Tokyo 2020 Olympics: GB win mixed relay, Ledecky beats Titmus but

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Jonathan Howcroft (now) and Tom Lutz (earlier)

Sat 31 Jul 2021 04.21 BST

Live feed Show

4.21am 04:21

Sailing - Not good news for sailing fans, I’m afraid. The start of Saturday’s programme has been postponed due to a
lack of wind on the water at Enoshima. There were 13 races supposed to start at just after midday local time, with the
first medals in men’s and women’s RS:X class slated to be won later on in the afternoon. The forecast is slightly better -
winds of up to eight knots are expected, with gusts of up to 11 knots - but racing will not restart until the winds reach
five knots or more.

4.09am 04:09

Pole Vault - 5.65m proved enough to qualify for the men’s pole vault final. Bo Kanda Lita Baehre (GER) and Chris
Nilsen (USA) cruised through with three clear jumps. Armand Duplantis (SWE), Kurtis Marschall (AUS), KC Lightfoot
(USA), and Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) all through safely. The final is on Tuesday, and should be appointment viewing.
Armand Duplantis soars into the pole vault final. Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

4.04am 04:04

Rugby sevens: New Zealand will take on France in the final of the women’s rugby sevens. The Kiwis needed extra time
to pip Fiji 22-17, while France held off Great Britain 26-19. Fiji v GB for bronze.

New Zealand are through to the women’s rugby sevens final. Photograph: Stoyan
Nenov/Reuters

4.00am 04:00

3.59am 03:59

Swimming - The USA finished a disappointing fifth, denying Caeleb Dressel another medal. Lydia Jacboy (women’s
100m breaststroke gold medalist) lost almost ten seconds on Adam Peaty (men’s 100m breaststroke gold medalist), not
helped by losing her goggles early on her opening lap.

3.56am 03:56

Australian update - Away from the pool there are some Aussies making moves:

3.53am 03:53

Swimming - That was wild. No idea what to make of it. Adam Peaty (GBR) is stoked, punching his pecs. Emma McKeon
was again the star for Australia, making up ground on the final leg and almost pinching silver, bringing her alongside
Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones. Regardless, it’s her ninth Olympic medal. Incredible athlete. Updated at 3.55am BST

3.52am 03:52

Gold! Mixed 4x100m medley relay - Great Britain (WR)

Gold - GBR

Silver - China

Bronze - Australia Updated at 3.53am BST

3.51am 03:51

Swimming - Great Britain have stormed into the lead, overtaking China and Italy. One leg to go...

3.50am 03:50

Swimming: With men swimming against women, it’s hard to know what on earth is going on until the final leg. At the
halfway stage it’s Italy, China, and Russia ahead - but they’ve all gone with a man-man start.

3.47am 03:47

Swimming - As with all the mixed events at these Games the order of the athletes is fascinating. In this race all teams
have gone with a female swimmer on the last leg, with the exception of the USA - who have gone with Caeleb Dressel.
Watching him chase down a series of rivals like some terrifying shark is going to be a sight.

3.46am 03:46

Swimming: To give you an indication of how manic this meet is, Emma McKeon is suiting up in consecutive races,
without a break! She is currently cooling down/warming up in the practice pool. Crazy.

3.45am 03:45

Swimming: Next up is the final of the mixed 4x100m medley relay. Want to know more about it? Here’s Kieran Pender:

3.42am 03:42

Swimming: Emma KcKeon is in some serious form. She wins the second 50m free semi in 24.00 - a new Olympic
record! Abbey Weitzeil (USA) finished second, Kataryna Wasick (POL) third, and Cate Campbell (AUS) qualifies safely
for the final in fourth.

3.37am 03:37

Swimming: The first semi-final of the women’s 50m freestyle was a blanket finish with everyone finishing under 25
seconds! Pernille Blume from Denmark touched the wall first, world record holder Sarah Sjoestroem (SWE) finished
second, Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) third.

Australia’s Emma McKeon and Cate Campbell up next.

3.27am 03:27

Kieran Pender

Australia’s medal rush at the Tokyo 2020 continued on Saturday with the Dolphins adding gold, silver and bronze to
their already sizeable haul at the pool. Kaylee McKeown won her second individual gold of the Olympics with victory in
the women’s 200m backstroke, while two-time gold medallist Ariarne Titmus added a silver to her tally in the women’s
800m freestyle. Updated at 3.28am BST

3.26am 03:26

Swimming - How good is Katie Ledecky at the 800m free? And how good was Ariarne Titmus’ swim for silver?

3.25am 03:25

100m hurdles:

3.21am 03:21

Swimming - Caeleb Dressel, fresh from winning the 100m fly a few minutes ago, blasted to victory in the second 50m
free semi. Kristian Gkolomeev (GRE) finished second and Great Britain’s Ben Proud came in third, tied with the USA’s
Michael Andrew.

Another gold is Dressel’s for the taking. What a phenomenon.

3.18am 03:18

Swimming: The first men’s 50m freestyle semi was been taken out by France’s Florent Manaudou ahead of Brazil’s
Bruno Fratus and Thom de Boer (NED).

3.16am 03:16

Pole Vault - Australia’s Kurtis Marschall was in trouble in the qualifying round but cleared 5.65m on this third attempt,
then 5.75m on this first vault. He’s looking safe for the final. As is Renaud Lavillenie, who struggled at 5.50m, but has
also cleared 5.75m, and Armand Duplantis, who has three clean vaults from four attempts to reach 5.75m.
3.12am 03:12

Rugby sevens: The USA will take on Australia in the fifth-placed match.

3.11am 03:11

Swimming - Emily Seebohm is in floods of smiley tears, unable to string a sentence together in her post race interview.
“So lucky” is discernible, “so proud,” too as she gathers herself. “It’s been the favourite thing of my entire career being
on this team.” Seebohm now has six Olympic medals (and counting) most recently a bronze to go with two gold and
three silver.

3.05am 03:05

Gymnastics - Here’s more on Simone Biles’ withdrawal from the finals of the vault and the uneven bars.

3.02am 03:02

Swimming - Titmus swam a PB by two seconds! And was still 1.26 behind Ledecky. Few Olympians of any discipline
have ever been so dominant as Ledecky in the 800m free. “She’s a great person and a tough competitor,” concedes a
breathless Titmus. Updated at 3.03am BST

2.59am 02:59

Gymnastics - A quick break from the pool for a Simone Biles update:

2.58am 02:58

Swimming - Back-to-back-to-back for the great Katie Ledecky. She led from the front and was never challenged for 800
powerful metres of freestyle swimming. Ariarne Titmus swam her own race in second to add a silver to her brace of
golds. Italy’s Simona Quadarella held off the pack to win bronze. Updated at 3.06am BST

2.57am 02:57

Gold! Women's 800m freestyle - Katie Ledecky (USA)

Gold - Katie Ledecky (USA)

Silver - Ariarne Titmus (AUS)

Bronze - Simona Quadarella (ITA)

2.55am 02:55

Swimming - Ledecky leads by 1.7 seconds from Titmus with 200m to go. We’re in for a brilliant final sprint.

2.53am 02:53

Swimming - Ian Thorpe is making encouraging noises about the pace (not hugely quick) at the halfway mark, and how
that can work to Titmus’ advantage. This is now a two-swimmer race with Ledecky leading Titmus and nobody else in
the frame.

2.51am 02:51

Swimming - Still the same 1,2,3 in the final of the women’s 800m freestyle at the 200m mark, but Ledecky is extending
her lead.

2.50am 02:50

Swimming - Ledecky set out powerfully, making a statement to lead after 100m. Titmus is keeping pace for now, and
Katie Grimes (USA) is in third.

2.49am 02:49

Swimming - The racing doesn’t stop! We’re straight into the final of the women’s 800m freestyle - Katie Ledecky v
Ariarne Timus III. The first two rounds (200m and 400m freestyle) have gone to the Australian, but this is Ledecky’s pet
event. She is the two-time defending Olympic gold medalist in the event, won gold at the World Championships in July
2019 and holds the 23 fastest times ever swum in the distance. Titmus has enjoyed a miraculous meet, but this would be
remarkable to top Ledecky this morning. Let’s find out how they go.

2.45am 02:45

Swimming - The story of this meet in the pool has been Australians storming home to win or upgrade medals in the
final laps - and Kaylee McKeown does it again! Incredible racing. She doubles up her 100m with the 200m backstroke.
And Emily Seebohm snags bronze in her fourth Games! This is an astonishing Games in the pool for Australia. Kylie
Masse (CAN) led from the start, and dominated for 150m but McKeown found an extra gear on the final lap and
powered through.

2.42am 02:42

Gold! Women's 200m backstroke - Kaylee McKeown (AUS)

Gold - Kaylee McKeown (AUS)

Silver - Kylie Masse (CAN)

Bronze - Emily Seebohm (AUS)

2.41am 02:41

Swimming: Masse (CAN) leads from McKeown (AUS) and Bacon (USA) at halfway. The Canadian looks in superb form.

2.39am 02:39

Swimming: Quickly into the final of the women’s 200m backstroke. A pair of Aussies, a pair of Americans, a pair of
Canadians, and a pair of Chinese swimmers. 100m gold medalist Kaylee McKeown and fastest qualifier Emily Seebohm
carry Australian hopes.

2.36am 02:36

Swimming: That was a demonstration from Caeleb Dressel, who joins Mark Spitz as the only men to do the 100
free/100 fly double at the same Games. That’s his fifth career gold, and he sets a new world record at 49.45 too. Milak
came strong at the end, and also finished inside 50 seconds, but he couldn’t do enough. Bronze for Switzerland some
way back. Australia’s Temple came a creditable fifth. Updated at 2.37am BST

2.34am 02:34

Gold! Men's 100m butterfly - Caeleb Dressel (USA) WR

Gold - Caeleb Dressel -

Silver - Kristof Milak (HUN)

Bronze - Noe Ponti (SUI)

2.31am 02:31

Swimming - Ok, into the pool we go. Today should be Caeleb Dressel’s day. He’s in the 100m fly any second now, then
he has the 50m free heats, followed by the 4x100m mixed medley. Hungary’s Kristof Milak will be no pushover in this
first final of the day. Keep an eye out for Australia’s Matthew Temple too.

2.27am 02:27

Rugby Sevens: Australia’s women’s team are through to the fifth-placed match.

2.23am 02:23

Tom Dart

This session should bring an expected outcome - Katie Ledecky winning the 800m freestyle for the third Olympics in a
row - but there are one or two quirks to watch out for.

Even a swimmer as gifted as Caeleb Dressel might be feeling a little weary by the end of this session in the Tokyo
Aquatics Centre. The American star is going for gold in the men’s 100m butterfly final at 10.30 local time - then races in
the 50m freestyle semifinals 46 minutes later. Then goes for gold in the mixed 4x100m medley relay less than a half-
hour after that. No wonder he’s taking the anchor leg (all the other finalists have picked women to go last) - he could
use all the recovery time he can get.

2.22am 02:22

Men’s Pole Vault - Duplantis has registered a height in his second vault. He went miles over the bar at 5.50m.
Australia’s Kurtis Marschall also nailed 5.50m with ease. Automatic qualifying is 5.80m.
2.21am 02:21

Badminton - If you wondered why we dropped in a pic of Guatemalan badminton contender Kevin Cordon, here’s why.
He’s 34, world ranked 59, at his fourth Games, named after former England striker (and manager) Kevin Keegan, and
he’s through to the men’s singles semi-finals. In their entire history, Guatemala have only ever won one Olympic medal,
silver in the 20km walk in 2012.

2.13am 02:13

Men’s 800m- Australia’s Peter Bol broke the national record to reach the semi-finals. Compatriot Charlie Hunter is not
an automatic qualifier, but could sneak in among the fastest losers.

Australian Peter Bol qualifies for the 800m semi-finals. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters

2.10am 02:10

Pole Vault - Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, one of the faces of track and field, has just failed with his first vault of the
Games. The world record holder failed at 5.50m, and he was closely followed with a surprise failure by the man he took
the world record from, France’s Renaud Lavillenie. If you’re unfamiliar with Duplantis, check him out, he could be The
New Bolt™. Updated at 2.29am BST

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