Tom Fordyce
Chief sports writer in Rio

Not expecting much of a challenge at Olympic golf from defending champion George Lyon. He died in 1938, aged 79.

Image source, Getty Images

After a wait of 112 years, golf is finally an Olympic sport once again. 

However the world's four top male players aren't playing - Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy have all withdrawn due to the mosquito-borne Zika virus. McIlroy says he'll will watch 'the stuff that matters' at the Olympics.

Team GB's hopes lie with world number nine Danny Willett and world number 12 Justin Rose. 

Both will face stiff competition thought for that coveted gold medal from the likes of Sweden's Henrik Stenson (fresh from the winning The Open at Royal Troon), Spain's Sergio Garcia and the American quartet of Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar.

The first round tees off at 11:30 BST, with Willett off at 13:03 BST with Kuchar and China's Li Haotong. Rose is playing with Fowler and Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas in the penultimate group at 14:58.

And on the subject of the great man himself, here's a chart from Google Trends, external showing how web searches for the world's most decorated Olympian spike every four years. And those spikes are getting bigger this year!

Fascinating stuff.

Image source, Google Trends

An amusing moment in the call room at the pool last night as Michael Phelps strides in and Great Britain's Dan Wallace has a bit of a Wayne's World moment, bowing down to the great man behind his back.

"We're not worthy!"

BBC Radio 5 Live

David Laugher watched his son win an Olympic gold medal at home with his dog Alfie.

His son, Jack Laugher, won a gold medal in the synchronised diving with his partner Chris Mears.

Speaking to 5 live's Caroline Barker, David said he had not gone to Rio because he would not be able to handle the "high-tension situation".

"The nerves would have got to me and I think Jack is probably happier when I'm not there!"

Image source, EPA

Katie Ledecky won her third gold of Rio 2016 as she guided the United States to victory in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay final.

The quartet of Allison Schmitt, Leah Smith, Maya Dirado and Ledecky won in a time of seven minutes 43.03 seconds, with Australia second and Canada third.

Ledecky, the 200m and 400m freestyle champion, has now won four Olympic gold medals during her career. Her first came when she won the 800m title as a 15-year-old at London 2012.

Her attempt to retain that title starts with the 800m heats on Thursday at 18:02 BST, with the final taking place on Friday.

When you are so good, even your rivals cheer you on...published at 10:13

10:13

This has been trending in the last 48 hours - a video of a Japanese athlete joining in with the Team USA chanting. Watch and enjoy.

U S A, U S A....

Image source, Reuters

Ethiopia's Robel Kiros Habte finished last in the heats of the 100m freestyle earlier this week, nearly half a lap down on the rest of the field but with the roars of the crowd in his ears.

"Everybody, every day you wake up in Ethiopia, you run. Not swimming. But I didn’t want to run, I wanted to be a swimmer.", said Robel. "It didn’t matter where I finished." 

Image source, Getty Images

Former world record holder and London 2012 silver medalist Evgeny Korotyshkin has been the victim of an armed robbery in Rio, it's been reported., external

The 33-year-old, who took silver in the Olympic 100m butterfly four years ago, said he was held up near Ipanema Beach.  

Korotyshkin, who retired from the sport earlier this year, was not injured in the incident.  

Forty-six shots and more spin than a American presidential race.

Enjoy this fantastic rally from yesterday's table tennis and more excellent video on the BBC Sport Facebook page. , external

Olympic kayak champion Joe Clarke got to speak to his hero Sir Steve Redgrave following his gold medal success yesterday.

Clarke, who won Britain's second gold of Rio 2016 in the K1 class on Wednesday, had a poster of five-time Olympic champion Redgrave on his wall growing up as inspiration.

Image source, Getty Images

A bar-room argument that will run and run like Mo Farah in heavy training.

Who is the greatest Olympian of all?

Chief sports scribbler Tom Fordyce has chewed his pencil, sipped his caipirinha and come up with the five faces of greatness which each athlete must be judged by.

Read his thoughts here. And then have your say via #bbcrio2016 on Twitter,, external the BBC Sport Facebook page, external and 81111 on text.

Because as Tom concludes "greatness may come from public deeds, but it is secured by private affections."

Image source, Remi Galliard

French prankster Remi Gaillard has got into the Olympic spirit, tackling several different events in front of an unsuspecting public.

Leaping into builders' sand, shot-putting a melon, running a fearsome 200m bend around a roundabout.

Enjoy., external

But don't replicate. Fast-moving traffic and angry grocers can be hazardous to your health.

Thanks to the efforts of Team GB's finest yesterday, their medal tally is ahead of where it was at the same point at London 2012.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that we are lagging behind some pre-Games predictions.

It is worth keeping an eye on the Sports Illustrated predictions. , externalThey suggested that the Great Britain sevens side are going to be out of medal luck today, but maybe the absence of New Zealand creates a spot for them?

Image source, Sports Illustrated

Image source, AFP

While Britain have probably exceeded expectations in the rugby sevens, an inquest has begun in New Zealand after their side were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

World champions in 15-a-side, NZ have underwhelmed in Rio, scraping through their group in third place and losing in the last eight to Fiji.

The New Zealand Herald, external blamed "muddled thinking" and the absence of almost all leading All Blacks, while the Waikato Times said "New Zealand Rugby and the All Blacks need to do some serious mirror gazing".

It was tight, tense and ultimately glorious in the rugby sevens as Great Britain defeated Argentina in extra-time of their quarter-final to give themselves a chance to win a medal today.

Argentina missed what would have been a match-winning penalty in stoppage time, sending the game into sudden death.

Tom Mitchell could then have won it for GB, only for his penalty to rebound off the post, but Dan Bibby's try soon after secured a 5-0 victory.

They will face South Africa in the last four on Thursday at 19:00 BST.

Depending on the result, they will then have either a bronze medal match at 22:30 or play for gold against Fiji or Japan at 23:00.

Image source, Getty

Michael Phelps is forcing rewrites to increasingly ancient record books.

According to historians, the American swim legend has equalled a mark that has stood for more than 2,000 years. 

Leonidas of Rhodes won 12 individual titles (Phelps' 21 include relays) at the Ancient Greek games but the American has the chance to surpass that mark on Thursday.  

"Historical testimonies refer to Leonidas as the athlete who ran with a diabolic speed," according to the Foundations of the Hellenic World website.  , external

It seems a long, long time ago now but cyclist Chris Froome was the first Briton to win a medal on day five of Rio 2016, taking bronze in the men's time trial.

The Three-time Tour de France champion struggled early on but made up time in the latter stages to finish one minute 2.12 seconds behind Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara.

The Swiss came home in one hour 12 minutes 15.42 seconds, 47.41 seconds ahead of silver medallist Tom Dumoulin.

Britain's Geraint Thomas finished ninth on the wet-dry 54.6km course.

Briton Sally Conway defeated Austria's Bernadette Graf to secure the -70kg judo bronze medal.

The 29-year-old scored a single yuko to beat Graf 1-0.

Conway had earlier beaten world champion Gevrise Emane of France but lost to Colombia's Yuri Alvear in the semi-finals.

She suffered shoulder ligament damage during her second-round defeat at London 2012 and had to have surgery.

"This has been my dream since London," she added. "I can't put it into words."

Britain's Steven Scott beat compatriot Tim Kneale to win the bronze in the men's double trap shooting, and admitted it was "emotional" to edge out his team-mate in a shoot-off.

Scott's perfect score of 30 against Kneale's 28 secured Britain their second Rio shooting medal, after Ed Ling's trap bronze on day three.

"It's a very emotional time for me," said Scott. "There is a little part of me that wanted him to win as well because we worked so hard together.

"I think the expectation coming into the event was to medal, but personally I just wanted to make the final and give myself a good chance. It made me a little bit more relaxed knowing that I'm shooting off with my team-mate."