TEAM GB have high expectations going into Day 12 in Tokyo.
Skateboarding starlet Sky Brown is in action alongside fellow Brit Bombette Martin.
On Tuesday, Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell pipped New Zealand to 49er gold after a thrilling race, securing GB's first sailing medal of the Games.
And Giles Scott backed it up just an hour or so later, taking gold in the Finn.
But there was disappointment for GB sprinter Adam Gemili who is out of the 200m after suffering a hamstring injury, leaving the sprinting star in tears on the track.
Laura Kenny and co. then lost their Team Pursuit final to Germany, who set a world record time in the process.
The performance of the day – and potentially the entire Games – has gone to Norway's Karsten Warholm who became the first man to break 46 seconds ever to take 400m hurdles gold in stunning fashion.
Simone Biles returned in the balance beam final, winning bronze, before Pat McCormack picked up silver in his welterweight boxing final.
BETTING SPECIAL – CLAIM £180 IN FREE BETS FOR THE OLYMPICS
⚽️ Dream Team 2021/22 – Pick a team now for the chance to win £100k!⚽️
? WHAT'S ON TODAY? Best bits to watch at the Olympics and UK times for your favourite stars
Stay up to date with all the updates from Tokyo in our live blog…
- Joshua Jones
'MAKES A DIFFERENCE'
Alice Dearing has given an emotional interview after finishing the 10km swim.
The 24-year-old from Birmingham – who finished 19th – became the first black female swimmer to represent Team GB in an Olympic swimming event.
She said: “I really hope it makes a difference and people look at this (me) and think it’s possible for anyone out there.
"It’s tough, it’s hard but if you want to learn to swim 25m or go to swim in the Olympics I want people to know that it’s open and available to everybody and just go and give it your best shot.
"It’s only three years until Paris I’ve got a lot more to give and learn, this is my first Olympics, I’m definitely not done.
"I’ll go home, take my time get over it and then come back stronger next year and the year after.”
- Joshua Jones
COLIN LOVES IT
Colin Jackson is a big fan of what KJT produced in her 100m hurdles – the best time of all 24 in the event.
He said: "That is a great start from Kat. The key factor with that is the smile at the end.
"She's in a better place, potentially, than she'd even expected herself to be in.
"It was a very competitive race. When you feel someone right behind you, it gives you that extra push.
"Kat's performance was outstanding, one of the best hurdles I've ever seen her do."
Next up is the high jump in an hour…
- Joshua Jones
AND HERE IT IS
Watch her stunning effort below.
It was a pretty flawless display over the hurdles from the 28-year-old world champ.
- Joshua Jones
PICTURES SPEAK A THOUSAND WORDS
These series of photos capture KJT's 100m hurdles perfectly.
The run.
The win.
The smile.
The relief.
Her Olympic dream is well and truly on…
- Joshua Jones
PERFECT START
It is the perfect start for Johnson-Thompson who smashes a brilliant 13.27 seconds to win her 100m hurdles.
And out comes a beaming smile after crossing the line.
A rare outpouring of emotion from the Brit before her game face is switched back on.
It is heartbreak for Cuba's Yorgelis Rodriguez who pulls up injured and is carried off in tears.
That could be her Olympic dream over five seconds after it started.
Nafi Thiam went through third in 13.54 seconds.
- Joshua Jones
KJT TIME
Here she is!
British heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson is out to get her campaign underway.
She starts in lane seven for the 100m hurdles…
- Joshua Jones
DUTCH TROUBLE
Team GB's women go up against the Netherlands in the hockey semi-finals.
It is a repeat of the gold medal match from five years ago which the Brits famously won.
The Dutch won their pool stage meeting 1-0.
Kick-off is at 2.30am.
- Joshua Jones
SKATEBOARDERS SET
The first round of the women's park skateboarding has just started.
The average age across the entire field is just 19.5 – with Brit Bombette Martin getting the event underway with a 14.40 score in the first of three runs.
Sky Brown goes last in heat three.
The top eight qualifiers will progress to the final at 4.30am.
- Joshua Jones
KJT UNDERWAY
Katarina Johnson-Thompson begins her heptathlon campaign at 1.35am UK time with the 100m hurdles.
The high jump, shot put and 200m follow on the first day of action in the seven-event challenge.
Britain's KJT has only competed twice in 2021 as she recovers from injuries and goes up against Rio winner Nafi Thiam of Belgium.
- Joshua Jones
GOLD FOR BRAZIL
Ana Marcela Cunha has won the marathon swimming in Tokyo Bay in a thrilling race.
The green-haired Brazilian touched home in 1:59.30, pipping Sharon van Rouwendaal by less than a second at the end of the two-hour 10km effort.
Alice Dearing did so well for around two-thirds of the contest but slipped approximately four-and-a-half metres behind the front pack of seven.
The race started at 6.30am but the water temperature was a record 30C, making this one of the most physically demanding events in the entire Games.
I'm tired just watching…!
- Joshua Jones
SKY THE LIMIT
Today's the day for Sky Brown to make her Olympics debut.
The 13-year-old will become Team GB's youngest summer athlete of all time when she competes in the skateboarding's park contest.
She picked up a bronze in the world champs aged 11 – behind two Japanese stars who will be looking for more glory today.
- Alex Terrell
MAN OF WAR
Norway's Karsten Warholm, who put in arguably THE performance of the Olympics so far, has thanked his fellow competitors on his Instagram.
The 400m hurdler smashed his own world record to record the first ever sub-46sec one lap hurdles run with 45.94sec.
In fact, the second placed runner Rai Benjamin of the United States and Brazilian Alison dos Santos all set the fastest three times EVER in that final.
Before 2021, Kevin Young had held the world record since 1992 with 46.72sec.
Either way, gentleman that Warholm is, he left this classy message for his one-lap barrier hoppers.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Karsten Warholm (@kwarholm)
- Alex Terrell
THE RACE IS HOTTING UP
The open water marathon swim is 1hr 26min in and American Ashley Twitchell is setting the pace and has decided not to take on liquids on every lap.
France's Lara Grangeon is trailing in her wake.
In fact, one interested party appears to be this fish that just jumped out of the water in slow motion on telly.
Unbelievably, the water temperature is just under 30C, which is nearly as warm as a bath.
- Alex Terrell
MARATHON SWIM UNDERWAY
The women are on lap three of seven in the swimming.
Britain's Alice Dearing is currently in 18th place, 18sec behind the leader.
One of the issues with the Odaiba Marine Park has been the water temperatures, which are basically tropical.
That means the swimmers have to get to get their fluids in every lap and coaches have been chucking the odd ice cube in there to make sure they can cool their body temperatures down.
Credit: PA - Joshua Mbu
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4
Here's what's coming up tomorrow:
Artistic Swimming
- 11.30am Duet Free Routine Final
Athletics
- 1am – Men's Decathlon 100m
- 1.05am – Men's Javelin Throw Qualification
- 1.35am – Women's Heptathlon 100m Hurdles
- 1.55am – Men's Decathlon Long Jump
- 2.35am – Women's Heptathlon High Jump
- 3am – Men's 110m Hurdles Semi-finals
- 3.30am – Women's 400m Hurdles Final
- 3.40am – Men's Decathlon Shot Put
- 10.30am – Men's Decathlon High Jump
- 11am – Women's 1500m Semi-finals
- 11.05am – Women's Heptathlon Shot Put
- 11.30am – Women's 400m Semi-Final 1
- 12pm – Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final
- 12.15pm – Men's Hammer Throw Final
- 12.30pm – Women's Heptathlon 200m
- 1.05pm – Men's 800m Final
- 1.30pm – Men's Decathlon 400m
- 1.55pm – Men's 200m Final
Baseball/Softball
- 8am – Baseball Round 2 Repechage
- 11am – Baseball Semi-final
Basketball
- 2am – Women's Quarterfinal
Beach Volleyball
- TBC – Men's Quarter-finals
Boxing
- 6am – Women's Fly (48-51kg) Semi-finals
- 6.30am – Women's Welter (64-69kg) Semi-finals
- 7.03am – Men's Super Heavy (+91kg) Semi-finals
- 7.35am – Men's Super Heavy (+91kg) Semi-finals
Canoe Sprint
- 1.30am – Women's Kayak Single 200m Semi-finals
- 2.05am – Women's Canoe Single 200m Heats
- 2.40am – Women's Kayak Single 500m Heats
- 3.22am – Men's Kayak Double 1000m Heats
- 4.08am – Men's Kayak Single 200m Quarter-finals
- 4.29am – Women's Canoe Single 200m Quarter-finals
- 5.18am – Men's Kayak Double 1000m Quarter-finals
Cycling Track
- 7.30am – Men's Sprint Qualifying
- 8.10am – Women's Keirin First Round – Heats
- 8.35am – Men's Sprint 1/32 Finals – Heats
- 9.11am – Women's Keirin Repechages – Heats
- 9.31am – Men's Sprint 1/32 Finals Repechages – Heats
- 9.45am – Men's Team Pursuit Finals 7-8
- 9.52am – Men's Team Pursuit Finals 5-6
- 9.59am – Men's Team Pursuit Finals – Bronze
- 10.06am – Men's Team Pursuit Finals – Gold
- 10.13am – Men's Sprint 1/16 Finals – Heats
- 10.47am – Men's Sprint Repechages
Diving
- 7am – Women's 10m Platform Preliminary
Equestrian
- 11am – Jumping Individual Final
Golf
- 11.30pm (Aug 3) – Women's Individual Stroke Play Round 1
Handball
- 1.30am – Women's Quarter-finals
Hockey
- 2.30am – Women's Semi-final
- 11am – Women's Semi-final
Marathon Swimming
- 10.30pm (Aug 3) – Women's 10k
Sailing
- 6.33am – Men's Two Person Dinghy – 470 – Medal Race
- 7.33am – Women's Two Person Dinghy – 470 – Medal Race
Skateboarding
- 1am – Women's Park Prelims Heats
- 8.30am – Women's Park Final
Sport Climbing
- 9am – Women's Combined, Speed Qualification
- 10am – Women's Combined, Bouldering Qualification
- 1.10pm – Women's Combined, Lead Qualification
Table Tennis
- 2am – Women's Team Quarter-finals; Men's Team Quarter-finals
- 6.30am – Women's Team Quarter-finals; Men's Team Quarter-finals
- 11.30am – Women's Team Semi-finals
Volleyball
- From 1am – Women's Quarter-finals
Water Polo
- From 6am – Men's Quarter-finals
Weightlifting
- 5.50am – Men's +109kg Group B
- 1150am – Men's +109kg Group A Medal
Wrestling
- 3am – MGR 67kg/87kg, WFS 62kg Repechages
- 3.30am – MFS 57kg/86kg, WFS 57kg 1/8 Finals, QF
- From 10.15am – Men's Freestyle 57kg Semi-finals; Men's Freestyle 86kg Semi-finals; Women's Freestyle 57kg Semi-finals; Men's Greco-Roman 67kg Bronze Medal Match; Men's Greco-Roman 67kg Final; Men's Greco-Roman 87kg Bronze Medal Match; Men's Greco-Roman 87kg Final; Women's Freestyle 62kg Bronze Medal Match; Women's Freestyle 62kg Final
- Joshua Mbu
TEAM GB LEGEND
Team GB cycling legend, triple Olympic gold medallist and seven-time world champion Ed Clancy has retired.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by British Cycling (@britishcycling)
- Joshua Mbu
NEED FOR SPEED
The designer of the running track at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium has admitted the surface is giving athletes a "one or two per cent" advantage.
The Tokyo Olympic Games has seen a number of world and Olympic track records smashed over the past couple of days.
The most recent example being Norway's Karsten Warholm smashing his own 400m hurdles world record.
Warholm annihilated his own record by more than 0.7 seconds on Tuesday, clocking in a time of 45.94 seconds.
Funnily enough Team USA's Rai Benjamin – who came second – also broke Warholm's previous world record with a time of 46.17.
Puerto Rico's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah smashed Olympic records in the 100m hurdles and 100m respectively.
Although watching athletes smash world and Olympic records is fun, it has, however, raised some questions about the track.
- Joshua Mbu
GOING FOR GOLD
China lead the medals table after day 11!
- Kostas Lianos
JASON KENNY REACTS
Team GB's men's cyclists had to settle for silver and Jason Kenny became the team's most-decorated Olympian by winning an eighth honour.
Kenny said: "We did the same thing we always do.
"We came and emptied the tanks. We did our best ride I think. We pretty much nailed it in the first round and then we rolled the dice and went after the win.
"It didn't go our way but they were better than us, simple as that. We knew we had to get better in the past few years, we have improved a lot and made a reasonable step but it was not enough"
- Kostas Lianos
LAURA KENNY REACTS
Team GB settled for silver in the women’s team pursuit after losing the final to Germany.
Laura Kenny said: "As an athlete, you want to win everything.
"I don't think it's any harder for me than it is anyone else taking silver. We set our hearts on gold, we wanted to win gold, so yeah we are going to feel disappointed.
"I glimpsed at my phone and so many people are saying: 'You should be really proud of silver', and I am really proud of silver, I just do feel a bit disappointed…
"[Germany] were phenomenal, you can't take anything away from them. That is incredible, that's going to be a record that stands for a long time I think"
- Kostas Lianos
HODGKINSON REACTS
Team GB's Keely Hodgkinson won the silver medal in the women's 800m final.
Hodgkinson told the BBC: "It was so open and I wanted to put it all out there, I'm so happy.
"Kelly Holmes is a legend. I've looked up to her and spoken to her in the last couple of days, she's a lovely person.
"I just have no words. It means so much, and thank you to everyone that has sent messages over the past couple of days.
"If the Olympics had been last year I wouldn't have been here, but suddenly it's given me a year to grow and compete with these girls"
- Kostas Lianos
WHAT'S NEXT?
Team GB is back in action on Wednesday for Day 12 of the Tokyo Olympics.
Sky Brown competes in the skateboarding event at the age of 13, world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson gets underway in the women's heptathlon, Andrew Pozzi is in the men's 110m hurdles semi-finals, Laura Muir performs in the women's 1500m semis, Frazer Clarke is set for a super heavyweight boxing semi-final and Ben Whittaker has made the light heavyweight final against Cuba's Arlen Lopez.
Britain's cyclists will meanwhile be in action as the individual sprint events take place.
The women's hockey team will look to defend their gold medal in the semi-finals against the Netherlands
- Kostas Lianos
OLYMPICS MEDAL TABLE UPDATED
Team GB remain sixth after day 11 of the Tokyo Olympics.
China and the United States continue to fight for first place, as usual.
More below:
- Kostas Lianos
THOMPSON-HERAH REACTS
Jamaica star Elaine Thompson-Herah insisted her triumph in the women's 200m event was not at all easy.
Thompson-Herah told the BBC: "Honestly I just need to sleep, I have not slept since the 100 metres, honestly my body is in shock mode, but I still had my composure to come out here.
"I knew my time wouldn't be fast because yesterday we ran two rounds, which took a lot from me, I equalled my PB last night. So to come out to get a national record and two-time Olympian I am so happy.
"I was begging for the line, but you have to hold your technique through the line. I know my grandma is celebrating right now.
"It feels good to be in the history book, to set a barrier for the other generation of athletes coming up because we have got a lot of athletes coming from Jamaica, it means a lot to me to set this barrier.
"Everyone who supports me and believes in me, a big thank you to them"
- Kostas Lianos
BILES INTERVIEW
Here's what Simone Biles had to say after her impressive return to the Tokyo Olympics.
Biles won the bronze medal in the women’s balance beam final competition. after a late decision to return to action following her withdrawal due to mental health problems.
Here's what she said:
Source: Read Full Article
