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Welcome to our live blog of Day 8 at Tokyo 2020. All Olympics we will keep you up to date as we go with all the action.
You can always check up on our recaps of the day before, or our podcast and video updates at the Olympic Hub.
Catch up on last night’s updates with our podcast, Ascending Olympus.
If you’re struggling to work out what to watch, we put together a handy guide of the events to watch today.
12:40am: That’s all for Day 7, we will have more tomorrow.
12:38am: Medal Alert: Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic has won Gold in the Women’s Singles Tennis, beating Czech Republic’s Markéta Vondroušová 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. Ukrainian Elina Svitolina claimed the Bronze.
11:37pm: Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant combine for 50 points as team USA progress to the knockout rounds with a big 119-84 win over Czech Republic
11:30pm: Markéta Vondroušová has the double break in the second set over Belinda Bencic. Currently leading 5-1 and poised to go to a deciding 3rd set
11:17pm: Kevin Durant has taken over. KD has 23 and Team USA outscore Czech Republic 35-17 in the third to blow this one wide open.
11:13pm: Markéta Vondroušová has won the early break in the second set of the Women’s Tennis Final, still trailing after losing the first set
11:07pm: Medal Alert
11:00pm: Belinda Bencic has won the first set 7-5
10:57pm: Medal Alert
10:51pm: Medal Alert: It’s an all Jamaican podium in the Women’s 100m Sprint. Elaine Thompson- Herah wins with a new Olympic record of 10.61.
10:43pm: Medal Alert Poland make Olympic history, winning Gold in the first-ever 4×400 mixed relay.
10:34pm: At Halftime, Team USA leads the Czech Republic 47-43 in their Group A Men’s Basketball clash
10:32pm: The Women’s Tennis Singles final has a little bit of everything in the first set
10:30pm: Medal Alert Sweden take Gold and Silver in the Men’s Discus, Daniel Stahl takes out Gold with a throw of 68.90m and Simon Pettersson wins Silver with a 67.39m, taking out the Bronze is Austria’s Lukas Weisshaidinfer who threw 67.07, Aussie Matt Denny just misses the podium finishing in 4th with a throw of 67.02 smashing his previous personal best.
10:22pm: Heartbreak for Matt Denny. He throws a personal best of 67.02m on his final attempt, just short of 3rd by 5cm, and sits in 4th, he’ll finish no lower than 5th today.
10:18pm: After 5 attempts Daniel Stahl (SWE) still leads with a 68.90m, compatriot Simon Pettersson has moved into second with a throw of 67.39m and Austria’s Lukas Weisshaidinger is in 3rd with a 67.07. Matt Denny sits in 5th with a throw of 66.06m with each of the eight remaining athletes having one throw left.
10:17pm: Matt Denny (AUS) cracks 66m on his 5th throw throwing a 66.06m, still sitting in 5th he is 10cm off his personal best and 57cm short of a medal position.
he’s now 1.01m short of third
10:10pm: In the Women’s Singles Tennis Final, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic has the early break and leading 2-0 against Czech Republic’s Markéta Vondroušová
10:09pm: After four attempts Daniel Stahl (SWE) remains in 1st with a throw of 68.90m, Aussie Matt Denny has slipped back into 5th with a throw of 65.94m, each athlete has two throws left.
10:07pm: Another very consistent throw from Matt Denny (AUS) on his 4th attempt, throwing a 65.00m, he currently sits in 5th with his third attempt continuing to stand as his best throw
9:59pm: After three attempts Daniel Stahl (SWE) continues to lead with a 68.90m, Matt Denny is in 4th with a throw of 65.94m, the group has been trimmed to the top eight who will get three additional throws to try and claim Gold.
9:51pm: It’s not enough to move up a rank but Matt Denny improves on his first two attempts with a throw of 65.94m, he remains in 4th needing a personal best to move up into the medal stakes.
9:46pm: After two attempts Daniel Stahl (SWE) leads with a throw of 68.90, Australia’s Matt Denny is in 4th with a throw of 65.76.
9:44pm: Sweden’s Daniel Stahl moves into first with an enormous throw of 68.90m, 99cm less than the Olympic Record set in 2004
9:42pm: Japan has won it’s penalty shootout against New Zealand and will progress to the Men’s Football Semi-Final
9:41:pm: Australian Rohan Browning has qualified for the 100m Semi-Finals, winning his heat with a fast time of 10.01
No Australian has run faster at an Olympic Games
9:31pm: After everyone’s first attempt in the Men’s Discus Final Matt Denny (AUS) leads with 65.76m, 1.71m ahead of his closest competitor, every athlete is on the board except for Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh.
9:28pm: 120 minutes have passed and still, Japan and New Zealand cannot be split in their Football Quarterfinals. It will be a penalty shootout to determine who progresses
9:22pm: Massive first throw for Matt Denny throwing a 65.76m, a bigger throw than his best in qualification which was 65.13m.
9:21pm: The Men’s Discuss Final featuring Australian Matthew Denny is about to get underway!
9:19pm: Australian long jumper Henry Frayne slips out of qualifying for the final by two places finishing in 14th with 7.93m, he was just 3cm shy of reaching the final.
9:15pm: We’re heading to extra time in the Men’s Football Quarterfinal between New Zealand and Japan after they couldn’t be split after regulation time.
9.00pm: Rybakina has the early break in the third set and looks on track for a bronze.
8.52pm: Harry Frayne goes further with his third jump but still fails to qualify. He manages 7.93m still short of the required 8.15 to qualify. He may progress if other athletes also fail to make the qualifying mark.
8.46pm: Svitolina has squared it up in the womens bronze medal match. We will now see a tie breaking set to fight for bronze.
8.36pm: Harry Frayne jumps the exact same distance 7.82 metres with his second jump. He will need a big improvement for his third to make the qualifying distance of 8.15m.
8.28pm: France win gold in the Judo Mixed Team event ROC will have to take the silver.
8.22pm: Still all square in the second set of the women’s bronze medal match, 4-4.
8.17pm: Australian Harry Frayne fails to meet the qualifying distance of 8.15m in the men’s long jump. Frane started with a 7.82 metres. He still has two more attempts to qualify.
8.11pm: Svitolina is fighting back, she levels at 3-3 in the second set against Rybakina. In the womens singles bronze match.
8.06pm: Medal Alert: Israel wins Bronze in Mixed Team Judo! This is Israel’s 6th Olympic medal in Judo and first ever medal in a non-individual Olympic event
7.57pm: Rybakina has a break early in the second set, leads a set and 2-1 against Svitolina.
7.56pm: Australia win its third match in as many games in the men’s basketball. Patty Mills leading from the front with 24 points. The Boomers will go into the quarters as one of the medal favourites and as a top seed.
7.54pm: Australias Harry Garside wins on points 5-0 and is through to the Quarter finals of the men’s lightweight boxing!
7.49pm: 3 judges have Garside leading 20-18, while the other 2 have it 19-19
7.45pm: Garside leads 10-9 on all 5 cards after round 1 in the men’s boxing.
7.45pm: Rybakina has broken Svitolina again and secured the first set 6-1. She looks well on her way to winning the bronze medal here.
7.40pm: Medal Aleart: Israel beat ROC 4-1 to claim bronze in the judo mixed team B event.
7:39pm: Harry Garside of Australia is about to get underway in the men’s round of 16 boxing. If he wins he will move onto the quarter finals.
7.38pm: Rybakina [KAZ] has a break in the opening set of the women’s tennis bronze medal match against Svitolina [UKR]. She currently leads 4-1.
7.34pm: Brazil takes the fourth set to secure a 3-1 victory over Serbia (25-20, 25-16, 23-25, 25-19).
It remains undefeated in Pool A of the Women’s Volleyball competition.
7.33pm: It is now three quarter time in the men’s basketball. An up and down quarter for the Boomers. Their lead got up to as much as 10 points before a German comeback. The Aussies will take a 7 point lead into the break leading 64-59.
7.29pm: Confirmation of what everyone thought the Matildas are receiving huge support while in Tokyo. Viewing numbers were huge.
7.24pm: Medal Alert Djokovic has withdrawn from the mixed doubles bronze medal match after his earlier loss in the men’s singles bronze match. This hands the Australian pair of Ash Barty and John Peers the bronze.
7.22pm: Medal Alert: After claiming Silver in Rio, New Zealand are Gold Medalists in the Women’s Rugby Sevens, defeating France 26-12. Fiji claimed the Bronze earlier tonight.
7.17pm: Into the second half and Spain and Côte d’Ivoire remain tied at 1-1 in their all-important men’s football quarter final.
7.13pm: Women’s singles bronze medal match between Svitolina and Rybakina is about to start, players out on court warming up.
7.11pm: At half time in the gold medal match New Zealand are leading 19-5.
7.03pm: The Gold Medal match of the Women’s Rugby Sevens between New Zealand and France is about to get underway!
7.01pm: It’s now half time and Australia has taken the lead in the men’s basketball. Patty Mills is on fire once again. The Boomers take a lead of 44-40 into the half.
6.58pm: Serbia have won the third set in the Volleyball to make it 2 sets to 1.
6.56pm: Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain has defeated Novak Djokovic for the Men’s Tennis Singles bronze medal, 6-4 6-7 6-3. Djokovic lost a couple of racquets, saved some match points, but ultimately it was Carreno Busta who had all the answers in the heat of Tokyo today. Djokovic now has to go prepare for his mixed doubles bronze medal match with Serbian teammate Nina Stojanovic against Australian pair Ash Barty and John Peers.
6.49pm: Sweeden overcome a strong Brazil to win the women’s Handball pool match 34-31.
6.47pm: Both players hold, Carreno Busta leads 5-3 and is one game away from an Olympic bronze medal.
6.42pm: An Olmo equaliser 30 minutes in ensures Spain are back in their men’s football quarter final, now levelled at 1-1 with Cote d’Ivoire in the first half.
6.41pm: Germany on the brink of a bronze medal in the mixed judo, leading 3-2 against the Netherlands.
6.36pm: It’s quarter time in the men’s basketball, Australia with the buzzer beater bring Germany’s lead to only four points. The German team beating the Boomers 22-18.
6.34pm: Djokovic is on the board in the third set, but it’s Carreno Busta who leads 3-1. Novak has now destroyed two racquets in this match, a visible sign of his frustration.
6.26pm: The Dutch have levelled proceedings 1-1 in their mixed judo bronze medal match against Germany, with the third fight set to be a telling one for the medal prospects of each nation.
6.25pm: Eric Bailly has put Cote d’Ivoire in front 1-0 against the highly-fancied Spanish side in their men’s football quarter final clash.
6.23pm: The Brazilians have come back remarkably, claiming a tense 11-9 super tiebreak to win the bronze ahead of the ROC in the women’s doubles tennis.
6.22pm: The Australians hold on to finish fifth in the women’s Rugby 7’s. With a kick out of touch, they guarantee the win. It wasn’t the gold medal they were hoping for but a good tournament nonetheless.
6.20pm: Australia put the match beyond doubt with yet another try. They also convert to make the score 17-7 with only one minute to play.
6.19pm: After three deuces, Carreno Busta has held his opening service game in the deciding third set. Djokovic loses a racquet after lobbing it into the stands in frustration.
6.18pm: The Americans are across the line for their first try. They also convert putting getting themselves only one score from the lead. Australia still lead 10-7 with three minutes to play.
6.12pm: Over eight minutes after the last point of the second set, Djokovic and Carreno Busta are back on court for the decider of the bronze medal match. Carreno Busta is serving first
6.11pm: On the half time whistle Australia score again. It hasn’t been the games they hoped for but it has been a dominant first half. The Australians fail to convert and lead 10-0 at half time.
6.10pm: The Netherlands have claimed the opening bout to lead 1-0 in the judo mixed bronze medal game, as Germany will need to fight back to level proceedings.
6.09pm: Australia is over the line for the first try in the womens sevens. Unfortunately the Aussies fail to convert. They lead the Americans 5-0
6.08pm: The men’s football quarter finals are underway, with Spain taking on Cote d’Ivoire in the first match for the night.
6.06pm: ROC’s Krasilnikov/Stoyanovsky have taken the Pool B beach volleyball match 2-1 over Czech team Perusic/Schweiner.
6.05pm: We’re headed to a third set super tie breaker to decide the bronze medallists for the women’s tennis doubles, as Brazil snatch the second set 6-4 in 52 minutes.
6.02pm: Novak Djokovic has taken the second set tiebreak 8-6 to level the men’s singles tennis bronze medal match against Spaniard Carreno Busta, 4-6 7-6.
5.59pm: Australia’s women’s rugby sevens team is about to take to the field to play for fifth place, against the USA.
5.56pm: ROC pair Krasilnikov/Stoyanovsky levelled things at 1-1 in the beach volleyball. In the deciding third set, ROC is off to a hot start – already up 8-2.
Brazil has taken the first set against Serbia 25-20 in the women’s indoor volleyball.
5.50pm: We’re into a tiebreak to decide the second set in this men’s singles tennis bronze medal match between Djokovic and Carreno Busta. Djokovic is up 3-1.
5.49pm: Full time at Tatsumi Water Polo Centre and the Croatians have held on for an all-important 14-12 win over Serbia in the men’s competition.
5.46pm: Sweden has come back late in its first half women’s handball game against Brazil, taking a 14-13 lead into the final moments of the half.
Brazilian pair Laura Pigossi and Luisa Stefani are locked at deuce while trying to serve out the second set and force a super tie breaker in their bronze medal women’s doubles tennis match against ROC.
5.40pm: Carreno Busta comes back from 0-30 down to keep the second set on serve, 5-5. Djokovic puts the pressure back on Carreno Busta, holding his service game comfortably.
5.35pm: Serbia and Brazil are out on court in their preliminary Pool A indoor volleyball match. Both teams are undefeated with three wins on the board. Brazil has taken an early lead, 8-5 in the opening set.
Djokovic and Carreno Busta are still on serve in the second set 4-4 during the men’s singles tennis.
Perusic/Schweiner [CZE] have taken the first set on the beach volleyball court, 21-19 over their ROC opponents Krasilnikov/Stoyanovsky.
5.25pm: Wow. After having dived so well throughout the preliminaries and earlier in the semi final, Canadian Pamela Ware has misjudged her routine and has registered a failed dive in her final Semi-Final dive, which will see her finish in 18th position.
Australian Annabelle Smith has missed out on qualification for the 3m Springboard Final, finishing 14th, but fellow Aussie Esther Qin is through!
5.23pm: Esther Qin is safely through to the Final of the Women’s 3m Springboard. A nervous wait now for Anabelle Smith.
5.22pm: At the end of Round 3, Cameron Smith’s -9 has him equal 11th, while Marc Leishman’s even par is equal 49th. The leader, Xander Schauffele [USA], is -14 overall. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama is one behind on -13, while Paul Casey [GBR] and Carlos Ortiz [MEX] are two off the pace at -12. The final round will begin at 8:30am on Sunday morning.
5.20pm: ROC’s Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina have taken the first set 6-4 ahead of Brazil’s Laura Pigossi and Luisa Stefani in the women’s tennis doubles bronze medal match. But the Brazilians have hit back to lead 2-0 in the second.
Croatia looks to be holding on in the men’s water polo, leading Serbia 10-8 deep into the fourth quarter.
Five minutes in and the Brazilian women take a 3-2 lead over Sweden in their group stage handball contest.
5.15pm: The final men’s beach volleyball Pool B games are in progress. Gaxiola/Rubio of Mexico comfortably defeated Plavins/Tocs of Latvia 2-0. Up next ROC pair Krasilnikov and Stoyanovskiy is against Czech’s Perusic and Schweiner.
Carreno Busta and Djokovic are on serve in the second set, 2-2, in the men’s singles tennis.
5.12pm: It’s going to be a tight finish for both Australians Annabelle Smith and Esther Qin, who will both need big final dives to secure a place in tomorrow’s Women’s 3m Springboard final. Qin is sitting in 7th with Smith back in 14th spot.
5.02pm: ROC finishes off a remarkable comeback in the women’s handball, snatching a last-gasp 28-27 win over France courtesy of an Ilani goal with two minutes left.
China’s Long Chen finishes well to beat Taipei’s Tien-Chen Chou 2 sets to 1 in the men’s singles quarter-final of the badminton.
Serbia is struggling hard but has made a dent in Croatia’s lead in its men’s water polo clash, with the score now at 6-4 Croatia’s way in the third quarter.
4.59pm: Spaniard Carreno Busta has taken the opening set 6-4 over Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles tennis.
4.56pm: At the end of round 3 in the Semi-Final of the Women’s 3m Springboard, China’s Wang Han has taken a big lead over the rest of the field. Compatriot Shi Tingmao is up to second with Canadian Jenifer Abel rounding out the top 3 with two dives to come. Australians Annabelle Smith and Esther Qin are back in 9th and 11th respectively. The top 12 divers will progress to the Final.
4.47pm: Carreno Busta is now one game away from taking the opening set against Djokovic in the men’s singles tennis, up 5-3. The Serbian is serving to stay in the set.
4.39pm: France comfortably beats the Netherlands 4 bouts to nil in its mixed team judo semi final, giving the team the chance to go for gold.
4.37pm: Wang Han maintains her lead after 3 dives in the 3m Springboard Semi Final. Han holds a slender 0.4 point lead over Canadian Jenifer Abel. Both Australians Qin and Smith are back in the field in 7th and 11th respectively.
The Croatian men have got off to a flyer in the water polo, leading Serbia 4-1 in the first quarter.
Carreno Busta takes an early lead against Djokovic in the men’s singles tennis, consolidating a break for a 4-2 over the Serbian.
4.31pm: Turkey’s Mete Gazoz comes out the 7-3 winner in the men’s archery quarter final match against America’s Brady Ellison, which will see Gazoz vie for a medal in his semi final.
On serve in the men’s bronze medal tennis match between Djokovic and Carreno Busta, the scores are tied at 2-2.
4.29pm: Aussie sailors Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin have won the Nacras race!
4.25pm: Italy finishes strong to secure a nine-point win in its group stage basketball match with Nigeria. A solid last quarter allowed the men to get a strong spot in their group table, as the 80-71 result confines Nigeria to a win-less start.
The ROC have bit back in its women’s handball match against France, scoring two goals to level it at 24-24 with just over 10 minutes left in the game.
4.23pm: Medal Alert – Ivan Litvinovich (BEL) has won Gold with a score of 61.715. Dong Dong (CHN) finishes with silver – this is his fourth Olympic Medal and second silver with a score of 61.235. Dylan Schmidt (NZL) finishes third with 60.675, a massive improvement on his 7th place finish in Rio. Australia’s Dominic Clarke finishes in 8th with a score of 24.955.
4.20pm: Great start for both Australian’s Annabelle Smith and Esther Qin, sitting sixth and second after the opening round in the Women’s 3m Springboard Semi-Final. China’s Wang Han is in the lead, 1.5 points ahead of Qin.
4.17pm: Two free throws from Alessandro Pajola keeps Nigeria at bay, forcing them to take a time out with 1:23 on the clock as Italy maintain a 73-67 lead in the crucial men’s preliminary basketball match.
4.13pm: Aussie trampoline gymnast Dominic Clarke goes off centre and hits the side of the trampoline and is unable to complete his routine, scores a 24.955 and will not medal. Dong Dong currently leads with a 61.325 with three gymnasts to go.
Michele Vitali has just drained a three to give Italy 70-64 lead with just over three minutes on the clock in their men’s preliminary basketball encounter with Nigeria.
4.11pm: Dominic Clarke is beginning his routine in the men’s trampoline gymnastics final.
Japan beats the US 45-43 to claim fifth place in the women’s fencing competition. The Republic of Korea and Italy will square off in the bronze medal match from 6.30pm.
4.10pm: The bronze medal match in the Men’s Singles Tennis is underway. Novak Djokovic is up against Pablo Carreno Busta, of Spain, and Djokovic is serving first.
4.01pm: A great day for Aussie golfer Cameron Smith. He shoots 5 under for the day to move up to 11th on the leaderboard (-9 overall). American Xander Schauffele is still leading with a 1 shot lead at -13.
3.54pm: At the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, the Women’s 3m Springboard Semi-Final is about to begin. Australians Esther Qin and Anabelle Smith will be looking to book their place in the Final.
3.51pm: Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin are still winning the Nacras race 10 as they head into the final downwind.
3.41pm: Dominic Clarke qualifies for the Men’s Trampoline final in 4th, just below New Zealand’s Dylan Schmidt, in a massive voluntary routine upset that saw China’s Gao Lei not even qualify for the final and Dong Dong qualify in 5th below Clarke.
The final will be underway in a matter of minutes.
3.36pm: It’s a history-making shooting trap mixed final! Spain has won its first gold medal of the Games, while San Marino claimed silver as its SECOND EVER Olympic medal.
3.30pm: After Portugal’s Diogo Abreu landed off the trampoline bed, Dominic Clarke is now guaranteed to reach the Men’s Trampoline Final – the first Australian man to do so since Ji Wallace won Silver at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
3.10pm: In the third round of the men’s golf, in his home Games, Hideki Matsuyama has moved to -12 overall and joins American Xander Schauffele and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz. All three have complete 10 holes today.
Australian Cameron Smith has had another great round, -5 for the day and -9 overall in equal 9th. The same cannot be said for Marc Leishman, who is +1 for the day thru 13 holes and even par overall.
3.20pm: It’ll be a nervous wait for Dominic Clarke to see if he’ll make the men’s trampoline gymnastics final, scoring a 59.550 for a combined total of 111.680. He sits in 2nd after the first group, with eight gymnasts to go.
3pm: Australia’s Dominic Clarke is in 8th following the compulsory routines in the Trampoline. He must have a strong voluntary routine to reach the final later this evening, needing to finish in the top 8 to reach the final.
2.45pm: Sailing is underway! We have three Aussies in action: Jake Lilley (Finn), Jason Waterhouse (Nacra 17), and Lisa Darmanin (Nacra 17).
2.30pm: Good afternoon all! Dani Brown here, taking over the blog from the legend that is Daniel Coppel. Keen for a great afternoon of watching the best of the best from the comfort of my couch!
2:23pm: Dominic Clarke scores a 52.130 in the compulsory section of qualifiers, sitting in 2nd after the first eight gymnasts, he’ll compete in the voluntary section in 45 minutes time.
2:10pm: And the Hockeyroos have done it, a 2-0 win over Argentina. Another strong performance by the highly ranked Aussies. We’ll have a full recap of the match shortly, as they finish the group stages undefeated.
2:08pm: Savannah Fitzpatrick is involved again, this time with the assist for Emily Chalker who makes it 2-0 with 90 seconds remaining in the match, putting the Hockeyroos in an insurmountable position.
2:06pm: The Men’s Trampoline Gymnastics is about to get underway Australia’s Dominic Clarke will start eighth in the first group.
1:56pm: A defensive error by Argentina has given Savannah Fitzpatrick an opportunity, and she has broken the deadlock! It’s 1-0 to Australia with 11:30 left in the fourth quarter.
Our recap of the Sharks’ loss to Spain is here.
1:48pm: The Hockeyroos and Argentina are still locked in a scoreless draw at three quarter time.
1:35pm: In a clinical performance, the Sharks were defeated 16-5 by Spain in the final group match.
Katie Ledecky and Ariarne Titmus have finished their week of swimming against one another. With two gold medals each, there has been plenty spoken about the competition between them. In their own words:
1:20pm: The Hockeyroos matchup against Argentina is scoreless at quarter time. Two Green Cards to the Aussies didn’t cost them anything in defence.
Race 10 of the Men’s 49er Sailing event has been delayed due to weather.
Cameron Smith moves to -7 overall, 8 holes into his third round. Marc Leishman has also had a good start to the day, after 7 he is -2 and -3 overall. The leader, Xander Schauffele, is even par after four holes (-11 overall)
1:15pm: Logan Martin has completed his second qualifying run, with an outrageous show of skills. His second run scored 90.04, for an average of 90.97, with both his runs better than any other score in the competition.
Australia has fallen at the final hurdle in the Mixed Trap Shooting qualifying, missing shots on the third round to finish in 6th and 7th. Penny Smith and Thomas Grice, and Laetisha Scanlan and James Willett scored totals of 145, 1 point off a shoot-off for a bronze medal match.
The Hockeyroos are faced with two green cards, halfway through the second quarter, but have kept Argentina out in what is currently a 0-0 match.
The Sharks are turning into shark bait, as they trail Spain 13-5 at three quarter time.
1:00pm: Spain flexed its muscle in the second term, extending the margin to five goal at the mid-way point of this important contest. Spain 8-3 Australia.
Emma McKeon has drawn level with Ian Thorpe and Liesel Jones with nine Olympic medals, for the most by an Australian, as she continues her brilliant Olympics. She’s got two more finals tomorrow in the Women’s 50m Freestyle and the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay.
Kaylee McKeown has melted hearts around Australia with the respect shown for mentor and inspiration Emily Seebohm at the medal ceremony for the Women’s 200m Backstroke.
12:52pm: MEDAL ALERT – The inaugural Olympic 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay has been won by Great Britain (World Record of 3:37.58) with China second (3:38.86) and Australia taking Bronze (3:38.95). Emma McKeon couldn’t quite bring them back, but the first set of Medley Relay events has shown the tactics of the race.
USA’s Caeleb Dressel was mowing down the field in the final 50m and Emma McKeon was the fastest of the women swimming the freestyle leg.
12:45pm: Logan Martin has finished his first qualifying run in the BMX Freestyle, with a score of 91.90, showing the form that made him a World Champion six weeks ago. He’s 4.90 points ahead of the field.
Aussie Dani Stevens has finished 14th in the Women’s Discuss, missing the final by 46cm.
At the end of the first quarter, the Sharks are two goals down to Spain, trailing 4-2.
12:38pm: Emma McKeon has another OLYMPIC RECORD in the semi finals of the Women’s 50m Freestyle with a time of 24.00. Cate Campbell finished fourth with 24.27 which will qualify her for the final in sixth fastest.
The Hockeyroos are about to get underway in their Pool B match against Argentina in the final match of the Pool stage. We will keep you updated with that game too.
Qualifying has been completed for the Men’s Pole Vault. Kurtis Marschall is through to the next round, and the event is considered wide open because USA vaulter and favourite Sam Hendricks tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
12:32pm: The Sharks are ready for their Group Water Polo match against Spain which is getting underway. We will keep you updated with the progress of the match.
Natalya Diehm has ranked fifth in the seeding run with an average of 78.20 for her two runs. It’s a strong ranking going into tomorrow’s final.
Cam Smith birdies to go -1 for the day and -5 overall. Marc Leishman has also had a birdie to move -2 overall.
12:25pm: The Australian 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay team will be Kaylee McKeown (backstroke), Zac Stubblety-Cook (breaststroke), Matt Temple (Butterfly) and Emma McKeon (Freestyle).
The medals have been presented in the Women’s 200m Backstroke to Kaylee McKeown and Emily Seebohm.
12:20pm: Fiji has responded after the final siren of the women’s rugby 7s! Down 17-12 with ball in hand, they burst through a gap and made it to the corner. They were unable to make the conversion, so it is 17-17 at the end of regulation with an extra period to come to decide who progresses to the gold medal match.
Caeleb Dressel was the fastest qualifier for the Men’s 50m Freestyle final, after dominating his smei final.
The Inner Sanctum spoke to Liz Clay ahead of the Games, about her season and preparation.
12:15pm: At half time of the Women’s Rugby Sevens semi final, Fiji lead New Zealand 7-5. This is the semi final Australia would have been in if they had beaten Fiji last night.
Kurtis Marschall has cleared 5.75m on his first attempt in the Men’s Pole Vault.
Meanwhile, Ariarne Titmus has paid tribute to Ledecky following the Women’s 800m Freestyle.
12:02pm: Laetisha Scanlan missed a couple, but her teammate James Willett secured a perfect round in the Trap Shooting Mixed Teams qualifying. They sit in second after Round 2.
Penny Smith and Thomas Grice are one point behind them in equal fourth. The top 2 go through to the gold medal match, while 3rd and 4th go to the bronze medal match.
Kurtis Marschall has cleared 5.65m on his second attempt, to continue with qualifying for the Men’s Pole Vault.
12:00pm: MEDAL ALERT – Katie Ledecky wins gold in the Women’s 800m with a time of 8:12.57. Aussie Ariarne Titmus finished in second to take silver with a time of 8:13.83 and Simona Quadarella (ITA) takes bronze.
Titmus’ time is almost two seconds quicker than her previous Australian record, and a strong swim for this late in the competition.
Aussie Kiah Melverton finished sixth with a time of 8:22.25. Ledecky has now won three gold medals in the Women’s 800m Freestyle in a row.
Ledecky’s 6th Gold Medal means she now has more individual gold medals than any other female swimmer in history.
Liz Clay has run her heat of the Women’s 100m hurdles. Her second place of 12.87 will see her qualify for the semi finals.
USA defeats China 33-14, meaning Australia will play the US in the 5-6 placement match in the Rugby Sevens.
11:47am: Kurtis Marschall has almost cleared 5.65m in the Men’s Pole Vault on his first attempt.
The Women’s 800m Freestyle is underway, with Ariarne Titmus and Kiah Melverton taking on Katie Ledecky in the final.
The USA Women’s Gymnastics team has undergone further shakeup. Simone Biles has withdrawn from the Vault and Uneven Bars finals on Sunday, it’s still unclear if she’ll compete on Floor and Beam later in the week
11:43am: MEDAL ALERT – Kaylee McKeown wins GOLD for Australia in the Women’s 200m Backstroke, with Emily Seebohm finishing third to take bronze. Kylie Masse (CAN) takes silver to split the Aussies.
McKeown has completed the double of the 100m and 200m Backstroke at the Tokyo Olympics.
Natalya Diehm has finished her second seeding run in the Women’s BMX Freestyle. Her score of 79.00 is better than her first, and she will wait for the remainder of the competitors to find out her seed.
Aussie Taylor Worth has lost his match against Mete Gazoz in the archery and is out.
11:35am: MEDAL ALERT – Caeleb Dressel (USA) wins Gold in the Men’s 100m Butterfly with a new WORLD RECORD of 49.45 ahead of Kristof Milak (HUN) and Noe Ponti (SUI). Aussie Matt Temple finished in a dead-heat for fifth.
Charlie Hunter is through to the semi finals of the Men’s 800m, along with Peter Bol and Jeff Risely. A successful morning for the trio of Aussies.
11:27am: First round in the Trap Mixed Team Shooting is complete, Australian pair Penny Smith and Thomas Grice equal second on a total of 49. Laetisha Scanlan and James Willett are in fourth as we begin the second round.
Taylor Worth trails 1-3 after the second set of his Archery quarter final against Mete Gazoz (TUR).
11:19am: The Aussies have dismantled ROC in their matchup in the Women’s Rugby Sevens,. The Aussies took advantage of a yellow card to the ROC, piling on the points. They take out the 5-8 placement 35-7 after 19-year-old Maddison Levi crossed over as time expired.
At the start of the third round of the men’s golf, American Xander Schauffele leads at -11. Cameron Smith (currently =20th at -4) will tee off at 11:06am, while Marc Leishman (=39th at -1) will start at 11:33am.
11:14am: Natalya Diehm has finished her qualifying run. She was second out on the park, and her first run scores 77.40, which is the best so far.
Jeff Risely has finished fourth in his heat of the Men’s 800m. His time of 1:45.41 is not enough for automatic qualification, and he, like Hunter, will hold his breath.
Kurtis Marschall has easily cleared 5.50m on the first attempt in his first run of the Men’s Pole Vault.
11:12am: Australia takes a 14-7 lead into the main break of their match with the ROC in Rugby Sevens.
The BMX Freestyle seeding runs are underway, with Logan Martin and Natalya Diehm will be flying the flag for Australia.
11:08am: Charlie Hunter has finished fourth in his Men’s 800ms heat with a time of 1:45.91. He misses automatic qualification by 0.18 of a second and will wait on the rest of the results.
11:05am: Faith Nathan crosses early on after a brilliant run from her defensive half! Australia takes an early 7-0 lead in the 7s with the conversion good.
11:00am: The Aussie 7s are warming up for their 5-8 placement game against the ROC. Our women went down to Fiji by two points in the quarter-finals last night.
10:55am: Peter Bol finished second in his Men’s 800m Heat, with an AUSTRALIAN RECORD of 1:44.13, qualifying him for the semi finals, despite easing off late in his heat, with the qualification assured.
10:50am: Andrew Hoy with Vassily de Lassos are on for the dressage phase of the Eventing, he scored 29.60, with a team score of 93.46, behind Japan at this stage.
Canada takes out the 9-10 placement match against Kenya 24-10 in the women’s Rugby Sevens.
10:45am: Canada leads Kenya 17-5 at halftime in the 9-10 placement match in the Rugby Sevens. There is plenty of action all over the track and field, and the swimming, archery and BMX (park) aren’t far away.
10:30am: Controversy with a disqualification in the Womenx 400m Hurdles, with Ronda Whyte (JAM) disqualified. It hasn’t helped Sarah Carli, who has finished in fifth and has missed automatic qualification for the semi finals.
Carli ran a season best time of 56.93, and missed the qualification slot by 0.1 seconds. After battling serious health issues in February this year, that were potentially life-threatening, to run a time under 57 seconds at the Olympics is an incredible achievement.
10:20am: Dani Stevens is up in the Women’s Discuss, Kurtis Marschall in the Men’s Pole Vault.
10:10am: The Australian pair of Laetisha Scanlan and James Willett are currently ranked first with 24 points (12 each) early in the Trap Mixed Team Qualifying of the Shooting.
Sarah Carli is due up in the Women’s 400m Hurdles momentarily. Cam Smith is on course for Round 3 of the Golf.
9:54am: MEDAL ALERT – Alex Yee (GBR) crosses the line first as Great Britain wins gold in the first ever Mixed Team Triathlon relay, ahead of the USA (silver) and France (bronze).
The Tokyo heat has visibly taken a toll on the athletes, as the anchor triathletes are all spent as they cross the line. Jake Birtwhsitel has had an outstanding leg, finishing 9th, 2:46 behind, losing just 7s to Yee across his final leg.
9:49am: Alex Yee (GBR) had a strong transition and put a little bit of time back into Luis and Pearson again, going into the final 2km run. Jake Birtwhistle (AUS) has been caught starting out the run by the leaders on their second lap.
Andrew Hoy is about to represent Australia in the third Team Dressage Event, marking his eighth Olympics.
9:44am: Alex Yee has been caught by Vincent Luis (FRA) with a brilliant bike leg, and with Morgan Pearson (USA) just nine seconds adrift, there is a race on here.
9:33am: Georgie Taylor-Brown tags Alex Yee 22s ahead of the USA in second place, with France 33s adrift. Jacob Birtwhistle got the tag 2:39 behind, crushing any hopes of a medal for the Aussies.
9:25am: Georgia Taylor-Brown is leading for the UK, looking in very good form as she gets out of the water.
9:14am: Matt Hauser tags Ashleigh Gentle about 110 seconds behind the Great Britain tag. Team GB are the favourites after two silver medals in the individual events, and high finishes from the other team members. They’ll be anchored by Alex Yee.
8:55am: Emma Jeffcoat wraps up Australia’s first leg, she’s in 13th place when she tags Matt Hauser, 55s behind the leaders.
8:30am: We’re back for Day 8, and we’re kicking off with the Mixed Team Triathlon Relay. It’s a new event for Tokyo 2020.
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