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The men’s quad scull final will start shortly. The Australian quartet of Jack Cleary, Caleb Antill, Cameron Girdlestone and Luke Letcher finished second to the Netherlands in their heat to guarantee direct passage. The Dutch, who are world champions in this event, finished 1.74 seconds quicker.
Team GB’s Jack Beaumount, Angus Groom, Harry Leask and Tom Barras bounced back from disappointment in the heats with a more convincing performance in the repechage.
ICYMI, here are the final moments of that race.
It’s GOLDEN HOUR baby!!
Alexander Purnell
Spencer Turrin
Jack Hargreaves
Alexander Hill
Our Aussies doing us so so proud! @SamsungAU pic.twitter.com/tvGFi8DZWp
And so, Australia have more Oarsome Foursomes – plural. Both the women and men have blitzed their finals. Hang around as we turn our attention to the men’s quad scull final before hopping over to the pool.
Wow. That was a dramatic race, not least because there was very nearly a clash of boats in the final 100m when Team GB veered off course and had to steer themselves back on track. That would have cost them crucial seconds, and it did. For the first time since 2000, Britain have not won gold in this event. Australia went out hard and led the whole way, holding off a late surge. Italy it must be said came seemingly from nowhere. Kudos.
With 250m to go Australia are probably unbeatable, and GB and Romania are toe to toe for silver.
Have the Aussies peaked too early? Italy are charging too and move into third place.
Wait! Team GB are embarking on a late run. They’re trying to catch them. There is still some way to go though but they are surging with 500m to go. Wow.
The US are some way back as the boats start to spread. Italy also well off the pace.
It’s a boat length now. Wow. Team GB have a lot of work to do to rescue this. They’re in the silver medal position and the Romanians are in the third.
Britain are behind here. The pressure is on as Australia build a 0.85 gap on the rest of the field.
The Aussies are leading by a small margin early on but the Brits and Dutch on their tails.
Great Britain have won gold in the men’s four at every Olympics since 2000 and the combination of Games debutants Oliver Cook, Matthew Rossiter, Rory Gibbs and Sholto Carnegie showed their intention of taking a sixth straight title by leading from the off in their heat, beating Italy. So they are the team to beat.
And they’re off!
We’re counting down to the men’s four final now. The Brits are in lane four, the Aussies lane three, and the Americans in lane two.
Thank you Tom! Well it’s been a busy morning already but it’s about to get busier. If you’re not already strapped in would suggest doing so because here’s what’s coming in terms of Australian medal hopes. There are plenty of others from Team GB, Team USA and many other nations and I’ll take you through them as we approach each race:
10:10am local time – men’s four final (Alexander Purnell, Spencer Turrin, Jack Hargreaves, Alexander Hill)
On that note of Aussie excellence, I’ll hand over the blog to another excellent Aussie: Emma Kemp. Bye!
The world champs are now the Olympic champs! They were imperious all through the final and were threatened maybe for around the first 83cm and the last 83cm. Netherlands are second after a late, threatening second and Ireland catch GB for bronze! A great race and for all the Aussie greatness it was a brave, fierce surge from the Dutch at the end. Australia won with an Olympic record too (although we can caveat that with the fact that it hasn’t been competed since 1992).
Australia still first by 1.37 seconds after 1500m with 500 to go. Netherlands are catching slightly though with GB third and Ireland fourth.
Australia, the world champs, recorded a world’s best time over 500m and they extend their lead as they pass the halfway mark. The Netherlands are second and Britain are third with China fourth.
Canada have been the reigning champions in this event for 29 years … but it was last in the Olympics in 1992 so it’s not that impressive. Australia just lead the Netherlands after 500m and GB are a surprise third.
And now we have the women’s four final. Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, Netherlands, China and Poland are your teams.
Meanwhile, Nick Honeywell writes in on sports that shouldn’t be in the Olympics. My nomination is kitten killing. No way they should let it back in. Britain disgraced themselves in the 1896 Games. Anyway, here’s Nick:
It’s an epic tussle as the line approaches (OK, they approach the line) and France surge to victory! Just! Netherlands are in second and China are third. It was the narrowest of victories for the French. Britain were fourth.
500m to go: Netherlands are pushing away from the French with China in third. Britain in fourth …
Halfway point: China then Netherlands, France and GB. Still tight but China are accelerating…
The men’s double sculls final now: Switzerland, China, France, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Poland are your protagonists. China are the firm favourites here but, you know, SPORTS! France have the best chance of an upset. It’s France, Netherlands and then China after 500m but it’s pretty tight.
And it’s Romania who ease home for gold! A late surge sees New Zealand capture silver and the Netherlands collect bronze. Romania won in an Olympic record too.
No one is catching Romania for gold with 500m to go. New Zealand and the Netherlands battle for silver…
The Netherlands team’s coach is watching this from his hotel room after he had to isolate because of Covid protocols. It’s Romania, who stretch out into the lead over the Netherlands and Lithuania at 500m – a lightning start. But at halfway New Zealand have made up water and move into second.
We now have a run of six A finals (ie you win gold if you win) coming up. First, it’s the women’s double sculls, featuring USA, New Zealand, Romania, Canada, the Netherlands and Lithuania.
As we ready ourselves for the start Mark from Wisconsin has something to say on sports that should be dropped from the Games: “Drop skateboarding cuz you’re making it too mainstream for normals. Replace with uncool sports like cornhole or log rolling.” Log rolling is definitely not uncool.
It’s the women’s quadruple sculls B final next. USA, Britain, New Zealand and France are your crews. GB leap/row very fast out to an early lead and are not seriously challenged after that. New Zealand, France and the US finish after them in that order.
Meanwhile, Paul McDevitt writes in on sports that shouldn’t be in the Olympics. “I don’t think there should be sports played by millionaire professionals like golf, basketball, football or tennis although they at least are sports played by the masses unlike skeleton, ski jumping, pole vault etc, which are sports only ‘played’ by athletes completing in an Olympics,” he says. So you’re saying your school didn’t have a skeleton bob track? You missed out, Paul.
The men’s four B final is next. Poland finish ahead of Canada, Switzerland and South Africa respectively. Just to clarify: there are no medals in the B finals (rebutting the myth that everyone gets a medal these days) but it’s nice to win something.
And who will win the men’s quadruple sculls B final? I’ll tell you who: either China, Norway, Germany and Lithuania. Aaaand it’s China who romp home, the kings of the B final every one of them. Germany, Norway and Lithuania finish second, third and fourth.
Reader Joe Surtees writes in (reading and writing – all in one day!) with a question that will provoke … some debate.
“I wanted to ask whether people had an opinion on what sports really shouldn’t be in the Olympics?” he says. Or asks. Has he asked or said here? “For me, it has to be anything involving a horse.” That’s gymnastics out then, but do go on. “Equestrianism seems more to do with who can afford to buy and keep an impressive animal, than anything else. Look at the ages of the competitors, they hardly scream Olympian ideal. It’s surely more animal training than sport.”
Related: Bruce Springsteen’s daughter Jessica selected for US Olympic showjumping team
We’re on to the women’s four B final now in the rowing. It’s a battle for North American supremacy as Canada take on the US with Denmark and Romania also in the mix. The US have a narrow lead over the Romanians with 500m to go. The Americans coast home first but it’s a scrap between the other three before Denmark pip Romania for second. Canada are fourth.
We have a fairly quiet 30 minutes or so of competition ahead. There are plenty of B finals in the rowing (ie: the very good rowers rather than the very, very good rowers). It’s the men’s double sculls at the moment where the ROC came home first ahead of New Zealand.
One for our Australian readers now: there are plenty of medal opportunities for the Aussies in the next few hours. Here is what is coming up in rowing and swimming. All times are AEST.
Related: Australia at the Olympics on day 5: schedule of who and when to watch in Tokyo today
Simone Biles’s former USA gymnastics Aly Raisman has spoken in support of the Olympic champions after her withdrawal from the team event yesterday in Tokyo.
“It is so much pressure,” Raisman said in an interview with ESPN. “It’s the most pressure I’ve ever seen on a gymnast and maybe even Olympic athlete, and I can’t imagine how hard it is for her.
Related: Simone Biles to take ‘a day at a time’ before further Tokyo participation
Hello. It’s been a busy 24 hours at the Olympics with a shower of medals (expected), rain showers (expected) and Simone Biles’s withdrawal from the team gymnastics competition (unexpected), something that prompted a shower of articles (I was a little unclear about how I was going to get another shower reference in there).
But enough of the past. What’s coming up today? My colleague Martin Belam has provided a guide to today’s highlights. Read on …
