Tokyo Olympics LIVE updates Titmus wins gold again as Australia claims five medals in one amazing hour
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Dean Boxall will always be remembered for his celebratory antics, and there’s already even a video-game character based on his gyrations.
Less publicised, but more poignant, will be the sight of Boxall after Ariarne Titmus’s medal presentation for the 200m freestyle.
Ariarne Titmus and Dean Boxall share a special momentCredit:Getty
Boxall sat, on his own, in the coaches’ seating near the podium for a long time just shaking his head in admiration.
When Titmus came to him after receiving her medal, her emotions cracked, the business face fell away, and the tears came.
Dean Boxall and Ariarne Titmus hug it out.Credit:AP
Titmus walked on to pose for the photographers. Boxall just sat there, alone again slumped with his elbows on his knees, watching on from a distance, no doubt trying to imprint this image on his memory.
The dedication of the coach is as private in its way as the loneliness of the swimmer. Heart-warming to see Boxall silent and still, soaking up the moment.
A bit of an untidy start from Fox who is docked points for an early penalty but the Aussie is the second fastest through the first run of the heats, behind only Great Britain’s Mallory Franklin.
Franklin blew the rest of the competition out of the water with a time of 107.51 in the first heat. Fox (109.96) will have another chance to beat the Brit at 4pm this afternoon ahead of tomorrow’s finals.
The second heat will begin at 4pm. As the best canoe slalom paddler in the world, Fox is well placed to take home gold tomorrow regardless of whether she qualifies first or second today.
There are 22 athletes in the C1 heats, 18 will go through to the semi-finals so there’s no real drama.
The American basketball uteam, upset a couple of days ago by France, have taken to the court again, squaring up against traditional rivals Iran.
Rather than fixate on the many things that went wrong during the first loss of his Olympic career, Kevin Durant turned his attention to what drove USA Basketball’s runs to gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Team USA’s Kevin Durant.Credit:Getty Images
The Brooklyn Nets forward played poorly in USA’s 83-76 loss to France on Sunday, beset by foul trouble and unable to make an impact during his team’s late-game scoring drought. One might have expected a player of his caliber and experience to fall on the sword or to pledge to pull his team through this early adversity.
Instead, an even-tempered Durant explained that USA teams of the past didn’t enter games with headliners like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James expecting to take a certain number of shots or score a certain number of points. USA can make the most of its talent advantage in Tokyo, he argued, by establishing a culture where everyone is empowered, rather than by attempting to set a pecking order that might lean more heavily on a superstar like himself.
Washington Post
After her day of mixed emotions on Tuesday, Australian paddling star Jess Fox is back in the water today. Having been favoured to win gold in the K1, Fox was unable to break through for her first Olympic gold, settling for bronze after a late error.
But Fox is again the red-hot favourite in the C1, a new event to the Olympic program. The heats have commenced.
Jessica Fox (R) poses next to winner Ricarda Funk and silver medallist Maialen Chourraut.Credit:Getty
Fox will be the last to jump, about 10 competitors left to head through the course.
Daniel Cherny signing on to bring you the action from day five in Tokyo.
Thanks to Vince Rugari for steering us through the early sport today.
There’s been plenty to talk about. Australia claimed three gold medals before lunchtime. It is just the fifth time in Australia’s Olympic history that the nation has claimed three gold medals on the same day: Two in rowing and one in swimming, Ariarne Titmus’ second gold of the Games.
Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachel Lynch got some special news late last night.
She was one of five athletes inducted into ‘Olympians for Life’ by the World Olympians Association (WOA), along with Ugandan Julius Achon, American Donna de Varona, Japan’s Koji Murofushi and Brit Alan Pascoe.
The award is recognition for her work on the frontline of Perth’s COVID-19 battle as a nurse and as a mental health ambassador.
Olympians for Life was first launched at Rio 2016, and recognises Olympians who draw on their elite experiences and work to make the world a better place outside of sport.
“Knowing this is worldwide… I guess the thing that’s most special to me is that it’s about the conduct off the field rather than the sporting achievements,†said Lynch.
“They (WOA) rang me and said that I have been inducted and I asked a few questions and how Olympians for Life came about because I hadn’t heard of it.
“They said they’ve got people watching all around the world and that’s how it happened. It’s a reasonably new thing but a way to combine all the Olympians and acknowledge what people do.â€
Lynch, you may recall, was controversially dropped from the Hockeyroos squad last December and needed a lengthy appeal to get her spot back ahead of the Games.
It was a great performance there on the final leg of the 4x200m freestyle relay by Olympic debutant Thomas Neill, and he’s followed it up on the mic in his post-race interview with a cheeky rugba leeg reference.
“I was nervous being the anchor,†he told Seven. “I wasn’t going to give away the medal. A bronze medal at the Olympics, as Matty Johns said in 1997, it’s better than Lego.â€
Tommy Neill is clearly a Matty Johns fan.Credit:AP
How good.
Kyle Chalmers was very happy to go second. “I think historically I’ve swam second in a lot of relays now and I knew that the 4x2, I wanted to be second and have the big rooster bring us home,†he said.
“It was solid and the Brits almost broke the world record so to be in that race is special.â€
So a nod to Matty Johns and the labelling of a beloved teammate as a ‘big rooster’. If there were gold medals for chat at the Olympics, Australia would have another.
Great Britain dominated as expected to win in 6:58.58 - just shy of a new world record - but Australia’s done brilliantly well here to claim a medal.
The ROC came second, 3.23 seconds behind the Brits, but Australia’s Alexander Graham, Kyle Chalmers, Zac Incerti and Thomas Neill were just behind them to finish third. Neill brought it home with a terrific final leg. Yet another medal. Wow. What a day.
Here are the splits for the Aussies: Graham - 1.46.00, Chalmers - 1.45.35, Incerti - 1.45.75, Neill - 1:44.74.
Australian boxer Caitlin Parker has suffered a unanimous points loss in her round of 16 middleweight bout against Panama’s Atheyna Bylon.
Parker was unable to negate her opponent’s significant reach advantage, walking into a series of jabs that resulted in a bloodied nose. The 25-year-old Australian landed a couple of significant blows, but missed the quarter-finals after being outpointed by the Panamanian Southpaw.
Caitlin Parker (red) of Australia exchanges punches with Atheyna Bylon of Panama during the Women’s Middle (69-75kg) on day five of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.Credit:Getty
The next Australian in action is Paul Aokuso, who will take on Spain’s Jalidov Gafurova in a round of 16 light-heavyweight clash at 2:54pm.
Fellow Australian Skye Nicolson is then just one win away from a guaranteed medal when she takes on Kariss Artingstall Flag of the United Kingdom in a featherweight clash at 6pm.
We’re just moments away from the last race in the pool for this daytime session - the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay. Alexander Graham, Kyle Chalmers, Zac Incerti and Thomas Neill are on deck for Australia.
They should be there when the whips are cracking but Team GB clearly the one to beat and obvious gold medal favourites.
It would once have been regarded as the greatest choke of all time. And the athlete who admitted as much, Simone Biles, is now rightly being admired and celebrated around the world for it.
Biles deciding not to compete in the gymnastics team final in Tokyo on Tuesday night told us more about this remarkable woman than had she performed brilliantly to win another gold medal.
Simone Biles watches on after her shock exit from the team final.Credit:AP
It also showed the culture of this exacting sport, in what it expects of its athletes and how athletes see themselves, is dramatically changed from just five years ago when Biles, seemingly impervious to pressure, was near perfect in Rio.
Read the rest of Chip Le Grand’s piece here.
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