Rio 2016: Cycling gold for GB as Grainger makes history - day six round-up

Great Britain won a fourth gold medal in Rio when the men's cycling sprint team retained their title on the day Katherine Grainger became the country's most decorated female Olympian.

Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner defeated New Zealand to move GB to eighth in the medal table.

Earlier, Grainger and Victoria Thornley secured double sculls silver.

GB also took silver in the inaugural men's rugby sevens and the men's canoe double C2 as Britain reached 16 medals.

That total is one ahead of the number won at London 2012 after as many days of competition.

The rugby sevens team lost 43-7 to a brilliant Fiji side, who earned their first Olympic medal of any colour.

It was another great day for medal-table leaders the United States, with golds for superstar gymnast Simone Biles and swimming legend Michael Phelps, who demolished the field in the 200m individual medley to claim his 22nd Olympic gold.

American Simone Manuel became the first black female swimmer to win an Olympic title as she shared the women's 100m freestyle gold with Canada's Penny Oleksiak, 16, after a dead heat.

• Day six: All the action as it happened

• Day-by-day guide: What to look out for on day seven

Class of 2016 eclipsing feats of 2012 so far

Fourth gold for Kenny - could he make it six?

Britain have not won a world title in men's team sprint cycling since 2005, but have now won Olympic gold in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

The British trio clocked 42.440 seconds, an Olympic record, just five months after finishing sixth at the Track World Championships in London.

While a great team result, this victory was especially key for 28-year-old Englishman Kenny, who now has four Olympic gold medals.

With further medal chances to come in the individual sprint and keirin, Kenny has the chance to equal the British record of six Olympic gold medals held by fellow cyclist Sir Chris Hoy.

For Hindes, 23, it was a second Olympic gold after being part of the winning London 2012 team alongside Kenny and Hoy, while Skinner - the replacement for fellow Scot Hoy - tasted Olympic success for the first time.

"It's not been an easy road so to come here and be Olympic champion is incredible," said 23-year-old Skinner. "We've been working so hard and it shows it pays off."

Grainger emerges from the dark to make history

Grainger, 40, has now won five Olympic medals - four silvers and a gold - across five different Games.

Kitty Godfree (nee Kathleen McKane) also won five medals, in tennis at the 1920 and 1924 Games, but has one gold, two silvers and two bronze.

After winning gold in London with Anna Watkins, Grainger had a two-year sabbatical before returning with the aim of defending her Olympic title in Rio.

Grainger (second from right) won her first Olympic medal - a silver in the women's quadruple sculls - alongside Guin Batten, Gillian Lindsay and Miriam Batten at the 2000 Sydney Games

Grainger and Thornley, 28, were not initially named in the GB squad after they failed to make the podium at this year's European Championships, but earned a reprieve from selectors - a decision Grainger described at the time as like having "the lights come back on".

"It's not been the smoothest or most direct route but it's a relief that we're there," Grainger told BBC Sport in June.

"There have been days when I couldn't necessarily see a way forward and times when I couldn't see the path but I never stopped believing I could get there."

Five-time Olympic champion Sir Steve Redgrave paid tribute to Grainger's achievement, saying: "It was amazing. This is the best medal Kath has won, because of the hard road she had to get there.

"What she has done for the sport, for women's sport, is incredible. I am immensely proud of her."

• Read more: From 'dark days' to GB's most decorated female Olympian

GB secure sevens silver as Fiji run riot

GB secured a date with Fiji in the first men's gold medal match in rugby sevens after beating South Africa 7-5 in the semis.

But it swiftly became apparent that there was only going to be one winner in the final as the mighty Fijians - coached by Englishman Ben Ryan - steamrollered GB.

The South Pacific island ran in seven tries in the 20-minute contest as Britain had to settle for a distant second-best, albeit securing Team GB a sixth silver medal in the process.

Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama called the victory "a wonderful moment in the history of our nation", adding that "every Fijian is rejoicing at home and around the world".

"Never before has the Fijian spirit soared so high as it does today. Never have we stood so tall as a nation," he said.

Rugby sevens has been included in the Olympics for the first time, although the 15-player version of the game was contested between 1900 and 1924 - a time when medals were also awarded for tug-of-war, gliding and the intriguingly named 'plunge for distance'.

Comedian Dara O'Briain has designs on a new event for the IOC to consider

More success on the water for GB

David Florence and Richard Hounslow added to their London 2012 canoe double C2 silver medal with another second-place finish in the final in Rio.

The duo watched team-mate Joe Clarke win gold in the kayak K1 on Wednesday but could not emulate that achievement 24 hours later, instead settling for silver behind Slovak cousins Ladislav Skantar and Peter Skantar.

Phelps wins again - and everyone stops to watch

Over at the Acquatics Stadium, record-breaking Olympian Michael Phelps became the first swimmer to win four consecutive golds in one event by beating American rival Ryan Lochte in the 200m individual medley.

Phelps, 31, won his 22nd gold - more than any other Olympian - as fellow American Lochte struggled to a fifth-place finish.

BBC commentator Adrian Moorhouse summed up the occasion, saying: "What a winner. It's been a privilege to watch every one of his gold medals but I don't think I've seen one as emotional as that one.

"He destroyed the field. It was stunning."

Stop the game: The pre-season NFL contest between the Baltimore Ravens and the Carolina Panthers was momentarily halted while Phelps raced to his 22nd Olympic gold

Phelps, who hails from Baltimore, is a huge Ravens fans and even the players on the pitch stopped to watch him on the big screens

Biles delivers again for USA

There are few competitors at these Games carrying as much expectation on their shoulders as star US gymnast Simone Biles, but if she is feeling any pressure she's not showing it.

The 4ft 9in Biles won gold in the women's all-around competition with a total of 62.198, ahead of team-mate Alexandra Raisman.

Biles, 19, starred as the US won team gold earlier this week. She has also has medal chances in the vault final on Sunday, the beam final on Monday and the floor final on Tuesday.

• Read more: Why Simone Biles is the best at the Games

Day six analysis

BBC chief sports writer Tom Fordyce:

"This may have been Fiji's first Olympic medal and GB's third team sprint gold in three Games, but both provided magical moments on day six in Rio.

"In the Velodrome Britain's trio put right all the problems of the intervening four years, Skinner's addition earlier this year plus the power of Hindes and experience of Kenny giving their nation's track team a huge boost.

"And Fiji's story - winning gold in the sport they have defined and inspired, coached by Londoner Ben Ryan, transforming the mood of a troubled island nation - is a biopic waiting to happen."

Other British highlights

One of the stand-out displays of day six came at the Velodrome where GB's women's pursuit team pursuit shattered the world record in their qualifying heat.

The quartet of Katie Archibald, Laura Trott, Elinor Barker and Joanna Rowsell-Shand posted a time of four minutes 13.260secs.

The first Olympic golf competition in 112 years got off to a stunning start with Britain's Justin Rose hitting a hole-in-one on the par-three fourth hole.

Reigning men's tennis singles champion Andy Murray progressed to the quarter-finals with a 6-1 2-6 6-3 victory over Italian Fabio Fognini. American Steve Johnson is next up for the double Wimbledon champion.

However, the news was not so good for GB women's number one Johanna Konta, who lost 6-1 6-2 in the singles to second seed Angelique Kerber.

Best of other Olympic videos

Olympics news digest

• Bulgarian Danekova fails drugs test: Bulgarian athlete Silvia Danekova has tested positive for banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO) at the Olympics. The 33-year-old, a 3,000m steeplechase runner, tested positive in a doping control conducted a few days after her arrival in Brazil on 26 July and has been temporarily suspended pending the test of her B sample.

• China's Chen Xinyi has become the first swimmer to fail a doping test at the Rio Olympics, the Chinese Swimming Association has told state media. According to the official Xinhua news agency, the 18-year-old tested positive for diuretic hydrochlorothiazide on Sunday.

• Coach sent home after posing as athlete: A Kenyan athletics coach has been sent home from Rio after posing as an athlete and giving a urine sample. Kenya said sprint coach John Anzrah "presented himself" as 800m medal hope Ferguson Rotich and "even signed the documents" for the doping test.

When to watch - day-seven highlights

All times BST:

• 13.35: Jessica Ennis-Hill and Katarina Johnson-Thompson begin women's heptathlon with the 100m hurdles

• 14:00-20:00: Equestrian team grand prix and individual dressage. GB currently second in team event, Charlotte Dujardin competing in individual

• 14.50: Heptathlon continues with the high jump

• 15.06: Rowers Heather Stanning and Helen Glover in women's pair final

• 15.10: Jo Pavey goes in the women's 10,000m final

• 16:00: Andy Murray in men's singles quarter-finals, followed by Rafael Nadal

• 19:00 Andy Murray and Heather Watson in tennis mixed doubles

• 22.20: Sir Bradley Wiggins bids to become the first Briton to win eight Olympic medals in the men's cycling team pursuit final

• 00.30-03.23 (Sat): Heptathlon shot put and 200m, plus the women's 100m heats.

Full schedule

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