Jess Ennis-Hill from Team GB has a 13.44m effort in shot put. The second is 13.34m. Her final is 13.86m. That’s 785 points.
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Men’s Basketball: USA win but JUST. Serbia had a good look to tie it up but no good. What an end. USA need to do a lot more to show they’re gold medal champs.
Men’s Basketball: We have a game here. 5.2 seconds left and Serbia has possession. The crowd are roaring for Serbia. 94-91 USA
Men’s Basketball: 1:18 to go and USA lead 94-91. Teodosic has been amazing. Wow - three point game.
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Women’s Soccer: And Canada have done it! They win 1-0 and reach the semi-finals. They will play the winner of Germany and China.
Come on, people. Get it together!
I don't want to be negative, but this is really quite embarrassing. Less than 15% full I reckon. pic.twitter.com/aECIToMEjc
— Andrew Steele (@AndrewSteele) August 12, 2016
Men’s Basketball: USA with 81-73 lead with 6:47 left in the game. Serbia just won’t go away as America’s defense looks awful. Serbia score and now it’s 81-75.
Women’s Soccer: Just under nine minutes left and Canada maintain the 1-0 lead. A nasty collision in the midfield halts the play for a moment. Play resumes and France with a quick counter looking for that goal. Canada holding on.
It’s been a horrible Olympics for Venus Williams, with early exits in the singles and women’s doubles. But she’s staying alive (stay-stay-stayin’ alive!) in the mixed doubles. She is playing with Rajeev Ram and they’ve won the first set of their quarter-final against the Italian team of Roberta Vinci and Fabio Fognini, 6-3.
Men’s Basketball: The third quarter ends and there’s a slightly larger lead as USA lead 72-62. It hasn’t really been impressive, however, as they really don’t look like a cohesive unit.
The complete opposite from the US women’s team.
NBA stars looking like a collection of stars rather than a team. Very talented ugly ball.
— Michael Powell (@powellnyt) August 12, 2016
Here’s Barry Glendenning on Great Britain’s Men’s Team Pursuit:
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Australian swimming fans who’ve just woken up will be interested to read of one of the key developments in the pool, where Chinese star Sun Yang failed to qualify for the final of the 1500m freestyle as his Australian arch-rival Mack Horton cruised through. The pair of them have battled away like Daniel Larusso and Johnny Lawrence so far in Rio, not just between the lanes.
Australia’s 400m gold medalist was drawn in the same heat as Yang and swam a controlled race to finish second in 14:48.47, but Yang bombed out in a time of 15:01.97, a situation that didn’t bother Horton. “It doesn’t really matter whether he is there or not to be honest, I’m just doing my own thing,” he said. Horton’s friend (yes, he does actually likesome opponents) and reigning world champion Gregorio Paltrineri of Italy qualified fastest for the final in a time of 14:44.51.
Men’s Basketball: Two minutes left in the third and the US lead is eight points as DeAndre Jordan with a powerful finish from a breakaway run. USA 65-57 Serbia.
Men’s Basketball: Serbia keep fighting. The lead is a mere five points by USA and the crowd are clearly cheering on the eastern Europeans as they boo Carmelo Anthony as he takes some free-throws.
Well, just as I say that Canada score a beautiful goal. Shows how much I know. Sophie Schmidt with a fantastic volley from a right winged cross.
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Women’s soccer: It’s still 0-0 and this looks like a match where a lot of effort and grit might not be enough. There is a clear need for clinical finishing.
In Men Team’s Foil: Russia wins gold and France takes silver. Track and Field is about to get started and there are some great events to look forward to including reigning Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the first round of the Women’s 100m. For me, it’s all about Michelle Carter. USA’s shot putter will be looking for a medal tonight. Her dad, Michael Carter, played in the NFL and also has a silver medal in the same event from 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Men’s Basketball: It’s also the end of the first half between USA and Serbia and boy oh boy do I owe Serbia an apology. They have stayed with Durant and co and finish the second quarter trailing only by nine points. USA lead 50-41. Kyrie Irving with 11 points, Paul George with four rebounds. 50-41 as they go in.
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Half-time between Canada and France and it’s 0-0 but it was nearly a goal for the French in the last seconds of stoppage time as header from a corner goes agonizingly wide.
Tennis: The US have won bronze in the men’s doubles. Jack Sock and Steve Johnson beat the Canadian pair of Daniel Nestor and Vasek Popisil in straight sets. Elsewhere, Andy Murray won’t win two medals at this Games (if he wins any). He and Heather Watson lost their mixed doubles match to India’s Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna.
Women’s Soccer: France and Canada remain scoreless. There’s an injury as for Canada as Allysha Chapman falls awkwardly after contesting a ball in the air. Later tonight Marta’s Brazil plays for a spot in the semis against Australia.
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Men’s Basketball: Marc Stein from ESPN makes a good point about Teodosic,
“Think Mike Krzyzewski has mentioned Teodosic almost every day in Rio and the Yanks are showing him TONS of respect. Traps, aggression, etc.”
Serbia are only down by 11 with six left in the second.
Boxing: India’s Vikas Krishan beats Turkey’s Onder Sipal and makes through Men’s Middleweight (75kg) quarterfinals.
Back to soccer: Canada and France remain 0-0. It’s been a tight one. France seem to be on the upper hand but as we saw earlier that means little.
Basketball: Man, USA are going to make this one ugly. I think Australia upset them and it’s no more Mr Nice Guy. They lead 27-11 with 1:17 to go in the first.
Women’s Basketball is also happening. Spain are beating Senegal by more than 34 points right now - that’s a first 34 pt lead for them at the Olympics. There’s your stat of the day.
Basketball: Team USA have started strong. Paul George, who replaced Klay Thompson in the line-up against Australia has 5 pts and the US lead 14-2 halfway through the first quarter.
In Women’s Soccer, Canada and France have just kicked off for a place in the semi-finals. The Canadians are undefeated heading into this one, and will look to keep the momentum going as we have the rematch from the bronze medal match from four years ago in London.
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Hello everyone and welcome. USA men’s basketball has just started against Serbia and later tonight the start of athletics! Here’s Tom Lutz on some tennis:
“USA’s chance of retaining the women’s tennis singles gold has gone, as Madison Keys looked to follow up Serena’s win at the 2012 Olympics. Keys went down to the world No2 Angelique Kerber in straight sets. The US’s Steve Johnson and Jack Sock are leading 5-2 in the first set of the men’s doubles bronze match though.”
That. Was. Spectacular. There’ll be full reaction very, very soon. And it’s actually my cue to leave you. Thanks for your company and here, to steer you through the next set of skirmishes, is Luis Miguel Echegaray.
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Great Britain win gold in the men's team pursuit!
What a race! What a nailbiter! They took it right at the last lap, in a world record time of 3:50.265. It’s their third gold in a row! Three golds for Clancy, but what about Wiggins! Eight Olympic medals – five of them golds – and he is now the most decorated British athlete of all time! There are hardly any words for this guy.
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Great Britain are reeling them in, 0.1 behind now, and they have the momentum for the closing stages...there’s a gap in the Australian three that could ruin them...
At halfway it’s Australia by nearly 0.7sec...
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Bit of a wobble from Clancy and Australia are 0.6sec ahead ... now we approach the business end and the Australians look very strong indeed.
Clancy, Burke, Doull and Wiggins are in situ for GB. They are the favourites but Australia should run them very close. Sixteen laps to go ... and they’re off!
If you’re wondering why the team pursuiters are hitting faster times in the velodrome tonight than they did in yesterday’s qualifiers, here are a few hypotheses:
1. Tonight the teams are competing against each other rather than simply riding their own race one at a time. That brings an advantage for the faster team in the pairing, because they can benefit from what British Cycling (BC) refer to as “circulating air mass”. In other words, slipstream. The faster team can get into their rivals’ slipstream, even if they are still some way from lapping them. The boffins at BC reckon the advantage can be worth 20-30watts. That’s what they call a marginal gain.
2. Someone might have shut the velodrome doors. It certainly feels hotter in here tonight. Dame Sarah Storey reportedly reckons she narrowly failed at breaking the women’s hour record because someone opened the doors in the velodrome in London.
3. They’re trying a bit harder.
And the Danes take bronze! Now for the even bigger one...
Denmark and New Zealand have just set off in the men’s team pursuit bronze medal race...
Andy Murray is playing tennis again. He and Heather Watson are up against India’s Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles quarter-finals – but they have lost the first set 6-4.
Great Britain v Australia in the men’s team pursuit final will take place in approximately nine minutes...
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Whatever happens in the mixed, Andy Murray’s going to be a one tired player this weekend. He came through another three-setter in the singles after nearly blowing a whirlwind (and it was windy) start - but he’s in the semi-finals, and just two wins away from repeating his gold run of four years ago.
However, he will at least have the comfort of playing an opponent just as knackered in the semi-finals. Kei Nishikori, 4-0 down in the tiebreak, saved two match points and was gifted another with a Monfils double-fault before closing it out with a backhand winner down the line. Monfils, who has been more consistent this season than for a long time, looked resigned; Nishikori was mightily relieved, and probably exhausted after nearly three hours chasing down the Frenchman’s exquisite groundstrokes.
That’s full-time. Great Britain need to hope that Belgium defeat New Zealand in order to make it into the top four. It hangs by a thread...
Desperate stuff now from Great Britain in the hockey. Two minutes to find the winner they probably need and it’s just not happening. But – there is a chance a point could yet be enough...
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If you’re British, you’re probably hanging around for the cycling. If you’re not, you may well be too. It’s coming up in about 10 minutes – can Bradley Wiggins win medal number eight? – and for a fuller commentary on that you can hang out with Simon Burnton.
Should have mentioned that there is some women’s volleyball going on. Puerto Rico have had a rather successful day tennis-wise today but they’re two sets down to the Netherlands in a different net-surmounting sport.
Great Britain have 13 minutes left to find a winner in the men’s hockey against Spain and keep their hopes alive, for the time being at least. They’re pressing hard, but nothing has dropped since Ward’s equaliser. Still 1-1.
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US women (well, Serena) have dominated Olympic tennis in recent years but with the Williams sisters out it’s fallen on Madison Keys to take up the challenge for America. She struggling in her semi-final though, she’s a set down to the Australian Open champion, Germany’s Angelique Kerber.
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Bronze for USA in the men’s team foil fencing, in the meantime. They celebrate to a soundtrack of Coldplay. They beat Italy 45-31. The final, in about 25 minutes’ time, will be contested by France and Russia.
Here, by the way, is Sean Ingle’s take on the heptathlon from earlier:
Rafael Nadal will face Juan Martin del Potro in his tennis semi-final, after the latter beat Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 7-6.
Great Britain's Nick Dempsey wins windsurfing silver!
There is still one day to go, but the results are in! Dempsey, who won bronze in 2004 and silver in 2012, has wrapped up his third consecutive medal already and the Netherlands’ Dorian van Rijsselberghe takes gold. Three silvers for Team GB in the last couple of hours.
Germany are into the women’s football semi-finals. They held on to beat China ... but only just! China hit the post from the penalty spot with five minutes to play.
Another reader photo for you. And where are you watching the Games? Tell us. Or, even better, show us.
House of Holland in Monte Libano Club in Lagoa (II)
House of Holland in Monte Libano Club in Lagoa during the 2016 Games in Rio (II)
France's Teddy Riner wins gold in the mens' +100kg judo!
The favourite wins back-to-back golds; he beats Hisayoshi Harasawa, of Japan, in fairly regulation fashion and underlines his global supremacy. He has also been world champion eight times.
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The next women’s football quarter-final is into its last 10 minutes ... and Germany have scored against China, putting them 1-0 up.
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I’ll give you the top lines from tonight’s cycling, of course, but for the blow-by-blow stuff you really ought to join Simon Burnton, who’s tapping away next to me as we speak, over here.
Strange scenes at the weightlifting, where a Finnish lifter (with an especially fine peroxide blond mullet) named Milko Tokola completed a 175kg clean-and-jerk, went beserk, and then fainted clean away and fell off the stage. Everyone there was aghast. But he was none too worried. As he explained when he came around: “It happens sometimes, but that was the first time for a while, I have a problem where sometimes when I give 120 per cent I pass out. It’s when I put my body through too much in that moment. Doctors have investigated and they think maybe it’s to do with blood levels in the brain when I lift heavyweights.”
He finished ninth, but still, it makes you wonder whether this is really the sport for him. Perhaps he should take up something less stressful, like dominoes. Footage here, for those who want it.
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Israel’s Or Sasson is, meanwhile, in tears of joy after taking the second bronze – for there are two – in the men’s +10k judo.
Sir Bradley Wiggins becomes the most decorated Olympian in British history by guaranteeing himself at least a silver after the British men’s pursuit team pulverise New Zealand to earn a place in the gold medal match against New Zealand. There’s rapturous applause from the huge British contingent in the velodrome. They set a new world record of 3min 50.570sec in the process, way faster than the Australians. ,
Ahhhh, it’s a world record in the cycling from Team GB in the first round of the team pursuit! Bradley Wiggins and company go round in 3:50.570; it was scintillating and you even got the impression they had a bit more in the tank. Surely they are hot, hot favourites to come through in the final.
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Gold for South Korea in the men’s individual archery
Ku Bon-chan is yer man here, winning his second gold of Rio 2016. Silver to France’s Jean-Charles Valladont and a bronze for USA’s Brady Ellison.
Sam Ward has equalised for Great Britain in the hockey – his third goal of the tournament. It’s back on, is it? I actually interviewed Ward, once a car salesman and an all-round lovely lad, last year.
The US have beaten Canada by a comfortable margin, 81-51 as they continue their stroll towards an almost inevitable gold medal in the women’s basketball. There’s a good argument for the team being the most nailed-on gold medal at the Games.
Brazilian joy in the men’s +100kg judo, meanwhile – the crowd go wild and chant “ole!” as Rafael Silva takes bronze!
Gold for North Korea’s Rim Jong Sim in the women’s -75kg weightlifting
She won the -69kg in London, and now she’s just gone 6kg heavier. Silver went to the Belarusian Darya Naumava and bronze to Spain’s Lidia Valentin Perez.
Rafa through - but has to overcome a lousy start, a fired-up Thomaz Bellucci (who only got of the first round when Dustin Brown did his ankle, but has played well since), and a Brazilian crowd who could not quite believe what they were seeing for an hour or so. So, the Spaniard is still on track to meet Murray in the final.
Hard to say who’s in better form, as they both have had serious dips in among some terrific tennis. Murray in the first set yesterday against Fognini and again in the first set against Johnson today was irresistible. Curiously, each time he went missing for an hour or so, before saving the show at the end. He’s happy to be through, mind - and finds it odd that, having reached the semi-finals, he gets two cracks at a medal. With him on that one.
Ah ... Spain have taken the lead against Great Britain in the hockey, and GB have an even bigger problem now.
France's Emilie Andeol wins the women's +78kg judo gold!
I only caught bits of it but Andeol seemed to deserve it. Ortiz takes silver; Andeol is in tears and the majority of her entourage seem to be close to that state, too!
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Great Britain’s men are in hockey action against Spain now – goalless early on – and may have to win if they are to have any chance whatsoever of furthering their interest in the competition.
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Great Britain’s Jason Kenny has set an Olympic record in the men’s sprint qualifying, going in 9.551 and beating the record team-mate Callum Skinner had just set! What a run that was, and if that’s set the tone for tonight in the velodrome then ... well ...
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Nadal has beaten Bellucci in the tennis quarter-finals and survived his scare. He took the final set 6-2 and marches on ... with the doubles final to come later, too.
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Hope Solo loses it after US lose football quarter-final
Hope Solo, who has always been ... eccentric, has had her say on the US’s early exit to Sweden. After delaying the penalty shoot-out to change her gloves – a questionable act of sports(wo)manship - she then laid into the Swedes.
“I thought we played a courageous game. I thought we had many opportunities on goal. I think we showed a lot of heart. We came back from a goal down, I’m very proud of this team. And I also think we played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today, I strongly, firmly believe that.”
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A bronze medal has been won in the women’s +78kg judo – Japan’s Kanae Yamabe takes it. Gold will go to France’s Emilie Andeol or Cuba’s Idalys Ortiz.
Having won his first Olympic gold medal in the men’s team sprint last night, Scottish Callum Skinner has followed up by setting a new Olympic record of 9.703 for his flying lap in qualifying for the individual event. Follow that, Jason.
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Dressage – Gold for Germany, silver for Team GB, bronze for USA
This one finished up during all that trampolining excitement ... but Team GB have another silver after Spencer Wilton, Fiona Bigwood, Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin finished second to world champions Germany in the team dressage. It means no repeat of their gold from London, but is a great showing nonetheless. The USA quartet fended off the Netherlands to finish third.
Don’t believe Kevin Mitchell’s tale about a triple Scottish encounter earlier? Here’s your proof....
Do you like videos? If you do, and you’re UK-based, here’s one detailing the British athlete’s superb heptathlon efforts from earlier:
In tennis, Rafael Nadal will later contest the men’s doubles final for Spain (against Romania, but right now he has another battle on his hands – he’s on court in the singles against local hope Thomaz Bellucci, and they are into a final set.
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Not every day you bump into three Scots in Rio. Not every day they are walking around in the same shirt. But here they were, smiling into the afternoon sun: Richard Hounslow, Andy Murray and David Florence, pals, countrymen and proud members of the Great Britain Olympic team, after Muzza’s tortuous three-setter to get past a devastated American Steve Johnson and into the semi-finals. Hounslow and Florence (just pippled by Tim Peake for a seat on the recent space shuttle, as it happens) are down to earth guys who spend most of their time together in a canoe – to good effect on Thursday when they won a silver medal. Happy days.
Well, I go away and miss all the fun. Tell a lie, I caught the end of it – and it was really some watch, wasn’t it? Yet again, great to see a sport you might not normally see on TV produce such brilliant drama.
It’s time to hand back to Nick now … who will guide you through the next three and a bit hours.
Rosie MacLennan wins the women’s trampoline final, GB’s Bryony Page gets silver
MacLennan celebrates wildly, bouncing almost as high on the floor as she was on the trampoline (ok, a slight exaggeration …). Page is beaming and Dan, despite earning bronze, looks disappointed. She evidently feels her routine deserved a better score.
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It’s clean but Piatrenia, a 34-year-old verteran, is not overjoyed. She only scores 54.650 and that only gives her fifth!
Dan looks happy and is celebrating immediately after her routine finishes. Page’s smile is not as wide as it looked five minutes ago. But, but, but … the world champion’s routine earns her 55.885 and she looks disgusted, scowling at the screen. It’s only enough for third with one more to go. It also means Page is guaranteed at least bronze and she breaks into tears. MacLennan leads before Piatrenia, the best in qualifying takes to the trampoline.
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Rosie MacLennan, the reigning champion, steps up and goes into first place with a spellbinding routine. She scores 56.465. There are two more to go … including the world champion Li Dan up next. This is going to be tight.
Great Britain’s future medal hope, 18-year-old Amber Hill fell just short of a shootoff in the skeet shooting. She missed three targets in her final 16 shots causing her to finish one behind the bronze medal shootoff. The completion took place in one of the Olympics more interesting venues,in what appears to be a transformed military base in the middle of nowhere. It is surrounded on all sides by rolling hills and is a pastoral area located in the western part of Rio. Out here you feel more as if you are in the mountains than in the middle of a huge city. Hill was optimistic about her performance, saying “sometimes you have to pinch yourself” to be at the Olympics at such a young age. “I think a lot of good things are in the future for me,” she said.
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It is surprisingly close in the women’s basketball as USA take on their northern rivals Canada: the score is 33-22 at halftime. Considering the US tend to win games by 30+ points without breaking sweat the Canadians are doing well.
He Wenna of China – the gold medallist in Beijing and long-time queen of the canvas – splits Driscoll and Page with a score of 55.570. The camera cuts to Page, who looks to be struggling to keep her emotions in check. There are three more to go …
Kat Driscoll comes on to the canvas and looks good in scoring 53.645, making it a Britain one-two with four to go in the opening round.
At the dressage, Charlotte Dujardin scores 83.205% to send her second in the individual standings and sending her team to the same silver place.
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If Page looked overjoyed, then the complete opposite can be said for Hanna Harchonak of Belarus. She loses balance early in her routine and falls off the trampoline. Her score is 5.7 and, naturally, Harchonak is heartbroken. That’s awful to see.
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Next up on the trampoline is Bryony Page, an Olympic final debutant after her 2012 season was tarnished by injury. She looks pleased once her routine finishes and becomes overwhelmingly emotional when she sees a score of 56.040. It’s early days, though.
If you’re looking for tonight’s cycling action, Simon Burnton has it all over here …
Luba Golovina, seventh four years ago, opens up with a dizzying routine at the trampoline, earning 51.010.
It’s a very sorry state of affairs that there is no Team GB duo in the women’s team sprint - despite Jess Varnish and Katy Marchant finishing fifth at the Track World Championships in London. Varnish’s vocal dissatisfaction with British Cycling’s coaches after that performance kicked off a chain of events that would see her accusing technical director, Shane Sutton, of sexism, and eventually her lose her place on the squad. Her former sprint partner, Victoria Pendleton, has said previously that there is sexism at the top of British Cycling, with coaches lavishing more attention on the men than the women. But in the velodrome in Rio on Friday night, head coach Iain Dyer was unrepentant. He insisted he and colleagues had done everything they could do help Varnish and Marchant qualify. “I’m naturally disappointed,” he said. “But we gave it our best shot, we fell short and had to refocus to get momentum in individual events.”
Great effort by Britain’s Tom Bosworth, who set a British record of 1hr 20.13 in finishing sixth in the men’s 20km walk. The race was won by Wang of China in 1:19:14.
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The women’s trampoline final is about to begin … and the atmosphere is bouncing. Tatsiana Piatrenia finished first in qualifying but the one to watch is Canada’s Rosie MacLennan, the 2012 champion. There are two Britons among the 10 finalists – Bryony Page and Kat Driscoll but no American or Australian representatives.
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Right back with you shortly – Alan Smith will look after you for the next 15 or so while I grab a bite...
Wang Zhen wins gold for China in the men's 20km race walk!
Wang, who took bronze in London, takes the title in some style. Countryman Cai Zelin wins silver. And there is a bronze for Australia – Dane Bird-Smith coming through superbly to finish third!
Bosworth, who competed superbly and set the pace for a long time, finishes sixth and can be really happy with his showing here.
Mark Cavendish is supposed to be the reserve for this evening’s cycling team pursuit, but has thrown his toys out of the pram and refused to come down and warm up, the Guardian understands. Cavendish, who will race the omnium on Sunday, has fallen out with the pursuit coach, Heiko Salzwedel, it seems. He has made it clear he wanted to ride team pursuit but was unable to keep up with the other guys, who effectively self-selected the squad without him. The 31-year-old Manxman really ought to have at least shown up, in case Bradley Wiggins, Steven Burke, Ed Clancy or Owain Doull fall suddenly ill and can’t race.
USA are out of the women's football competition
Sweden win on penalties, Christen Press clearing the crossbar with the Americans’ last kick and Lisa Dahlkvist converting the decider. Sweden are coached by Pia Sundhage, who coached USA to gold in London; now she’s two games from doing it all over again. The champions are out, Sweden are in the semis!
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When #GBR make the Olympic trampolining FINALS for the first time EVER!! @driscoll86 @BryonyPage1 you heroes! 🎉🎉🎉 #BringOnTheGreat #Rio2016
— Team GB (@TeamGB) August 12, 2016
Congratulations to them – we’ll let you know how they fare, as the final is imminent.
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Gold for Italy's Diana Bacosi in the women's skeet!
And silver for another Italian, Chiara Cainero. But it’s the world No5 who comes away with the biggest prize of all after bagging the last two shots unerringly.
Penalties in the women’s football! Yes, you know by now.
Speaking of Rhode, you can read about her views on gun rights here:
An hour into the race walk and Boswell is still going strong up top, with heavy Chinese competition now. He can’t ... can he?
Rhode takes bronze in the skeet – and becomes the first athlete to win an Olympic medal on five continents! And it’s her sixth consecutive medal-winning Games. What a wonderful set of achievements from the American, a real legend in her sport and the Olympics in general.
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We’re heading to penalties. The US scored on 113 minutes but it was ruled out for a foul. Then the Swedes scored a minute later but it was ruled out for an offside (looked onside to me). We’re in the 117th minute at the moment
China’s Wei Meng and USA’s Kimberly Rhode are into a shoot-off for bronze in the women’s skeet. We have an all-Italian final coming up after that.
You may have heard that Michael Phelps has won a medal or two in his time but I’m sure you’re dying to now how much they’d weigh if they were all melted into one big mass of Olympic glory. Well, the Wall Street Journal - possibly because they’re interested in money and stuff - have done the sums. And the total is 13.5lbs. Or the weight of a VERY fat baby or 13.5 one-pound bags of apples. Probably best if Phelps wears his golds one at a time.
Tom Bosworth still leads the men’s 20km at halfway which is a surprise to everyone still in the bowels of the Olympic Stadium. While we’re here, my favourite race walking anecdote - from former 10,000m world record holder Brendan Foster: “I’m often asked whether I shot the race walker Paul Nihill with an airgun while altitude training in St Moritz before Munich. I always say, I don’t remember hitting him in the arse but if I did he probably had it coming.”
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Half-time in extra-time in the women’s football. It’s still 1-1. Penalties ahoy? Fifteen minutes til we know.
No medal for Hill – it is confirmed – but I’ll bring you the winner of this one, with Italy’s Diana Bacosi in command..
@NickAmes82 Chen didn't compete in the 50 freestyle actually (heat 12). https://t.co/fOsy9UlJfS
— Bachstelze (@Bach_kun) August 12, 2016
It’s like having thousands of extra eyes and ears – keep the bulletins coming.
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Three misses for Amber Hill so far in the skeet final; she’s currently in last place, but there’s some way to go yet and a few of the favourites seem to be misfiring...
It’s Day Two in the velodrome, where Bradley Wiggins is one team pursuit medal away from becoming the most decorated British Olympian of all time. Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Owain Dowell will be assisting him in his quest, but there’s no doubt who’ll be grabbing tomorrow’s headlines if they win gold. During their training camp in Newport before the Olympics, Wiggins said that nothing but the top step of the podium will suffice, saying he wasn’t coming to Rio to go home with a silver or bronze.
In tonight’s other events, Jason Kenny goes in the opening rounds of the men’s sprint, which continues tomorrow before concluding on Sunday. The women’s team sprint also takes place tonight, but Team GB don’t have any dogs in that particular fight as they failed to qualify.
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And Murray wins in three sets! What a match that was – it just got better and better, and by the third set you really didn’t want it to end. He makes it into the last four, and really doesn’t look as if he wants to do things the easy way in Rio.
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Murray has match points – four of them – against Johnson; it’s 6-2 in the breaker...
CONFIRMED
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) August 12, 2016
Olympic doping panel: Chinese swimmer Chen Xinyi receives provisional suspension after positive test.
Chen finished fourth in the women’s 100m butterfly final, and also competes in the 50m freestyle. More depressing doping-related news and I’m sure we’ll hear more about this soon.
It’s still early days in the men’s 20km walk, but 25 minutes in Britain’s Tom Bosworth is in the lead by five seconds. Which is a somewhat of a shock given he was 100-1 beforehand. Indeed I asked him about those odds at the British Athletics’ press day on Wednesday and he reckoned it was a good bet. I hope his family are on. I’m not – the people who know about these things steered me towards the Spaniard Miguel Angel Lopez at 5-1.
Meantime, have another reader’s picture. This doesn’t make me feel remotely jealous, oh no.
Murray v Johnson will be decided by a tie-breaker. And you couldn’t call it if you tried. They have been absolutely toe to toe in the last few games.
The women’s football quarter-final has gone into extra-time. USA 1-1 Sweden, and it’s a cracking game with chances galore ... mainly, it must be said, for USA since they equalised. You know where to go:
Johnson showed no nerves. 5-5.
A decent crowd is watching the early stages of the men’s 20km walk – which I should emphasise is a street race. Bosworth is towards the head of things so far; the Chinese contingent, highly fancied, are lurking towards the back.
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Meanwhile, Johnson could almost touch victory a few minutes ago but now must serve to stay in the match against Murray. No pressure...
Chaotic stuff in the women’s football, the ball pinballing around the Sweden box as the USA absolutely batter their opponents late on. Can the Swedes hold on for extra time, with five minutes to play?
One shock in the tennis is already in – and it could well result in a first-ever Olympic gold medal for Puerto Rico. Monica Puig, the world No34, has just beaten Petra Kvitova 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in the women’s semi-finals and is now, of course, guaranteed either gold or silver! That is some achievement from Puig, and she stands on the brink of history.
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Murray has broken back – it’s now 4-4 in the third. He needed that so, so badly.
And the USA are back in business in the women’s football, too! Now 1-1, with 13 minutes to play, thanks to an opportunist finish from Alex Morgan.
The men’s 20km race walk is underway! They say that the first 16km are the cagey bit, with the last 4km where things really shake down. Let’s see.
Andy Murray is in huge trouble now. He’s been broken in the third, and is 4-3 down against serve. Johnson is on the verge of a big, big win...
On Friday, American Nico Hernandez became the first US boxer to win an Olympic medal since 2008 – but he admitted he wanted more.
The 20-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, lost in the men’s light fly to Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov, but because of rules that prevent losing semi-finalists fighting each other, Hernandez and Cuba’s Joahnys Argilagos will both take home bronze.
No American man has won a gold since Andre Ward in Athens in 2004, and Hernandez was frustrated in defeat.
“I didn’t want to go home with the bronze,” Hernandez said. “I was definitely disappointed. I fought his fight instead of my own. I let him come in and make the fight too wild, and that’s how I lost.
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There’ll be a final starting in the athletics very shortly – the men’s 20km walk. I’ll bring you updates from that once it’s underway; the list of competitors includes Team GB’s Tom Bosworth.
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Quote of the Rio Games from an official on the green diving pool: "Chemistry is not an exact science."
— Jon Krawczynski (@APkrawczynski) August 12, 2016
You’ll be telling me we’ve all had enough of experts next.
And if a champion might be tottering in the tennis, one certainly is in the women’s football! Sweden have just taken the lead! Quick – take in the last half-hour here.
Johnson, by the way, has only beaten a top-10 player – Richard Gasquet, eff why eye – once. He’s having a great shot at another here...
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Still goalless in that women’s football quarter-final between USA and Sweden as we hit the hour mark. In the tennis, Murray and Johnson are blow for blow, Murray 3-2 up in the deciding set but on serve...
We’ve had some great photos through from readers watching the games. Here is one such submission; keep them coming!
Too fast for me
Too fast for me. Photo: Régis Schwert
I am reminded by reader Richard Powell that Great Britain’s Amber Hill will compete in the women’s skeet final – I think she’s up against five others – in an hour or so. Hill, the European champion and BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2013, is just 18 and a talent worth enjoying. We’ll see how she gets on shortly.
Reminding you that it’s a big night of cycling tonight, with Sir Bradley Wiggins among those in action in the men’s team pursuit at around 6.20pm Rio time (10.20pm UK). A new world record is a good bet ... but will it be Great Britain who set it, or will it be a very sharp Australia team? Or someone else, of course?
Well now – Andy Murray has dropped the second set against Johnson, and nobody could have seen that coming! They are into the third; is the champion about to be deposed by the world No22?
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In the boxing, a surprise split decision win for Colombia’s Yurberjen Martinez, who has eliminated the No1 seed Joahnys Argilagos in the 49kg flyweight decision and celebrates emotionally. That is a real shock; the Cuban was heavy favourite but Martinez will fight for gold in the final.
This is very well worth a read from Jonathan Watts. The Brazilian boxer Robson Conceição in the 60kg division and it has been some journey for him. Have a look at this profile from before the Games.
Many children have a role model. For some, it is a footballer, for others a musician or an artist. But for Brazil’s Olympic gold hopeful Robson Conceição it was a street-fighting uncle who was notorious for brawling during carnival.
The sight of his relative returning home bloody and bruised but unbowed was the inspiration for a boxing career that has taken the featherweight from one of Bahia’s toughest neighbourhoods to a number one spot in the world rankings
If you’d like to engage in conversation/observation/badinage/fact correction over the next few hours, email me at nick.ames.casual@theguardian.com or tweet @NickAmes82. Or, of course, comment “BTL”.
In the women’s football, which you are well advised to keep closer tabs on here, reigning champions USA are being held by Sweden with half-time imminent. It should be a tense, fascinating second period.
In the tennis, a wobble from Andy Murray. He strolled to the first set against Steve Johnson, you’ll remember, but has been broken in the second and is 3-2 down against serve...
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Hello you. Straight down to brass tacks with the full story of that San Jose Mercury inappropriateness mentioned below:
Back to the heptathlon, both Thiam and Johnson-Thompson both fail to reach 2.01m, but what a performance from the two of them. And it’s propelled both KJT and the Belgian ahead of Ennis-Hill in the overall standings, now first and second respectively.
1 Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GB) – 2264 points
2 Nafissatou Thiam (BEL) – 2252 points
3 Jess Ennis-Hill (GB) – 2242 points
Two events down, five to go. The next event, the shot put, isn’t on for another eight hours or so. I’m off, but leave you in the very capable hands of Nick Ames. Ta ra!
In the water polo, the USA men’s team have just lost 8-5 to Montenegro, and their chances of a medal are all but over - ill-discipline has cost a young team dear. It’s a disappointing result for a team who won silver as recently as 2008.
There’s another interesting development in the men’s water polo, Brazil have never won a medal – and hadn’t even played at the Olympics since 1984. But this year, as hosts, they’ve had to enter a team - and they’re doing incredibly well. They currently top a group that includes the 2012 bronze medallists Serbia, and Hungary, who have won the title nine times.
Oooooooo, this is quite magnificent in the heptathlon high jump: Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam has just recorded a lifetime best in making 1m98cm, and then GB’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson records a new British record by matching her. With that huge jump, KJT now moves ahead of Jess Ennis-Hill in the overall standings.
They’ll now go to 2.01m, which would be an outdoor world record if one of them can make it!
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Andy Murray is out on court, and looks in imperious form on Court One in his men’s singles quarter-final, taking just 26 minutes to swat USA’s Steve Johnson aside in the first set: 6-0.
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Johnson-Thompson clears 1m95cm! She is on fiiiiiire. It was a mediocre showing from KJT in the 100m hurdles, 13.48secs, but that has put her right back in it. Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam also clears 1m98. It’s those two left, fighting it out for top spot in this event.
Jess Ennis-Hill bowed out at 1m92cm, after making 1m89cm, by the way.
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En route to the Velodrome from Copacabana, I’ve been chatting to an American photographer who’s very annoyed at being sent to cover judo today (“It’s just people yanking each others’ collars”). He did have an interesting story about the San Jose Mercury News, who have been getting no end of abuse for the headline that appeared over their story about last night’s action in the swimming pool, when Simone Manuel became the first black female swimmer to win Olympic gold. In doing so, she set a new world record in the 100m freestyle.
And the headline the San Jose Mercury News chose to celebrate this momentous occasion? “Phelps shares historic night with African American”
Following a well earned public savaging, it has since been changed on the grounds that the original was deemed “insensitive”.
The internet never forgets foh @mercnews pic.twitter.com/OzeoGLuHwA
— Los (@GrapeSodaPapi) August 12, 2016
Women’s Olympic football you want? Women’s Olympic football you get. It’s USA v Sweden, so join Luis Miguel Echegaray at your leisure.
Ennis-Hill clears 1m89cm! It’s 40 extra points for every three centimetres that is cleared here, and the defending champion exceeds all expectations and surpasses her London 2012 clearance. As the British fans go wild around him in the stands, Ennis-Hill’s coach, Toni Minichiello, is completely unmoved, looking dead ahead with a stony-faced expression. Katarina Johnson-Thompson clears 1m89cm with ease, clear daylight between her and the bar.
Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton fails with both her first two 1m89cm attempts. Here comes her final attempt … no! She bows out.
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Kenya’s David Rudisha, the 800m world record holder and defending Olympic champion, swept through his heat and is through to the semi-finals, after clocking the fastest qualifying time of 1min45sec.
“There is a lot of pressure, of course, coming here as defending champion, as a world record holder and as a world champion,” said the 27-year-old. “There’s a lot of expectation. I feel like I’m in better form, almost like my good years between 2010-12.”
However – another shock! – the 2012 Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos faded badly down the back straight and doesn’t progress!
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Back in the heptathlon high jump, Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton missed her second attempts at 1m83cm, but just about scraped over on her third and final attempt. That’s huge! Had she gone out, that would have seriously dented her overall chances. Theisen-Eaton then clears 1m86cm with ease! Amazing what a bit of confidence can do. The Canadian is a big contender for gold, and she’s over the moon, shrieking in delight.
Standing at just 1.65 m (5ft5in) Jess Ennis-Hill also clears 1.86cm! 6ft tall Katarina Johnson-Thompson also sneaks over – but she’ll be looking to push onto 1m89cm.
For those of you in the UK, here’s some highlights of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning retaining their Olympic gold in the women’s pair. It also includes footage of Team GB’s coxless four picking up their gold medal as well. I feel tired just watching.
Back over at the golf, Bubba Watson’s ball responds to somebody shouting “Get in the hole!” by doing exactly that as the American holes out for eagle at the third! He moved back to even par with that and has just birdied the fifth hole. He’s on the charge!
The overnight leader, Australia’s Marcus Fraser, has started the men’s second round well, picking up two shots through the front nine to move to -10, but the chasing pack are also in good nick: Belgium’s Thomas Pieters is two shots back having gone -4 through 10 holes and the Open Champion Henrik Stenson is ominously placed at -7. He’s through 12.
Over at the badminton, GB’s husband and wife pair Chris and Gabrielle Adcock have come through their mixed doubles Group B match 21-19, 22-24, 21-17 against Denmark’s Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen, who are ranked No4. In fact, there are four pairings ranked inside the top 15 in Group B, so the Adcocks will be relieved with a win here.
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Rio 2016 have confirmed that the diving pool was closed this morning while they continue to sort out the issues with the water. Tom Daley, who competes again next week, raised the issue first thing when he couldn’t get in. A spokesman said that they needed “still water” to be able to continue to solve the green water problems that have made international headlines. “One or two athletes complained about their eyes being itchy. That’s because we used chlorine. We retested the water, it is totally within the parameters. Health specialists are totally on top of this issue. We need to keep it clear for a longer time. Athletes had access to a dry facility instead.” Sounds, er, reassuring.
Meanwhile, the women’s heptathlon has moved onto the high jump. The current leader after the first event is GB’s Jessica Ennis-Hill, who is one of 12 athletes that have made 1m80cm. Ennis-Hill is the first to take on 1m83cm … yep, she clears it with ease. Remember she cleared 1m86cm at London 2012. Katarina Johnson-Thompson has also made 1m80cm, and has elected to pass on 1m83cm.
Very early stages, but second-placed Akela Jones fails with her first attempt at 1m83cm.
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Thanks to Alan. A big upset: reigning Olympic discus champion Robert Harting will not progress to the final after the German athlete only managed 62.21m. His younger brother Christophe, does progress. He is one of 12 athletes to make it to the final. Mind you, only Piotr Malachowski, of Poland, and Austria’s Lukas Weisshaidinger automatically qualified.
Vivian Cheruiyot was second with a blistering 29:32.53, followed by Tirunesh Dibaba in bronze (29:42.56).
Other notable results: Molly Huddle of the US was seventh in 30:13.17, Emily Infeld set a PB in 31:26.94; Australia’s Eloise Wellings finished 10th in 31:14.94; Britain’s Jo Pavey produced a seasons best of 31:33.44 in 15th with Jessica Andrews setting a PB of 31:35.92.
If you are looking for more evidence of how quick this track is: as well as the WR, there were 10 PBs from the 35 finishers and five SBs. Hey, maybe if I could run on it I’d go under 37. Anyway, my brief stint – a 200m in liveblogging terms – is over …
Is this track definitely 400m? On BBC, Paula Radcliffe is struggling to put the record into words. Ayana broke from the pack at 5,200m and never let up. Her splits are astonishing – 14:46 and 14:31 – and she was setting 67sec laps with a mile still to go before slowing down to just 70sec.
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It’s not good news from the tennis centre – play will now not begin until after 12.30pm local time, which is another 40 minutes away.
Ayana’s previous PB, by the way, was 30:07.00.
World record in the women's 10,000m
This is quite something. Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana has not only hammered the rest of the field to win the women’s 10,000m but obliterate one of the track’s most debated WRs by almost 15 seconds. Ayana’s official time is 29:17.45, with the previous record 29:31.78 set by Wang Junxia in 1993.
The first seven athletes in that women's 10,000m have all set either world records, national records or personal bests ...
— Sean Ingle (@seaningle) August 12, 2016
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Woof. Well what an hour that has been from a British and Irish perspective. I’m going to hand over to Alan Smith, whilst I go and get my breath back.
Great Britain win gold in the men's coxless four!
That GB’s fifth consecutive gold medal in this event. Some record, that. Australia pipped them at the half-way mark but fell away shortly after. They finished second though, with Italy coming through to grab bronze!
Hats off to George Nash, Constantine Louloudis, Moe Sbihi and Alex Gregory, GB’s rhythm was relentless!
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At the 1000m mark, Australia have taken the lead! Their stroke rate is 37 to GB’s 38, but their stroke is much more efficient. A close up of the GB team shows them looking calm. South Africa remain in third, Italy in fourth, Netherlands in fifth, Canada in sixth.
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Medals finals coming thick and fast in the rowing. It’s now time for the men’s four!
At the 500m mark: 1 GB, 2 Australia, 3 South Africa, 4 Italy, 5 Netherlands, 6 Canada.
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That has had a significant effect on the medal table.
Heather Stanning: “I think my first stroke was pretty shoddy! I just think this means so much more, there’s been so much pressure on us, even though we’ve talked it down. I’ve been so emotional this week, and that’s just not me.” She’s a major in the army, remember.
Helen Glover: “London was special, it was a home Games. But this was defending our title. Oh god, now I have to think about a wedding!”
Read our report here:
Great Britain's Glover and Stanning win gold! Of course they do.
They remain unbeaten since 2011 (!!!) defending their women’s pair Olympic gold. What a performance. New Zealand (silver) and Denmark (bronze) closed the gap on the GB pair in the closing stages but they ran out of water, and Glover and Stanning romped home.
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Three-quarter split takes Glover and Stanning four seconds clear of Denmark, who remain just ahead of USA and New Zealand, neck and neck for bronze.
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GB’s Glover and Stanning have doubled their lead at the half-way mark, now 3.58 seconds ahead of Denmark, who have now come through into second! New Zealand in third and USA in fourth!
Glover and Stanning are nearly a full-length ahead at the quarter-marker! They are 1.77seconds ahead. They’ve got their lead, can USA in second (and Denmark, who pushed them so close in the heats) catch them?
Here come Great Britain’s Helen Glover and Heather Stanning in the women’s pair final. Defending Olympic champions, they have not been beaten in five-years. FIVE YEARS.
The lane order for the final:
1 Spain, 2 New Zealand, 3 Great Britain, 4 Denmark, 5 USA, 6 South Africa
And they’re off!
The O’Donovans speak!
“It’s brilliant. We’re Ireland’s first Olympic medallists. We’re so proud to represent Ireland. We have our arguments sometimes, but it’s fantastic to be up on the podium with my brother, and our parents are here watching too.”
The Guardian’s Barry Glendenning emails me to say: “Some great news towards the end of what has been an otherwise disastrous opening week of the Olympics for Ireland involving a failed drugs test, a ticketing scandal and some poor performances from some of the country’s best medal hopes in the boxing ring.”
“First the boxer Michael O’Reilly was booted home after failing a dope test,” adds The Guardian’s Ian Prior, “then came the mini-scandal of Rio police making arrests on suspicion of a ticketing scam using tickets that originated with the Irish Olympic Committee.
“It’s president, Pat Hickey denied any involvement despite his son being a former employee of the company at the centre of the row. Hickey, an IOC bigwig with his finger so much on the political pulse that he wanted Russia to host the next edition of the ill-starred European Games, then announced to widespread groans that he wished the oafish Football Association of Ireland chief John Delaney to be his successor as Ireland’s representative on the IOC.
“But the O’Donovan’s have lifted the mood, their infectious post-race interviews making them a social media sensation and with the serial champion boxer Katie Taylor to come, things are looking up.”
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Ireland win their first medal of Rio 2016 - silver in the men’s lightweight double sculls!
That’s an almighty effort from the O’Donovans, holding off a late challenge from Norway, and nearly nabbing gold themselves! As it is, France win gold, as they were expected to do.
They seem like top lads, too. Their ‘strategy’, described here in an interview on Thursday, paid off!
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The rain is finally easing at the suitably watery Lagoa, just in time for Heather Stanning and Helen Glover’s final in the women’s pair. It’s been a miserable morning for the spectators – there’s not an umbrella or plastic see-through poncho on sale here, which suggests organisers were just as optimistic as those shortsighted journalists who didn’t pack a single outer layer in their suitcase (hiya!) It’s also been grim for Alan Campbell, the Northern Irish sculler who fell off the pace in his men’s single sculls semi and finished in fourth, missing out on a place in the final.
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Time for the men’s race now. Ireland, USA, South Africa, France, Norway, Poland. At the half-way point, it’s 1 France, 2 USA, 3 Norway, but the Irish brother, Gary and Paul O’Donovan are right on the shoulder of the Norwegians! The O’Donovans finished third in their semi-final to deny Britain a place in the final and the West Cork duo admitted afterwards it was a nice touch to “beat the Brits too.”
But here come the Irish! The O’Donovan brothers have dropped USA, and they are tracking down Norway for the silver. It’s going to be tight!
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Holland win gold in the lightweight women’s double sculls final!
They were third at 500m, but once they pulled away at the half-way point, the results was never in doubt. Canada nabbed silver, and China had to settle for bronze.
Dutch supporters, naked from the waist up, swim out to greet their heroes, who try their best not to go arse over tit into the water. They survive. According to Sir Steve Redgrave, that’s a tradition dating back to a club in Holland called Nereus, who are one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in the Netherlands. Club blazers also get handed down from generation to generation, without getting washed.
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China have dropped off, as we enter the final 500m of the 2000m race. The Dutch pair of Ilse Paulis and Maaike Head lead the field, and look completely in control. Canada are battling it out with China for the silver, it going to be a photo finish …
Rowing now and the lightweight women’s double sculls final involving China, Canada, South Africa, Holland, New Zealand and Ireland, in that lane order.
China have started strongly and lead the field out, but watch out for Holland, who were incredible in their semi-final, and New Zealand, who are world champions.
The crew, made up of Claire Lambe and Sinead Lynch, are the first ever Irish pair to make a lightweight women’s double sculls Olympic final, who will hope to sneak a bronze.
Empty seats will dominate the early chatter around this morning’s opener at the Olympic athletics stadium. The Estadio Nilton Sanots (no one puts Nilton in the corner) was about a tenth full at the start with vast swathes of empty blue plastic on all sides. Before we get too baffled by this is is worth remembering this is an early morning start, and more to the point your average Rio De Janeiro state citizen doesn’t give two hoots about track and field. Tickets are expensive compared to incomes. In fact whenever a lack of public interest is cited it should come with the caveat that this was a Games demanded above all by the Brazilian government not a plebiscite of the citizens of Rio. President Lula thought it was Brazil’s/his grand divine destiny. The people of Rio danced on the beach at the news, but then they often do. But empty seats are hardly a surprise. Quite a lot of other issues going on here.
And the men’s 800m heats are about to start in what i can only describe as light Lewisham-in-October drizzle.
We’re underway in the equestrian, the dressage grand prix freestyle final, comprising of six teams: Holland, Sweden, Denmark, USA, Germany, Great Britain.
The individual dressage is also up and running. GB’s Charlotte Dujardin qualifying in first for that, and here is a preview piece, by Barney Ronay, to get the juices flowing:
“Rake the sandpit. Plump the floral dressings. Fire up the dinner-jazz instrumental Elton John and Kiki Dee soundtrack. It is time to bring on the dancing horses.”
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Russia have narrowly beaten Team GB in the fencing, in the men’s team foil quarter-final, with a score of 45-43. Edgware-born James Andrew Davis, having won his two previous individual battles (finishing with a positive indicator of +9) was eventually beaten by Aleksey Cheremisinov – who looks absolutely terrifying in victory – snarling in front of the camera after dealing the final blow.
Russia will face the USA in the semi-final, after they beat Egypt 45-37. In the other semi-final, France will face Italy.
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Ennis-Hall takes it down! A winning time of 12.84! She got off to a terrific start and her technique was flawless throughout. Clenched fist as she crosses the line, a good half-metre ahead of anybody else. Second placed Barbados’ Akela Jones can only manage 13 seconds dead. The first event of seven is finished.
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Here comes Jessica Ennis-Hill. She ran 12.54 seconds four years ago in London 2012, and she is a world-class hurdler, on her day. This is one of her strongest events but she will be up against Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton, who is 2016 World Indoor Champion and one of the overall favourites for gold here. It’s stopped raining and the stadium is (finally) filling up – there are considerable cheers for Ennis-Hill.
Vetter wins it, beating Johnson-Thompson by a nose. Vetter’s time comes in as 13.47 seconds. A sluggish start from Johnson-Thompson, but she came back really strong in the last 40 metres and just missed out on the win: 13.48 secs. Colin Jackson seems to think KJT can go sub 13 secs in the right conditions.
Remember the heptathlon scores are not based upon where you place in a specific race, but your time in comparison to the rest of the athletes across the four heats.
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Johnson-Thompson lines up in lane four. Holland’s Anouk Vetter, the 2016 European champion, is next to her in lane five. Here we go!
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@michaelbutler18 Have they checked that the track is 400m? That the long jump pit has sand in it? That the tartan is tartan and not jam?
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) August 12, 2016
I can confirm that the athletics track is indeed 400m. Or at least it look like it is. It is also a deep sea blue, matching many of the empty seats in the Olympic stadium. I would estimate that the stadium is only 20% full, which is pretty shocking, despite the spitting sort of rain that is descending from the skies. The floodlights are on! It’s 10.45am.
The women’s heptathlon is underway! The first event is the 100m hurdles: the first heat is won by Hungary’s Gyorgyi Zsivoczky-Farkas, the second heat is won by Latvia’s Laura Ikauniece-Admidiņa, won by 13.33. That’s nowhere near her PB, but still a fast time in these poor conditions. Suggests this is a fast track. There were two false starts in Heat 2 by Germany’s Jennifer Oeser and Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam, but in multiple events such as these, a false start only results in a yellow card, not disqualification. Two false starts, and you’re out.
GB’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson goes in the third heat, whilst Jessica Ennis Hill goes in the fourth and final. All athletes are seeded by their season’s best times.
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In fencing, the men’s foil team quarter-finals are underway. Current scores:
Italy 23-14 Brazil
China 16-19 France
Russia 17-15 Great Britain
Egypt 18-13 USA
In the fourth match-up of nine, GB’s Richard Kruse and Russia’s Timur Safin have resumed their individual bronze medal battle, which Safin won on Sunday. The Russian is also having the better of it today, three unanswered points.
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The first athletics event gets going in the Olympic Stadium in about 15 minutes, men’s discus qualifying leading us out. We’ll bring you the latest from the first event of the women’s heptathlon, the 100m hurdles – including Jessica Ennis-Hill and Katarina Johnson-Thompson – at just before 10am local time. So that’s about 35 minutes from now.
At around 11.10am local time, GB’s 42-year old Jo Pavey, preparing for her fifth Olympic Games - a record for any British track athlete, will run in the 10,000m final. There’s no preliminaries.
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Ut-oh …
Diving pool is closed this morning. Hopefully that means we haven't been diving in anything too bad the last couple of days! 😷😷😷
— Tom Daley (@TomDaley1994) August 12, 2016
We were scheduled to have the women’s 3m springboard preliminary rounds at 3.30pm local time, which looks in doubt now.
There’s been a lot of talk about the state of the green pool, what might have caused it and whether it poses a health risk to the divers … let’s hope that’s not the case.
The rain is starting to come down on the golf course. Sergio Garcia, halfway down the second fairway in nothing more than a tee, smashes his second shot hole-wards, barks “go, go, go”, but it falls short of the green. He should put one of those embroidered jumpers, the stitching on those national badges in particular is exquisite. Next to go out from the clubhouse is USA’s Rickie Fowler, GB’s Justin Rose and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas, who will brave the winds and rain in about five minutes.
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This tweet is as true today as it was when it was posted, four years ago.
Every Olympic event should include one average person competing, for reference.
— Scott Simpson (@scottsimpson) August 3, 2012
In the men’s singles badminton, Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto is giving the USA’s Howard Shu a proper hiding – the world No9 is 15-6 in the second set, and having won the first set, six points away from winning that one against the world No67.
Hello world. Yep it seems odd from Ed Ling, that. He said to a reporter, straight after coming off the podium on Monday, that “he couldn’t wait to get back to the farm”, rather than lap up all the adulation and caipirinha that a bronze medallist is no doubt subject to. But then, again, the harvest moon is not a million miles away.
It’s badminton and golf that are the only two live sports at at the moment. But my word, what a kaleidoscope of fun we’ve got coming up. Medal wise, in the next few hours that I’m with you, we’ve got golds, silvers and bronzes up for grabs in
• equestrian (team dressage final), rowing finals (men’s/women’s lightweight double sculls, women’s coxless pair, men’s coxless four)
• shooting, (men’s 50m rifle prone)
• women’s 10,000m
• boxing (men’s light fly 49kg)
Any thoughts or predictions? Send em over the airwaves via michael.butler@theguardian.com or via Twitter @michaelbutler18.
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We’re also under way now in the badminton hall and not long now, weather permitting, until the rowing begins and we’ve reached that time of the day where I hand the baton over, and today’s lucky recipient is Michael Butler. I’ll leave you with a picture of Great Britain’s Olympic shooting bronze medallist Ed Ling, already back to work on the farm.
An update for you on the Dutch gymnast Yuri van Gelder, who was expelled for the Games for a late night boozing session. I particularly like to specific business class request.
Gymnast Yuri van Gelder has taken his battle for reinstatement to the Netherlands’ Olympic team to a Dutch courtroom, demanding a business class ticket back to Rio just days after he was sent home for a “grave breach” of team rules. The 2005 world champion on the rings was thrown off the team this week after a late-night trip to Rio during which, according to the country’s gymnastics association, he drank alcohol before arriving back in the athletes’ village early Sunday morning.
Friday’s high-stakes court appearance was the latest twist in 33-year-old Van Gelder’s turbulent sports career which, alongside his world title, has also featured a ban for cocaine use. In court documents, Van Gelder says he was denied legal advice or the possibility of appeal.
Another video for you here – this time a dead heat in the swimming pool. Woof (if you’re in the UK).
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David Hearn has birdied the first to move to one over for the tournament. Justin Rose is due off at 9:03am by the by, the leader, Marcus Fraser, exactly an hour later.
This, as ever, is fascinating from Richard Williams.
To the golf course! The men’s second round has just got under way and lets pop along to see what’s occurring … Jaco van Zyl, Mikko Ilonen and David Hearn are the first out on the par-five first.
Now it may be the first day of the athletics – and the first heptathlon events will largely be the talk of the town – there are still three medals up for grabs though:
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the women’s 10,000m, expected to be a tussle between the Ethiopian pair of Tirunesh Dibaba (defending champion) and Almaz Ayana.
- the women’s shot put where New Zealand’s Valerie Adams is hoping to defend her title.
- the men’s 20km race walk where … or maybe just watch this.
James Taylor has emailed in re: the swimming debate. I kinda like his ‘championship’ idea, can’t see it holding water (!) though.
Interesting debate about the swimming. I personally think there’s far two many opportunities to win multiple medals as apart from breaststroke you don’t need to be a specialist, whereas in pretty much all the other sports you do. I’ve always thought a good idea would be to have a ‘championship’ for each stroke- each swimmer does each distance in a particular stroke, they get a certain number of points depending on where they finish in each one, and you then get one overall winner for the four disciplines. It’d certainly make the watching less interminable as you’d have a running score each day and you could still have relays to keep up the nationalism.
Now then, I mentioned a little earlier that we’ve got the culmination of the team dressage competition with the grand prix special, having had the grand prix yesterday. Me neither I’m afraid but worry not …
A glowing tribute from Ben Ryan, coach of Fiji, to one of the most admired and influential figures in world rugby, particularly sevens, who died last year.
Thank you for all the messages. 7s in the Olympics & all the joy had today wouldn't have been possible if not for the late Beth Coalter. ❤️
— Ben Ryan Fiji 7s (@benjaminryan) August 12, 2016
Great Britain are currently in eighth place in the medals table with 16, including four gold medals. Have a look at the full list in our snazzy interactive.
Here’s an interesting topic of debate brewing in the comments section below. Thoughts etc?
Among all the stats, achievements and litany of broken records that belong to Michael Phelps, perhaps the most staggering is that at the age of 31, he has become the oldest individual Olympic swimming gold medal winner in history. Here Beau Dure has a look at the how, what, why, when, where.
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Horses. Time to talk about horses. Because the team dressage competition climaxes today and at present Germany have their equine noses ahead of the defending champions Great Britain, for whom Charlotte Dujardin stole the show in yesterday’s Grand Prix.
This may be of slightly more appeal to British readers but then I’m sure there are parallels the world over. It’s also really rather funny …
Worrying news from the sailing venue …
Lars Grael, twice an Olympic bronze medallist for Brazil, feared that sailors would encounter garbage and plastic bags in races at the Guanabara Bay sailing venue on Friday.
Falling tides will drain race courses and rain, which had already begun falling on Friday morning, risked bringing debris along the lines of currents, Grael said about a stretch of water he has sailed on for nearly half a century.
“I’m worried about tomorrow and boats getting caught on plastic bags or banging into garbage,” he told Reuters at the Marina da Gloria venue. “Conditions will be perfect for that. Organisers will have to work extra hard to pick up the trash.”
Today’s action gets under way in a shade under two hours as the men’s golf competition continues. Australia’s Marcus Fraser leads at eight under from Graham DeLaet of Canada, who is three shots back. Justin Rose is tied for fourth at four under following his hole in one yesterday. Barney Ronay was there to witness it all …
Higher, faster, stronger, knitwear. Golf is officially back at the Olympics; the opening round of the men’s competition passing off in a strolling haze of putts and chips and team-branded nylon slacks on a breezy, intoxicating day on Rio’s suburban coastline.
Nobody at Rio 2016 really knew what to expect from this. Like a star fleet cruiser shaking and shuddering as it barrels its way through a passing asteroid belt, these Olympic Games have so far just about held together through a bumpy, often thrilling opening week.
Golf, though, was something else. The good walk spoiled has been a relentlessly divisive addition ever since the set-list for Rio 2016 was announced seven years ago. Some have objected on ideological grounds to the intrusion of a voraciously elitist sport into Pierre de Coubertin’s sickly vision of a Corinthian games for all.
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We’d like to hear from you
Whether you’re watching in person or from your sofa at home, we want to see how you are experiencing the Olympic Games – and hear any stories from Rio.
You can share your experiences, photos and videos by clicking on the ‘Contribute’ button or via our form. Just remember not to take photos inside the stadiums. You can also get in contact with the Guardian via WhatsApp by adding the contact +44(0)7867825056.
Sticking with the Brits and today could be another bumper day for Team GB. There are no less than 24 gold medals – that’s more than Michael Phelps has won – up for grabs today and Great Britain can boast genuine hopes in the rowing, track cycling, equestrian and can be optimistic of a medal in a host of others including skeet shooting, trampolining and swimming.
Those to keep a particular eye on though are Helen Glover and Heather Stanning in the women’s pair at 11:06am. the men’s four shortly after at 11:27am and the men’s track cycling team pursuit at 8:42pm.
Oh, and Jessica Ennis-Hill begins the defence of her heptathlon title as the athletics swings into gear today as well.
It’s just before 9am in the UK, which is around the time that British readers do anything they can to avoid starting work and thus read things like this liveblog – or so the theory goes. So let’s recap last night’s success in the velodrome as Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner kept the men’s team sprint gold medal in British hands for the third Games in a row. By saying that it sounds expected – with the team pursuiters in such good form there was certainly a sense of deja vu – but at the same time it wasn’t. Owen Gibson explains …
Want to know how Fiji reacted to its first ever Olympic gold medal? Want no more.
Of the likely gold medal winners that you’d have put your house on, Simon Biles in the all-around would have been pretty high on the list. Take nothing away from her achievements though, and even better, read about them here …
Roll up! Roll up! For the best pictures from day six …
Time for a swimming recap now, and a reminder that Michael Phelps took his Olympic gold medal tally to 22 (TWENTY-TWO)! He won the 200m IM by a country mile (despite what one commentator thought) and he might yet get two more before the Games have finished. Have a read of Andy Bull’s homage here, featuring a nod to Leonidas of Rhodes.
Phelps was however, dragged into the continuing doping row by the Russian Yulia Efimova, who won her second silver medal of the Games in the 200m breaststroke.
There was also history in the making for the USA’s Simone Manuel, who won joint gold with Canada’s Penny Oleksiak.
Filed in the ‘things you may have missed’ category, Fiji romped to a historic and heart-warming first ever Olympic gold medal by thrashing Great Britain in the rugby sevens final. Find out exactly how it happened here …
Hello world! Good morning, afternoon, evening! Thanks to Claire for yet another exhaustive briefing, bringing us all up to date with anything we may have missed, and then some.
We’ll start with doping news for a pleasant change – here’s the story on the Chinese swimmer Chen Xinyi and the Bulgarian athlete Silvia Danekova becoming the first competitors to fail tests at the Games.
Day seven briefing
Welcome back as we scoot seamlessly from day six to day seven and Rio heads into its wrap-up of week one and the first day of the athletics.
Catch up with it all in the briefing, find out what’s coming up and stick with the live blog to see it all as it happens.
The big picture
Day six brought us golds for Team GB in the velodrome, for China v China at the table tennis table, for Romania (the country’s first this Games) in the women’s épée, and, in an unexpectedly heartstring-tugging result, Fiji in the men’s rugby sevens.
Not forgetting Team USA’s Simone Biles, who took the all-around gymnastics gold that had her name on it since before the Games began. Oh, and Michael Phelps won another gold. His 22nd. And then had a little rest while the others battled for silver in the 200m individual medley.
Just look at that gap!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 12, 2016
There aren't enough superlatives to describe Michael Phelpshttps://t.co/QWD4R21txF #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/3ZErqTxd7U
Twice-banned Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova, winning her second silver of the Games, attempted to drag Phelps into the doping row by pointing out he had been photographed in 2009 holding a marijuana pipe. But more serious doping news came with confirmation from China’s official state news agency, Xinhua, that swimmer Chen Xinyi tested positive for a banned substance at Rio on 7 August. Chen came fourth in the women’s 100m butterfly final and is due to take part in the 50m freestyle.
How is this even possible news of the day came courtesy of Canada’s Penny Oleksiak, who – along with the USA’s Simone Manuel – tied for first place in the women’s 100m freestyle, despite being born in June 2000. It makes her the first person born in a four-digit-year-beginning-with-2 to win an individual gold at any Olympics. And yes, I would say “the first born this century” but the pedants would get me.
- WADA targeted by hackers seeking athletes’ drug testing data.
- ‘Rugby is our religion’: Fiji erupts in celebration of Olympic sevens gold.
- Birdies beat the snakes and crocs as golf comes to Rio’s Teletubbyland.
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Daily Beast website takes down article discussing Grindr dates with Olympic athletes
Quote of the day
The unparalleled Simone Biles:
I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I’m the first Simone Biles.
Team GB roundup
A happy evening in the velodrome as Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner tore round the track to claim gold in the men’s cycling team sprint. Skinner in fact claimed more than a medal, commandeering a flag in the celebrations that followed. But being well schooled in manners as well as bicycling, he issued an apology:
Sorry to the person whose flag I stole. 🇬🇧
— Callum Skinner (@CallumSkinner) August 12, 2016
Hopes will be high and speedy in the track cycling on day seven too, as Bradley Wiggins, Owain Doull, Steven Burke and Ed Clancy, who came first in qualifying in the men’s team pursuit, race for medals. Laura Trott, Joanna Roswell-Shand, Katie Archibald and Elinor Barker took a world record in their women’s team pursuit qualifying; they’re back on day eight. Skinner and Kenny are also back today in the men’s sprint qualifying.
It was silver for GB in the men’s rugby sevens, but only the hardest-hearted could mind, as Fiji took their first ever Olympic medal of any colour with a stomping display of rugby (43-7) and a stirring display of pride and vocal harmony with their post-match team singing.
Andy Murray took three sets to see off Italy’s Fabio Fognini and move on to the men’s tennis singles quarter-finals, only to find his downtime turn into a mixed doubles match. With news that Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Florin Mergea had dropped out came a call for the reserves, Murray (not bad for a reserve) and Heather Watson – who then beat Spain 6-3, 6-3 to reach their own quarter final. But non-reserves Jamie Murray and Jo Konta lost to Americans Jack Sock and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Earlier, as the weather finally perked up, Katherine Grainger became Britain’s most successful female Olympian, collecting silver (behind Poland) with rowing-mate Vicky Thornley in the women’s double sculls. Like Steve Redgrave she now has medals from five separate Olympic Games.
David Florence swooshed up with his third successive silver, he and Richard Hounslow coming second behind Slovakia in the canoe slalom doubles.
Today, with the start of the athletics, come Jessica Ennis-Hill, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jo Pavey from a UK-friendly lunchtime BST.
Australia team roundup
Make it an early start on Saturday morning to catch the men’s team pursuit in the velodrome: Team GB’s Wiggins and co fancy their chances but Australia are the world champions. So too is Kim Brennan, who starts in the women’s single sculls semifinals at 11.10pm AEST Friday.
On day six, there was heartbreak for the Campbell sisters in the pool: first (Cate) and second (Bronte) on the outgoing lap of their 100m freestyle final; fourth (Bronte) and sixth (Cate) at the close. On a glum night in the pool, Cameron McEvoy and Emily Seebohm failed to make it to, respectively, the men’s 50m freestyle final and the women’s 200m backstroke final. Belinda Hocking will make that latter one, though.
It was better news for Mitch Larkin, who grabbed silver in the men’s 200m backstroke, overtaken by American Ryan Murphy at the last.
Another wet silver for Karsten Forsterling, Sasha Belonogoff, Cameron Girdlestone and James McRae in the men’s rowing quad sculls, and a bronze for Jessica Fox in the K1 canoe slalom rounded off the day in medals.
But all in all, it was a bit of a comedown from the Golden Day of Kyle Chalmers, which Adelaide fans could at least relive with 12 not remotely hyperbolic pages in the Advertiser.
12 pages of Kyle Chalmers coverage in @theTiser today #thebigtuna pic.twitter.com/pv8ZbqCvwX
— Reece Homfray (@reecehomfray) August 11, 2016
Team USA roundup
In a day when five more gold medals kept Team USA on top of the medal leaderboard, let’s not forget Aly Raisman, who won a strong silver behind her all-conquering teammate Simone Biles in the all-around gymnastics.
In a good day for Simones, Simone Manuel became the first African American woman to make the podium in an individual swimming event, and the first black female swimmer to win an Olympic final, grabbing a gold medal in the 100m freestyle in a deadheat with Canada’s Penny Oleksiak, with whom she’ll now figure out a complicated custody arrangement for weekends and holidays. They took an Olympic record too, just for the fun of it.
Here’s what Manuel had to say about her various record-breaking achievements:
It means a lot, especially with what is going on in the world today, some of the issues of police brutality. This win hopefully brings hope and change to some of the issues that are going on. My colour just comes with the territory …
But at the same time, I would like there to be a day where there are more of us and it’s not like ‘Simone, the black swimmer,’ because the title ‘black swimmer’ makes it seem like I’m not supposed to be able to win a gold medal.
Kayla Harrison won her second successive Olympic judo gold, and it was gold, too, for Ryan Murphy in the men’s 200m backstroke. Oh, and Michael Phelps took his 22nd gold medal, demolishing his rivals – including teammate Ryan Lochte, who wallowed home in fifth – in the men’s 200m individual medley. In an alternate universe (well, Canada) Lochte romped home, as CBC commentator Elliotte Friedman spent the whole race mistaking the two swimmers and rueing Phelps’ poor show.
Picture of the day
Diary
All times below are local to Rio: here’s the full timetable tweaked for wherever you are. Or add four hours for UK, add 13 hours for eastern Australia; subtract one hour for east-coast US and four for west coast.
- Athletics limbers up, starting with men’s discus qualifying at 9.30am, and the women’s heptathlon charging off with the 100m hurdles heats from 9.35am (yep, that’s with Jessica Ennis-Hill).
- There’s even some track and field golds to watch out for: the women’s 10,000m at 11.10pm (with Jo Pavey running for Britain); the men’s 20km race walk at 2.30pm; and the women’s shot put at 10pm.
- Four rowing golds (usual weather disclaimer): the lightweight double sculls for women and men; the men’s four and the women’s pair. Action is due to start from 8.30am.
- It’s the final of the equestrian team dressage at 10am. Germany leads Britain in the standings so far.
- More track cycling action with golds dangled in the women’s team sprint at 6.04pm and the men’s team pursuit at 6.42pm. The British men set the fastest time in qualifying. Keep an eye on Australia’s double gold-medallist Anna Meares, too.
- It’s Spain (Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez) v Romania (Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau) in the men’s doubles tennis final, some time after 1pm.
- At the overly precise 3.42pm it’s the final of the women’s trampoline gymnastics. No Team USA final five here, but GB No 1 Kat Driscoll jumps up.
- The men’s individual archery comes to an end at 4.43pm with a gold bout; and there are finals in fencing – the men’s team foil at 6.30pm – judo (women’s +78kg at 5pm, men’s +100kg at 5.20pm); and shooting (the men’s 50m rifle prone at 11am, women’s skeet at 3.45pm).
- In the swimming it’s the women’s 200m backstroke final at 10.03pm; the men’s 100m butterfly final (Phelps!) is at 10.12pm; the women’s 800m freestyle at 10.20pm, and the men’s 50m freestyle final at 10.44pm (GB’s Ben Proud is through).
Underdog of the day
Pity Simonas Bilis, a Lithuanian swimmer competing in three men’s events but destined to spend the whole Games clarifying that he is not Simone Biles.
Tweet of the day
Cheering to see Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten – after a terrible crash in the women’s road race that left her in intensive care with three cracks to her spine – back by the track, if not on it, to support her teammates in the velodrome. Olympians are made of strong stuff.
Supporting our (#teamNL ) trackies! pic.twitter.com/KOit7CfvPI
— Annemiek van Vleuten (@AvVleuten) August 11, 2016
If today were a song
It would be whatever the Fijians were singing. But in a creditable silver position is Belle and Sebastian’s The Stars of Track and Field, coiled like a spring for athletics day one.
And another thing
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All this discussion about there being too many medals in swimming, when there really is just the right amount:
50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400m and then the very long distance races.
Freestyle, backstroke, breastroke and butterfly all very different events. And then the medley to decide the best overall swimmer and the relays to decide the best overall team. A bit like athletics but I don't see anyone questioning the amount the medals available in that!