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KARSTEN WARHOLM SHATTERS WORLD RECORD TO WIN 400M HURDLES TITLE IN TOKYO

Norway’s Karsten Warholm shattered his own world record to win the men’s 400 metres hurdles at the Olympics.

The new champion only broke the 29-year-old record last month but clocked 45.94 seconds in Tokyo on Tuesday.

He took almost a second off his previous world best of 46.70secs he set in Oslo at the start of July.

He finished ahead of the USA’s Rai Benjamin (46.17s) and Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos (46.72s) – with both coming inside Kevin Young’s time of 46.78s the American set nearly 30 years ago.

Warholm told the BBC: “You know the cliche that it hasn’t sunk in yet? I don’t think it has but I feel ecstatic.

“I cant believe the time, it’s so fast. A lot of the time I am asked about the perfect race. I said it didn’t exist but this is the closest I’ve ever come.

“I told myself going in to the race, remember all the work you have put in. It was the only thing missing from my (medal) collection. I can’t describe how important this is for me. This is what I do morning until night, it’s huge.”

Warholm led from the start but Benjamin looked like he was about to reel him in with 90 metres to go.

Yet Warholm found an extra gear to pull away in the final 60 metres and add the Olympic title to his two World Championship crowns and European gold.

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Slides Sports News

OLYMPICS: SIMONE BILES WINS BRONZE MEDAL IN BALANCE BEAM FINAL

Simone Biles retook the gymnastics stage on Tuesday after a week’s absence, electrifying the Tokyo Olympics on a day that saw world records smashed and organisers probe Belarus’s treatment of an athlete now in diplomatic protection.

The return of the American, considered by many the greatest gymnast ever, ensured a blockbuster finale. She scored 14.000 on the balance beam to finish third.

She had abruptly dropped out of the team event earlier in the Games citing mental health issues and increasing the global spotlight on the pressures elite athletes face.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it expected a report later in the day from the Belarusian team on the case of sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who sought protection in the Polish embassy in Tokyo on Monday after refusing her team’s orders to fly home.

She was expected to fly on Wednesday to Poland, which has offered her a humanitarian visa. The IOC spoke twice on Monday to Tsimanouskaya, who was in a safe and secure place, spokesman Mark Adams said.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken accused Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko’s regime of intolerable “transnational repression” in the matter.

On the track, Norway’s Karsten Warholm shattered his own world record in the men’s 400 metres hurdles final with a blistering 45.94-second run, besting American Rai Benjamin, who also beat last month’s record of 46.70 seconds.

“Man, it’s so crazy. It’s by far the biggest moment of my life,” Warholm said after carving his name among the greats of athletics history and crouching in apparent disbelief on the track. “You know the cliche that it hasn’t sunk in yet? I don’t think it has, but I feel ecstatic.”

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ESE BRUME GIVES NIGERIA FIRST TOKYO OLYMPICS MEDAL

In a tightly contested event that came down to the last round, Ese Brume earned Nigeria’s second medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a Bronze in the Women’s Long Jump competition.

Brume had the best season time of all the participants heading into the final and she was a medal favourite alongside the world champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany & Brittney Reese of the U.S.

She raced to an early and dominant lead with her first jump, clocking 6.97m. By the second round, Reese had edged her out with an equal jump of 6.97m but leading on count back. World champion Mihambo was just right behind with 6.95m.

Going into the final round, Reese was in the lead, with Brume second in a back and forth that had been going on round by round but Mihambo delivered her best jump of the competition to take the gold with her final jump, dropping Reese to second and Brume to third, as they both couldn’t capitalise with their final jumps.

Ese Brume becomes the third Nigerian woman to win a medal in the Long Jump competition, joining Nigeria’s first gold medalist Chioma Ajunwa (who won in at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics) and Blessing Okagbare who won the silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

This is also Nigeria’s first medal in athletics in 13 years.

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basketball Slides Sports News

OLYMPICS BASKETBALL: KEVIN DURANT LEADS TEAM USA OVER SPAIN INTO SEMIS, SLOVENIA ADVANCE

Kevin Durant led Team USA to a decisive victory over Spain in Olympic men’s basketball on Tuesday, earning a ticket to the semifinals.

The United States were victorious 95-81 despite a valiant 38-point effort from Spain’s Ricky Rubio. Spain had a 10 point lead late in the second quarter when the United States came roaring back.

“We drove it to the rim at the end of the second and were able to get our rhythm back a little bit,” said Durant, who ended up with 29 points. “I like how we played from the end of the second quarter all the way up to finish the game and that’s how winners play ball.”

The Saitama Super Arena north of Tokyo was the fullest it has been so far in these spectatorless Games, as athletes, officials and volunteers gathered for what would have been a hot-ticket match.

The United States will move on to the semifinals on Thursday to face the winner of the quarterfinal between Australia and Argentina.

Team USA have looked strong at these Games after the French handed them their first Olympic defeat since 2004. The Americans have historically been the team to beat, with 15 gold medals since 1936, and the players and coaches have made clear they will only be satisfied with one result this time.

“We got to finish it,” said Durant, who plays for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. “You know, we’re supposed to be here. For us, it’s about getting the gold.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic led Slovenia in a 94-70 victory over Germany to move forward to the semifinals. Doncic has led all players in scoring and is second in rebounds only to his team mate Mike Tobey.

For a nation of just two million people, Slovenia has fielded a powerhouse team in their Olympics debut. While Doncic is the nucleus of their offence, he’s surrounded by team mates who reliably score in the double digits, such as Zoran Dragic who had 36 against Germany.

“Obviously they have one of the best players in the world, but he’s not alone,” Germany head coach Henrik Roedl said about Doncic and the Slovenian team.

It was Germany’s first Olympic quarterfinal since 1992. Italy takes on France and Australia meets Argentina in the remaining playoff matches on Tuesday.

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football Slides Sports News

CANADA STUN USWNT TO REACH WOMEN OLYMPIC FINAL FOOTBALL EVENT.

The United States women’s national team were knocked out of the Olympic Games after losing 1-0 to Canada in the semifinals on Monday.

Jessie Fleming’s second half penalty was enough to see Canada dump the reigning world champions out of the gold medal match.

The USWNT have now failed to reach the final in back-to-back Olympics after suffering defeat at the hands of Sweden in the quarterfinals in Rio 2016.

Vlatko Andonovski’s side will now play in the bronze medal match on Thursday.

The USWNT suffered a major setback in a cagey first-half when goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was forced off with a knee injury after 30 minutes.

They performed better in the second half and forced Canada goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe into good saves from Carli Lloyd and Julie Ertz.

But with 15 minutes remaining, Canada were awarded a penalty through VAR after Tierna Davidson fouled Deanne Rose in the box.

Fleming converted her spot kick and although Lloyd hit the crossbar late on, Canada held on to win the game.

Canada will play either Australia or Sweden in the gold medal match at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on Friday.

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Sports News

AUSTRALIAN ATHLETES IN LOCKDOWN AT OLYMPICS AFTER CLOSE CONTACT WITH US POLE VAULTER WHO TESTED POSITIVE TO COVID-19

Just one day before the athletics competition begins at the Tokyo Summer Games, the Australian Olympic Committee has forced members of the athletics team to isolate in the village.

A member of the team, pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall, came in contact with a positive case.

Channel 7’s Chris Reason said that after coming into contact with an American pole vaulter, the decision was made to isolate the entire athletics squad.

“We believe this is connected to an outbreak we believe is connected to the U.S. team,” Reason said. “We know that pole vault champion Sam Kendricks, a U.S. star and a real medal chance at these Games, has tested positive.

“It’s believed he was potentially training with the Aussie star Kurtis Marschall, our pole vault champion.

“Kurtis was told to go straight back. Kurtis was working with the rest of the team so the AOC have decided to take the entire track and field team and isolate them until further notice.”

The men’s pole vault begins Saturday.

A statement from the AOC confirmed that the members of the team will undergo PCR tests which should return results with a couple of hours.

“Members of Australia’s track and field team at the Tokyo Olympic Games are isolating in their rooms as a precautionary measure following news of a COVID positive finding with a member of the U.S. track and field team,” the statement read.

“Members of the Australian track and field team are now undergoing testing procedures in line with Australian Olympic Team protocols.”

The entire Australian track and field team is 62 athletes, after race-walker Dane Bird-Smith withdrew from the Games just before flying to Tokyo. It is not yet confirmed how many of the team are in isolation.

A statement from Team USA confirmed that Kendricks has tested positive to COVID-19.

The Australian track and field team has already been through a COVID-19 scare before leaving for Tokyo.

A staff member had an inconclusive test that later came back negative in Cairns at the group’s training camp.

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football Slides Sports News

OLYMPICS 2020: GERMANY ELIMINATED IN GROUP STAGE AFTER DRAW WITH IVORY COAST

Germany have been eliminated in the group stage of the men’s Olympic football tournament after a 1-1 draw with Ivory Coast at the Miyagi Stadium in Rifu on Wednesday.

Stefan Kuntz’s side, who won silver at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, came into the match a point behind Ivory Coast and knowing anything less than a victory would mean they were knocked out.

After a bright start by Germany, Ivory Coast grew into the game and took a deserve lead on 67 minutes when Benjamin Heinrichs bundled into his own goal.

Germany equalised six minutes later through Eduard Lowen’s stunning free kick to set up a tense finish but they were unable to find a winner.

Ivory Coast, unbeaten in the group, finished second to Brazil while third-place Germany joined Saudi Arabia in exiting the competition at the first hurdle.

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13-YEAR-OLD MOMIJI NISHIYA WINS FIRST OLYMPIC WOMEN’S SKATEBOARDING GOLD MEDAL

Momiji Nishiya made history at the age of just 13 on Monday as she became the first women’s Olympic street skateboarding champion.

A day after Yuto Horigome won the men’s competition for Japan, Nishiya doubled up for Japan as she triumphed ahead of Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, also 13.

The sport, making its Olympic debut, has already taken these Games by storm and the sight of these two youngster battling it out for gold only added to the drama at the Ariake Urban Sports Park.

Nishiya finished with a score of 15.26 compared to 14.64 for Leal, who was looking to become the youngest ever Olympic champion but instead had to settle for being the youngest medallist in 85 years.

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MAGNIFICENT MONA MC SHARRY BECOMES FIRST IRISH SWIMMER TO MAKE OLYMPIC FINAL FOR 25 YEARS

Sligo swimming star Mona McSharry turned in a stunning performance to qualify for the 100m breaststroke final in Tokyo today, the first Irish swimmer to make an Olympic final for 25 years. The 20-year-old clocked 1:06.59 to finish fourth in her semi-final, her time quick enough to see her through to tomorrow’s final in eighth place.

“I’m over the moon. That was the target, make it round by round and when I got to the semi-finals it was the plan to try make it into the final,” she said.

“I knew it was going to be tough. I was in ninth, already having moved up from my starting position so I knew it was going to be a push, everyone is swimming really fast and it’s competitive. I’m just so happy to get another opportunity to race tomorrow.”

McSharry admitted there was some grogginess this morning following a late night after her heat, her time today not quite as swift as she swam in the heats.

“I’m not surprised about that but I’m happier with how the race felt so I’m hoping I can pull the two together and swim a fast time hopefully like that.”

On her plans ahead the final?

“I’m going to relax, have a shower, chill, I might come in tonight for a paddle. I’ll definitely come in and watch Ellen (Walshe) and Brendan (Hyland) race, that’ll be fun, just being a spectator for the night. I’ll try get to bed earlier tonight if I can.”

McSharry said she was reveling in the Olympic experience and making friends beyond the swimming contingent at what is her first Games.

“It’s been amazing,” she said. “That’s the great thing about the Irish spirit as well: we are very close as a nation.”

Her achievement marks an incredible entrance on the Olympic stage for the Grange swimmer, a scholarship student at the University of Tennessee. McSharry, of course, has long been a name marked to make waves at this level, ever since winning gold and bronze medals at the 2017 World Junior Championships.

Speaking of her move stateside, McSharry said: “I really enjoy it, I made so many friends and it’s taken me away from times, it’s more about competing and getting your hand on the wall first and that is why we do this – to compete and race against people, that adrenaline rush you get.”

Her final takes place at 3:17am Irish time on Tuesday, and McSharry will be back in action after that in the heats of the 200m breaststroke on Wednesday.

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Slides Sports News Tennis

TOKYO OLYMPICS: ANDY MURRAY FORCED TO WITHDRAW FROM MEN’S SINGLES DUE TO THIGH STRAIN

Andy Murray’s bid for a third straight Olympic singles gold medal ended before it began when he withdrew ahead of his first match with a minor thigh strain.

The Scot had been due to take on ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada on Sunday but was replaced on the order of play by Australian Max Purcell.

Murray had been upbeat about his prospects after an excellent doubles victory with Joe Salisbury on Saturday but experienced tightness in his quad muscle and was advised not to try to compete in both events.

Murray and Salisbury’s form on Saturday, when they defeated French Open champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, suggested they could be medal contenders.

The three-time grand slam champion said: “I am really disappointed at having to withdraw but the medical staff have advised me against playing in both events, so I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the singles and focus on playing doubles with Joe.”

Murray is the only tennis player ever to win back-to-back singles gold medals, and it appears highly likely his last chance to add to that haul has now gone.

Speaking after his doubles victory on Saturday, Murray had said: “I do like the conditions here in terms of how the court plays and everything.

“Obviously not an easy one against Felix but I’ve played well in the practice sets and the practice matches that I’ve had and obviously today was a good one for the confidence. I think I’ll be all right.”

But this is yet another physical setback for the Scot, who has been unable to play consistently since his comeback from hip resurfacing surgery two and a half years ago.