Tokyo Olympics: Felix & Kenny set records, Jamaica take relay gold, storm brewing
- Published
Italy's 4x100m relay gold was one of the highlights of day 14 in Tokyo
Tokyo Olympic Games on the BBC |
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Dates: 23 July-8 August Time in Tokyo: BST +8 |
Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button and online; Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sports Extra and Sounds; live text and video clips on BBC Sport website and app. |
American athlete Allyson Felix and British cyclist Laura Kenny set medal records in their sports and Italy celebrated more track success on day 14 in Tokyo.
Felix, 35, became the most decorated female track and field athlete by taking bronze in a 400m final where Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas retained her title.
At the velodrome, Kenny became the most decorated female cyclist and the first British woman to win gold at three Olympic Games as she and Katie Archibald produced a dominant display in the women's madison, which was added to the Games programme for the first time at Tokyo 2020.
Kenny, 29, also became GB's most successful female athlete with her fifth gold, and sixth Olympic medal overall.
Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan's bid for a golden treble ended when she took bronze in the 1500m, although she can still win three medals in three events if she gets on the podium in the 10,000m having already won the 5,000m.
Italy's record showing in athletics continued with victory in the men's 4x100m relay after a 20km women's race walk win had earlier ensured their best ever gold-medal haul in track and field at a Games.
Meanwhile, 51-year-old Spanish race walker Jesus Angel Garcia became the first person to compete in an athletics event at eight summer Olympics.
As tears continued to flow on podiums, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said these pandemic-hit Games had exceeded expectations because athletes had given them "soul".
Felix wins 10th Olympic medal
With her 10th Olympic medal, Felix overtook Jamaica's Merlene Ottey as the most decorated female track and field athlete, and she can still add another on Saturday in the 4x400m relay.
The 35-year-old, competing in her fifth and final Games, took bronze in the 400m, with defending champion Miller-Uibo winning gold in 48.36 seconds.
Felix now has six golds, three silvers and one bronze to her name.
In the 1500m, Kenya's Faith Kipyegon retained her title with Britain's Laura Muir taking silver and world champion Hasan getting the bronze to end her chance of a hat-trick of golds at these Games.
The Dutch athlete will have to recover quickly as she is scheduled to run in the 10,000m final on Saturday.
Also on the track on Friday, Jamaican women underlined their sprinting dominance with a gold in the 4x100m relay, with the United States taking silver and Great Britain bronze.
Earlier in the day, Poland's Tomala Dawid won gold in the men's 50km walk, beating Germany's Jonathan Hilbert and Canada's Evan Dunfee.
And China's Liu Shiying was victorious in the women's javelin as Poland's Maria Andrejczyk took silver and Australia's Kelsey-Lee Barber won bronze.
Record gold for Britain's Kenny
There were emotional scenes at the velodrome as Kenny became the first British woman to win gold at three Olympic Games as she and Archibald were crowned madison champions.
"I've never wanted to win a medal so much in all my life," said Kenny.
The pair delivered a masterclass in madison racing, winning 10 of the 12 sprints on offer and gaining a lap to finish with more than twice as many points of second-placed Denmark. The Russian Olympic Committee took bronze.
Meanwhile, Harrie Lavreysen became the first Dutchman for almost 90 years to win the Olympic track cycling sprint, as he edged out team-mate Jeffrey Hoogland in a tense final.
Italian athletics success continues
Lamont Marcell Jacobs (left) added relay gold to his 100m title
Italy have their highest athletics gold-medal total at a single Games after a stunning victory in the men's 4x100m relay gave them a fifth.
The team, made up of Lorenzo Patta, individual 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs, Eseosa Fostine Desalu and Filippo Tortu stormed past Great Britain's sprinters to take silver by 0.01 seconds.
Meanwhile, Antonella Palmisano became the first Italian woman to receive an athletics Olympic gold since 1984 when she won the women's 20k race walk on her 30th birthday.
"Today is my day. A perfect way to celebrate. I only think in a few days' time will I realise [I am the champion]," she said.
Her victory followed success on Thursday for her training partner Massimo Stano in the men's version as well as Italian victories in the men's 100m and high jump.
The last-ever men's 50km race walk was won by Poland's Dawid Tomala, who expressed his frustration at the fact the event is being scrapped from the Olympic programme from 2024.
"Of course in one side we are the last medallist, of course it's great, but unfortunately I can say what I can say, the history of the 50k is finished unfortunately," he said. "I think it was unexpected and it was something special in this race, you know and that's all."
'The A-Team' cruise to beach volleyball victory
American beach volleyball pair April Ross and Alix Klineman - nicknamed The A Team - claimed the gold medal, beating Australia's Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy 21-15 21-16 in just 43 minutes.
The team confirmed their dominance by being the only unbeaten team in the women's competition.
The more experienced of the two, Ross has now completed her set of Olympic medals, having won silver at London 2012 and bronze in Rio four years later.
"I can't fathom that it worked out the way it did," said Ross. "It's kind of a fairytale story like, 'oh, you know I'm going at 39 to try to get my gold medal,' and the fact that it actually happened feels so special and surreal."
The champions have earned many celebrity fans over the course of the tournament, including Mr T - star of The A-Team, the 1980s action-adventure television show.
Meanwhile, the US women's volleyball team are one win away from their first Olympic gold medal after beating Rio silver medallists Serbia in straight sets in Friday's semi-finals.
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Korda leads golf but storm is brewing
American world number one Nelly Korda's lead in the women's golf was trimmed to three shots by a 68 from India's Aditi Ashok with one round remaining.
Korda shot 69 to move to 15 under overall but Ashok birdied two of the final four holes to stay in touch. Rio silver medallist Lydia Ko is in a four-way tie for third after shooting a fine 66.
Saturday's final round at Kasumigaseki Country Club will begin an hour earlier at 06:30 local time (22:30 BST) because a tropical storm is forecast to arrive in the Japanese capital.
Organisers hope the move will allow the tournament to be completed but if a full round is not possible on Saturday or Sunday, medals and final positions will be decided by the 54-hole standings.
Crushing defeats for Japan's footballers & India's hockey players
The emotional response from Takefusa Kubo showed just how painful the loss was to the hosts
The Japanese men's football team were left in tears when a confident Mexico side pounced on moments of defensive weakness, snatching the bronze medal from the hosts with a 3-1 win.
And it was also disappointment for India in the hockey, where their women could not match the bronze medal that their men had won the previous day when they ended their 41-year wait for a hockey medal.
They lost 4-3 to Great Britain in hot conditions that led to officials doubling the usual two-minute breaks between quarters to enable players to cool down.
The Netherlands took the hockey gold with a 3-1 victory over Argentina in the final.