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Great Britain has won the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay final, with a tremendous performance that clocked in just shy — .03 seconds — of the world record.
The time is a European record.
The British were favorites to win the event. Relay members Tom Dean and Duncan Scott had already claimed gold and silver in the individual men’s 200m freestyle.
Australia finished second, with the Russian Olympic Committee in third. Team USA came fourth after losing steam midway through the race.
This was the final medal event for swimming on Wednesday.
American great Katie Ledecky crushed the first-ever women’s 1500m freestyle final to win her first gold medal of Tokyo 2020.
Ledecky was the favorite to win the event and she didn’t disappoint.
The US swimming star clocked a time of 15:37.34, leading the field for most of the race and finishing more than four seconds ahead of silver medalist, fellow American Erica Sullivan.
German Sarah Kohler finished third, with a time of 15:42.91.
This is Ledecky’s sixth Olympic gold medal and her eighth Olympic medal in total.
It’s is her second medal of the Tokyo Games, after she earlier won silver in the 400-meter freestyle. Earlier today, however, she failed to make the podium in the 200-meter freestyle.
Japan’s Yui Ohashi has won gold in the women’s 200m individual medley, drawing loud cheers in front of her home crowd.
America’s Alex Walsh finished second, with Kate Douglass in third.
Ohashi is the second Japanese swimmer to win a medal today in Japan. Tomoru Honda claimed silver in the men’s 200m butterfly earlier in the morning.
American silver medalist Sunisa Lee tweeted Wednesday morning that she has “never been prouder” to be part of a team, just hours after she and the rest of the US women’s gymnastics team won the silver medal.
The team’s biggest star, Simone Biles, withdrew from the event because of mental health concerns.
Here’s what Lee tweeted:
Lee said at a news conference after the competition that the team felt a bevy of emotions after Biles withdrew, but that she was “really proud” of her team’s ability to “step up to the plate.”
“It’s very hard to lose a teammate, especially at the Olympic Games,” Lee said. “I was really proud of all of us. We were very stressed, (and) put a lot of pressure on ourselves, but we ended up coming back.
After a 13-year hiatus, baseball is returning to the Olympics — although no fans will be there to witness it.
Japan goes head-to-head with the Dominican Republic on Wednesday in Fukushima.
Unlike Tokyo, Fukushima prefecture is not currently under a coronavirus state of emergency, but a decision was still made to host the seven games at the Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium — six softball and one baseball — without fans present.
That’s despite spectators being allowed to attend other sporting events outside the Olympics in the region.
It’s particularly disappointing for the city of Fukushima, where the Olympics was supposed to celebrate the region’s recovery from a nuclear disaster more than a decade ago.
Over in Koriyama city — about an hour drive from Fukushima city — residents said they felt elated by Japan’s victory over the US in women’s softball on Tuesday.
And while fans can’t be in the stands for Wednesday’ game, some, like local resident Yuko Aikawa, said they were looking forward to watching on TV.
There’s a raucous, palpable excitement inside the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, despite the limited number of people in attendance.
While fans are still effectively banned from the stands, there are plenty of fellow Olympic competitors in the building — occupying almost two tiers of seating on one side of the pool.
The loudest cheers so far came for Japan’s Tomoru Honda, who took silver in the men’s 200m butterfly final. Other athletes from the host nation, as well as those from Australia and the United States, are getting most of the support. It sounds like someone’s even brought along a kazoo!
Hungarian swimmer Kristof Milak won gold and set a new Olympic record in the men’s 200m butterfly.
Milak finished with a time of 1:51.25. He holds the world record in the event, clocking in at 1:50.73 in 2019.
Japan’s Tomoru Hunda, 19, finished with silver and Italy’s Federico Burdisso won bronze.
Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus has won her second gold medal in the women’s 200m freestyle.
Titmus set a new Olympic record, finishing in 1:53.50
Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey won silver, setting a new Asian record with a time of 1:53.92. Canada’s Penny Oleksiak took bronze.
American star Katie Ledecky placed fifth, but she was not considered a favorite for the event. She will compete later in the 1500m women’s freestyle.
Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, commended Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the women’s team gymnastics final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Tuesday over mental health concerns.
“Simone, you’ve made us so proud. Proud of who you are as a person, teammate and athlete,” Hirshland said in a statement.
What we know: Biles withdrew midway through the women’s team finals after leaving the field to be attended to. After visiting a trainer, Biles returned to the arena, but did not warm up for uneven bars. Instead, 20-year-old Jordan Chiles took Biles’ place.
From the sidelines, Biles supported her teammates — chatting with them and cheering after each routine. Biles was a lively presence, jumping up and down in support of her teammates.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist later explained her decision.
“Whenever you get in a high stress situation, you kind of freak out,” the 24-year-old told reporters. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being.”
“It just sucks when you’re fighting with your own head,” she added.
Twenty-two gold medals were won. Here’s a breakdown of who’s taking home the gold:
Artistic Gymnastics
Canoe Slalom
Cycling Mountain Bike
Diving
Equestrian
Fencing
Judo
Shooting
Softball
Surfing
Swimming
Taekwondo
Triathlon
Weightlifting
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman criticized USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee today for a lack of leadership in supporting athletes following Simone Biles’ surprise exit from the women’s team gymnastic final.
“USA Gymnastics has been an absolute disaster for years and unfortunately not enough has changed for us to believe in a safer future, but I think this just really shows the lack of leadership [of] USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee,” she told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Biles stepped away from Tuesday’s competition saying it was important she protect her mental wellbeing and that athletes were “people at the end of the day.”
Raisman also suggested Biles’ decision could be an indicator of greater disfunction inside the organizations that govern gymnastics for American athletes.
“Their best athlete is struggling … is there someone there to help her?” asked Raisman. “I don’t know. I’m not there, so I don’t know. But I think it’s an important question that we should be asking.”
Earlier in the interview, Raisman also drew from personal experience to describe the enormous pressure star athletes such as Biles face when under the global spotlight.
“It’s a tremendous amount of pressure,” she said. “…I feel for her so much and it’s a lot of pressure and I think that factored into it.”
“I’m completely devastated and I support her so much,” she added.
Watch more from Aly Raisman’s interview:
When Luis Grijalva crossed the finish line at the NCAA track and field championships last month, he knew he could reach his Olympic dream.
But first, immigration officials would have to agree to let the 22-year-old runner travel outside the United States and come back to the country he calls home.
Grijalva is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient who will travel to Japan on Friday to represent Guatemala in the 5,000-meter race at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He and his lawyer spent several weeks petitioning US Citizenship and Immigration Services for a special permit known as advance parole that allows DACA recipients to reenter the US after traveling abroad.
They were unsure if immigration officials would be able to grant Grijalva permission on time, but on Monday, he got cleared to travel after weeks of uncertainty.
Grijalva was only one year old when his family moved to New York City from Guatemala. The family of five later moved to Fairfield, California, where Grijalva often ran for fun along with other children in Turkey Trot races on Thanksgiving.
At those holiday races and PE classes, Grijalva slowly started noticing that he was faster than other kids his age. But it was not until he became a teenager while at the Armijo High School in Fairfield that he realized how much he loved to run, and with the help of his coaches, focused on becoming a cross-country runner, he said.
Since graduating high school, a full-ride scholarship to Northern Arizona University has helped Grijalva continue running competitively while pursuing a career in communications. For the past three years, he has improved his performance and is improving his personal best times.
Last month, he finished second in the men’s 5,000-meter race at the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon. He had a time of 13 minutes and 13.14 seconds – an effort that became his ticket to the Olympics.
While he couldn’t represent the US in the Olympics for several reasons, including his immigration status, Guatemala selected him for the country’s delegation. He was honored for the opportunity but didn’t know if there would be enough time to apply and receive an immigration permit to travel.
At that point, Grijalva says, he had about 27 days to get the travel permission. The process to get a permit takes at least 90 days, said Jessica Smith Bobadilla, Grijalva’s lawyer.
Smith Bobadilla said they were able to put together a very detailed application and had been in touch with lawmakers in Arizona about Grijalva’s situation. On Monday, they made a last effort to expedite his application and went to the USCIS offices in Phoenix, they said.
Grijalva says it was “unbelievable” when immigration officials confirmed he had been granted permission to travel after they waited for several hours at the office.
He will be running for Guatemala on Aug. 3 for the preliminary 5,000-meter race. After the Olympics, he will continue his career professionally after having signed a contract with the shoe company Hoka One One.
“It’s honestly a dream to pursue a passion that doesn’t feel like a job,” Grijalva said. “It’s pretty awesome.”
World-renowned gymnast and four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles withdrew from the women’s gymnastics team finals over mental health concerns today.
Here’s everything you need to know about Biles’ decision:
The withdrawal:
The results:
Mental health:
What’s next:
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman commended her former teammate Simone Biles for speaking up and doing what is best for her health.
Biles withdrew from the women’s team gymnastics final at the Tokyo Olympics citing mental health concerns.
Raisman told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that she “can’t imagine what Simone is going through,” and that she wants to remind people that “Simone Biles is human.”
Raisman added that USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee “really have to take a hard look at the way they’re treating their athletes. When I was competing, there was really no resources and mental health wasn’t really a discussion.”
“I’m praying that she’s ok, I’m praying that she gets the support and love that she needs,” the six-time Olympic medalist said.
Raisman, a former team USA captain, won the gymnastics team gold alongside Biles in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Following Simone Biles’ shocking withdrawal from the women’s team gymnastics final, the four-time Olympic gold medalist wouldn’t commit to her remaining events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
At a post-event media availability on Tuesday, Biles was asked whether she would compete in Thursday’s individual all-around final.
Following an unrelated question, Biles added, “Hopefully, I’ll get back out there and complete (in) a couple more events…”
Biles’ remaining Summer Games artistic gymnastics schedule is as follows:
What happened? Biles withdrew from the women’s team gymnastics final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Tuesday, citing mental heath concerns as she attempts to protect “her body and mind.”
After the final – won by the the Russia Olympic Committee (ROC) – Biles broke down in tears as she explained her decision.
“Whenever you get in a high stress situation, you kind of freak out,” the 24-year-old told reporters. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being.”
“It just sucks when you’re fighting with your own head,” she added.
The gymnasts said those competing weren’t “just athletes, we’re people at the end of the day.”
Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the women’s team gymnastics final has yet again highlighted the extreme pressure the world’s top athletes are under at Tokyo 2020.
After stepping away from Tuesday’s competition, the American said it was important that she protected her mental wellbeing and that athletes were “people at the end of the day.”
Just hours before, Naomi Osaka herself suffered a shock defeat in the third round of the women’s tennis competition. She, too, said the pressure and expectation surrounding her performance contributed to her struggles.
Osaka was very much the poster girl of this Olympics. Her face was plastered on billboards around Tokyo, with the four-time grand slam champion considered one of the hot favorites for the gold medal.
Similarly, the eyes of the world were on Biles this Tuesday. So much was expected of the 24-year-old, who even got a custom-made emoji made of her ahead of the Games.
Pressure on athletes is certainly nothing new but we’re now entering an era where those at the top of their sport are no longer scared of talking about it.
Osaka was returning to tennis for the first time since dropping out of the French Open last month, citing mental health issues.
She, like Biles, has spoken openly about the struggles that come with being a global superstar.
US Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps has also spoken about the immense pressure that he felt while competing
The 28-time Olympic medalist has been open about his battle with depression which he says stems in part from the intensity of professional sport.
Last year, Phelps was part of a documentary called “The Weight of Gold” which looked at the mental pressures that come with competing at the Olympic Games.
“Really, after every Olympics I think I fell into a major state of depression,” he said in 2018.
USA gymnast Simone Biles said she’s not injured following her decision to withdraw from the women’s gymnastics team event today. She said she decided to take “a step back” to prevent possible future injuries.
“No injury, thankfully, and that’s why I took a step back because I didn’t want to do something silly out there and get injured,” she told reporters after the event. USA went on to win silver while the Russian gymnasts took gold.
“I thought it was best if the girls took over and did the rest of the job which they absolutely did,” she said of her team. It’s been really stressful these Olympic Games.”
Biles continued:
USA gymnast Simone Biles said she withdrew from today’s team finals over mental health concerns.
Biles broke down in tears as she addressed the media following the women’s team gymnastics final where Team USA won silver.
“We have to protect our body and our mind,” Biles added. “It just sucks when you’re fighting with your own head.”
Biles said those competing are “not just athletes, we’re people at the end of the day.”
The team is planning to have a “mental rest day” tomorrow, Biles added.
Earlier this morning, Team USA took silver in the women’s gymnastics team event after superstar Simone Biles withdrew. Following the event, Biles said she is proud of how her team stepped up.
Asked what she told the rest of the team when she withdrew, Biles said she told them, “you have done all the training, you can do this without me, and it will be just fine.”
After withdrawing from the event, Biles told the BBC she is “dealing with things internally.”
“I’m just dealing with things internally that will get fixed in the next couple of days,” she said.
Biles’ withdrawal from the women’s team gymnastics event came after she scored a disappointing score of 13.766 on the vault in the first rotation of the team event.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) confirmed shortly afterwards in a tweet that Biles would play no further part in the team event without providing a reason for the withdrawal.
Russian gymnast Angelina Melnikova, who just won gold in the women’s team final along with the rest of the Russian Olympic Committee, said “the impossible is possible” following the win.
Melnikova cried after finishing her floor routine earlier today.
“I knew that it was depending on me and I was feeling overwhelming happiness and I knew I did it. I knew I had done my job,” she said.
The Russian Olympic Committee edged out Team USA to win a dramatic women’s team gymnastics gold medal on Tuesday. USA, the defending champions. settled for silver with 166.096.
This came after superstar Simone Biles withdrew from the event.
Simone Biles unexpectedly withdrew from the Olympics women’s team gymnastics event after a “medical issue” today, according to a statement from USA Gymnastics. Team USA then fell to the Russian Olympic Committee, earning a silver medal in the competition.
On Sunday, as Biles began to prepare for the team finals, she took to social media to describe the pressure she faces as a world-renowned gymnast.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, Biles said competing often leaves her feeling as if she has “the weight of the world on my shoulders.”
Biles said she tries to “brush it off and make it seem like the pressure doesn’t affect me” and described the Olympics as “no joke.”
The severity and exact nature of Biles’ medical issue remains unknown. However, Biles was spotted in good spirits as she cheered on her teammates in the final rounds of the team gymnastics finals.
Japan defeated the United States 2-0 to win the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan was led by three-time Olympian Yukiko Ueno. The 39-year-old pitcher started and completed the game to secure the shutout.
The hosts beat the US the last time they faced off in an Olympic final when Japan won gold at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
With the loss, the US earns silver while Canada takes the bronze medal.
The United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) has advanced to the Olympic quarterfinals after its scoreless draw with Australia on Tuesday.
This is the seventh straight Olympics where the US has clinched a spot in the knockout rounds.
Alex Morgan had a goal disallowed in the first half after she was ruled out for being offside as the USA finished in second place in Group G play. This is the second time the USA finished second in its group at the Olympics. The first time was in 1996 as United States went on to win the gold medal.
USWNT finished with fewer than six points in the group stage of a world championship event for the first time in history.
The United States will face the winner of Group F, either Brazil or the Netherlands, on Friday in Yokohama.
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) edged out Team USA to win a dramatic women’s team gymnastics gold medal on Tuesday, with a score of 169.528.
After four rotations, the ROC ended with a total score of 169.528 points, and defending champions Team USA settled for silver with 166.096.
This came after superstar Simone Biles withdrew from the event.
ROC’s Vladislava Urazova, Viktoria Listunova, Angelina Melnikova and Lilia Akhaimova together add to the men’s team’s gold medal on Monday.
The US team look in good spirits after the third rotation – and with good reason.
Jordan Chiles, who has stepped in for Simone Biles, got high-fives and hugs from her teammates as she completed her beam routine. USA has closed the gap on the Russian Olympic Committee to 0.800, trailing 128.030 to 127.230.
Biles is a lively presence on the sidelines, jumping up and down in support of her teammates.
Jordan Chiles is competing in the Olympics women’s team gymnastics event after Simone Biles withdrew.
The 20-year-old took up gymnastics at the age of seven.
Chiles underwent left wrist surgery to repair torn cartilage in August 2019 and she dislocated her toe in early 2019.
Her heroes are US gymnasts Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Kyla Ross, and Jordyn Wieber, according to her athlete page.
Simone Biles will be assessed daily to get medical clearance for future competitions, USA Gymnastics said in a tweet after Biles withdrew from the women’s team gymnastics event.
USA Gymnastics confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that Biles’ withdrawal from the gymnastics team event competition was due to a “medical issue.”
Since being attended to by a trainer, Simone Biles has returned to the arena and has been supporting her teammates from the sidelines — chatting with them and cheering after each routine.
Sunisa Lee got a big hug from Biles and the rest of the team as she completed her beam routine and scored 14.133.
We’re now on the third rotation of this women’s team final and USA trails the Russian Olympic Committee.
US gymnast Simone Biles withdrawing from the Olympic women’s gymnastics team event is like the “worst nightmare coming to pass here,” CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan says.
“Simone, on the first event of the first rotation of the team competition tonight, about a half hour ago, she bailed out of her vault,” Brennan explained.
Biles withdrew from the women’s team final after she left the field to be attended to by the trainer. She came back with a heavily strapped foot, but did not warm up for uneven bars — USA’s second apparatus.
It is unclear if Biles is injured and what her possible injury could be, Brennan added.
Meanwhile, the competition goes on and Jordan Chiles is competing instead of Biles.
It is yet to be determined “whether or not Simone Biles can continue in the Olympic Games. I cannot believe I just said that sentence,” Brennan said.
Biles is “by far the biggest name worldwide, not just in the United States,” she said, adding that the news of her withdrawal is huge and stunning.
“Incredibly sad news for the millions of Simone Biles fans, and of course for Simone herself” as she’s trying to win gold medals for herself individually and for Team USA as well, Brennan added.
Watch:
Simone Biles has withdrawn from the women’s gymnastics team event, USOPC has confirmed to CNN.
She withdrew from the women’s team final after she left the field to be attended to by the trainer. She came back with a heavily strapped foot, but did not warm up for uneven bars — USA’s second apparatus.
Instead, Jordan Chiles is warming up.
A CNN team in attendance at the event saw Biles sitting on the sidelines in a tracksuit with her foot in strapping.
Biles was looking to add to her haul of four gold medals won at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The Olympic women’s artistic gymnastics event is one of the busiest events so far, with the seated press gallery very full, according to CNN’s George Ramsay.
There also seems to be a few non-competing athletes in the stands, as has been the case at other events, he adds.
This is the “most charged atmosphere I’ve seen at this Olympics so far,” CNN’s Amy Jordan reports. “Press area is full. It feels like a more normal event.”
Team USA trails ROC after the first rotation.
The Olympic women’s gymnastics are underway, with Simone Biles and the American athletes looking to defend their crown at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo.
Having nerves of steel is a trait Olympic athletes have to master.
And for the first time at an Olympics, TV viewers were given a glimpse of just how stressful – or not – elite competition can be during the archery event at Tokyo 2020.
World Archery incorporated biometric data into the television broadcast with cameras picking up the competitors’ heart rates (BPM), despite inclement weather causing technical problems on site early on.
The archery competition delivered one of the shocks of this Olympics, as No. 1 seed Kim Je Deok was knocked out of contention for his third gold medal of the Summer Games.
In a day that was effected by the adverse weather conditions, Kim was beaten 7-3 by Florian Unruh of Germany.
“I will have lots of opportunities in the future,” the South Korean said afterwards. “I don’t feel so bad. I will have another chance.”
Kim has already won gold in the mixed team and men’s team events at Tokyo 2020.
Before she won the gold, surfer Carissa Moore said she experienced a “rollercoaster of emotions” after arriving in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics without her family.
According to the four-time world champion and world No.1 the gold medal is “quite heavy.”
“I’m very proud and honored,” added Moore. “I feel super blessed, super fortunate. It’s been an incredible experience.”
Moore was born in Oahu, Hawai and it was a Hawaiian – Duke Kahanamoku – who was key to introducing surfing to the world.
A talented athlete, Kahanamoku was the first swimmer to win the Olympic 100m freestyle twice in a row after victory at the Antwerp 1920 Games,
“This was his dream, to have surfing in the Olympics. I hope I made him and my people proud,” said Moore of Kahanamoku.
The 28-year-old said she wished that the people who supported her on her surfing journey were with her.
“I wouldn’t be where I’m today without you guys. I can’t wait to come home and celebrate. Thank you for staying up and cheering for me. It’s not only my friends and family, I have friends and family all over the world. I love you guys,” she said.
The match that got Brazil’s Italo Ferreira the inaugural gold medal in Olympic surfing began with his “good board” breaking on his first wave.
“That board gives me good speed, the other one is more slow,” he said. “It’s super hard out there, but I knew that there was a lot of opportunities around. That’s why I started to catch a lot of waves and get scores.”
And finally, it was all about getting back up.
The reigning World Surf League champion described the winning moment as “one of the best days of my life for sure.”
“I was so nervous at the beginning, but I just tried to surf and have fun. Because two months ago, I was busy with training and thinking and dreaming, and now I’ve got the gold medal.”
“The dream came true,” he added.
Jolanda Neff led the way as the Swiss team won all three medals at the women’s cycling mountain bike event.
Former world champion Neff, who won the test event on the Izu circuit in 2019, put in a dominant display to land her country’s first gold medal of the Games.
Sina Frei finished in second place and Linda Indergand rounded off a memorable day for the Swiss by taking the bronze medal.
It’s the first clean sweep in a specific Olympic event for Switzerland since the men’s floor exercise in gymnastics artistic in 1936.
Teenagers Chen Yuxi, 15, and Zhang Jiaqi, 17, secured a dominant gold for China in the women’s 10m synchronized platform diving on Tuesday to maintain the country’s perfect record in the event.
China has won gold in this event at every Olympics since its debut at Sydney in 2000.
The Chinese pair ended with a majestic score of 363.78, more than 50 points ahead of silver medalists Jessica Parratto and Delaney Schnell from the United States.
Parratto and Schnell’s medal was the US’ very first in this event.
Bronze went to Mexico’s Gabriela Agundez and Alejandra Orozco who finished on 299.70.
The Olympics come around every four — or five years in the case of Tokyo — for athletes, and crashing out in the opening lap of your event isn’t how Mathieu van der Poel would have imagined his Games panning out.
The Netherlands rider suffered a dramatic tumble in the early stages of the cross country cycling event, ruling him out of medal contention.
In a post on his Instagram with a picture of his fall, he promised his fans that he’d be back in the saddle as quickly as possible. “I don’t know what to say, but I’ll be back,” the 26-year-old said.
He went onto congratulate eventual winner Tom Pidcock, and the Team GB rider posted his own message of support to Van der Poel in the comments of the Instagram post.
“Hope you’re ok mate! We all know you’ll be back.”
Team USA’s Carissa Moore won the first ever women’s surfing gold medal in Olympics history on Tuesday, defeating South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag in the final.
The four-time world champion and world No.1 sealed a comprehensive victory to enter the Olympic history books.
Moore scored waves of 7.33 and 7.60 to surpass Buitendag’s total score of 8.46.
The 28-year-old had already endeared herself to the Japanese public ahead of the Games by delivering a thank you speech in Japanese to the city of Makinohara for hosting the pre-Olympic Games training camp.
In a press release from US Surfing, Moore said she practiced the speech all night and wanted to show her appreciation for the city hosting the team.
Ricarda Funk has just taken gold in the women’s slalom K-1 final at the Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre and celebrates with a running jump back into the water. It’s Germany’s first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics.
The third-fastest qualifier, her final time of 105.50 sees her finish ahead of Spain’s Maialen Chourraut (106.63) and Australia’s Jessica Fox (106.73).
Fox was the favorite for this event having qualified for the final with the fastest time, but she picked up a second penalty at the end of her run.
Despite the empty stands, there was a good atmosphere for the final; music blared from speakers as competitors were introduced and coaching teams ran alongside the course shouting encouragement to their athletes.
#Firsts##
Tokyo has reported its highest-ever increase of new Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began, adding 2,848 new cases on Tuesday.
The capital’s previous daily record of new cases was reported on January 7, with 2,520 new cases, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The record comes amid the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in its fourth day of official competition.
At least 160 Covid-19 cases have been reported as linked to the Tokyo 2020 Games as of Tuesday, according to Tokyo 2020 organizers.
The Japanese capital is currently under a state of emergency in effect until August 22.
Brazil’s Italo Ferreira entered the Olympic history books on Tuesday by becoming the first-ever gold medallist in surfing.
The reigning World Surf League champion defeated Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi to take the title, with Australia’s Owen Wright collecting the bronze medal.
American Carissa Moore faces South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag in the women’s gold medal contest later on Tuesday to round off the first Olympic surfing competition.
After three days of hot weather, Tokyo became blanketed in thick cloud and rain overnight, with skies beginning to clear by Tuesday afternoon local time.
The earlier drop in temperature might have been a welcome relief for athletes competing in the women’s canoe slalom semifinals at the Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre, where the water is said to be a touch too warm.
“It is like a bath. It is like paddling in bathwater,” Australia’s Jessica Fox said after competing in the heats on Sunday.
“It is beautiful, it is an amazing venue, but the water is really quite warm, so it is all about the ice baths and the ice towels and as much ice as possible. It gets pretty warm in Penrith in Australia, but this is the warmest by far, for me.”
Fox was fastest in today’s semifinals – where a handful of team members and officials gathered in the stands – and is the favorite to win gold later on.
Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka says she struggled with the pressure of competing in her first Olympics after losing in straight sets on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old was considered one of the strong favorites for the gold medal and was the chosen athlete to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony.
Osaka had not played since dropping out of the French Open last month, citing mental health issues.
She has spoken openly about her struggles with dealing with the expectations that come with being one of the world’s best players.
Australia’s Owen Wright has won the first-ever Olympic medal given out in surfing, winning the bronze medal match — an incredibly impressive feat considering that he had returned to the sport after suffering a traumatic brain injury in 2015.
Wright’s injury came after wiping out at a competition in Hawaii about seven years ago. He missed the 2016 season while recovering, but made a full recovery the next year.
Wright said he “teared up” upon his win, according to the Olympic Channel Podcast.
Japan’s Kanoa Igarashi and Brazil’s Italo Ferreira will face off for the gold later today.
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz is now a household name in her home country after becoming the first-ever Philippines athlete to win an Olympics gold medal.
Her path to Olympic glory was, like her peers, upended by the pandemic. When the Philippines went lockdown, Diaz was forced to get creative while training. She posted videos of herself training with broomsticks, weights and water bottles late last year.
Four-time major champion and world no.2 Naomi Osaka lost to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the third round of women’s tennis singles at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday.
Osaka was considered a favorite to win the tournament in her home country, but is out earlier than expected after an underwhelming showing, finishing with 32 unforced errors.
This is the first time the 23-year-old Japanese superstar has lost on a hard court before the quarterfinals since the 2020 Australian Open, when she lost in the third round to American Coco Gauff.
Osaka was born in Osaka, Japan, and was given the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron to officially open the Games.
Vondrousova, a 2019 French Open finalist, advanced with a 6-1, 6-4 win. The 22-year-old will next face either Spain’s Paula Badosa or Nadia Podoroska of Argentina.
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It’s Tuesday, Tokyo 2020’s fourth official day of competition. The US and Japan are tied for the lead in the gold medal tally, with eight each. Next is China with six and the Russian Olympic Committee with 5. The US has the most medals overall, with 19.
Big-ticket Tuesday: Plenty of major medal events are taking place throughout the day, starting with swimming. America’s Lydia Jacoby, Russia’s Evgeny Rylov, Australia’s Kaylee McKeown and Great Britain’s Tom Dean all won gold medals.
The first-ever Olympic surfing competition will conclude later in the day, while at night, Simone Biles and the American women’s gymnastic team will look to retain their crown in the team competition.
The full schedule can be found here.
A storm is coming: Tropical Storm Nepartak is expected to make landfall north of Tokyo on Tuesday evening local time, delivering up to 150 millimeters (5.9 inches) of rain to some regions. Tokyo is forecast to get as much as 25 millimeters (1 inch) of rainfall in some areas through Wednesday, along with gusty tropical storm-force winds.
While the storm will be a boon for surfers – the finals were brought forward a day because of the weather – it could put a dampener on other outdoor activities, like archery and softball. However, Nepartak could provide much-needed relief from sweltering heat that has affected athletes at the start of the Games.
Full day for Team USA: The women’s gymnastics team is just one of several marquee American teams and athletes competing Tuesday. The US women’s softball team will take on host Japan in the gold medal game tonight, and the US women’s football team takes on Australia – its first match since opening the tournament with a shock loss to Sweden.
The heavily favored US women’s basketball team will also make its Tokyo 2020 debut today, facing off against Nigeria. The Americans, led by US flag-bearer Sue Bird and star guard Diana Taurasi, are going for their seventh straight gold medal. Bird and Taurasi have four gold medals each.
Five new Covid-19 cases were reported from the Olympic Village Tuesday, according to Tokyo 2020 organizers.
Two were athletes residing in the village. Tokyo 2020 is not revealing the names or nationalities of those who test positive for coronavirus.
So far, 21 cases have been identified in the Olympic Village, organizers said. A total of 160 Covid-19 cases tied to the Olympics have been identified so far.
Great Britain makes a splash: British swimmers Tom Dean and Duncan Scott finished first and second respectively in the men’s 200m freestyle – the highest British finish in the event ever. Britain’s previous best in the men’s 200m freestyle was Robert Crenshaw’s fourth at the 1900 Olympics, with compatriot James Guy achieving the same result in the 1916 Games.
Brazil’s Fernando Scheffer came in third in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Kaylee McKeown sets a record, then nails her interview: The 20-year-old Australian set the Olympic record for the women’s 100m backstroke to win gold, just a month after she set the world record in the same event.
The adrenaline was clearly flowing when she was interviewed by Australia’s 7 News after her big win. When asked by the network if she had a message for her mother Sharon and sister Taylor, who were watching, she responded: ““F*** yeah!”, before realizing she swore and covering her mouth. Then she followed it up with a celebratory “Woo!”
Her mother jokingly said “I’ll have a word to her later,” in an interview with 7 News.
Canada’s Kylie Masse clinched silver and American Regan Smith took home bronze.
The Russians dethrone the Americans: Russian swimmers Evgeny Rylov and Kliment Kolesnikov finished first and second respectively in the men’s 100m backstroke final – the first time Team USA failed to win gold in the event in more than two decades.
American Ryan Murphy, who won gold in the event at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and holds the world record, collected bronze.
Alaska’s first Olympic swimmer wins gold: Lydia Jacoby, 17, was an unexpected winner in the women’s 100m breaststroke.
Jacoby is the first-ever Olympic swimmer from Alaska. She went to high school in Seward, a picturesque city in the south of the state with a population of fewer than 3,000 people.
South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker claimed silver, while bronze went to Lilly King of the US.
Carissa Moore feels the aloha spirit. John John Florence is finding it harder to surf Chiba prefecture’s smaller waves than the ones he’s used to in his home of Hawaii. And Caroline Marks is just trying to live in the moment.
All three spoke to CNN’s Will Ripley about their experiences in the first-ever Olympic surfing competition.
Watch more here:
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz has clinched the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic gold medal after winning the women’s 55 kg event in Tokyo, setting an Olympic record with a total mark of 224 kg.
Prior to Diaz’s gold, the Philippines had claimed 10 Olympic medals — three silvers and seven bronzes. Diaz took silver in the women’s 53 kg event at the 2016 Rio Games.
It was also the first medal of the Summer Games for the Philippines.
Liao Qiuyun of China took silver with 223 kg and Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Chinshanlo won bronze with 213 kg.
Competition began at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo last Wednesday, more than a year after the pandemic delayed the original start date.
But with Covid-19 still spreading in Japan, organizers have been forced to take unprecedented measures to keep competitors and the public safe.
Athletes who contracted the coronavirus have seen their Olympic dreams dashed. Some tested positive in Japan, some before coming.
Here are the athletes who have publicly dropped out due to Covid-19 health and safety protocols.
Team USA:
Team Czech Republic:
Team Great Britain:
Team Mexico:
Team Netherlands:
Team South Africa:
Team Australia:
Team Chile:
Team Portugal:
Team ROC (Russian Olympic Committee):
The Olympics are continuing in Tokyo, with 22 medal events happening on Tuesday. Here’s a look at the medals that will be won:
You can track the medal count here.
