The Guardian

Paris 2024 Olympics day 11: athletics, skateboarding, speed climbing, cycling and more – live

By Yara El-Shaboury (now) with Daniel Harris (later); Jonathan Howcroft and Dominic Booth (earlier),

8 hours ago

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1CuUJ1_0uopsf8B00 — Japan's Kokona Hiraki competes in the women's park skateboarding prelims at La Concorde in Paris. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

1.22pm BST

Skateboarding: GB’s Lola Tambling, got involved in the sport after her father, the former BMXer, built a skatepark for the community. She is now officially an Olympian after her first run starts with a couple of fun tricks. She almost falls off but shows some incredible balance to stay on her board but she runs out of speed and does not finish her course. She gets 73.85 in her first run of three.

1.18pm BST

Skateboarding: The athletes from Heat 2 get an introduction. Two Britons in Sky Brown and Lola Tambling, two Americans in Minna Stess and Ruby Lilley and an Aussie in Arisa Trew. The five athletes have a lot of fun cheering in front of the camera and it is clear that they are all friends as they laugh and make fun faces at each other.

1.12pm BST

Thanks Dom, sterling shift as always. Not long until Sky Brown now. But before that, we earlier brought you update that the marathon familiarisation session was cancelled but there was no reason given as to why. Here’s the news that we all already knew: it is because of the water quality in the Seine.

Water quality assessments found that levels of Enterococci – an indicator of faecal pollution – were too high in the river.

A statement from World Aquatics said: “The water quality review showed E. coli levels ranged from 326 to 517 (considered “very good” to “good”) at the four collection points taken on 5 August between 5 and 6.00 am.

“However, Enterococci levels exceeded World Aquatics maximum thresholds during the morning review. The latest Enterococci samples (taken between 12.30 and 13.20 on 4 August) showed levels exceeding the maximum acceptable World Aquatics thresholds.”

Another familiarisation session is scheduled for Wednesday morning. The statement added: “With a favourable weather forecast and forward-looking analysis, World Aquatics and Paris 2024 remain confident that the Marathon Swimming competitions on 8 and 9 August will proceed as planned.”

The tests on 4 August cited by World Aquatics were taken before the Seine was used for Monday’s mixed relay triathlon, but at Tuesday’s IOC briefing, Paris 2024 executive director of communications Anne Descamps said the relevant test had been taken in a part of the river not used for the triathlon.

Descamps added that the decision to cancel Tuesday’s session was “taken with an abundance of caution” as there is another session scheduled on Wednesday.

“We have to have familiarisation but there’s another familiarisation event which is planned tomorrow and for Paris 2024, we’re pretty confident in our ability to see what is happening in the weather forecasts will allow us to carry this out in good conditions.”

Updated at 1.13pm BST

1.03pm BST

And with that, I’ll hand back to Yara El-Shaboury who shall steer you through the next few hours.

1.02pm BST

The shots of the long jump sandpit are among my absolute favourite Olympic images.

12.57pm BST

Skateboarding: Hiraki Cocana and Bryce Wettstein from the first heat still lead the preliminary standings in this women’s park event, after what was an error-strewn second heat, in all truth. Lots of falls, lots of mistakes, with 10 skaters to come. We’ll soon see if Sky Brown and Lola Tambling can put themselves towards the top of that leaderboard.

12.50pm BST

Skateboarding: Taboulet is surely out. The 15-year-old falls for a third successive time and she hangs her head, salutes the crowd and that should be that. Heartbreak for the French home favourite. Zheng Haohao, the 11-year-old from China, also looks to be heading out.

We’re almost at the end of this second of four heats now and we’re getting a clearer picture of the qualification shakeup.

12.43pm BST

Athletics: India’s javelin hero Neeraj Chopra underlined his claim as the favourite with a single throw today, launching his Olympic title defence with 89.34m in qualification.

He delivered India’s first ever athletics gold three years ago and could be set to bring home another medal with the biggest throw of the day – and his best of the season.

“It was a good throw. Maybe the biggest ever in qualifying for me. All the throwers look in good shape,” he said. “I know I have not reached my peak. I am not yet as good as I would like to be technically or in distance, so I want to improve and throw further. And I want to set an example for other Indian athletes so that we can compete here with the best.”

Grenadian Anderson Peters was second in their Group B with 88.63 on one attempt and hopes to unseat Chopra to add Olympic gold to his 2022 and 2019 world championship titles.

Pakistan’s world silver medallist Arshad Nadeem (86.59) was also among the 12 best performers to move on to Thursday’s final.

German Julian Weber endured fourth-place heartbreak in Tokyo and again at the two most recent worlds, but he’s ready to fight again for the podium as he reached 87.76 on his lone attempt to finish at the top of Group A. Reuters

Updated at 12.45pm BST

12.39pm BST

Skateboarding: Taboulet goes down again and she looks furious with herself. That's twice in her two runs so far … so all the pressure will be on her third and final run in this heat. The home crowd are still well behind her.

12.37pm BST

For Michael Phelps, now read Léon Marchand. And here’s how Phelps’ old coach Bob Bowman helped fire the French sensation to Olympic immortality at these Games.

12.34pm BST

Men’s speed climbing: Right, Indonesia’s Veddriq Leanardo qualifies as the top seed, ahead of Amir Maimuratov of Kazakhstan and the USA’s Sam Watson. World No 1 Wu Pen qualifies as the fifth seed. The next round is the elimination round, where we’ll start to lose athletes.

12.29pm BST

Women’s park skateboarding: Over at Place de la Concorde, the French home favourite Nana Taboulet has just fallen! She’s currently in action in the second of four qualification heats.

Updated at 12.35pm BST

12.28pm BST

Men’s speed climbing: World records continue to tumble! Bear in mind this is a fairly new sport, but the athletes continue to push the levels up and up – quite literally. I’ll run through a summary of the seeding heats when they’re finished.

12.18pm BST

Let’s get to some of your emails:

Krishna Moorthy says: When they make a montage of Paris 2024 the 100m photo finish and the 6.25 WR of Duplantis are bound to lead from the front. Neeraj may easily be part of the opening footage with his certain gold two days from now.
Robert Speed has a theory: So they cancel another familiarisation swim, even though there’s been no rain since yesterday’s mixed triathlon? I think we can all see what’s going on. The Seine is not actually fit for swimming, but they’re having the races in it anyway.
Tristan Bruemmer has a nice message: Hi Dom. This just to say: I love you guys. I live in France, but I’ve followed all the Games on your live blog so far. Nowhere I’d rather get the latest updates, thrills, fun facts, typos and jokes from. Thanks for everything!

Thanks all, especially Tristan. We’ll try and keep the typos to a minimum though!

12.14pm BST

Men’s speed climbing: Yep, another Olympic record, this time set by the USA's Sam Watson in 4.91. Just to make sure you’re aware, these are the qualification heats, which will set the seeding for later on in the competition.

12.11pm BST

Men’s speed climbing: Another race, another breaking of the Olympic record, as French hero and climbing great Bassa Mawem is beaten by Indonesia’s Veddriq Leonardo. This really is super quick; blink and you’ll miss an entire race.

12.09pm BST

Men’s speed climbing: This really is a superb sport to watch. It’s all over in a matter of seconds. China’s Wu Peng has just rattled up the wall in 5.07 seconds – equalling the Olympic record – against Julian David of New Zealand.

Updated at 12.37pm BST

12.02pm BST

Women’s park skateboarding : In this opening heat, Bryce Wettstein of the USA has just embarked on her third and final run in qualifying, hitting a score in the mid 80s, which ought to be enough to reach the final. Sakura Yosozumi, one of the favourites, faces an anxious wait after a fall in her final run, with fellow Japanese skater Kokona Hiraki notching the highest score in this heat.

Sky Brown and GB compatriot Lola Tambling both go in the third of the four heats; we’ll update you on that later.

Updated at 12.04pm BST

11.53am BST

And here’s some more on that horrifying reveal from Adam Peaty re the Olympic village catering. Yuck.

11.52am BST

Our very own David Squires’ latest take is Olympics-themed. Enjoy.

11.45am BST

Skateboarding : Team GB’s Sky Brown is among those competing in the women’s park qualifying today, despite suffering a dislocated shoulder in training. She described the incident as “really scary” and how her dad put her shoulder back into place. After clinching a bronze medal at the age of just 13 in Tokyo, hopes are high for the 16-year-old at these Games. At the other end of the age spectrum for Great Britain in skateboarding in Paris is 51-year-old Andy Macdonald. It takes all sorts.

11.37am BST

Elsewhere in Paris: A luxury hotel has apologised to tennis great Serena Williams after she complained, in a social media post seen by millions, that she and her family were turned away from its restaurant on Monday.

“Yikes @peninsulaparis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places but never with my kids. Always a first,” Williams said on X.

Williams, a four-times Olympic gold medallist, was one of the Olympic flame’s torchbearers during the Paris Games’ opening ceremony. She is also among celebrities who have come out to see USA gymnast Simone Biles compete in the Games. Her post was seen by more than 4 million people.

The Peninsula Paris, a five-star hotel whose gourmet restaurant offers a view of the Eiffel Tower, swiftly responded: “Dear Mrs. Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight. Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved.” A second message followed, saying: “We have always been honuored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again.” PA Media

Updated at 11.45am BST

11.32am BST

Men’s basketball: Germany lead Greece 65-56 going into the final four minutes of the fourth quarter in their quarter-final clash.

11.30am BST

This is a terrific video visualisation of Noah Lyles’ 100m Olympic triumph.

11.25am BST

Diving: It’s job done for Team GB athletes Jack Laugher and Jordan Houlden, who have negotiated their way through to the individual 3m springboard final. They have qualified in third and fourth place respectively, with Chinese pair Wang Zongyuan and Xie Siyi setting the standard. The final takes place tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.

11.21am BST

Speaking of (Queen) Keely, Sean Ingle has the latest on the 800m champion’s immediate plans for the future. It would be a well deserved holiday, for sure.

11.17am BST

Some wholesome content for you this morning – Ella Toone watching her old classmate Keely Hodgkinson win gold.

11.11am BST

Athletics: Muir and Bell reflect on getting through their heats …

“Ultimately it was all about trying to qualify for the semi-finals without any hiccups. I did that and it felt really smooth,” said Muir.

“I’m not thinking about the final yet, it is all about the semi-final. It is so easy to get carried away. I’ve been here many times before and always made the final but I never took it for granted. All the focus is on reaching that final.”

Bell said: “I got no sleep last night between [watching] Keely’s gold medal and trying to prepare myself for today. She was absolutely amazing and she is so inspiring. It was all about staying out of trouble and making sure I’d qualified. It was nice smooth running so I am happy with that.

“The track felt great but it’s more about the atmosphere, the crowd roared me on. I hope I get to race with the French girl soon, then you get extra shouts.

“I came as a spectator the other night and it was amazing, so I am so happy I could get out there and race.”

11.06am BST

Equestrianism: Sven Guerdat incurs a penalty after hitting a jump and that wraps up the individual gold medal for Germany’s Christian Kukuk . The silver goes to Guerdat while Maikel Van der Vleuten seals bronze for the Netherlands. Two GB riders come in the top 10 but it’s not to be in terms of medals today for the Brits.

11.04am BST

Athletics: Team GB’s Victoria Ohuruogu, youngster sister of 2008 Olympic champion Christine, won her 400m repechage heat, with a season’s best time of 50.59 to go through to the semi-finals.

“It’s taken me a while to get my racing feet but I’m really happy with a season’s best at the Olympics,” she said. “It was my gameplan to be very aggressive, I really like running on the outside.”

There were also men’s 110m hurdles repechage heats, while the women’s long jump qualifying got under way. In the women’s 1500m, Laura Muir and Georgia Bell both qualified for the semi-finals.

Updated at 11.28am BST

11.02am BST

Thanks Yara. I’ll start with a summary of this morning’s track and field action, before returning to Versailles …

10.59am BST

That’s all from me for now. I will hand you over to Dominic Booth to take you through the showjumping final. Be back in a bit!

10.57am BST

Peaty says athletes have found worms in their food from Olympic village

Adam Peaty has claimed athletes at Paris 2024 have found worms in their food as he criticised inadequate catering at the Olympic village.

The six-time Olympic medallist complained about the quantity and quality of food on offer as he said it would affect the performances of athletes.

“The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform,” Peaty told the i. “We need to give the best we possibly can.

“Tokyo the food was incredible. Rio was incredible. But this time around? There wasn’t enough protein options, long queues, waiting 30 minutes for food because there’s no queueing system.”

As part of the Games’ sustainability pledges organisers have aimed to make 60% of all meals served meatless and a third plant-based, but Peaty said that did not work for him.

“The narrative of sustainability has just been pushed on the athletes,” he added. “I want meat, I need meat to perform and that’s what I eat at home, so why should I change? I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough.

“The standard, we’re looking at the best of the best in the world, and we’re not feeding them the best.” PA Media

10.54am BST

Surfing: And here is Kieran Pender on Jack Robinson’s’s adjustment to life as a competitor on his path to silver.

Few sporting journeys are linear. And while winning silver at Teahupo’o – beaten only by local charger Kauli Vaast in the final – was the natural evolution of Robinson’s surfing success, it is a triumph that seemed distant when the Australian walked away from the sport six years ago.
For natural surfing ability is not enough to win gold medals and world titles. Some of the best surfers in the world falter in the heat of competition. And after a childhood anointed as the prodigy, the next big thing, competitive life was an adjustment for Robinson. Almost an adjustment too far.

So long, Tahiti. You’ve been good to us.

10.50am BST

Surfing: I know those whale photos from earlier left you wanting more. Lucky for you, our picture desk is all over it. Held at Teahupo’o, AKA the ‘wall of skulls’, the Olympic surfing competition saw some epic waves and here are the best snapshots.

10.46am BST

Men’s basketball: It is all tied in the quarter-final between Germany and Greece after the first-half. The defending champions have struggled against the underdogs and Giannis Antetokounmpo is as impactful as ever.

10.35am BST

Equestrianism: France’s Julien Epaillard gets four faults as the final rider but still gets loud cheers as he finishes in fourth. That means the top three, the only ones that did not fault, will go through a shorter course to determine who gets gold, silver and bronze.

10.30am BST

Women’s volleyball: Turkey come from behind to win their quarter-final against China in five sets. An astonishing 42 points of Turkey’s 110 were won by Melissa Vargas.

10.24am BST

Team GB end equestrian events in Paris on a low

A grim denouement for Great Britain at the equestrian in Versailles.

Harry Charles did not make it as far as the start line after reporting an ailment with his horse, Romeo 88. “After a small overreach yesterday he is not quite the 110% that he has been the whole games so we are not taking any risks,” said Charles.

Charles’s teammates, Scott Brash and Ben Maher, both produced four faults on a tough course to edge themselves out of the medal positions. From the first 20 riders, only two delivered clear rounds. From 26, it was three.

Team GB’s equestrian medal haul sticks at five.

10.18am BST

Equestrianism: Steve Guerdat slots into first with a time of 80.99. He is only the third to clear the course. Keep in mind 26 riders have competed. Are we looking at our gold medallist?

10.16am BST

Equestrianism: Here comes the world No 1 Henrik von Eckermann atop of King Edward. They get over the double OK – unlike most of their opponents. But a bit nervy as the horse fights a stride and oooh rider goes one way and horse goes another at the wall and Von Eckermann falls off as King Edward, who seems really spooked, runs away.

Updated at 10.16am BST

10.11am BST

Women’s handball: Denmark has beat the Netherlands 29-25 in the first quarter-final of the day. Anne Mette Hansen with six goals from six shots.

10.08am BST

Surfing: In case you missed it, horses are not the only non-humans competing at the Paris Games.

Last night was the final day of the surfing at the French Polynesian island of Tahiti and a surprise guest made an appearance: a whale.

A safe distance from the semi-final match between Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb and Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy, the whale breached and gave spectators (and photographers) the Olympic moment of a lifetime.

Tahiti has several maritime protected zones. In April, Pacific Indigenous leaders – including some from Tahiti – signed a treaty recognising whales as “legal persons,” although such a declaration is not reflected in the laws of participating nations.

10.02am BST

Equestrianism: Up comes Scott Brash and Jefferson. And an early four point penalty. It is the back legs on the second part of the double. Multiple riders have struggled on that exact one. The rest of the course goes off without a hitch and Brash slots into fourth.

So no medal for Team GB in the individual showjumping today.

9.51am BST

Equestrianism: Yikes! Mexico’s Andres Azcarraga is the first to be eliminated after his horse, Contendros 2, seemed to be wary of the water that is placed after one of the bars. Azcarraga falls off the back of the horse but both rider and horse seem to be OK.

Geoff sends in a timely email: “Surely the showjumping has 30 athletes and their riders competing?”

You’re likely right, Geoff. Seems that no matter how composed the rider is, it all comes down to the horse.

9.45am BST

Athletics: The morning session is under way at the Stade de France with the first round of the women’s 1500m.

The defending champion and world record-holder Faith Kipyegon of Kenya is through to the semi-final after finishing fourth in her heat.

Team GB’s Laura Muir and Georgia Bell came second in their respective heats and will continue on while Revée Walcott-Nolan was forced to retire.

Updated at 9.46am BST

9.33am BST

Equestrianism: Huge fist pump from the Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten after he clears the course without a single penalty atop his French-bred Beauville.

Updated at 10.12am BST

9.26am BST

Equestrianism: The United States’s Laura Kraut, and one of the favourites for this event, almost had a perfect run before falling short at the final hurdle. This is clearly a tough course. Germany’s Christian Kukuk currently leads.

9.24am BST

Marathon: The marathon swimming familiarisation session scheduled for Tuesday in the River Seine has been cancelled, Paris Olympics organisers said.

“After the daily situation meeting this morning between Ville de Paris, Paris 2024 and World Aquatics, it has been decided that the familiarisation session to take place today, 6 August 2024, is cancelled,” World Aquatics said in a statement.

It did not provide a reason for the cancellation but said further information would be made available later on Tuesday. A team leaders meeting and a coaches briefing would still go ahead as planned.

Training sessions for the swim leg of the triathlon were also cancelled and the men’s race was postponed at the last minute because bacteria levels in the river were too high.

The triathlon mixed relay went ahead as scheduled on Monday after organisers gave the all clear the day before, acknowledging athletes’ demands for more certainty.
French authorities have spent €1.4bn on upgrading the capital’s sewage systems, promising the river will be clean enough for residents to swim in by next summer.

The women’s and men’s marathon swim races are scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Reuters

9.16am BST

Equestrianism: The world No 2 and defending champion Ben Maher is up with Dallas Vegas Batilly. He clears the first few but then hits a rail. The height is there but the momentum is not. They go through the rest of the course without trouble but that one will likely cost him gold. Maher finishes with a time of 81.70 with four faults.

9.10am BST

Gymnastics: There is a credible argument that Simone Biles has been America’s best athlete for more than ten years and she now wields incredible influence.

Bryan Armen Graham writes from the Bercy Arena:

Even on the oldest US women’s gymnastics team since 1952 – the hook behind their Golden Girls nickname – Biles is the den mother of a group that grew up worshipping her and still does. Throughout the week-long competition Biles was front and center offering vocal support and encouragement to teammates and rivals both, embodying the unique camaraderie that sets gymnastics apart from all other sports.

9.06am BST

Equestrianism: Canada’s Mario Deslauriers starts off on Emerson. The 59-year-old ends with a time of 82.64 and eight penalties.

8.54am BST

Equestrianism: Let’s turn to our first medal of the day – individual showjumping at the Château de Versailles. Thirty athletes are set to compete. Ben Maher is fourth in the start order and Scott Brash is in twentieth.

8.48am BST

The Getty Images photographer Hector Vivas has created a series of astonishing images called Layers of the Games , which aim to show in one image the multiple moments that happen in a game or a day of competition in Paris.

I can’t decide if my favourite is from the football or the beach volleyball.

8.40am BST

Tennis: Novak Djokovic’s triumphant campaign in Paris could motivate the 37-year-old to keep going for four more years and compete in the Los Angeles Games, his former coach Goran Ivanisevic said.

Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) on Sunday to claim the gold medal and became only the fifth player to achieve a career Golden Slam – winning all four grand slam trophies and the Olympic title.

“Novak didn’t show up in the Wimbledon final, but here you could tell … If they stayed for five more hours on that court, the outcome would have been the same,” Ivanisevic told the Tennis Majors website.

“Novak was flying, he was dancing. People forgot this was his first Olympics final, he felt this is it, he has to seize this opportunity.

“Considering how crazy he is, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in Los Angeles as well.”

The Croatian Ivanisevic, who helped Djokovic claim nine of his 24 grand slam titles before leaving his team in March, said the Serb was now the firm favourite for the US Open. Djokovic will bid to win a fifth Flushing Meadows title that would see surpass Margaret Court in the all-time list with a 25th major.

“I’m so glad that he finally won this gold. I wish him a 25th Slam, to break the absolute record, and then he can retire, although he’ll never retire, this guy,” Ivanisevic said. “I think he can find the motivation, the gold will lift him. If he plays like this, he’s the man to beat at the US Open.” Reuters

8.30am BST

Women’s volleyball: China takes the first set 25-23. Remember matches are best-of-five-set contests. The first four sets are played until one team scores 25 and if the teams are tied at two sets each after four, the fifth set is played to 15 points.

The teams regroup and the DJ in the arena is playing Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, which the crowd is loving.

If I had to guess, I would say this song has been played approximately 7499232947 times in Paris so far. I think I’ve heard it every day at almost every event I have watched. No complaints – it is a tune.

Updated at 10.13am BST

8.26am BST

Equestrianism: Great Britain’s Harry Charles has withdrawn from the individual showjumping final. Charles, who won team jumping gold on Friday, will not compete due to his horse Romeo 88 not being fit.

He writes on Instagram:

Unfortunately me and Romeo will not start the individual final today in paris. After a small overreach yesterday he is not quite the 110% that he has been the whole games, so we are not taking any risks.

Maybe I’m a little disappointed but honestly not really! He has given me so much and took me beyond my dreams, we’re leaving Paris with a gold medal and more importantly a happy Romeo, so that’s way more than enough for me!

Team GB have a great shot at the medals with two of the best today in Scott [Brash] and Ben [Maher] so we will be on the sidelines cheering them on.

Thank you to everyone for all the support you’ve given me and Romeo throughout the games and making it an experience of a lifetime!

8.20am BST

Women’s volleyball: 19-17 to China – it is the first time since the beginning of this match that there is more than one point in this game which tells you how tight it is. Zhu Ting with the fourth spike of the game for the Asian Games champions.

8.16am BST

Women’s volleyball: It is all tied up at 16-16 in this quarter-final between China and Turkey. China is playing well as a team but the captain, Eda Erdem has dragged her side level time and time again, with 12/31 attacks.

8.10am BST

Thank you Jonathan and hello all! Fifteen gold medals are set to be handed out today and what a range of events, from equestrian to diving and skateboarding.

Before we get to all of that, have a go at our world records quiz. Do you know your Katie Ledecky stats from your Usain Bolt?

Updated at 8.22am BST

8.03am BST

To take you through the next few hours of day 11 it’s over to Yara El-Shaboury. I’ll see you back here tomorrow.

7.51am BST

The first action of the day is almost upon us and we begin in South Paris Arena where China are taking on Türkiye in the quarter-finals of the women’s volleyball. It promises to be a close affair with Türkiye ranked fourth in the world, China fifth.

China won all three of their pool matches to qualify for the knockout phase, while Türkiye were resoundingly beaten by top-seeded Italy.

The remaining quarter-finals take place later today with Brazil v Dominican Republic, USA v Poland, and Italy v Serbia.

7.28am BST

Boxing’s gender eligibility row shows no sign of ending with the IBA pouring fuel on the fire during a chaotic press conference.

Late in this report from Daniel Boffey and Sean Ingle, the president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, offers some much needed administrative insight.

Asked about his position on the row, the World Athletics president, Sebastian Coe, suggested that the controversy had spiralled due to a lack of clarity around the IOC’s rules.
“It’s unvarnished, have a policy,” he said. “Be clear and have a policy. You’re never going to make everybody happy but you have to plant the flagpole down somewhere and that’s why it was so important for us.
“I did five years on the British Boxing Board of Control as an administrative steward, and I have daughters. How do you think I feel about this? But in a way that’s incidental.
“The most important thing is to have a policy, be clear cut about it and have a policy that you are able to stand behind because it’s your north star. If you don’t, then you get into this sort of territory.”

7.20am BST

After leading the gold medal tally in the pool for almost the entirety of the meet, Australia’s swimmers leave Paris pipped at the post by the USA. Attention has already turned to LA 2028.

The return to a four year cycle gives the team time to support the current golden generation and usher through a new group of talented young swimmers. “We have an extra year, we’ll just keep building, we’ll go back to the drawing board,” said Taylor.
There will certainly be change in the years ahead. Emma McKeon, Australia’s most successful ever Olympian , is retiring. And legendary Australian swim coach Michael Bohl, who coaches backstroke superstar Kaylee McKeown, is planning to take 12 months off before deciding whether to retire or return to the sport.
There have been whispers on the pool deck in Paris that Dean Boxall, who oversees the St Peters Western program including Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan, might also take an extended break. Boxall was the most successful coach in Paris, overseeing athletes who won nine gold, six silver and two bronze medals.

7.06am BST

There is some serious talent in this picture. In the women’s 5,000m last night Beatrice Chebet did what so few athletes have failed to do in recent years and defeat both Faith Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan in the same race. Kipyegon still has the 1500m to go (her primary event) and Hassan has both the 10,000m and the marathon on her absurd schedule.

6.58am BST

Almost every single French medal hope has delivered at these Olympics. And to the list featuring the likes of Marchand, Riner, Ferrand-Prevot, Dupont, and Beaugrand, may soon be added Henry, with the hosts into the final of the men’s football against Spain at the Parc des Princes.

This will be the first time gold in the men’s tournament has been won by a European team since Spain’s victory at Barcelona 1992, it also ends the dominance of Latin American nations after the last five editions of the tournament saw victories for Brazil and Argentina – two each – and Mexico.
It also gives France’s Olympic coach, Thierry Henry, the chance to add to his storied career, having won the World Cup and European Championship with France as a player. This would be his first major honour in a coaching career that is still early in its development.
France’s only men’s Olympic gold came at Los Angeles 1984 and the nation also took silver when the Games were held in Paris in 1900.

Updated at 6.58am BST

6.46am BST

Wrestling is also the sport allowing Iryna Koliadenko to flourish, despite the trauma facing her homeland of Ukraine.

“It’s hard to prepare for competitions because I’m constantly under stress,” she says. “Psychologically it’s very difficult to withstand everything because there’s shelling, people are dying, sometimes there’s no light because the electricity goes off. There are air raid alarms all the time. It’s difficult to switch to the training mindset when you’re already psychologically exhausted and tired but you still need to go there, show some results and get better.”

6.34am BST

One of the most extraordinary stories of the Games is playing out in the Greco-Roman wrestling arena where Cuban giant Mijaín López is on course for Olympic immortality.

Who is the greatest Olympian of them all? Ask an American, and they would likely say Michael Phelps. In Cuba, you might get a different answer.
Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler Mijaín López started his bid to become arguably the greatest Olympian of the modern era on Monday, as he moved one grapple closer to an unrivalled fifth consecutive gold in a single event.

6.27am BST

After 1hr 25min 39sec of swimming, cycling, and running, the mixed triathlon podium was decided by a photo finish.

Over a few deafening minutes along the Seine, Team GB expected gold, were awarded silver, and were then downgraded to bronze after a wrongly adjudged photo-finish. We always knew a mixed triathlon embracing Paris’s greatest sights would look spectacular. But this was a race that also took the breath away.

6.23am BST

Enough of the Games has passed for conclusions to be drawn and the first drafts of history to be written. In the pool, those pages will be dominated by Leon Marchand, but the narrative will remain contested until there is consensus over the participation of China’s delegation.

A swimmer has not owned an Olympics quite like this since Michael Phelps won eight gold medals in Beijing . Every session was sold out, every seat in the media section taken and every stroke stoked great roars of excitement from the French public, who gathered around TV screens in homes, bars, and restaurants around the country to watch. His finals were appointment viewing. He became the great home hero of the Games. And he’s not done. “This is just the beginning,” Marchand said this weekend. “My next goal is Los Angeles 2028.”
The sport needed it. The Olympics started under a cloud, when reports broke that 23 Chinese swimmers had failed drug tests for trace amounts of the banned performance-enhancing drug TMZ and a row broke out between the US Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency about the handling of the case.
Eleven of the 23 were picked to compete here in Paris. One, the breaststroker Qin Haiyang, was subsequently found to have failed another test for a different drug in similar circumstances. Qin said he was the victim of a “European and American plot” , and promised to win medals to “silence the sceptics”.

6.16am BST

At the opposite end of the spectrum to Biles in terms of hype and name recognition, Noemie Fox continued Australia’s excellent Olympics with gold in the first every gold medal in the hectic Kayak Cross. It is the Fox family’s third gold of the Games after sister Jess dominated the canoe slalom.

This discipline is a new Olympic event in 2024 that resembles Super Mario Kart on rapids.

6.12am BST

Simone Biles has now left the arena, perhaps for the final time at an Olympics. She leaves behind some stunning images from her Paris residency.

6.03am BST

Simone Biles was the star attraction early on day 10, but she could only add a silver to her existing haul of three golds in the finals of the balance beam and floor. She was the centre of attention nonetheless.

Although the American did not close out her Paris Olympics with a golden picturesque finish in a chaotic last day of artistic gymnastics, her final day of competition here was rather an exhibition of the sportsmanship and humanity that has accompanied her greatness. After a fall on the balance beam led to a fifth-place finish, Biles won a silver medal on the floor exercise.
With gold medals in the all-around , team and vault competitions, plus the silver medal on the floor exercise, the 27-year-old leaves Paris with four more Olympic medals. She is now the joint-second most decorated female gymnast at the Games with 11 medals in total and she has also extended her own record as the most decorated gymnast of all time, male or female, with 41 Olympic and world championship medals.

5.58am BST

Also in the Stade de France Keely Hodgkinson continued her incredible rise. Still only 22 the British 800m star now has a gold medal to go with the silver she secured in Tokyo.

Hodgkinson took the lead 200m into the race, exactly as she had planned. This time, Moraa was right there behind her, but Hodgkinson didn’t let her get up shoulder-to-shoulder. Instead, she pressed on once, coming into the last bend, and then pressed on again coming out of it. She pulled clear down the straight and ran in alone, fresh air between her and the Ethiopian Tsige Duguma, who had overtaken Moraa as she slipped back into the pack trying, and failing, to break into a sprint that would catch Hodgkinson.
It took Hodgkinson thousands of hours to make it to that finish line, and thousands of miles, and a fair few defeats. And in the end she made winning look so very easy that you only wondered how she ever found it so hard to begin with.

5.50am BST

But with the greatest of respect to surfing, the standout achievement of day 10 arrived in the Stade de France. It was the Olympic stadium where Armand Duplantis lived up to his billing, cruising to pole vault gold then delighting the full house with an Olympic then world record. He is the superstar athlete of his generation and his performances have pushed his sport lightyears into the future.

The roar is humongous, and focused on him alone. He sets off. In a few seconds he will be earthbound and away, into the crowd, the star of the greatest show on earth.
But let’s leave him right here, sailing through clean clear air, higher than any human before him, a man flying beyond the earthly plane and into immortality.

5.43am BST

There has already been a medal for Australia to celebrate today, albeit one that comes under the official banner of day 10 action (that’s what happens when one of the venues is 12 time zones away from the Olympic stadium).

In the men’s surfing final France’s Kauli Vaast took gold ahead of West Australian Jack Robinson.

Local hero Vaast surfed a near perfect heat to claim gold at Teahupo’o, relegating tube-riding maestro Robinson to silver. The 22-year-old Vaast, who grew up in Teahupo’o and has caught some of the best waves of all-time at the perfect reef pass, quickly established dominance in the final and never gave it up, sparking celebrations on spectator boats in the channel and in a small fan zone.

5.37am BST

While we’re looking ahead, here’s the view from a specifically Australian perspective.

5.30am BST

We’re not in business until 09:00 local time today, whereupon volleyball is the first item on the agenda, namely China v Turkiye in the women’s quarter-finals.

At 09:30 canoe sprint and handball come onto our radar with 10:00 signalling an avalanche of activity, including equestrian, diving, sport climbing, table tennis , and the morning session of athletics .

5.23am BST

Here are the choice cuts from yesterday’s action. My particular favourite is the sparkly sailing.

5.12am BST

China and the USA have now pulled clear at the top of the medal table and will duke it out for supremacy for the remainder of the Games.

45 countries have now heard their national anthem at these Games, including the tiny Caribbean islands of St Lucia and Dominica after stunning track and field successes.

73 NOCs in total have made it onto the medal table.

4.59am BST

Preamble - Day 11 Schedule

Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the 11th official day of competition of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Day ten belonged to Armand Duplantis , who lived up to his billing as the athlete of his generation by captivating the Stade de France en route to a new pole vault world record. Other superstars contributed to another magnificent day of sport without celebrating gold. That includes Simone Biles who had to settle for a solitary silver from her final pair of apparatus finals, and Faith Kipyegon , who was run down by compatriot Beatrice Chebet in the final strides of a controversial 5,000m race.

Elsewhere, Viktor Axelsen defended his badminton gold medal, another Fox - Noemie this time - won on the whitewater , and Team GB got to work in the velodrome. And on an action packed day across the Games there was time for a Tahitian local to triumph on the terrifying Teahupo’o break.

So what can we look forward to today?

Medal Events

🥇 Equestrian – individual jumping (from 10:00)
🥇 Sailing – women’s & men’s dinghy (from 14:43)
🥇 Diving – women’s 10m platform (from 15:00)
🥇 Skateboarding – women’s park (from 17:30)
🥇 Wrestling – men’s greco-roman 60kg & 130kg / women’s freestyle 68kg (from 18:15)
🥇 Hammer – women’s (from 19:57)
🥇 Cycling - men’s team sprint (20:10)
🥇 Long Jump - men’s (20:15)
🥇 1500m - men’s (20:50)
🥇 3000m Steeplechase - women’s (21:14)
🥇 200m - women’s (21:40)
🥇 Boxing - women’s 60kg (23:06)
*(All times listed are Paris local)

Simon Burnton’s day-by-day guide

Athletics: men’s 1500m final
Jakob Ingebrigtsen won gold in Tokyo but since then has twice been pipped by Britons at global tournaments, beaten by Jake Wightman at the 2022 world championships and Josh Kerr at the 2023 event. The 1500m has been a thrilling, hotly contested event in recent years and there are several athletes who could halt the Kerr v Ingebrigtsen hype including another Norwegian in Narve Gilje Nordås, who is coached by Ingebrigtsen’s estranged father, Gjert (who has not been accredited for the Olympics because he faces criminal charges in Norway).

Skateboarding: women’s park final
The 14-year-old Australian and world No 2 Arisa Trew is one to keep an eye on here: last year she became the first female to pull off a 720, and in June was the first to land a 900 (two and a half rotations) and a switch McTwist (if you know you know). The park course is too slow to allow those tricks, but she will be trying to push the boundaries. Meanwhile Sky Brown, who won bronze for Britain at 13 in Tokyo, returns.

Greco-Roman wrestling: men’s 130kg gold final
At the other end of the Olympic age spectrum, Cuba’s Mijaín López, 42 in August, is attempting to become the first athlete to win five consecutive gold medals in the same individual event – and in so doing to present a plausible argument for being the greatest ever Olympian. “I will do it,” he said in March. “The fatigue is there, the physical pain is there, so the mind has to be strong, the motivation has to be even stronger.”

I’m sure I’ve failed to include something notable to you in this short rundown, so feel free to let me know what’s on your agenda by emailing: jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com .

I’ll be around for the first few hours of the blog here in Australia, after which I’m handing over to Yara El-Shaboury.

Paris 2024 Olympics day 11: athletics, skateboarding, speed climbing, cycling and more – live

Peaty says athletes have found worms in their food from Olympic village

Team GB end equestrian events in Paris on a low

Preamble - Day 11 Schedule

Comments / 0