Australia’s men’s rowing four have won a silver medal overnight in the rowing, finishing behind Great Britain, while the men’s pursuit cyclists were also beaten into silver by Team GB when Sir Bradley Wiggins’ team clocked a world record time to snatch gold. Australia’s other medal of the night came in the 20km walk, in which Queenslander Dane Bird-Smith took the bronze.
The rowing foursome of Alex Hill, Joshua Booth, Joshua Dunkley-Smith and Will Lockwood were seriously challenging the British at the half-way mark of the men’s four event at Lake Lagoa in Rio, with only 0.22 of a second between the two teams. Despite a strong finish from the Australians the defending champion Brits held firm to win by two-thirds of a boat length. The winners have had a stronghold on the Olympic title since the Sydney 2000 Games.
“Credit to them, they held strong and had what it took to hold us off,” Lockwood said after the race. “We were beaten by a better crew today and congratulations to GB for the win. I think both crews were throwing down at the halfway mark and it takes a toll on us, and on them to cover our push, that’s why we started with 400 metres to go, but they held us off and then jumped ahead in the last 250 metres.”
They were the only Australians to feature in a final on day seven in Rio. Australia took silver in a time of 6:00.44, but the British finished 1.83 seconds ahead to take the gold, while 2015 world champions Italy took out the bronze medal.
Dunkley-Smith said the crew made a concerted effort to project the image of having won silver rather than lost gold. “We wanted to make sure that we collected ourselves and were standing tall and were aware of what we’ve done and how proud everyone is,” Dunkley-Smith said.
In the cycling, Australia had to settle for silver in the men’s pursuit race as Team GB broke the world record to finish in 3:50.265, after Australia had led by 0.695 seconds at the 2,000m mark. With 1km to go that lead had been cut to 0.09 seconds, and the British surged again late to take the win by 0.743 seconds. In doing so, they helped Sir Bradley Wiggins claim his fifth Olympic gold medal. With silver, Australia registered their 50th medal in Olympic cycling.
“It’s hard not to just spout a load of cliches and emotional stuff,” Wiggins said after the race, effusively praising his team-mates. “The last six months we’ve done everything together, all for this. We’re here and we’ve done it. These four guys here, I would never have come back if we didn’t have the calibre. When you’re with guys like that on the line, it makes your job a hell of a lot easier.”
Elsewhere, walker Bird-Smith emerged from the shadow of race withdrawal and countryman Jared Tallent to win a bronze medal in the 20km walk. The 24-year-old Queenslander finished third behind China’s Zhen Wang and compatriot Zelin Cai. Wang crossed the line in a time of 1:19.14 seconds, 12 seconds in front of Cai, with Bird-Smith another 13 seconds behind in third.
The Australian’s father and coach, dual Olympian David Smith, was on hand at the drinks station to cheer his son home. It was a personal best time for Bird-Smith, whose dual Olympian father and coach David was close by to spur his son on at the line.
The Australian moved into third spot at the half-way mark of the race and stayed in touch with the leaders throughout, but Wang streaked clear in the final three kilometres, with only Cai and Bird-Smith staying remotely close. Australia’s other entrant Rhydian Cowley finished 33rd in a time of 1:23.30. Tallent will still compete to defend his 50km title from 2012.
In other Olympic action overnight, Australia’s men’s basketball team backed up their impressive showing against Team USA with a commanding 93-68 win over China, in which Cameron Bairstow lead scoring with 17 points and 9 rebounds, while Brock Motum chipped in with 15 points. The Boomers’ star centre Andrew Bogut was rested from the game as a precautionary measure.
Australia’s Patrick Mills said afterwards he hoped that the Boomers were inspiring a new generation of players in the country. “Hopefully it’s inspiring; the way we play, the style we play and the way we represent ourselves, hopefully it’s inspiring for other young Australians to be able to want to be greater than we are now, that’s what it’s all about,” Mills said. “I’ve said it before, I think this is the greatest team Australia has ever put together for an Olympic Games and that’s what we should strive for each time, try to be better.”
One of the biggest developments overnight came 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.
Australia’s 400m gold medallist 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 and reigning world champion Gregorio Paltrineri of Italy qualified fastest for the final in a time of 14:44.51.
At the boxing, a controversial decision left Australian medal hope Shelley Watts fuming after she was eliminated following her opening bout. The judges’ decision gave Italian teenager Irma Testa victory, with two judges scoring it 39-37 in Testa’s favour, with the other backing Watts 39-37.
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist stormed past media after the fight and the only comment she offered was: “the judges make the call and they did an amazing job”.
Watt’s coach, Don Abnett was slightly more circumspect, but agreed the decision appeared baffling. “I’ve got to say the judges saw it different to the two coaches saw it. These things happen in boxing but it’s terrible to accept something like this at the Olympic Games,” Abnett said.
Elsewhere, in the golf, Australia’s 90th ranked Marcus Fraser is leading the competition after two rounds having fired a two-under par 69 to sit ten under after 36 holes in an event that is making its first appearance in 112 years of Olympic action.
