In the coming days, until August 21, more than 3 billion people worldwide will watch on their televisions or online through live streaming the spectacular performance of 10,500 athletes from 206 countries competing in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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On the final day of swimming, however, Campbell has admitted her 100m freestyle flop earlier in the week was “possibly the greatest choke in Olympic history”.
Saturday could be Michael Phelps’s last time in an Olympic competition. They have sat in this boat and they have got us over that line. “You have to commit 130 percent of yourself every day”. We came back from a goal down.
Usain Bolt, no slouch himself on the track, says it’s going to be hard to pick a favorite in the women’s 100 meters at the Rio Olympics.
To underscore the United States’ status as the Olympics undisputed superpower, at the current rate of winning medals (going back to 2000) it will take nearly a century and 21 more Summer Games for the next nation to reach the 1,000 gold plateau, with China finally hitting the mark in 2100. Others in the mix include Andrew Fisher, a Jamaican who competes for Bahrain, Jamaican Yohan Blake, Americans Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell and Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre. The Victoria duo of Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee won silver in the women’s lightweight double sculls on Friday, but the men’s quadruple sculls wound up a stunning eighth after failing to make its final, while the men’s four was a distant sixth. He has already notched up victories over those distances at three successive World Championships – the “Triple-Double”. She took silver with 20.42m.
Simone Manuel, who became the first African-American woman to win a gold medal when she set an American and Olympic record in the 100 free on Thursday, is in the women’s 50 free finals Saturday.
The 31-year-old had to come from behind on the butterfly leg of the 4x100m medley but set up the victory in 3min 27.95sec which included a world record in the backstroke leg by America’s Ryan Murphy. Expect a strong showing from Canadian all-rounder Brianne Theisen-Eaton and another young Briton, Katarina Johnson-Thompson as the grueling seven-event contest reaches a climax.
It’s also the women’s triple jump final.
Murray was knocked out of the doubles competition and his performances in Rio have been mixed, but he was the flag bearer for Team GB and will be keen to repeat his success from London 2012. But for now at least, Saturday will be your last chance to see the great man in the pool.
Hill added: “It is so different to four years ago”.
But they look to be back.
In the men’s eights, Britain unseated a favored German boat to claim gold in 5:29.16. We didn’t meet our expectations as a team.
World champions from Lake Aiguebelette in France a year ago, Britain pipped the Germans to gold on that occasion by just two-tenths and a similarly tight race was on the cards.
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The Netherlands’ Elis Ligtlee pulled off a shock when she won the women’s keirin, beating Britain’s Becky James with Australian legend Anna Meares third. The man to beat in the 800 meters is David Rudisha of Kenya, who holds the world and Olympic records.
