The Guardian

Paris 2024 Olympics day 14: US beat GB to women’s 4x100m relay gold; football and hockey finals – live

By John Brewin (now) James Wallace and Angus Fontaine (earlier) with Taha Hashim,

1 day ago

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1pz0d5_0usRHXyo00 — Sha'Carri Richardson comes home for USA glory. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

6.41pm BST

The decider: Jack Carlin goes for cycling sprint bronze against Jefrey Hoogland.

6.40pm BST

Sha’Carri Richardson took it home for Team USA , her team-mates were Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry. What might have been for Team GB.

Updated at 6.40pm BST

6.36pm BST

It was Amy Hunt who struggled with the baton and Daryll Neita ran a beauty for Team GB’s anchor leg but she couldn’t get there. VAR on the play? Team GB’s changes may be under scrutiny.

6.35pm BST

USA takes gold in the wonen's 4x100m

Dina Asher-Smith sets off on a great first run for Team GB, but a couple of ropey baton changes meant they had no way back once Team USA got up a head of steam. Germany take a shock bronze.

6.28pm BST

It’s raining very heavily in Paris as the women’s relay teams take to the track.

6.20pm BST

Tonight’s track and field schedule:

6.30pm - women’s 4x100m relay final
6:37pm - women’s shot put final
6.47pm - men’s 4x100m relay final
7.00pm - women’s 400m final
7.13pm - men’s triple jump final
7.25pm - women’s heptathlon 800m
7.57pm - women’s 10,000m final
8:45pm - men’s 400m hurdles final

6.11pm BST

USA beat Australia in women's basketball semis

Women’s basketball: The losing feeling was familiar but no less disappointing for the Opals, who recorded defeat in another Olympic contest against the US in their women’s basketball semi-final, going down 85-64 at the Bercy Arena in eastern Paris.

The victory by the Americans was their ninth straight in Olympic competition over the Australians, who have never tasted victory in the match-up. But there were signs that Australia might just end the streak at Los Angeles or Brisbane, given promise shown by young players Ezi Magbegor and 19-year-old guard Izzy Borlase, who top scored for the Opals with 11 points.

6.10pm BST

Netherlands' Lavreysen wins gold in the men's track sprint cycling

Harrie Lavreysen, Dutch cyclist, takes down Australia’s Matt Richardson, who had no answer. And looks happy enough with his silver.

6.07pm BST

Back to the men’s track cycling sprint. The bronze match, Jack Carlin takes on Jeffrey Hoogland, and it’s a lengthy sprint between the pair, and Carlin can’t get back up once he’s passed. So, we go to a decider.

5.51pm BST

Spain lead 3-1 in the men’s football final.

5.49pm BST

The Americans are on track to secure a place in the women’s basketball gold medal match as they lead Australia at three-quarter time 66-40 in their semi-final.

The Opals put up more resistance in the third quarter, but their outside shooting - just 25% from three-point range – has left them unable to make a dent into the US lead. Breanna Stewart has 16 points for Team USA, adding five points in the third term.

Updated at 5.51pm BST

5.48pm BST

Italy take women's Madison gold, GB take silver

Eleanor Barker goes for it and gets it her sprint moving up GB from bronze to silver. The Netherlands take bronze. That was Breathless 2000. What a race. The Italians did that by sheer stealth – well done Guazzini and Consonni.

Updated at 6.09pm BST

5.46pm BST

Denmark go for the burst to steal the Madison lap . Everyone watching each other. Just three laps to go. Italy sitting pretty.

5.44pm BST

USA are in fourth place as Belgium try and take a lap. Team GB are under pressure. France go on the burst with 14 laps to go. Italy take the sprint, and that’s a consolidation of their lead, with nine to go. The final sprint is double points.

5.40pm BST

Team GB taking it on , a few others lying in wait. Such a tactical game, the Madison. Italy steal a lap, and move into gold with 26 laps to go. Netherlands in silver, Team Gb in bronze. 25 laps to go. Evans and Barker need to win a lap to get this done.

5.36pm BST

The Madison has 45 laps to go: Netherlands pull off a smart move to claim a lap, and go into the lead. Team GB are in silver, and looking good for it. That’s after eight laps from 12.

5.28pm BST

The Madison rages on , with Team GB in the lead, having made a series of long-range attempts at the sprints. Denmark are within a point, the podium separated by two.

Updated at 5.44pm BST

5.17pm BST

France lead Spain 1-0 in the Parc des Princes , the goal scored by Enzo Millot, set up by Michael Olise.

Updated at 5.20pm BST

5.15pm BST

Australia’s women basketballers are losing touch with the USA in their semi-final at the Bercy Arena, and trail 45-27 at half-time.

The Americans’ length and defensive prowess have dominated the interior, and the Opals are shooting just 33% from the three-point line.

Breanna Stewart has 11 points for the US, and Jackie Young has added another 10. Tess Madgen is top scorer for Australia with eight, including a late three-pointer.

Updated at 5.15pm BST

5.11pm BST

The women’s Madison us getting underway . Death Race 2000, as it resembles. The British pairing of Elinor Barker and Neah Evans looking to win a medal over the 120 laps.

Updated at 5.14pm BST

5.08pm BST

The gold medal in the sprint: Matthew Richardson of Australia v Harrie Lavreysen, who wins the first by holding off the challenger.

5.05pm BST

Track cycling time in the velodrome . Team GB’s Jack Carlin is in the bronze medal sprint, up against Jeffrey Hoogland of the Netherlands. Carlin takes the first by slipstreaming, and then taking the first of best of three. Is Jack Carlin’s nickname “4737” by any chance?

Updated at 5.05pm BST

4.55pm BST

More basketball, this time, the men’s tournament.

4.53pm BST

Jeremy Boyce gets in touch: “It’s all go in Paris then, so much going on. If KJT has a mountain to climb she could do worse than pick the brains of young Toby Roberts, who has just claimed Gold for doing exactly that. And maybe lobby for its inclusion in a future Octathlon. Personally, I am backing her to Keely Hodgkinson her way to victory tonight over what will surely be 800 very compelling metres.”

4.52pm BST

Krishna gets in touch: “A wrestler gets disqualified because she weighed in 100g more than the stipulated weight. Fair enough. Rules are rules. A sprinter gets a silver, declares he has covid, possibly infected 1000s. All quiet on the western front. Fair game! Balderdash.”

The Covid stuff is crackers. But riders completed Le Tour de France with it.

4.50pm BST

Australia have stayed in touch with the USA in the first quarter of the semi-final of the women’s basketball, and trail only 20-16 at the first break.

The Opals could hardly have played any worse early on, and were down by 10 points at one point, giving up 14 fast break points across the period.

But Australia surged back late in the frame in a rally which coincided with the appearance of 43-year-old Lauren Jackson off the bench.

Updated at 5.42pm BST

4.49pm BST

China have won the team table tennis gold, beating Sweden into silver, and collecting their fifth title in succession – they have won every one since it was introduced in 2008.

4.39pm BST

“Unlike practically everywhere else in the world , the US likes to rank Olympic achievement by the total medal count – all the gold, silver and bronze accrued by a country’s athletes. The official Olympics website, Google and practically every publication covering the Games outside the USA goes by total gold medals .”

4.38pm BST

Rob Smyth will be supplying MBM coverage of the men’s football final. Get it here.

4.35pm BST

Japan’s entry – Ayumi - is dancing to something that sounds rather too like PJ and Duncan’s Let’s Get Ready To Rumble. Ukraine’s Kate throws down some floor work before being met with some headspinning from her opponent from Ukraine – Kate. And Kate wins, which registers as a shock.

4.30pm BST

For those b-boys and b-girls out there , the women’s breaking is currently in its qualifying stage. The beats are phat etc, and the sport looks a bit like this video but with individual duels.

4.26pm BST

The weightlifting is decided by a world record, and a Bulgarian . Karlos Nasar is at an incredible 404kg, with Yeison López in silver, way back on 390kg.

4.19pm BST

Huge roars as Imadouchène nails 196kg – he goes to 351kg overall when combined with the snatch – and the lead. That hurt.

4.14pm BST

At 195kg now. Big support for France’s Romain Imadouchène but he collapses to the floor as soon as he goes for the clean. Venezuela’s Valennilla is next up at 196kg. And nails it, with some pain. And he goes top. Can he do more? His jerk looked uncomfortable.

Updated at 5.41pm BST

4.09pm BST

Good afternoon, where we are amid the men’s weighlifting . The clean and jerk has gone to 190kg. Canada’s Boady Santavy has just cramped up, and looks in agony. His dad is his coach in this 89kg category. Family feuding going on. He goes to 188kg and can’t do it. No total posted.

3.57pm BST

That’ll be me done for the day , with John Brewin in for the evening fun. Enjoy.

3.54pm BST

Some lovely grabs in here , as per.

3.53pm BST

Rhythmic gymnastics: We’re heading into the last rotation of the individual all-round final , and it’s Germany’s Darja Varfolomeev who has the lead with a total of 109.150. Boryana Kaleyn is positioned for silver, with Sofia Raffaeli in third after sparkling with the clubs as we move to the ribbon.

3.45pm BST

Golf: I’m just running through a bit of everything now – that’s the beauty of this whole thing, I guess – so off we go to Le Golf National for the women’s individual stroke play . Lydia Ko, the world No 4, is at the top of the leaderboard on -8 after a birdie on the 14th.

Updated at 3.45pm BST

3.36pm BST

Football: Germany have taken a 1-0 lead against Spain in their women’s bronze-medal match , courtesy of a Giulia Gwinn penalty in the 65th minute. Thirteen minutes and injury time left in that one.

Updated at 3.36pm BST

3.31pm BST

Sailing: “Max Maeder has won bronze in the kitefoiling - at 17, he’s our youngest ever Olympic medallist, and he’s done it on our 59th National Day as well,” writes Teo Teng Kiat.

3.27pm BST

Another wonderful story.

3.25pm BST

The power of the Olympics:

But even after Maloney missed out on a medal, placing fourth in the race , the jubilation continued, with calls on social media for SVG to officially recognise her as a national hero.

3.20pm BST

Breaking: It’s time to bust a few moves. Snoop Dogg is in attendance for the b-girls round robin stage . If you, like me, are trying to get your head around this, have a read:

Updated at 3.37pm BST

3.15pm BST

Hockey: A shootout settles the women’s bronze-medal match , with Argentina beating Belgium 3-1 after a full-time score of 2-2. The Argentinians claimed silver in Tokyo and now have six medals in this event. The wait for gold continues, though.

3.09pm BST

Chen Yiwen wins women's 3m springboard gold!

It was nailed on from quite early in the piece. She had to settle for silver in this event at the world aquatics championships earlier this year, but Chen Yiwen gets the gold this time with a final score of 376.

Maddison Keeney delivers a staggering final dive, with a difficulty of 3.4, to produce her best score of the five rounds, 78.20. She’ll take silver, with Chang Yani getting bronze. GB’s Yasmin Harper finishes fifth.

2.53pm BST

Diving: South Africa’s Julia Vincent errs with her forward 3 1/2 somersaults in pike, scoring just 38.75, which is good news for Yasmin Harper as the former was third after three rounds of the women’s 3m springboard final . But Harper could only muster 55.50 and is sixth heading into the final round, 14.25 points off Chang Yani in third.

Updated at 2.54pm BST

2.40pm BST

Diving: Relentless from Chen Yiwen, who opens up a 31.5-point lead at the top of the women’s 3m springboard final standings. It’s shaping into a battle for silver and bronze, with Yasmin Harper of GB still fourth.

2.34pm BST

Cycling: Now to the men’s sprint semi-finals with GB’s Jack Carlin requiring a victory in the second race after losing the first to Harrie Lavreysen … Carlin is in front, taking his opponent high up the track …. but Lavreysen takes control on the final bend to surge past Carlin and advance to the final! Carlin will have to settle for a go at the bronze medal. After a silver and bronze in Tokyo, and another silver in the team sprint in Paris, his wait for gold continues.

Updated at 2.35pm BST

2.30pm BST

Sixteen! Madness.

2.27pm BST

Diving: A tough second round for Grace Reid in the women’s 3m springboard final , scoring just 41.85 with her forward 3 1/2 somersaults in the pike position. Chen Yiwen has a 12-point lead over Australia’s Maddison Keeney. Yasmin Harper is very much in medal contention at fourth but Reid is at the bottom of the standings with three rounds to go.

2.16pm BST

Diving: After one round of the women’s 3m springboard final , China’s Chen Yiwen leads with 70.50, beginning with the inward 2 1/2 somersaults in the pike position. She claimed gold in the synchronised 3m springboard event.

2.10pm BST

Sean Ingle reports:

2.09pm BST

Hello, all. Good to be back. My arrival coincides with the start of the women’s 3m springboard diving final, where Team GB have two representatives: Yasmin Harper and Grace Reid. Harper already has a medal at these Games, having taken bronze in the synchronised 3m springboard event.

2.00pm BST

Oh look, here’s Taha Hashim – a confirmed expert on the vagaries of air pressure, drag, torque… the laws of physics, the riddles of the universe. You name it, he’s got the answers. Thanks for your company, goodbye!

1.58pm BST

Cycling: Olympic Records galore in the velodrome during the Women’s Sprint Qualifying ! I think it has been set and re-set about five times in this session! The heat inside is said to be around 33-34C – scorchio ! I’m not fully on top of the science but I think it is safe to say the high speeds are due in part to the effect the heat has on the air pressure and the wooden floor inside the velodrome – i.e everything is dried out like a sauna which makes it even quicker. I’ll be taking no further questions at this time…

Anyway , Team GB’s Emma Finucane is safely qualified in second position behind Germany’s Lea Friedrich who sets a new WORLD RECORD time of 10.029!

Updated at 1.58pm BST

1.37pm BST

Athletics: There’s still hope that Katerina Johnson-Thompson can sneak gold in the Heptathlon. It’ll take an incredible run in the 800 metres later this evening to topple Belgian’s Nafi Thiam. Alexandra Topping has been crunching the numbers:

Katarina Johnson-Thompson has a mountain to climb to take the gold medal in the heptathlon after falling behind her rival Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium on day two with only one discipline still to come.
With just the 800m to go on Friday evening in the seven-discipline event, Johnson-Thompson found herself 121 points behind the Belgian, who pulled off a season best in the javelin to propel herself into the lead after six disciplines. The Swiss athlete Annik Kaelin showed grit to go third after a strong long jump and decent javelin in the morning session.
To take the gold Johnson-Thompson – who regained her world title in Budapest last year – would have to take a sizeable lead in the final race and finish eight seconds ahead of Thiam.”

1.33pm BST

Kayaking: New Zealand’s most decorated Olympian Lisa Carrington has added to her career haul by winning a seventh canoe sprint gold medal alongside Alicia Hoskin.

The men’s 500 metre double sprint gold was scooped by Germany’s Jacob Schopf and Max Lemke with Hungary’s Bence Nadas and Sandor Totka in silver and Australian duo Jean van der Westhuyzen and Tom Green in bronze.

Updated at 2.01pm BST

1.18pm BST

And here’s Beau Dure with some updates from a US perspective:

Kyle Dake is the only one of the three US wrestlers in action to advance to the semifinals, while others await possible berths in the repechage. Dake, a four-time world champion, showed his intent on improving from his Olympic bronze in Tokyo with two emphatic wins, one stopped early due to technical superiority when the score was 10-0, followed by a pin when he was already far ahead in the score.
In taekwondo, 18-year-old Kristina Teachout came out aggressively against world champion Magda Wiet-Henin of France. While many taekwondo bouts resemble Riverdance, with fighters constantly bouncing on their feet and waiting patiently -- too patiently, too often -- to attack, Teachout took the fight to the French favorite, winning the first round 11-8 and taking the second round 8-0. She’ll face Viviana Marton of Hungary in the quarter finals.”

Updated at 1.32pm BST

1.16pm BST

Michael Hogan is always good for a chuckle – here’s his take on some Olympic coverage lolz:

1.14pm BST

Some interesting lunchtime reading about the healthcare available in the Olympic Village:

The US rugby sevens player Ariana Ramsey will leave Paris with more than just a bronze medal. After discovering the Olympic Village provides not only free food to athletes but a suite of free healthcare options, she will be heading home having completed a pap smear and a free eye and dental exam. She even snagged a free pair of prescription glasses. To quote her now-viral TikTok video , “Like, what ?”
The Olympic Village – where athletes reside during the Games – began offering free medical care in 1932, according to Sports Illustrated . SI also reported the village offers, cardiology, orthopedics, physiotherapy, psychology, and podiatry, with dermatology also being offered to Paralympic athletes, who arrive next week.”

Updated at 1.18pm BST

1.08pm BST

Cycling: The Women’s sprint qualifying is just getting underway over at the velodrome.

After trying and largely failing to get my head around the Keirin yesterday it seems things are a bit more straightforward with the sprint. Well, durr . Team GB’s Emma Finucane has a strong chance of a medal, the 21 year old from Camarthen is indeed the current World Champion in this event.

It’s all about speed speed speed . The 30 riders are timed over one lap and the fastest 24 will go through to the next round.

Team GB’s Sophie Capewell also has an outside chance of making the podium. The Lichfield rider won bronze at the European Champs last year.

1.01pm BST

Phew. What a day it has been so far. Frenetic Friday indeed.

This afternoon will see Breakdancing contested in the Olympics for the first time. Here’s a handy crib sheet courtesy of Alexandra Topping – not that you need it, right?

12.53pm BST

Climbing: Toby Roberts takes to the medal podium and looks completely bewildered as the national anthem begins to parp. He gets a rapturous reception at a packed Le Bourget and rightly so.

A shout out to Team GB’s Hamish McArthur who was in bronze medal position for a long time and finished in fifth place.

12.32pm BST

Climbing: Great Britain's Toby Roberts wins GOLD!

Amazing scenes as the 19 year old from Surrey doesn’t realise he has the Gold medal in the chalk bag… the news finally sinks in and he’s truly flabbergasted. Roberts has bouldered his way to GOLD in the Men’s boulder and lead final!

Japan’s Sorato Anraku – a 17 year old nicknamed ‘The Octopus’ – was the competitor many thought was nailed on for the top spot but he fell off just behind Robert’s marker at the tip of the wall to a huge 6,000 person gasp at Le Bourget!

What a story - Robert’s dad built him a climbing wall in the garden during lockdown and he only made his debut season in 2022.

Find out more about Toby ‘The Terminator’ in this lovely interview we did before the games began.

Roberts is now 19 and his love for his sport is stronger than ever. He says more than 20 times during this interview that “I love climbing/training/competing/trying hard”. His parents, Tristian and Marina, couldn’t be prouder. “It’s been a privilege – it’s inspiring to see how hard he works,” his dad Tristian says.”

Updated at 12.49pm BST

12.30pm BST

Canoeing: Women’s double 500m Sprint Final - Double screening like a dopamine searching teenager to keep an eye on another thrilling event – the double canoe sprint final.

An amazing race sees the Chinese pair of Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya successfully defend their title from Tokyo 2020 – they do it in some style too with an Olympic-best time!

A real scrap for silver and bronze with a photo finish required between Ukraine and Canada! After an age the silver medal is awarded to Liudmyla Luzan and Anastasiia Rybachok of Ukraine and bronze goes to the Canadian pair of Sloan Mackenzie and Katie Vincent.

12.21pm BST

Climbing: Men’s boulder and lead final: Toby Roberts moves into silver medal position at the top of the wall, can he get the Gold? Every grip hold being accompanied by a sharp intake of breath both in the crowd and on my sofa.

“He’s going up the wall like a Gecko!” says the BBC’s Tim Warwood.

The 19 year old Brit falls off right at the top but is guaranteed a medal. What colour will it be? There is just one climber left…

Updated at 12.45pm BST

12.17pm BST

Climbing: Men’s boulder and lead final: Team GB’s Toby Roberts is now on the wall and he’s got a real chance of a medal here. Team-mate Hamish McArthur is currently in the bronze medal position. “One tiny slip or mistake and that’s it” says the commentator as the tension escalates with each successful swing and grip.

Updated at 12.18pm BST

11.59am BST

Climbing: Men’s boulder and lead final – Frenchman Paul Jenft makes a bad error and runs out of clips on the wall, meaning he has to attempt to re-trace his steps which looks impossible and ultimately proves so as he tumbles off after a couple of minutes. A rueful smile and a gallic shrug. Bad news for the crowd favourite but good news for Hamish McArthur who remains in Silver medal position for the moment.

Austria’s Jakob Schubert is next up and he puts up a magnificent display of strength and agility, he looked like he was about to complete all 15 metres of wall but just missed his grip at the last! 96 points from the judges and Schubert goes into first place with four climbers left to go.

Updated at 12.08pm BST

11.56am BST

Diving: Just peeking away from the bouldering final to bring you news that Team GB’s Kyle Kothari and Noah Williams have made it through to the men’s 10m platform semi-finals . Qualifying in 9th and 8th place respectively in a field (board?) of 18 competitors. The final is tomorrow at 2pm BST.

11.51am BST

Athletics: Alexandra Topping sends an update from the stadium as she keeps an eye on KJT’s main rival for the Gold medal in the women’s Heptathlon:

Well, Thiam may just have taken gold with her very first throw in the javelin - a massive 54.04, a season best for the Belgian, which gives her a massive 939. A champion there, telling this crowd that she wants to hold on to her title. Incredible stuff.
If she doesn’t throw further than that, and she totally could do, she will be 121 ahead of Katarina Johnson-Thompson going into the 800m.
KJT is faster than her rival in that discipline, but that will make Thiam very difficult to beat.”

11.49am BST

Climbing: Men’s boulder and lead final - I can barely watch this actually, some inner vertigo rising to the surface from deep within. Team GB’s Hamish McArthur is giving off some serious Spiderman energy as he contorts and stretches each sinew to climb up this brutal wall. He does really well to get into the impossible looking fourth section and hangs from one hand at one point, muscles bulging, before finally slipping off with nothing left to give in the arms.

He scores a 72 from the judges (out of 100) that’s a brilliant marker laid down by McArthur. The USA’s Colin Duffy is up next and he can’t quite make it as far, scoring a 68. Huge cheer from the crowd as Frenchman Paul Jenft chalks up for his attempt.

11.36am BST

Climbing: Bouldering! As a son of the Peak District where people flock to do this ‘au naturel’ I am very interested to see how this event goes. There’s a 15 metre wall with a steep overhang that the competitors have six minutes to study before they then get another six minutes to climb – basically the higher you get the better your score.

Toby Roberts and Hamish McArthur sit in third and fourth place for Team GB. McArthur is going to be the first to attempt the wall, there’s a full and loud crowd in. Chalk those hands, let’s grip.

11.28am BST

Athletics: Team GB’s Cindy Sember falls in the final heat of the women’s 100m hurdles semi-finals. Sember clipped the fifth hurdle and then fell straight into the sixth, that looked extremely painful and is a real shame for her. She might not have been necessarily challenging the qualification places but now she’ll never really know. She had a decent start and was there and thereabouts when she fell.

She then shows some real class by stopping for a few words with the BBC just seconds after picking herself up off the track. “I’m really sad. I felt ready. Really sad right now.”

Sport is brutal sometimes.

11.20am BST

‘“Scenes” emails Nick Parish who is enjoying the Table Tennis :

“At the South Paris Arena where France are taking on Japan for the bronze medal in the men’s team table tennis. The atmosphere is electric and the crowd went ballistic when French wunderkind (is there a French equivalent for that?) Felix LeBrun saved three match points on his way to taking the second match and putting France 2-0 up in this best of 5. Since then Japan have pulled one back, much to the disappointment of the home crowd.”

The French crowds have been amazing throughout, from archery to diving to Greco-Roman wrestling the passionate support has been notable and the atmosphere in the main stadium wonderfully raucous.

Updated at 11.35am BST

11.15am BST

Thanks Taha and hello all. What a fantastic games this has been and today (day 14!) promises to be a belter. Plenty going on all over the city. From a Team GB point of view – KJT has looked in fine fettle this morning and very relaxed. Fingers, toes and Javelin poles crossed she can bring home a medal from her fourth Olympic games. It’ll all come down to the 800 metres on the track at 19.15pm BST this evening.

Updated at 11.16am BST

11.02am BST

Right then, I’m hopping off for a bit. In comes my good pal James Wallace.

11.01am BST

Sport climbing: At the end of first half of the men’s boulder and lead final, Japan’s 17-year-old star Sorato Anraku is leading with 69.3 points, with USA’s Colin Duffy close behind on 68.3 points. Team GB’s Toby Roberts is in third place on 63.1 points. All three climbers topped two out of the four boulders, while GB’s Hamish McArthur in fourth place topped one and has 53.9 points. Two older legends of the sport, Austria’s Jakob Schubert and Czechia’s Adam Ondra, are further out of touch in fifth and seventh place.

10.58am BST

Athletics : That’s another season-best throw from KJT for her final attempt at the javelin, and she has managed up her final score to 45.49 – that gives her an extra 16 points. Every centimetre counts in this competition, she is digging deep here when it matters and it looks like the 31-year-old is determined to take this fight to Thiam.

Don’t forget though, Thiam can throw 50 on a normal day, her season best is 53.

10.56am BST

Athletics : GB will have a man in the 800m final, with Max Burgin putting up a personal best of 1:43.50 to qualify with the best time of a third-place finisher in the semis.

10.54am BST

Athletics: Katarina Johnson-Thompson puts up a season best of 45.49 with her third effort at the javelin, throwing down a challenge to Thiam. Noor Vidts, also in medal contention, has delivered a personal best of 43.83.

10.44am BST

Athletics: In the second 800m men’s semi-final, Team GB have Elliot Giles as their representative and he starts well before dropping to fourth at the 400m mark. Edmund du Plessis leads as we enter the home straight but loses his drive as Marco Arop bursts through for victory, with Gabriel Tual of France second. Giles ends up fifth, du Plessis fourth.

Updated at 10.46am BST

10.34am BST

Athletics: The 800m men’s semi-finals begin, with Team GB represented by Ben Pattison, who has to settle for fourth place as Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati bursts through on the last straight to win the heat and qualify for the final.

Updated at 10.35am BST

10.30am BST

Athletics: The javelin section of the heptathlon kicks off, and KJT starts with a decent 44.64m throw. Thiam, hot on her heels, will be up later and has a season-best of 53.00.

Updated at 10.51am BST

10.26am BST

Athletics: In the second heat of the 4x400 men’s relay there’s home joy, with France victorious and followed by Nigeria and Belgium.

10.19am BST

A question: what would you do just before the start of an Olympic race when the camera pans to you for an intro? I’m going for this:

10.14am BST

Athletics: In the men’s 4x400m relays, Team GB finish second in their heat, with Matthew Hudson-Smith running his leg, the second, in 43.90. Botswana win it, with USA third.

10.05am BST

CAS to hear wrestler Phogat's appeal after disqualification

The incredible case of Vinesh Phogat will enter another chapter today. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has agreed to hear the Indian wrestler’s appeal against disqualification before the gold medal match, after Phogat weighed 100 grams over the allotted 50kg . Phogat, who cut off her hair in a bid to make the weight, received sympathy from the prime minister of India. Phogat subsequently announced her retirement from the sport.

Phogat and the Indian Olympic Association believe she should be awarded a joint silver medal. CAS will sit for the case in Paris at 2pm.

10.02am BST

Athletics: After the women’s 4x400m relay heats, we have our finalists. USA and Jamaica were victorious in their respective races, with GB, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland and Canada also through. USA’s quartet of Hayes-Little-Butler-Brown racked up the strongest time of 3:21.44.

9.51am BST

Johnson-Thompson stays top in heptathlon ... for now

It has been a tense morning at the Stade de France, where Katarina Johnson-Thompson was hoping to keep her overnight lead going into the last three events of the heptathlon. After four events yesterday she had finished the day with a lead of 48 points, with her long-time rival Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium in second with 4,007 and the younger American challenger Anna Hall in third with 3,956.

KJT has kept her hopes alive, after a shaky start in the long jump. With her third of three jumps she registered 6.40, while Thiam made 6.41 – slightly narrowing the 48-point difference between them to 45.

It was nervy stuff here though. Johnson-Thompson – who has a 6.93 personal best in this discipline – missed her first jump, registering only 4.65. She managed 6.04 on her second, registering the score with a frown. Better for the third though, making her best jump of the morning with 6.40.

So for now it’s still Johnson-Thompson in first, Thiam in second, and the Belgian Noor Vidts has gone into third 104 points behind the leader, after Hall only registered 5.93 in the long jump.

Next up it’s the javelin, one of Thiam’s strongest disciplines and one of KJT’s weakest. Could this all come down to the 800m final tonight? Exciting!

Updated at 10.24am BST

9.38am BST

Heptathlon: Into the final round of the long jump and Martha Araujo of Colombia scores a spectacular 6.61m, her personal best and the best of this event so far. Johnson-Thompson bounds in … and scores 6.40m. She doesn’t look thrilled with herself but that’s a solid jump, taking her back to the top of the overall standings … for now.

9.26am BST

Heptathlon: After the first round, the Belgian Noor Vidts has the best effort, with a 6.40m jump. GB’s Jade O’Dowda is second-best with 6.33. Here comes KJT for her second go … she gets past the six-metre line but doesn’t look best pleased, scoring 6.04m. The eyes then move to her rival, Nafi Thiam, who improves on her previous effort with 6.41. KJT’s in a bit of bother.

9.09am BST

Heptathlon: Johnson-Thompson sprints in for her first attempt at the long jump … and she doesn’t fly. Something goes wrong in her run-up and she ends up just hopping rather than leaping, scoring a 4.65m jump.

Updated at 9.24am BST

9.04am BST

Heptathlon: As we get ready to start the long jump, it’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson who leads the overall board with 4055 points, building a 48-point lead over Nafissatou Thiam. Anna Hall is third on 3956 points. Johnson-Thompson’s personal best in the long jump is 6.93 metres, higher than all of her fellow competitors.

8.47am BST

What’s there to look forward to you ask? The next medal on offer is in the men’s team table tennis, with France competing against Japan for a bronze medal (9am BST). From a Team GB perspective, Katarina Johnson-Thompson will take to the field in the women’s heptathlon, with the long jump event starting at five past nine.

8.36am BST

A guide to the new kid on the block at Paris 2024: breaking. It kicks off today.

8.32am BST

Golf: The third round is underway in the women’s individual strokeplay. Morgane Metraux is at the top of the overall leaderboard with -8, with China’s Yin Ruoning trailing her by one shot. Nelly Korda, the world No 1, is on -2 after a disastrous 16th hole on Thursday, hitting a quadruple bogey.

8.22am BST

Kristof Rasovszky wins gold in the men's 10km swim!

The finish line is in sight and the imperious Kristof Rasovszky doesn’t let his lead slip, despite the relentless pressure from Oliver Klemet. The Hungarian world champion takes Olympic gold, with Germany’s Klemet second and David Betlehem, also from Hungary, taking bronze in front of Domenico Acerenza.

Updated at 8.46am BST

8.17am BST

Marathon swimming: Just want to put this out there: this is a ridiculous thing to subject your body to. Two hours of going full pelt in the water; my arms are tingling just thinking about it.

8.12am BST

Marathon swimming: The leaders pass the 9.2km mark in the men’s 10km race, and they’re working against the current. Italy’s Domenico Acerenza has closed that gap between second and third and is firmly in contention to cause the top two of Rasovszky and Klemet some real grief. This is some serious squeaky-bum time.

8.08am BST

Marathon swimming: Morning to all those waking up in the UK. This men’s 10km swim is nearing the close, with a significant gap now between the top two and the rest. In front is Kristof Rasovszky, with Oliver Klemet right behind him. Rasovszky took silver in Tokyo, which surely increases the desperation to finish first this time round.

8.04am BST

The men’s 10km marathon has now been going for 90 minutes and these athletes are in the red zone for pain and exhaustion. Gregorio Paltrinieri is the first casualty and has slipped back into sixth. I am the other major casualty. I, Angus Fontaine (alas, no relation to Logan Fontaine still sitting sixth), am officially tapping out and bringing in Taha Hashim to bring this race home. Thanks for your company and enjoy the finish!

7.58am BST

As Brazil’s Guillerme Costa taps out and becomes another casualty of this gruelling 10km swim, we have the Tokyo medallists reprising their supremacy here in Paris. Kristóf Rasovszky from Hungary still sits first with Germany’s Florian Wellbrock second and Italian stallion Gregorio Paltrinieri third.

The other members of this lead pack are digging deep to overhall that trio with brio. Italy’s Domenico Acerenza , Germany’s Oliver Klemet and another Hungarian in David Betlehem are moving up and Team GB’s Hector Pardoe has moved into seventh. Australia’s Nick Sloman has fallen back but hanging on inside this top ten.

I guess golf is gruelling in its own way and the third round of the women’s individual strokeplay is getting ready to tee off…

7.47am BST

Another lead change! Now it’s Kristóf Rasovszky at the front of the pack with a 2.3 second lead over Wellbrock. We saw this happen in the women’s event where, almost by mutual consent, the athletes in first and second took turns breaking the water for the other.

Another swimmer has left the field, with Spain’s Carlos Garach Benito tapping out with exhaustion. He is currently hanging onto a steward’s surfboard and clearly in distress. We’ve also seen a yellow card handed to Frenchman Marc-Antoine Olivier for over-zealous contact with a rival. Three of these and he’s outta here.

It’s a sure sign this race is getting down to the business end…

7.38am BST

The lead pack in this 10km marathon is into lap four and now numbers six swimmers and its leader, Florian Wellbrock, seems to have made his move. The German champion has surged past Kristóf Rasovszky and is now 2.4 seconds in front of the Hungarian. Also in the pack are and Oliver Klemet and the Italian duo of Domenico Acerenza and Gregorio Paltrinieri . The last member of that bunch is a Frenchman Marc-Antoine Olivier. Australia’s Nick Sloman has moved into seventh but he sits in that peloton pack and is eight seconds off Wellbrock’s pace. His compatriot Kyle Lee is 14th and Team GB’s H ector Pardoe is moving well and is now in 10th.

Updated at 7.39am BST

7.27am BST

Yesterday’s 10km silver-medallist, Australia’s Moesha Johnson, has woken up with multiple cuts and scratches along her arms and hands from contact with the reeds lining the banks of the Seine. Apparently race organisers have pruned that greenery overnight so the men have only the jagged walls – and each other – to contend with.

That tussle for supremacy has seen plenty of blood tinting the whitewater thrash of competitors and it’s now turned literal, resulting in the disqualification of Turkish swimmer Kuzey Tuncelli who seems to have breached the laws that dictate that “A swimmer may not make intentional supportive contact with any vessel, object, or support personnel at any time during the swim.” Tuncelli was sitting in 24th at the time.

The lead pack are hugging those walls now and it’s the green cap of Kristóf Rasovszky heading the field with Florian Wellbrock looming large in second and Gregorio Paltrinieri from Italy biding his time in third.

Updated at 7.29am BST

7.17am BST

As the field in the 10km marathon rounds the bend for the third lap, it is Kristóf Rasovszky who has snatched back the lead. The 27-year-old Hungarian is a legend in his homeland after winning the silver medal in this event at the 2020 Olympic Games.

The bloke snapping at this heels is even more accomplished. Florian Wellbrock is a former world record holder in the short course 1500m freestyle, a world champion several times over and a European champ into the bargain. The Bremen Bullet’s first Olympic medal was a bronze in the 1500m in Tokyo. He went two better a few days later winning this 10km event in 1:48:33.7 - 25 seconds faster than Rasovszky in second.

Wellbrock is the man to beat today but today he’s still second behind Rasovszky.

Updated at 7.18am BST

7.04am BST

The men are now swimming upstream in lap two of the 10km race and remain tightly bunched with 10 seconds separating first and 10th place. Kristof Rasovszky has snatched back ascendancy and the German duo Florian Wellbrock and Oliver Klemet are riding his wake in second and third with an Italian duo in Domenico Acerenza and Gregorio Paltrinieri making a charge for the pointy end of the field.

This front pack is heading upstream and hugging the plant-fringed banks of the Seine, risking the snags of the vines and the jags on the walls. Yesterday we saw Australia’s Moesha Johnson collide with a tyre and lose vital seconds on eventual leader but thankfully the only collisions so far have been between the swimmers themselves. Luckily there’s an officious Frenchman blowing a whistle at them. Well done monsieur, that should ensure they desist!

Updated at 7.05am BST

6.55am BST

Australia has two competitors in this swim: Nick Sloman and Kyle Lee .

Sloman is a three-time national champion and got fifth at the World Championships in Doha to qualify for these Paris Games. The Sunshine Coast boy made his first foray into international competition at the 2018 Pan-Pacific Championships in Tokyo, where he secured a bronze medal in the 10km open water event. The 26-year-old Sloman has since established himself as an open water swimming giant, with gold and silver at the FINA Marathon Swim World Series in 2019 and two silver and one bronze medal in 2022.

For all that Sloman says:

My favourite memory is winning bronze in the 25m butterfly (for) six-seven-year-old boys at my first swimming carnival.

Here in Paris Sloman sits 11th and Lee 13th with Germany’s Florian Wellbrock leading and Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri second and Kristof Rasovszky from Hungary hanging tough in third. German Oliver Klemet has taken his spot in fourth with Athanasios Charalampos from Greece in fifth and my French brother Logan Fontaine in sixth.

Updated at 6.56am BST

6.44am BST

As we pass the ten minute mark in the 10km marathon swim it is Florian Wellbrock from Germany who now leads Kristof Rasovszky from Hungary. Gregorio Paltrinieri from Italy is third and local hope Marc-Antoine Olivier is swimming beautifully in fourth. I hope he caught Elle Hunt’s awesome feature story last night…

6.39am BST

Our early leader in the 10km marathon swim is Kristof Rasovszky from Hungary although Florian Wellbrock from Germany is nipping at his heels. They heads a frantic pack of swimmers who are swimming downstream in lap one. The women did this leg in just over six minutes but the men have managed it in just over five. Of couyrse, the hard work now begins as the field heads upstream, into the current. This leg took 2.5 times longer for the women yesterday. My spies at the Seine say the current is slightly less than what it was yesterday and the water temperature is up from 22 to 23 today.

6.31am BST

We move now to the live action in the men’s 10km marathon swim in the Seine. The competitors have been patiently necking hydration gels and bacteria-beating additives on the blocks. We have 31 athletes taking on the river’s cruel currents in the quest for gold. They’re moving to the edge of the barge in readiness… they’re OFF and RACING!

6.24am BST

A queen of the Paris track was crowned last night when Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone clinched Team USA’s 100th medal of these Olympics – a gold in the 400m hurdles with a world record thrown in for good measure. Bryan Armen Graham penned this wonderful piece overnight:

McLaughlin-Levrone, who turned 25 on Wednesday, first broke the 400m hurdles world record at the 2021 US Olympic trials, shattered it at the Tokyo Games and has lowered it four more times since, including by nearly three-tenths of a second on Thursday night. In doing so, she became the first American to retain an Olympic title in an individual track race since Michael Johnson’s back-to-back 400m golds in 1996 and 2000. Her winning time of 50.37sec would have been good for third in the second 400m flat semi-final on Wednesday. The owner of seven of the 400m hurdles’ 13 fastest times ever, it’s been more than five years since she lost in the event. So smooth, so efficient, not a wasted movement.

6.18am BST

When these Paris Olympics end on Sunday I’m going to miss photo galleries like this…

6.13am BST

Raven Saunders made a splash during the women’s shot put qualification by appearing in a full-face black mask and sunglasses, along with dyed green and purple hair. “I’m in full form,” the American said of the outfit. “I had to remind the people, I am who I am.”

6.07am BST

Speaking of US dominance of basketball, Serbia almost pulled off one of the all-time Olympics upsets when they had the men’s “Dream Team” on the rack and 76-62 down at the start of the final quarter of last night’s semi-final. Coming into the Paris Games, the US had won gold in eight of the last 10 Olympics, with their last stumble coming in 2004 when they won bronze. Luckily, Steph Curry came to the rescue….

Updated at 6.08am BST

5.58am BST

Heard about the Opal who wanted Gold? Australian basketball GOAT Lauren Jackson is at her fifth Olympics and is yet to win the shiniest medal of all. Instead, at every turn, Jackson and her Opals teammates have been foiled by Team USA whom they meet tonight in the semi-final at Bercy Arena. Can they snap the hoodoo and send Lauren out a winner? Kieran Pender asks: why not?

Updated at 5.59am BST

5.54am BST

The torrent of gold Australia has experienced at these Paris Olympics has finally slowed to a trickle. Not that the green and gold army will be resting on the laurels of their 18 gold so far. They have a few ironmen and ironwomen in the fire on Day 14…

5.51am BST

The first event of Day 14 will be the men’s 10km marathon swim in the Seine. If yesterday’s women’s event was anything to go by, the blokes are in for a tough day. Powerful currents played havoc with the field and their efforts to negate them saw many competitors hugging the rutted and ivy-covered walls of the river. That tactic was effective in avoiding the worst of the swirls and eddies but also resulted in plenty of skinned knuckles and skinned feet. If you like blood in the water with your sweat and tears this is the event for you.

In the end, Australia’s Moesha Johnson was beaten in the home stretch by Netherlands iron-woman Sharon van Rouwendaal . Silver-medallist Johnson was gracious in defeat and saluted her training partner:

I knew coming under that bridge as well, no matter which way I took, Sharon might have taken the other option,’ Johnson says. ‘I think we’ve just been together in training through some tough times, and to be there together on the podium just means so much.

5.41am BST

If you’re a sports fan for whom too much sport is never enough and yet the athletic endeavour involved in clicking through this link is an exertion too far, here’s your Day 14 buffet of blood, sweat and tears in a handy shopping list cut, pasted and bolded. Better put another pot of coffee on the hob…

15:30: Open Water Swimming Men’s 10km

17:00: Golf Women’s Stroke Play Round 3

17:00: Taekwondo Men’s Welterweight 68-80kg Last 32

17:09: Taekwondo Women’s Welterweight 57-67kg Last 16

17:21: Taekwondo Men’s Welterweight 68-80kg Last 16

18:00: Diving Men’s 10m Platform Preliminary Round

18:00: Gymnastics - Rhythmic Women’s Group All-Around Qualification

18:00: Table Tennis Men’s Team Bronze Medal Match ( France v Japan )

18:05: Athletics Women’s Heptathlon Long Jump

18:15: Sport Climbing Men’s Bouldering & Lead Combined Final - Bouldering

18:30: Canoe Sprint Women’s C2 500m Semifinal

18:40: Athletics Women’s 4 x 400m Relay Round 1

18:50: Canoe Sprint Women’s K2 500m Semifinal

19:00: Wrestling - Freestyle Men’s 57kg Repechage Round

19:00: Wrestling - Freestyle Men’s 86kg Repechage Round

19:00: Wrestling - Freestyle Women’s 57kg Repechage Round

19:05: Athletics Men’s 4 x 400m Relay Round 1

19:07: Wrestling - Freestyle Men’s 74kg Qualification

19:10: Canoe Sprint Men’s K2 500m Semifinal

19:14: Wrestling - Freestyle Men’s 125kg 1/8 Final

19:14: Wrestling - Freestyle Women’s 62kg 1/8 Final

19:21: Wrestling - Freestyle Men’s 74kg 1/8 Final

19:23: Athletics Women’s Heptathlon Javelin Throw - Group A

19:30: Athletics Men’s 800m Semifinal

19:30: Canoe Sprint Men’s C1 1000m Semifinal

20:05: Athletics Women’s 100m Hurdles Semifinal

20:10: Wrestling - Freestyle Men’s 125kg Quarterfinal

20:10: Wrestling - Freestyle Women’s 62kg Quarterfinal

20:13: Sailing Men’s Formula Kite Final - Race 2 (rescheduled)

20:17: Wrestling - Freestyle Men’s 74kg Quarterfinal

20:22: Sailing Men’s Formula Kite Final - Race 3 (rescheduled)

20:31: Sailing Men’s Formula Kite Final - Race 4

20:32: Athletics Women’s Heptathlon Javelin Throw - Group B

20:35: Sport Climbing Men’s Bouldering & Lead Combined Final - Lead

20:40: Canoe Sprint Women’s C2 500m Final B

20:40: Sailing Men’s Formula Kite Final - Race 5

20:49: Sailing Men’s Formula Kite Final - Race 6

20:50: Canoe Sprint Women’s C2 500m Final A

21:00: Canoe Sprint Women’s K2 500m Final B

21:00: Modern Pentathlon Men’s Individual Semifinal A - Riding

21:00: Water Polo Men Classification Round 5-8 (Italy v Spain)

21:10: Canoe Sprint Women’s K2 500m Final A

21:20: Canoe Sprint Men’s K2 500m Final B

21:30: Canoe Sprint Men’s K2 500m Final A

21:40: Canoe Sprint Men’s C1 1000m Final B

21:40: Modern Pentathlon Men’s Individual Semifinal A - Fencing Bonus Round

21:50: Canoe Sprint Men’s C1 1000m Final A

22:00: C ycling - Track Women’s Sprint Qualification

22:00: Hockey Women Bronze Medal Match ( Argentina v Belgium )

22:20: Modern Pentathlon Men’s Individual Semifinal A - Swimming

22:30: Gymnastics - Rhythmic Women’s Individual All-Around Final

22:30: Taekwondo Women’s Welterweight 57-67kg Quarterfinal

22:35: Water Polo Men Semifinal ( Serbia v USA )

22:40: Modern Pentathlon Men’s Individual Semifinal A - Laser-Run

22:40: Taekwondo Men’s Welterweight 68-80kg Quarterfinal

22:41: Cycling - Track Men’s Sprint Semifinal

22:48: Cycling - Track Women’s Sprint 1/32 Final

23:00: Diving Women’s 3m Springboard Final

23:00: Football Women Bronze Medal Match ( Spain v Germany )

23:00: Table Tennis Men’s Team Gold Medal Match ( China v Sweden )

23:00: Weightlifting Men’s 89kg

23:38: Cycling - Track Women’s Sprint Repechage Round 1

5.20am BST

Here are Simon Burnton’s Day 14 highlights…

Friday 9 August Day 14

Women’s breaking
The breaking competition, incongruously held at the historic Place de la Concorde, lasts only two days with the women’s (AKA b-girls) event today and the men (or b-boys) tomorrow. Nicka – the Lithuanian Dominika Banevic , who has been breaking since the age of eight – won the world and European championships last year aged 16 but the two Asian Games finalists, 671 ( China’s Liu Qingyi ) and Ami ( Japan’s Ami Yuasa ) are seen as the breakers most likely to make tonight’s final throw down.

Wrestling: men’s 86kg final
There have been rivalries, and then there was David Taylor v Hassan Yazdani . For years it seemed nothing could keep these representatives of clashing cultures of the USA and Iran apart: in Tokyo both breezed through the competition before Taylor’s last-second takedown saw him edge a thrilling final 4-3, and they’ve gone on to meet in the final of every major championship since. But in a stunning upset Taylor, by then unbeaten in two and a half years, lost to Aaron Brooks in the US trials and promptly retired to go into coaching, and this is the start of a new era.

Hockey: women’s final
T he Netherlands have dominated women’s field hockey for years: of the 15 World Cups they have reached 13 finals and won nine, including the last three in a row; of 16 European championships they have reached 14 finals and won 12, including the last four; and they have reached the last five Olympic finals, winning three. They top both the men’s and women’s world rankings, the latter by a huge margin. It would be a major surprise if they are not involved in today’s two medal games, but can anyone stop them?

5.12am BST

Another Day 13 gold worth its weight in platinum was that won by Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo . The unfancied 21-year-old beat none other than the USA’s 100m winner Noah Lyles to the tape and even sacrificed a few split seconds off his time to thump his chest moments before the line.

Turns out that was an act of triumph but also a tribute to his mother, who died in May. Tebogo later revealed he had taken three to four weeks off because he was struggling to process her death. But with the Paris Games looming and the race of a lifetime nigh, he set his jaw and took to the track wearing spikes that carried his mother’s date of birth.

It wasn’t really clicking for me that she’s really gone. For me, I have to find the reason why I started my athletics journey and why I should continue going on. It was really a beautiful race for me. She’s watching up there, and she’s really, really happy.

5.06am BST

Of all those hundreds of medals, one was perhaps a little more precious. Arshad Nadeem wrote his name into history by winning the men’s javelin final yesterday and becoming the first track and field athlete from Pakistan to win gold at an Olympics. Nadeem entered this competition an underdog but the javelin thrower overcame the odds to become his country’s first medallist since 1992 (when it won a bronze medal in men’s hockey in Barcelona). Nadeem’s record-breaking throw also made him only the fourth athlete to cross the 90m mark in the men’s javelin at an Olympics.

5.04am BST

The medal tally of these Paris Olympics continues to expand but the top three remain intact. The USA still lead the way with 30 gold and China sit close behind with 29. There’s daylight between those two superpowers and Australia who sit third with 18 gold.

5.02am BST

Preamble

Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the 14th official day of competition at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Day 13 was a veritable bourguignon of drama , glory and controversy . The US became the first nation to hit 30 gold medals thanks largely to the brilliance of their track athletes. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone led the way by beating her own world record in the women’s 400m hurdles before the Americans clinched more gold through Tara Davis-Woodhall in the women’s long jump. Then Grant Holloway , three-time world champion and silver medallist in Tokyo, cruised to victory in the 110m hurdles.

The only bittersweet moment for the US team came when Noah Lyles was deprived for gold in the 200m final . He had a reasonable excuse , but surely not even the gloriously immodest Lyles couldn’t deny Botswana its first medal of these Games – a gold, no less – when Letsile Tebogo ran the fastest race of his life to deny Lyles the 100-200m double.

There were no medals to be had for Great Britain in track and field on Day 13 but Katarina Johnson-Thompson leads the heptathlon after four events in the seven-event discipline and there was a ray of gold for Team GB in the form of Ellie Aldridg e becoming the first Olympic gold medallist in kitesurfing. Similarly, Australia’s river of gold dried up on a day which delivered “only” two silver and two bronze medals, while the Stingers earned a shot at gold with a dramatic comeback win over Team USA in the women’s water polo.

We have a long good Friday before the final weekend of this XXXIII Olympiad. Will Day 14 signal a golden age for your team?