The Guardian

Paris 2024 Olympics day six: boxing drama, plus golf, tennis and hockey news – live

By Yara El-Shaboury (now) with Barry Glendenning and Angus Fontaine (earlier),

23 hours ago

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0SzI59_0uju2uRT00 — Imane Khelif of Algeria (left) celebrates after Angela Carini abandoned their bout in the first round. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

3.37pm BST

Men’s singles tennis: Carlos Alcaraz beats Tommy Paul 6-3, 7-6 (7) to advance to the semi-finals. He becomes the youngest Olympic semi-finalist since Novak Djokovic in Beijing 2008.

3.33pm BST

Our incredible picture desk have been curating the best images from each day of Olympics action. Today’s collection has just dropped from John Windmill and it includes some big smiles, a bloody eye and some extra snazzy superhero swimming trunks – confirmation that Paris really is the fashion capital of the world. See for yourself.

3.25pm BST

Glover refuses to rule out 2028 tilt after just missing third gold

Helen Glover refused to rule out one further crack at the Olympics in 2028 after narrowly falling short of a third career gold in an enthralling women’s four final against the Netherlands.

The spotlight had been firmly on Glover, twice a champion in the women’s pair, at the outset. A 38-year-old mother of three, she had retired from the sport before returning for Tokyo 2020. This time around she was tempted into a shot at glory in the four and, after narrowly being beaten in a hair-raising sprint against the Netherlands, she was noncommittal regarding the prospects of competing into her fifth decade.

“Right now I just want to spend time with my family, enjoy being mum, not really thinking about rowing and taking my time,” she said. “Half the team think I’ll carry on. I don’t plan to carry on but I guess it’s been kind of ‘focus on crossing the finish line then we’ll see’.” Glover has previously represented Great Britain in beach sprint rowing, which will become an Olympic sport in Los Angeles, and it remains to be seen whether that could be an option for her curtain call.

3.23pm BST

Men’s kayak single canoe slalom: Check complete, Clarke finishes with a time of 89.51sec. A massive result ahead of the final.

3.22pm BST

Men’s kayak single canoe slalom: Here comes Clarke. Remember the 31-year-old won gold in the finals of this event in Rio 2016.

The world No 4 starts with great rhythm and does really well at the beggining of the course. He is already looking better than his heat yesterday.

He has to dip his head down on Game 14 and it’s super tight but then he looks relaxed in the final stretch and he soars ahead to the top spot with a time of 89.51sec with no penalties. There is still an asterisk beside his name though, which means they are checking through his race to see if they missed anything.

3.02pm BST

Men’s kayak single canoe slalom: We are well into the semi-finals and as it stands, Austria’s Felix Oschmautz is the leader with a time of 91.83sec.

We are still waiting on Great Britain’s Joe Clarke.

2.45pm BST

Men’s singles tennis: Caros Alcaraz is currently playing in his quarter-final against world No 13 Tommy Paul. The Spaniard took the first set 6-3 but the American is currently leading the second 3-1. He has just failed to convert two break points, leading to a loud “Vamos!” from Alcaraz.

2.45pm BST

Women’s basketball: Australia bounced back from defeat in their opening game of these Games by beating Canada in Lille this afternoon, 70-65. The Opals led at every break, withstanding a late Canadian push to confirm the win and improve their standing in group B ahead of a final clash with hosts France. Sami Whitcomb led the scoring for Australia with 19 points, plus 10 assists and five rebounds.

2.37pm BST

Some of the standout images of day six.

2.15pm BST

Sailing: Weather interruptions continue. The men’s skiff medal race in Marseille has been abandoned due to the wind. No word yet on when the deciding race in would be re-run.

2.08pm BST

Swimming: In case you missed the drama in the swimming pools in Paris, the athletes are playing a game of “he said, they said”.

China’s Pan Zhanle accused Australia’s Kyle Chalmers of snubbing him on the opening night of competition and the American swimmer Jack Alexy of allegedly acting disrespectfully towards Chinese coaches during a training session.

Chalmers labelled the allegation towards him “a bit weird” and added: “We had a laugh together at warm-down last night – but no issues from my end.”

2.05pm BST

Rowing: Helen Glover hinted her glittering rowing career is over after being denied a third Olympic title by the wafer-thin margin of 0.18sec.

Just 24 hours after Team GB women’s quadruple sculls crew claimed gold by the margin of 0.15secs, Glover, Rebecca Shorten, Esme Booth and Sam Redgrave were on the wrong side of a race to the line as the Netherlands held on in a thrilling finale.

Glover, who won pairs gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016 with Heather Stanning, took four years out of the sport before the Tokyo Olympics to start a family with her husband.

She took another 12 months off after those Games before deciding to come back for more in the women’s four boat, despite now being a mother of three and trying to balance family commitments with rowing.

“Half the team think I’ll carry on, but I don’t plan to carry on,” said Glover. “My focus has been on crossing the finish line and then we’ll see. Right now I just want to spend time with my family and enjoy being mum. I’m not really thinking about rowing and I’ll take my time to reflect on the Olympics.

“It’s been totally different [build-up to Paris 2024] as my world doesn’t revolve around rowing or results. My world revolves around my kids, and this is just a really awesome extra I get to do.” PA Media

2.01pm BST

Team GB's Wightman pulls out due to hamstring injury

The former world 1500m champion Jake Wightman has been forced to withdraw from the Olympics due to a hamstring injury.

It is a particularly gutting blow for the 30-year-old middle-distance runner, who was set to compete in the 800m in Paris after bouncing back from a foot injury in January 2023 with subsequent series of setbacks keeping him out of action for 13 months.

Elliot Giles will be the late athlete replacement in the 800m, which begins with round one on 7 August.

1.47pm BST

Football: What a treat – Football Weekly Extra has just dropped.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Suzy Wrack, Tom Garry and Sophie Downey for a women’s football special. The panel discuss Canada’s spygate, Bev Priestman’s suspension and the six-point deduction. The panel debate whether the punishment fits the crime.

Despite the deduction, Canada will advance to the knockout rounds after winning all three of their matches in Paris. The defending Olympic champions will face Germany on Saturday in Marseille.

1.39pm BST

Gymnastics: Simone Biles and the rest of team USA stunned in earlier events, winning gold in the women’s gymnastics team final. But the greatest gymnast of all time isn’t done quite yet with the all-around final taking place later today.

To any American readers just waking up and joining us, here is all you need to know about when and where to watch Biles compete.

1.35pm BST

Men’s hockey: Some late drama but Team GB hold on to beat France 2-1 and are off the the quarter-finals. France felt they were hard done by some calls but ultimately, with 41 seconds to go, they had two shots that went wide.

1.27pm BST

Women’s doubles tennis: Katie Boulter and Heather Watson fail to reach the semi-finals after falling 6-3, 6-1 to the Italian duo Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani.

Unfortunately for the British duo, they were unable to come back from their poor start. Boulter double faulted twice in her opening service game and Watson then dropped her serve.

Errani is a five-time grand slam champion in doubles. Her prowess at the net along with Paolini’s strength from the back make them a potent combination, and Boulter and Watson simply could not find a foothold.

Boulter dropped serve again at the start of the second set and there was no way back, the Italians booking their spot in the last four in just 62 minutes.

1.22pm BST

Women’s singles tennis: Anyone who has watched Swiatek knows how much pressure she has been under, coming into the tournament as such an overwhelming favourite but her opponent picked apart her game masterfully. An “upset for the ages, seismic” say the commentators on Eurosport and the match stats back up that statement. Zheng had six aces to Swiatek’s two and 13 unforced errors to the Pole’s 36.

Zheng, who was this year’s Australia Open runner-up, may win China’s first single’s tennis medal.

Updated at 1.24pm BST

1.16pm BST

Zheng Qinwen speaks after knocking out Iga Swiatek in the women’s singles semi-final:

I feel more than happy. Happy is not enough to express my emotions right now. I always had a lot of expectations for the Olympic Games but I knew how hard it would be to get here. Every match, I have been through a lot of pressure.
To beat Iga in this stage is absolutely not easy. It is an important tournament for me and for her. It was unbelievable. I played a lot of great tennis today. I was really patient in the game.
I have had a lot of matches against Iga. I am always the one who misses more than her. I am always the one to have more winners than her but I always lose the match. So today I said I had to be more patient against Iga. I said if she had to take this match she’s going to have make a lot of winners. It’s on clay, it is not easy. maybe on hardcourt it is different but that was my gameplan. I tried to play consistent and have a lot of variation when I step inside.
Iga is absolutely putstanding on clay court. she is such a great player. Four grand slam titles, the French open … It is not easy.
My mental is holding me up. My body is at a limit but i don’t know why in this tournament I have this extra energy. But today, when I am tired, I am able to push. If you asked me to play three more hours for my country, I would.

Updated at 1.52pm BST

1.05pm BST

World No 1 Swiatek knocked out of tennis singles

The world No 1 has been knocked out. Iga Swiatek, who has not lost a match at Roland Garros since 2021 falls against China’s Zheng Qinwen.

Swiatek came into Paris as the far and away favourite. Clay is her best surface, having won in Madrid, Rome and of course, the French Open this year. Bronze is still up for grabs but Zheng is now onto the final.

Updated at 1.49pm BST

1.01pm BST

Handover: Yara El-Shaboury is back to guide you through the next few hours. Thanks for your company during a very eventful couple of hours.

12.58pm BST

Men’s rowing: The US victory in the men’s fours will surely have many people breathing a sigh of relief.

In Tokyo, US rowers were shut out of the medals for the first time in any Olympics the USA had attended. Through three races today, a feeling of deja vu might have emerged. The men’s four smashed that feeling with the first gold for the USA in the event since 1960.

This gold medal also steadies Team USA as a whole in terms of medal projections. With gold medals today in shooting and walking, China were steadily gaining. As of this moment, the US projection for gold is at 43 to China’s 39. But given trends in the pool in Paris, it’s unlikely that the US swimmers will meet their projections today, while China might walk away with another gold or possibly two.

And it’s surely a special accomplishment for the men in the boat. One of them, Michael Grady, was in the men’s four that finished fifth in Tokyo. Three of them – Nick Mead, Justin Best and Liam Corrigan – were in the men’s eight that took fourth. When athletes have seen medals slip through their grasps, they tend to cling to medals a bit more tightly when they earn them. Corrigan has another notable victory, though. He was on the Oxford boat that won The Boat Race in 2022 .

12.57pm BST

Women’s tennis: Poland’s Iga Swiatek is in big, big trouble against China’s Qinwen Zheng in the semi-finals of the singles. Unbeaten at Roland Garros since 2021, Swiatek lost the first set and Zheng is currently serving to close out an unexpected win.

12.53pm BST

Men’s hockey: It’s an enjoyably bad-tempered game and Team GB are losing by the only goal scored so far in their penultimate Pool B match against France in front of very partisan (and Parisienne) crowd at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium as they approach the end of the third quarter.

12.50pm BST

Tennis: Team GB’s Heather Watson and Katie Boulter are a set down in their women’s doubles quarter-final against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani. The British duo have just lost on Boulter’s serve in the opening game of the second set and while it’s not quite time to hit the panic button, they clearly have it all to do.

12.38pm BST

Skateboarding: Team GB’s Tokyo bronze medallist Sky Brown dislocated her shoulder in training on Sunday but has announced she still intends to compete in the women’s park skateboarding next week. The 16-year-old arrived in Paris with doubts over her fitness after she suffered a serious knee injury in May. It would be fair to say her preparations for these Olympics have been somewhat less than ideal.

Updated at 1.56pm BST

12.33pm BST

Women’s boxing: Before the Carini v Khelife bout at the Paris North Arena, the IOC’s Mark Adams was asked about the controversy surrounding the contest.

“I repeat that all the competitors comply with the eligibility rules,” he said. “But what I would say is that this involves real people. And, by the way, this is not a transgender issue. I should make this absolutely clear.”

12.25pm BST

Women’s boxing: Sean Ingle tweets from the boxing arena, where Italy’s Angela Carini has tearfully told reporters that she abandoned her fight against Algeria’s Imane Khelif because she had never been punched so hard before and felt she simply could not continue.

Sean also reports that Carini’s coach said: “I don’t know if her nose is broken; I have to speak with the girl. But many people in Italy tried to call and tell her: ‘Don’t go please; it’s a man, it’s dangerous for you’.” We’ll have more from Sean as this story develops …

12.13pm BST

Italy's Carini abandons bout against Algeria's Khelif

Women’s boxing: Algerian Imane Khelif moved past Angela Carini when the Italian abandoned their welterweight round of 16 fight after 46 seconds in the first round on Thursday.

Khelif has been in the spotlight since she was disqualified just hours before the gold medal match at the 2023 World Championships for failing International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules that prevent athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events.

She was ruled eligible, however, to compete in Paris, a competition run by the International Olympic Committee. Khelif entered the arena amid loud cheers from fans waving Algerian flags and the Italian was no match for her opponent’s speed and longer reach. Carini went to her coach after 30 seconds to fix her headgear but after briefly resuming the fight she returned to her corner and stopped, quickly leaving the ring.

“I have always honoured my country with loyalty,” Carini said. “This time I didn’t succeed because I couldn’t fight anymore. So I put an end to the match.” She did not immediately say why she had abandoned the contest.

Updated at 12.23pm BST

12.09pm BST

An email: “Thanks for your coverage as French TV isn’t showing any rowing at the moment, maybe because they have no medal prospects,” writes Jeremy Boyce.

“I’m not sure your speculation on how things are between the British men’s four crew is all that helpful. Obviously they’d have been hoping for gold (aren’t they all?), but they actually achieved a bronze. Of all the crews that started out, only three can lay their hands on a coveted Olympic token. Let’s be happy for them and for the return to decent health of British rowing.”

Well, I would respectfully argue that I am not a Team GB cheerleader and it’s not my job to be helpful. And besides, I was only reporting on – possibly baseless – speculation that all is not well in the camp, whether that’s through illness, injury or some sort of feud. It would have been very easy for them to address this speculation but they elected not to, a state of affairs that has only further fanned the flames.

Olympic athletes in niche sports like rowing that most of us pay little or no attention to for most of the four-year Olympic cycle four years are normally glad of any publicity, so their silence is noteworthy. It’s also noteworthy that while they all looked happy enough on the podium during the medal presentation, there is still no sign of the customary BBC interview.

Updated at 12.15pm BST

12.00pm BST

Hockey: Unbeaten in three games in Pool A following a win over Spain and back-to-back draws against South Africa and the Netherlands, Team GB’s men are currently playing France at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium.

It’s scoreless as they approach the end of the first quarter and the British men are looking good to qualify for the quarter-finals. They are slated to play Germany in their final Pool match tomorrow.

11.50am BST

Gymnastics: Italy’s Giorgia Villa won silver with her teammates in the women’s team final this week but her passion for all things Parmesan has also gained attention. Armed with his trusty cheese grater, Bryan Armen Graham scratches beneath the surface of a fascinating Olympics sub-plot …

Updated at 11.58am BST

11.46am BST

Golf: The men’s tournament started this morning, with a strong field teeing off for the first of four rounds. It’s very early doors yet, but Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama currently leads the field on -6 through 11.

But what’s this? He’s just been joined at the top of the leaderboard by Germany’s Matthias Schmid, who has played three holes more. Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood is on -3 through 11, while Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is on the same score through nine.

On a sombre note, it’s been a traumatic week for Fleetwood and his coach Phil Kenyon, who are both from Southport and have had to try to come to terms with the shock of the knife attack and subsequent civil unrest that has unfolded in their locale in recent days. We wish them both well.

Updated at 11.53am BST

11.37am BST

Olympic spirit dept: A war of words has opened up between the Australian and Chinese swim teams at the Paris Olympics, after three-time Olympian Kyle Chalmers labelled an allegation that he had snubbed China’s Pan Zhanle on the pool deck “a bit weird”.

11.34am BST

Today in Paris: With invariably hilarious consequences, angry, pompous people on Twitter/X often confuse the Guardian’s golf correspondent Ewan Murray, with his near namesake the Sky Sports golf commentator Ewen Murray.

Watching this piece to camera being delivered by our man at Le Golf National in which he delivers a taster of what’s coming up at the Olymnpics today, it’s not difficult to see why. Take it away, Ewan …

Updated at 11.35am BST

11.23am BST

Rowing: Helen Glover missed out on a third Olympic gold medal after the Team GB women’s four were pipped by Netherlands at the Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.

11.21am BST

Rowing: The men’s four recover from an awful start to win a bronze medal in the final race of the day, to make it two bronzes and a silver from three British crews today.

It’s a decent return but will the men’s four be happy with third place, or curse the bad start that coould have cost them something better? They have, by all accounts, been maintaining a stoney media silence in the build-up to and during this week, fuelling rumours that, for whatever reasons, all might not be well in the camp.

11.17am BST

USA win gold; Great Britain take bronze in men's four

Rowing: The USA win with relative ease, pulling away from New Zealand in the final 300 metres. Team GB hold on for bronze under a late assault from the Italians, who miss out on a medal.

Updated at 11.28am BST

11.16am BST

Rowing: It’s neck and neck between the USA and New Zealand as the race approaches its conclusioon. The USA pull half a boat-length clear. Team GB look to have nailed down third place.

11.15am BST

Rowing: Great Britain move into third place with 500 metres to go. The USA lead from New Zealand, who are still in with a great shout.

11.14am BST

Rowing: At the halfway point, the USA lead New Zealand, with Italy in third place. Great Britain haven’t panicked, recovered from their bad start and and are challenging for the bronze.

11.12am BST

Rowing: The six boats contesting the final of the men’s four go about the important business of their day and it’s a very slow start for Great Britain, with David Ambler, Freddie Davidson, Matt Aldridge and Oliver Wilkes pulling the oars. They’re almost a length down on the USA with 1,500m to go. New Zealand are in second and Italy are currently in third.

11.09am BST

Hello everybody. The men’s four is next up, with the atmosphere on BBC television bordering on the funereal after the British women were beaten by the Dutch in the women’s equivalent. Luckily, the rowers themselves don’t seem as gloomy as the presenting team.

“I think we’ve all done a good job,” says Rebecca Shorten to TV’s Matthew Pinsent. “We’d all have been happy with gold but we’ll take the silver.” The Netherlands boat led from pillar to post, so the British team were beaten fair and square.

11.02am BST

Barry Glendenning will take over now before the men’s four. I will be back in a bit.

11.00am BST

Team GB edged by Dutch in women's four rowing for gold

What an ending! A massive credit to Team GB but they just could not find that final push needed against the Netherlands. For Helen Glover, it will be two golds and now a silver.

It makes Team GB’s medal count at these Games up to 19. Here is our live medal tracker, which may take a few moments to update.

Updated at 11.19am BST

10.57am BST

Women’s four rowing: At the 200m mark, GB move ahead of the Dutch boat. Both teams have a stroke rate of 41. It’s going to come down to the tiniest of milliseconds.

10.54am BST

Women’s four rowing: Team GB level with Dutch at the halfway mark. They will hope to pull away now.

10.53am BST

Women’s four rowing: Glover, the 38-year-old, is a two-time gold medalist. Team GB are sitting in second, 2m behind the Dutch.

10.51am BST

Women’s four rowing: Will we get another Team GB medal in rowing? Helen Glover, a flag bearer at the opening ceremony, is in position alongside Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten. In their way is China, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Romania and the United States.

Updated at 10.51am BST

10.46am BST

Women’s rowing double sculls: Before we get to the final rowing events, we get our medal ceremony. Hodgkins-Byrne and Wilde are absolutely beaming.

Along with the medals, the athletes get a special Parisian scroll that is made of either gold, silver or bronze.

10.40am BST

Romania pip Dutch to gold in men’s rowing double sculls, Ireland take bronze

Marian Florian Enache and Andrei-Sebastian Cornea of Romania steal gold at the death, reaching a high of 47 strokes a minute! The Dutch look absolutely devastated. They were silver medalists three years ago and they were not able to better their result.

Ireland’s Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch take the third spot on the podium leaving the United States still in search of their first rowing medal.

Updated at 12.57pm BST

10.35am BST

Men’s rowing double sculls: The Dutch and Romania are going back and forth for the gold with 500m to go. The United States are just keeping Ireland off the podium.

10.32am BST

Men’s rowing double sculls: The Dutch missed out on gold in Tokyo by 2/10ths of a second. Can they do one better this time around? Let’s see. They’re taking on Spain, Romania, Ireland, the United States and New Zealand.

10.28am BST

Gold for NZ, bronze for GB in women’s rowing double sculls

It was neck and neck in the final stretch but what a result for Great Britain. This team would not have won a medal a couple months ago given they were only recently assembled.

The defending champions Romania had the lead at the halfway mark but New Zealand powered through to take gold.

Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne and Becky Wilde share a long hug after winning their first Olympic medals together. Wilde had surgery on her forearms only ten months ago and Hodgkins-Byrne took time away from the sport after Tokyo to have her son.

Updated at 12.40pm BST

10.20am BST

Yang wins gold in women’s 20km race walk

The world record holder is an Olympic champion for the first time! It was an enthralling last 10km but Jiayu Yang’s quick start and steady pace throughout was what won her this race. She really dug deep with her fastest lap being her last despite looking like she was in a lot of pain.

Spain’s María Pérez takes silver and Jemima Montag comfortably takes third, becoming the first Australian to medal in this event since 2004.

Updated at 10.36am BST

10.11am BST

Women’s 20km race walk: The gap has gone from 40sec to 20sec to 13sec at the top. Pérez is chasing Yang but she only has two laps to make it up completely.

But Australia’s Jemima Montag in third has made up quite a bit of distance and is around 11sec behind Pérez. So, the Spaniard has to chase down the leader and now constantly look over shoulder.

We are coming up on the last lap.

10.03am BST

Covid cluster worsens in Australian camp as Stubblety-Cook reveals infection

The Covid cluster in the Australian swim team may be worse than first feared, after the Tokyo champion Zac Stubblety-Cook revealed he swam through an infection to win silver in the 200m breaststroke on Wednesday night.

In a statement, the Australian Olympic Committee confirmed that Stubblety-Cook had completed a five-day course of antivirals for the illness.

10.01am BST

Women’s 20km race walk: Wow! María Pérez has halved the gap between her and Yang. The Chinese looks over shoulder and is trying to respond.

9.59am BST

Women’s 20km race walk: The defending champion, Antonella Palmisano, drops out and is being consoled by her coach. We are approaching the 14km mark and the stakes are getting higher and more red cards are being dished out as the stakes are getting higher.

If this is a new sport to you, you may be confused as to how these red cards work. Race walking’s strictest rule is that athletes must keep one foot in contact with the ground at all times, without any running.

If a judge deems an athlete is running, they serve a two-minute time penalty after three rule violations, known as red cards.

So while Yang is currently not physically the first athlete on the track, she is still in the lead because of her opponent’s time violations.

A timely email from Peter comes in:

Why at this level they couldn’t have a chip in each shoe to ensure that one foot is always in contact with the ground, which is supposed to distinguish race-walking from running?

There has always been controversy surrounding the use of foot sensors despite the fact there has been some investment in the tech. But some believe it could change the way athletes race walk. There will always pushback to change, but I do believe we will see it sooner rather than later.

9.47am BST

Swimming: Adam Peaty has raised hopes he could compete in his relay events later this week as he returned to the pool following two days of “bed rest”.

Hours after winning silver in the men’s 100m breaststroke, Peaty tested positive for Covid-19, having struggled with a sore throat ahead of Sunday’s final before his symptoms worsened.

Unlike the last Olympics in Tokyo, there are no specific coronavirus restrictions on athletes but Team GB said in a statement “all usual precautions (were) being taken to keep the wider delegation healthy”.

Peaty’s diagnosis led to doubts about whether he would be fit enough to take to the pool in the men’s and mixed 4x100m medley relays, with the 29-year-old crucial to to their hopes on the breaststroke leg.

But he posted a picture of himself on his Instagram story on Wednesday evening in a swimming pool along with the caption: “Back in the water with the French public today (2 days of bed rest).”

The mixed medley heats is first up with heats on Friday and the final on Saturday - the men’s preliminaries are on Saturday with the showpiece on the last day of the swimming meet on Sunday. PA Media

Updated at 10.17am BST

9.40am BST

Women’s 20km race walk: Yang Jiayu is still in the lead 11km in and it is hard to see anyone catching her, unless some red cards come in to play. She is ahead of Mexico’s Alegna González by 36sec.

9.37am BST

Swimming does not make a start until later today but there has been a lot of conversation surrounding world records in Paris … or should I say lack thereof. The theories have been flying. Is it the athletes? Is it the shallow pool? Here is Shane Keating’s take:

When swimmers dive into the pool and power through the water, they naturally create waves that radiate outwards. Some of these waves will propagate along the surface of the pool and be damped by gutters at the edge. Others will travel downward, bounce off the bottom of the pool, and return to the surface to create turbulence.
Turbulence can slow a swimmer down in two ways. First, it creates a choppy pool surface that can disrupt a swimmer’s rhythm and reduce their speed.
Second, turbulence increases the effect of water drag by dissipating the swimmer’s momentum – the water motion literally “sucks” the speed from the swimmer.
The slow pool theory says the shallower pool means more waves bounce back to the surface, creating more turbulence and slowing swimmers down. But does it hold water?

Keating’s thesis research was on geophysical wave processes in the Sun (astrophysics and plasma physics) and his post-doctoral research was on satellite oceanography and mathematical modeling of ocean eddies. Basically, he knows more about this than you and I ever will. More below.

9.23am BST

China's Liu Yukun wins gold in men’s 50m rifle three positions

What a year for Liu! Back in May he broke the world record twice in Baku and now he is an Olympic gold medalist. He finishes with a score of 463.6 after hitting a 9.9 shot in the last round.

Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish takes silver and India’s Swapnil Kusale is the bronze winner.

And we end the shooting action for now with a French EDM track that I do not recognise.

Updated at 9.31am BST

9.18am BST

Men’s 50m rifle three positions: Shot 42 eliminates Jon-Hermann Hegg of Norway. Standing is usually his best scores but a 9.9, he is eliminated after leading for so long.

Shot 43 means that world No 1, Jiri Privratsky, is eliminated at fourth.

9.14am BST

Men’s 50m rifle three positions: We are close to finding out another gold in a shooting competition. So how does this work? Fifteen match shots are taken in each position: kneeling, prone and standing, in that order.

We are now at the standing phase with the final five, with someone being eliminated after every shot.

An interesting aside about some of the shooting events is that they play music in the background. This morning, the DJ at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre has opted for some Dua Lipa and Ellie Goulding. Along with the sporting updates, I will try to bring you the latest music picks.

9.05am BST

An email from Guy who is in “a sultry south Manchester”:

After the incredible highs of Monday and Wednesday, today feels like a bit of a middle overs of week one, or perhaps a lull before the next wave breaks. I’m not quite on my metaphors game today. But as you’ve said, there’s great chances on the water, and a throwback for me, having been lucky enough to witness Helen Glover and Heather Stanning win their gold at Eton Dorney in 2012. I’m hoping she can make it 3 golds!

Is anyone on their metaphor game in the AM? Certainly not me. That being said, I am also keen to witness some great rowing action today.

8.59am BST

Women’s 20km race walk: Weather looks good and we are underway. China’s Yang Jiayu has made a quick start and is an early leader. Yang holds the world record for this event, registering a time of 1:23:49 back in 2021. This season, her fastest time was about three minutes slower. The racers now are just taking the first bend at the Eiffel Tower. What a beautiful view.

8.55am BST

Women’s 20km race walk: The race was scheduled to start at 8.30am BST but it has been delayed due to weather conditions. However, we shouldn’t be left waiting too long. Can Antonella Palmisano defend her gold from Tokyo?

8.46am BST

Rowing: A big day at the Nautical Stadium in Vaires-sur-Marne today with a huge chance today for Team GB to pick up some more medals.

Helen Glover, who won gold in London 2012 and Rio 2016, is targeting a third Olympic medal in the women’s fours alongside Rebecca Shorten, Esme Booth and Sam Redgrave a bit later.

There is also British representation in the women’s double sculls final with Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne and Rebecca Wilde, while David Ambler, Freddie Davidson, Matt Aldridge and Oliver Wilkes contest the men’s fours final just after noon.

8.34am BST

Men’s 20km race walk: Pintado celebrates his gold with a Cristiano Ronaldo SIIIIUUU celebration and is able to call his family back home in Ecuador right as he crosses the finish line.

Caio Bonfim from Brazil takes silver and Álvaro Martín takes bronze.

All three athletes on the podium take home their very first Olympic medal.

Team GB’s Callum Wilkinson finished in 16th.

8.28am BST

Ecuador’s Pintado wins men’s 20km race walk

What a finish here! Ecuador’s Brian Pintado takes gold after moving away here in the final bend of the race. The Italian, Massimo Stano, who was the gold medalist in Tokyo has to settle for fourth.

Updated at 8.49am BST

8.23am BST

Women’s 3x3 basketball: Alex Wilson hits a two and gets Australia the win against China.

Wilson, once again, proving the difference maker on the 3x3 court with 11 points. Australia were overall much more clinical with a 0.78 efficiency compared to China’s 0.54.

A reminder as to how the format of the 3x3 basketball works: The eight teams will play a round robin and the first and second placed teams will qualify for the semi-finals. Teams three to six will face off in play-in games for the remaining two spots.

8.15am BST

Thanks Angus and hello all! It is the first day of August and what a day of Olympic action we have ahead of us.

Don’t believe me? Just take a look at our live schedule. Unsure where to look and how to follow along? Well, that is what we are here for.

Have any thoughts, questions, comments, concerns or Olympic household traditions you want to share? Send me a mail. You can find the information at the top of the page.

8.10am BST

As a four-man pack make a lighting move for the finish in the 20km race walk, it’s time for me to race stroll into the Paris night! Hereafter I hand the baton to Yara El-Shaboury. Thanks for your company and have a wonderful day six. Au revoir!

8.04am BST

On the hour mark in the 20km men’s race walk, it’s the marvellous moustache of Massimo Stano leading the way. The Olympic champion and the world champion are breathing down his neck though as Brian Pintado and Brazilian Caio Bonfim stay close. We are at the 15km mark now and the lead pack is, for the first time, breaking away from the stragglers. Exciting 15 minutes ahead here…

Updated at 8.05am BST

7.59am BST

The 3x3 basketball isn’t far off. This is basketball’s attempt at a Twenty20 reinven tion. Here in Paris we are nearing the end of the pool stage. Teams play each other once each over a total of six games. The squads are then seeded one through six, with the top two receiving byes to the semi-finals. The unseeded teams play in a single-game elimination round before the semi-finals and final. So far, the USA are emerging as favourites.

7.54am BST

For those who came in late, Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson has been shown the door by Football Australia after the Tillies’ premature exit in the Olympic pool stages.

7.50am BST

As some nervous golfers wait to tee up the first round of men’s individual event, Brazil’s Brian Bonfim has snatched the lead in the 20km men’s race walk from Italy’s Massimo Stano with the Spaniards McGrath and Martin in third and fourth and Ethipia’s Misgana Wakuma in fifth. Australian Declan Tingay is also making his move and now sits sixth.

7.41am BST

The lead pack has been overtaken in the Men’s 20km walk and Ecuador’s BD Pintado has stolen the lead. At 40 minutes, we are past the halfway mark. The Spanish duo of Martin and McGrath are still loitering with intent. Conditions are tough in Paris, with 88% humidity and greasy conditions on the course.

Updated at 7.42am BST

7.31am BST

Race walking has a proud tradition at the Olympics, debuting at the 1908 Games where it was contested over 3500m and 10-mile distances. A 10km event was introduced in 1912 and there was also a one-off 3000m walk at the 1920 Olympiad in Antwerp. This 20 km event has been the standard race walk for men since the Melbourne Games in 1956 and replaces the longer men’s event over 50 km which ran 1932-2020.

Here in the 2024 version, it’s Sweden’s Perseus Karlstrom with the lead, a couple of paces in front of a pack headed by Spain’s duo of Paul McGrath and Alvaro Martin. The world record they’re chasing today belongs to Yusuke Suzuki at 1:16:36 while the Olympic record stands at 1:18:46, as set by Ding Chen in London in 2012.

For those who find race walking a contradiction in terms, here’s a fun primer…

Updated at 7.37am BST

7.19am BST

Electrical storms in Paris have been threatening all morning but the men’s 20km race walk has begun and the competitors are striding the slimy cobblestones as we speak. Australia has Rhydian Cowley, Kyle Swan and Declan Tingay to cheer for in this one.

Italy’s Francesco Fortunato has an early lead with Ukraine’s Ihor Hlavan hot on his heels…

Updated at 7.21am BST

7.14am BST

I found myself reflecting on the 1924 Paris Olympics recently while swimming laps at the famous Sydney Harbour pool named for Andrew “Boy” Charlton who took gold in the 1500m at that Games.

It was in that pool, situated near Sydney’s Domain and today overlooking Russell Crowe’s loft apartment at Garden Bay, that teen prodigy Charlton beat world record holder Arne Borg, a boilover that sent ripples of shock through the world and which Borg celebrated by rowing Charlton up the pool in a dinghy hailing “the new king”.

In Paris, Borg and Charlton swapped world records in the heats before ‘Boy’ took a minute off Borg’s world mark in the final to win a famous gold medal. Charlton also won silver in the 4x200m freestyle, losing to US swimmer Johnny Weissmuller who later achieved even greater fame as cinema’s most famous Tarzan.

At the 1928 Amsterdam Games, Weissmuller relegated Borg and Charlton to silver and bronze in the 400m. Borg would win the 1500m ahead of another future US film star in Buster Crabbe who went on to play Flash Gordon.

Updated at 8.37am BST

6.53am BST

Of course, Chariots of Fire – and its glorious theme by Vangelis – was celebrated at the London Olympiad in 2012 in a beautifully British way…

6.50am BST

The first Paris Olympics was a century ago and was memorably immortalised on celluloid by the 1982 Oscar winner Chariots of Fire. That film centred on two very different British athletes Eric Lidell and Harold Abrahams who each won gold.

Tim Costello remembers:

The plot had a remarkable twist. Eric stayed true to his perceived duty and pulled out of the heats. But then at the last moment his Olympic team entered him in the 400m, not his event nor one for which he had trained. He claimed gold in a world record time of 47.6 seconds. He had fulfilled the duty he felt to a higher calling, willing to sacrifice his specialist event with all his training, but remarkably managed to win anyway. His fierce sprinting British competitor Abrahams ran and did win the 100m for Britain. The team were triumphant.
It’s a true story and a feelgood story that offers a vision of there being a higher duty than one’s own personal success and national glory.

6.41am BST

Golf swings into Olympic action today and, having endured the civil war that has wracked the game of late, seven “rebels” from the active LIV Golf players will be representing four different countries in the 60-player field in the men’s competition

Jon Rahm is making his Olympics debut after qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics but withdrawing due to Covid, while Abraham Ancer, Adrian Meronk, Joaquin Niemann, Carlos Ortiz and Mito Pereira are competing in their second consecutive Olympics. Pereira came close to finishing on the podium at the Tokyo Games, making the seven-man playoff for the bronze medal before being eliminated on the third playoff hole.

Play gets going in the men’s individual stroke playin about 90 minutes.

6.34am BST

The Paris weather has been as turbulent as the emotions on display in the athletes. After days of rain, the weather turned hot and heavy yesterday. Day six has dawned overcast but the predictions are that the overcast skies will burn off as the day gets under way.

6.31am BST

Great sport and great photography truly go hand in hand

6.23am BST

When you’re an official flagbearer for your country at an Olympic Games, the pressure ratchets up a few notches. Australian kayak queen Jess Fox accepted the double-edged sword, c hosen as flag bearer , leading the team down the Seine , as the face of her team.

Expectations on Fox were already high – both her parents are former Olympians and her sister is also competing at these Games – but somehow she found a way…

Updated at 6.29am BST

6.11am BST

The axe has swung swiftly after Australia’s shock elimination in the women’s football, with Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson axed with immediate effect.

I’ve just received this statement from Football Australia:

“The Matildas’ journey at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has come to an end. Despite their best efforts, the team has not progressed to the quarter-finals.

“This outcome is undoubtedly disappointing for the team, the fans, and the entire Australian football community. The team’s objective was to improve on the previous fourth place finish at Tokyo 2020, and while this Olympic campaign did not unfold as hoped, Football Australia remain immensely proud of the dedication and hard work displayed by the Matildas throughout the qualification period and the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament.

“Following the conclusion of the Matildas’ Olympic campaign, head coach Tony Gustavsson’s four-year contract with Football Australia has also come to an end by mutual agreement. Gustavsson addressed the players and staff following the final group stage match against the United States to farewell them and wish them every success with their futures.”

Gustavsson said: “It has been a great honour and privilege to have been able to be the head coach of the Matildas over the past four years. This journey with the team has had many incredible moments and memories that I will forever treasure.

“Thank you to the incredible players for letting me play a small part in their stories, my staff for being beside me every step of the way, Football Australia for backing our vision for this team, the Australian football family for embracing me and the Australian public for the tremendous support.

“Australian football will be forever in my heart, and I will be watching on and cheering on your success in the future,” Gustavsson concluded.

Updated at 6.15am BST

6.00am BST

Plenty of fat, salty tears have been shed in Paris but few had the bittersweet tang experienced by Great Britain’s Lola Anderson who yesterday stormed to gold in the women’s quadruple sculls crew on the wings of her late father Don . Bedridden with illness one day in 2019, Don asked her to fetch his safety deposit box full of his greatest life treasures. Inside was Lola’s diary as a 14-year-old and a prescient entry reading:

“My name is Lola Anderson and I think it would be my biggest dream in life to go to the Olympics and represent Team GB in rowing and, if possible, win a gold medal.”

Updated at 6.01am BST

5.53am BST

Whether you’re an avid sports fan or casual viewer, the Paris Olympics has delivered plenty 0f stunning scenes and gorgeous scenery. As Barney Ronay noted in his triathlon piece, yesterday’s triathlon was:

“An aesthetic triumph, an impossibly beautiful and luminous event, the kind of moment where Paris gets to flex its shoulders and it becomes necessary to marvel at the splendour of what humans have managed to do here.”

5.46am BST

For Team GB, Alex Yee’s gold in the men’s triathlon was sweet. With one lap remaining, the Briton sat 14 seconds in arrears behind his great rival, New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde. Then Yee heard four words that helped change the course of Olympic history…

Updated at 5.47am BST

5.43am BST

Australians are still crying tears of joy for Jess Fox’s double-gold in the whitewater while weeping in shock at the Matildas’ dramatic exit from the women’s football field.

Although Team Oz is sitting pretty at fourth on the medal tally, the torrent of antipodean gold on days 1-5 might soon slow to a trickle as events leave the pool and head to the track. Day six still holds plenty of promise…

5.30am BST

As day six dawns let’s revisit the current medal table (as soundtracked by famous French freestyler Plastic Bertrand on Top of the Pops

Updated at 5.31am BST

5.21am BST

Inspired by the words of the Bishop of Pennsylvania, Ethelbert Talbot, and echoed into infamy by Pierre de Coubertin, at a reception given by the British government on 24 July 1908, the Olympic creed has evermore stood as: “ The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well .”

And nothing embodies it like Eric Moussambani AKA “ Eric the Eel”…

5.12am BST

Eighteen gold medals are up for grabs at the 2024 Games today.

Of all the simmering rivalries at this Paris Olympiad, one that comes to an angry boil tonight is the duel in the pool for the 4x200m women’s freestyle relay title. Team USA, spearheaded by women’s GOAT Katie Ledecky , will face off against their arch-rivals Australia, as led by Mollie O’Callaghan and Ariarne Titmus .

Australia won gold in the prestige women’s 4x200m in Beijing 2008 before the USA exacted revenge at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Both awesome foursomes finished behind the People’s Republic of China and the Americans at Tokyo 2020. With Australia having won the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay gold with an Olympic record, the USA will be desperate to square the ledger.

Or will the Aussie beef burger-fueled China shock the world again?

Here are some of the events and when to watch (all in Paris times):

Track and Field

The Men’s 20km Race Walk, 7:30am

Women’s 20km Race Walk , 9:20am

Shooting

Men’s Smallbore Rifle, Three Positions , 9:30am

Rowing

Women’s Double Sculls , 11:18am

Men’s Double Sculls , 11:30am

Women’s Four , 11:50am

Sailing

Men’s Skiff , 2:43pm

Women’s Skiff , 3:43pm

Judo

Men’s Half Heavyweight (100 kg/220 lbs.), medal rounds begin, 5:18pm

Women’s Half Heavyweight (78 kg/172 lbs.), medal rounds begin, 5:49pm

Canoe Slalom

Men’s (K-1) Kayak Single , 5:30pm

Gymnastics

Women’s Individual All-Around , 6:15pm

Fencing

Women’s Team Foil , 7:10pm

Swimming

Women’s 200m Butterfly , 8:30pm

Men’s 200m Backstroke , 8:38pm

Women’s 200m Breaststroke , 9:11pm

Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay , 10:03pm

5.00am BST

Preamble

Hello everybody and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the sixth official day of competition at this Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Day five was filled to the gills with thrills, spills, tears and cheers. Host nation France are celebrating Léon Marchand’s extraordinary double-gold performance last night in the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke – two triumphs hours apart that gave the 22-year-old from Toulouse his third individual gold at these Games. That dull roar hanging in this morning’s air is the echo of 15,000 French roaring as Marchand hauled in hot-favourite, Hungary’s world record holder Kristóf Milák, with inches to spare.

Team Great Britain are also exultant after a glorious day five highlighted by the gold medal-winning feats of Lola Anderson, Hannah Scott, Lauren Henry and Georgie Brayshaw in the women’s quadruple sculls crew and Alex Yee in the men’s triathlon , who pulled off a home-straight heist worthy of France favourite gentleman burglar Arsène Lupin himself. It vaults Team GB into fifth on the medal table behind China, Japan, France and Australia. Despite Katie Ledecky winning her eighth Olympic gold medal in the 1500m freestyle and tying the record for the most gold medals by a US woman, Team USA are a surprising seventh, but keeping their powder dry .

For Australia, dizzy highs – Jess Fox clinching her second gold of the Games with victory in the canoe slalom course at Vaires-sur-Marne – came with desultory lows, as the Matildas’ Olympic tilt ended in tears after losing 2-1 to the USA in their final pool game. Despite being without star striker Sam Kerr, the “Tillies” arrived in Paris as genuine medal contenders after capturing hearts with a fourth-place finish at the 2023 World Cup. Instead, they’re heading home early after the controversy-riven Canadians then delivered a coup de grace to the girls in gold by upsetting Colombia to progress.

It set Canada-Australia relations back another notch after the Maple Leafers beat the Boomers in the basketball and upset Australia’s world champion rugby sevens side in the semi-final to send them home without a medal . A Bryan Adams-ban on Sydney radio is currently being enforced by way of revenge.

Day five’s most anticipated – and controversial – moment came when Paris “reversed the tide of history” and declared the River Seine waters fit to host the men’s triathlon. Regardless of whether competitors copped a dose of E.coli with their broccoli , the event was a spectacle that never seemed quite possible until it was actually under way. Heavy rain, hysterical headlines and Netflix programming certainly didn’t help.