Team GB enjoyed their best start to an Olympics in modern times after another two golds, a silver and two bronzes on a wonderful Wednesday in Paris.
An overall tally of 17 medals in five days is the most successful opening in 112 years, leaving Britain on course to hit 60-plus for four successive Games.
On Wednesday morning, triathlete Alex Yee and the women’s quad sculls rowers both roared to victory in a 15 minute gold rush. Kieran Reilly also collected silver in a thrilling conclusion to the men’s BMX freestyle final. There were also bronzes for Beth Potter in the women’s triathlon and for diving pair Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson.
At the time of publishing, the current haul leaves Britain in fifth, with two more golds than USA, in seventh place. America will soon start shooting up the table, however, as track and field begins on Thursday.
GB have gone one better than at this same stage in Tokyo three years ago, and much better than all years since 1912. There were 26 medals by this stage 112 years ago but those numbers are distorted by a different schedule then, with four golds, six silvers and six bronze medals won before the opening ceremony.
Elite funding body UK Sport said earlier this month that a record haul of up to 70 Olympic medals is “within our grasp”. Team GB finished the last three Olympic Games with respectively 64, 67 and 65 medals to place in the top four of the medals table.
The current standings are broadly in line with pre-Games predictions from the analysis firm Nielsen’s Gracenote, which had forecast 16 GB medals by this stage in its virtual medal table.
“This is on target for the 64 we had before the Olympics but the gold medals are up slightly,” said Simon Gleave, Gracenote’s head of analysis. He is now predicting a “very interesting” potential battle for third place with hosts France by the end of the Games.
Paris Olympics day five: As it happened
09:47 PM BST
Marchand makes history
Three races, three Olympic records at these Paris Games for Leon Marchand, who demonstrated his superhuman ability once again by becoming the first man in history to complete the butterfly-breaststroke double.
Marchand, who already won gold in the 400-metre individual medley, has achieved the rare feat of winning two Olympic titles in one swimming session, something not even Michael Phelps managed.
First, he turned on the magic in a breathtaking final 50-metres in the butterfly, harnessing every decibel of the crowd to overtake Kristof Milan with 30 metres remaining.
He not only chased Milan down but also sneaked under the Olympic record previously set by the Hungarian, clocking 1.51.21 in his second record-breaking swim of these Games.
The Toulouse man, nicknamed La Baguette had less than a two-hour rest – with a medal ceremony sandwiched in between – before returning for the 200m breastroke where he showed no sign of fatigue as he led from start to finish, clocking an incredible third Olympic record in 2:05.85.
The Frenchman, who will race in the 200m individual relay on Thursday, remains on track to complete the ‘quadruple’ at his home Olympics. Given the electric form he is, you wouldn’t bet against him – this is an animal competitor who has a winning instinct in big moments.
Meanwhile, Katie Ledecky obliterated the field to claim gold in the 1500 metre freestyle, winning her eighth Olympic title of her career and 12th overall.
09:38 PM BST
Marchand wins gold again! 200m breaststroke and butterfly in one night
Stubblety-Cook just could not whittle away Marchand’s lead, who was just relentless once again. Not even Michael Phelps won two individual races on the same night. He is the superstar of these Games. His time is a new Olympic record.
09:36 PM BST
At the halfway point….
Marchand is leading from the front, trying to grind them into submission. He leads Corbeau and Stubblety-Cook by almost a second.
09:35 PM BST
They’re off!
Marchand, in lane four, and as he takes air for the first time he is already in the lead.
09:34 PM BST
Marchand is out…
The crowd are chanting his name as he goes for a hat-trick of Olympic golds and a famous double tonight. Marchand will catapult himself into the stratosphere of French sporting greats if he wins this.
09:29 PM BST
Swimming: Just four minutes until Marchand races again
Nobody has ever won two individual swimming golds in one session, but Marchand has the chance to do just that. If there is a tight finish, the partisan home crowd could prove the difference. The atmosphere is raucous, more like the Parc des Princes when PSG play Marseille than a swimming meet.
09:23 PM BST
Boxing: Lewis Richardson on his win
It is testament to how difficult the Olympic cycle is and I am one fight away from winning an Olympic medal.
We broke the curse, I have been waiting around a good few days and didn’t see decisions go our way. Testament to myself for staying focused – I lost the first round and struck to my game-plan.
08:59 PM BST
Marchand going for an unprecedented double
After taking his second gold of the Games in the 200m butterfly, Leon Marchand has exactly one hour and 54 minutes until he’s out again for the 200m breaststroke. No-one in history has completed the 200m butterfly-breaststroke double. So if he does it, he’s basically superhuman.
08:55 PM BST
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08:55 PM BST
The medal table as things stand
08:46 PM BST
Ledecky a modern day legend
Katie Ledecky extends her legendary status in the sport by comfortably winning the 1500m freestyle and eighth Olympic gold in a new Olympic record of 15:30.02. She was almost 25 metres clear of France’s Anastasiya Kirpichnikova.. that’s almost half a pool. It looked like a training session for her. She’s 27 and still looks at the top of her game. Sensational.
08:43 PM BST
Swimming: Ledecky matches an Olympic record
Ledecky now shares the record for most Olympic gold medals in women’s swimming with American Jenny Thompson, who won eight relay titles over three Olympics from 1992-2000.
08:33 PM BST
Swimming: Women’s 1,500m freestyle final result
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Katie Ledecky (USA)
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Anastasiya Kirpichnikov (France)
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Isabel Gose (Germany)
An utterly dominant performance from Ledecky, who cut through the water with ease and put her rivals to the sword. A new Olympic record set by the American who was in a class of her own.
Ledecky defends her title and wins Olympic gold medal number 12.
08:11 PM BST
Mark Foster on BBC talking about Marchand’s butterfly performance
The victory was all in the turn from Leon Marchand. The 50 metres off the wall was the deal. Tactically Marchand will have known that Kristof Milak likes to lead from the front, he did that in the heats and the semis, so just sit on him then pounce. It was Michael Phelps-esque in that final 50 metres.
08:09 PM BST
Boxing: Team GB avoid total elimination
Lewis Richardson is Team GB’s last man standing in the boxing, and has beaten Vakhid Abbasov.
08:01 PM BST
Result from second women’s 200m butterfly semi-final
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Zhang Yufei (China)
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Alex Shackell (USA)
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Abbey Lee Connor (Australia)
The times in that second semi were relatively slow, which means Team GB’s Laura Stephens makes it through to the 200m butterfly final.
07:59 PM BST
Tennis: Nadal and Alcaraz beaten
Rafael Nadal’s Games — and, almost certainly, his Olympic career — is over after he and Carlos Alcaraz were beaten 6-2, 6-4 by fourth-seeded American duo of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. Follow latest reaction here.
07:52 PM BST
Result from the first women’s 200m butterfly semi-final
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Summer McIntosh (Canada)
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Regan Smith (USA)
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Elizabeth Dekkers (Australia)
Team GB’s Laura Stephens finished fifth with a very respectable time. A waiting game now to discover if she will make the final.
07:49 PM BST
‘Absolute perfection’ from Marchand
Leon Marchand with his second gold – and second Olympic record – of his home Games! The Frenchman timed that to absolute perfection, bombing it down the final 50 metres to overtake Hungary’s Kristof Milan and take a sensational victory. He looked out of it after the first 100m – at one point he was more than two strokes behind Milan – but he executed his plan brilliantly. La Defense Arena still has its roof, but only just.
07:44 PM BST
Marchand wins gold!
The crowd are out of their seats and roaring on the home favourite. It was the quality of Marchand’s final turn that won it, Milak was always fighting a losing battle from that point on. Marchand records the third-fastest 200m butterfly time ever, and wins his second gold of the Games. One down, one to go. He will now have a breather before the 200m breaststroke final. An audacious Wednesday night double is on the cards.
07:42 PM BST
At the halfway point
Hungarian Kristof Milak is the early leader with Marchand stalking him in second. As they turn after the second length, it is Milak first and Marchand second. The Frenchman is around 1.5 metres behind.
07:40 PM BST
Marchand gets a rapturous reception
The Frenchman is racing in two individual races in one session, which has been called mission impossible. Marchand is in lane five.
And they’re off!
07:36 PM BST
Swimming: Women’s 100m freestyle final result
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Sjoestroem (Sweden)
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Huske (USA)
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Haughey (Hong Kong)
Next up is the men’s 200m butterfly final, which includes Marchand.
Evening from La Defense Arena, where the announcer has just informed everyone the men’s 200m butterfly final is up next. Cue deafening roar. Leon Marchand, one of the poser boys of these Games, will go for his second gold of the Olympics. Lots of USA support in the crowd tonight, with superstar Katie Ledecky to go in the 1500m freestyle later. On my way in there were lots of American fans sporting Ledecky-themed T-shirts.
07:33 PM BST
Swimming: Women’s 100m freestyle final the first race of the night
No an empty seat in the house at La Defense Arena. Two Americans and two Australians in the race.
07:24 PM BST
Swimming: Evening session is about to start
All eyes are on Leon Marchand, the Frenchman who has become one of the poster boys of the Games, as he goes for gold in the men’s 200m breaststroke final. Marchand already has one gold in his back pocket after winning the 400m individual medley.
07:18 PM BST
Gymnastics: Men’s all-round final result
It is gold for Japan and Shinnosuke Oka. Boheng Zang and Xiao Ruoteng, both of China, take silver and bronze. No luck for Jarman or Fraser, but they finished a highly creditable seventh and fifth.
07:01 PM BST
Athletics: Italy’s Marcell Jacobs talks up his 100m chances
“I am a completely different athlete from Tokyo, and the important thing is the work,” Jacobs said at a media event at Puma House.
“I worked really hard the last year. I have no injuries. Last year I said the important thing for this year was no injury, stay healthy and win the Olympic Games. So we are healthy. So now the focus is winning the Olympic Games.”
06:42 PM BST
Diving: Fred Sirieix after seeing daughter Andrea win bronze
06:25 PM BST
Gymnastics: Jake Jarman still has a medal chance
You can follow the final three rotations on our live blog here.
06:09 PM BST
Tennis: Swiatek and Collins in the wars
Iga Swiatek dropped to her knees on the court and clutched at her midsection after getting hit by a ball during a point in her singles quarter-final, but it was her opponent, Danielle Collins, who stopped playing later in the third set.
Swiatek was leading 6-2, 1-6, 4-1 when Collins retired from the match after taking a medical timeout, then getting another visit from a trainer. It was not immediately clear what was wrong with Collins.
05:48 PM BST
Mallory Franklin on disappointment in the single canoe slalom final
I was just a bit frustrated. I know I have the pace but I have been struggling all year to put that together and keep it clean and get good delivery out.
I was really hoping I would be able to put it together at this point when it really mattered. I wasn’t able to and that’s a bit sad.
I was easily capable of the medal but wasn’t able to put it together. I’m also a bit unsurprised, I guess that’s been my year so far so I can’t expect a huge amount else really.
It’s a tough one to take. I think I was capable of getting that medal today, but it is what it is and I’ll just try to reset and come back fighting for the rest of the year, and the next cycle.
05:44 PM BST
Tennis: Nadal and Alcaraz team up
Spanish duo Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are in action against American pair Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ra shortly. Follow latest updates from that match here.
05:28 PM BST
Gymnastics: Promising start for Jarman
GB’s Jake Jarman is second in the overall standings after two rotations. Team-mate Joe Fraser is ninth. Follow the latest from what looks an open men’s all-round final here.
05:15 PM BST
Canoeing: Women’s canoe single final result
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Jessica Fox (Australia)
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Elena Lilik (Germany)
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Evy Leibfarth (USA)
Disappointment for Team GB’s Mallory Franklin who finished last after once again occurring a couple of penalties. You can follow the reaction to that event here.
05:08 PM BST
Boxing: Refugee Olympic Team one fight away from a medal
Boxer Cindy Ngamba of the Refugee Olympic Team won her opening bout at the Paris Games, stunning former world champion Tammara Thibeault of Canada.
Ngamba is one victory away from clinching the Refugee Team’s first Olympic medal. She fights France’s Davina Michel on Sunday in the women’s 75-kilogram quarterfinals.
gamba was born in Cameroon and moved to England at 11 years old. The Bolton resident trains alongside the British team in Sheffield. Last year she became the first boxer on the Refugee Olympic Team to secure an Olympic berth through qualifiers and not through invitation.
04:56 PM BST
Women’s football: Red card for Marta
Brazil’s legendary captain has been sent off against Spain for catching left-back Olga Carmona with a high foot. The game is goalless as half-time approaches, but Brazil will have to cope with 10 players for the remainder.
04:49 PM BST
Athletics: No sprint double tilt for Shericka Jackson
Jamaica’s twice 200 metres world champion Shericka Jackson will not contest the sprint double after dropping the 100 in a move to protect her body.
The 30-year-old Jackson, who pulled up with an injury in her final outing before the Games in Hungary on July 9, clocked her season’s best of 10.84 seconds to win the 100m at the Jamaican trials last month.
“It’s a combination of things,” Jackson said at a media event at Puma House. “I got hurt in Hungary and it’s a good decision to run one event.
“I think this is just to protect my body. For the last three years, I’ve been competing in both events, and I think this (decision) is a combination of both, just focusing on one event and (what happened in Hungary).”
04:43 PM BST
Golf: Rory McIlroy asked where the Olympics stands within the sport
“I think as golf is in the Olympics for a longer period of time … I don’t know if anything will be able to sit alongside the majors. We have our four events a year that are the gold standard,” Rory McIlroy said. “But think this in time is going to be right up there amongst that.”
04:28 PM BST
Tennis: Women’s doubles up shortly
Katie Boulter and Heather Watson are in action for Team GB at Roland Garros against Brazilian sixth seeds Beatriz Haddad Maia and Luisa Stefani. Both players have been knocked out of the singles. Follow the latest updates on our dedicated live blog here.
04:26 PM BST
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04:09 PM BST
Alex Yee speaking to BBC after his triathlon gold
I’m a bit in shock really that it is me that is doing this, winning gold. I am just so grateful for the hundreds of people that have been behind me helping me, all the way since I was a child, youth athlete, and then to now.
If I chopped up this medal and gave a piece to all the people who have helped me get here then there would be none left for me. I am so lucky to be able to be the person to do this amazing sport, this amazing race, and what a venue too.
04:04 PM BST
Gymnastics: Men’s all-round final starting soon
Joe Fraser and Jake Jarman are Team GB’s two medal chances. You can follow latest updates on our dedicated gymnastics live blog here.
03:54 PM BST
The medal table as things stand
03:51 PM BST
Shooting: Guatemala win first gold medal
Guatemala’s Adriana Ruano Oliva has won the women’s trap gold and the tale of her career is quite something.
Ruano was training for the 2011 world championships in gymnastics, a qualifier for the London Olympics the following year, when she felt pain in her back.
An MRI showed the then-16-year-old had six damaged vertebrae — a career-ending injury — and Ruano’s doctor recommended she take up shooting if she wanted to stay in sports without aggravating her injured back.
03:40 PM BST
Canoeing: Mallory Franklin through to the final
You can follow Franklin going for gold in the canoe slalom on our dedicated live blog here.
03:22 PM BST
Rugby sevens: World Rugby CEO hails atmosphere
“It’s been incredible, 550,000 spectators in six days,” said World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin. “We always said this was our chance to have a coming of age rugby sevens and it’ been amazing, everything we thought it could be.”
Veterans of Six Nations grand slams, the Rugby World Cup and Super 14 finals said the noise that greeted the French men’s victory over Argentina in the quarter-finals surpassed them all.
03:16 PM BST
Sailing: Lack of wind stops play in Marseille
Racing in the debut women’s windsurfing marathon has been abandoned because of a fading breeze during a grueling hour for sailors competing in a long-series off Marseille.
After a dramatic start, where a power boat whizzed across the front of the fleet to signal the off, the race developed into a slow slog, with the windsurfers dropping off the foils and having to ‘pump’ their sails to propel themselves.
03:03 PM BST
Convicted Dutch rapist on next
Stephen van de Velde is up next at the Eiffel Tower stadium, he and partner Matthew Immers are taking on Chilean namesakes Esteban and Marco Grimalt. The Dutch sit in third in Pool B, above the Chilean duo, but are currently outside the threshold for knockout qualification as best of the rest. Read Chief Sports Writer Oliver Brown’s take on the controversy here.
02:45 PM BST
Were you or a family member an Olympian?
02:45 PM BST
Mallory Franklin up next on Wonderful Wednesday
Our next live blog is over at the canoe slalom at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. GB’s Mallory Franklin qis seeded sixth place as we head into the semifinals and has significant C1 pedigree – 21 World Cup medals including seven golds in total. You can follow her fortunes through this link, as she endeavours to add a sixth medal today and add to the two canoeing medals so far in Paris – a silver for Adam Burgess in the men’s equivalent for this event and a bronze for Kimberley Woods in the K1.
02:30 PM BST
What medal will it be for Reilly?
Gold medal incumbent Torres Gil applauds… IT’S SILVER!! A look of mixed emotions on his face, it’s a great achievement but he was oh so close, 0.91 off the victorious Argentine. That’s GB’s 5th medal of the day, the first coloured silver!
The margins were razor thin on the scoreboard, and on the bike as you can see below:
You can catch the reaction and analysis here.
02:25 PM BST
Reilly guaranteed bronze!
Kieran Reilly is guaranteed a bronze medal! He’s about to embark on his second run now to try and upgrade it! Follow here!
02:21 PM BST
Helen Glover interview
Double Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover competes in the women’s four final tomorrow morning, aiming to emulate the dramatic scenes from the women’s quadruple sculls today, and help Britain make amends for a gold-less Tokyo Olympics.
However, Glover’s story has an extra dimension. Yes, Pinsent and Redgrave ruled the waves for a generation, but they never had to combine training with bringing up three children under six. They did not have to squeeze in squats and lunges while cooking the dinner, nor report at 3pm every weekday for the “non-negotiable” nursery pick-up.
“There’s been a huge surge of support,” said Glover…
Read the special report here.
02:09 PM BST
Reilly in second
Kieran Reilly has just finished his first run of two in the BMX Freestyle final. He has the crowd on their feet but is placed in silver medal in the provisional standings, second to Argentina’s Jose Torres Gil who leads by 1.12 points – Reilly has a 3.35 cushion from bronze though. You can watch his run below, and follow live updates here.
02:04 PM BST
Tennis’ big names move forward
Roland Garros action continues today, although Andy Murray and Dan Evans’ fixture has been rescheduled for tomorrow following the renewal of their fairytale yesterday.
Today, Heather Watson and Katie Boulter pick up the mantle for GB; they’re third on court 6 against Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia and Luisa Stefani. They’ll have to wait first, though, for German pair Jan-Lennard Struff and Dominik Koepfer to finish, but they face a delayed start given Koepfer has only just finished on the singles court, losing to Novak Djokovic.
Elsewhere, top seeds such as Stefanos Tsitsipas, Tommy Paul, and Lorenzo Musetti are through, the latter beating Taylor Fritz after the American knocked out Brit Jack Draper yesterday.
Carlos Alcaraz is currently in action following his doubles win with Nadal yesterday, whilst high profile seeds such as Iga Swiatek, Danielle Collins, and Angelique Kerber are all through in the women’s singles.
01:50 PM BST
Read up on Wonderful Wednesday!
With four medals this Wednesday is henceforth known as Wonderful Wednesday, because it’s the Olympics so illiteration is obligatory. You can read reports from the two golds, two bronzes and one missed podium through the following links:
Beth Potter kicked off the morning with a bronze in the green-lighted triathlon.
The next medal came courtesy of Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson at the diving pool, stepping into the podium slots at the last opportunity in front of their jubilent families.
This was quickly followed by some more last-gasp heroics from Alex Yee, who bounced back from the ropes to overtake Hayden Wilde and win the men’s triathlon.
Then finally, at the climax of a frantic hour, GBs women’s quadruple sculls staged a remarkable late comeback to beat the Netherlands in a photo finish.
Box office Olympics.
01:34 PM BST
BMX Freestyle underway
We’re well underway at La Concorde urban park, with the women’s BMX freestyle competition having been wrapped up just moments ago with a podium comprising of China, USA, and Australia. That final was missing GB hopeful Charlotte Worthington after she succumbed to the now infamous Olympics ‘twisties’.
The men are up now, and it looks promising for GB’s Kieran Reilly, who topped the log in yesterday’s qualifying. You can track his progress through this live blog.
01:16 PM BST
Speaking of enduring photos…
…Here’s one of 7”4 French Olympic posterboy Victor Wembanyama, literally towering over Yuki Kawamura during yesterday’s 94-90 victory over Japan
01:11 PM BST
Historic show of unity
Olympic table tennis players from North and South Korea posed together for a selfie in a rare show of cross-border unity between the hostile neighbours.
In what could prove one of the most enduring images of these Games, the two nations nestled together on the medal podium in Paris to take the shot.
The timing of the picture is remarkable given North Korea only this week spoke of “surging hatred” towards South Korea and the US.
Read the full piece here…
01:08 PM BST
Mixed fortunes for GB’s swimmers
Amidst this morning’s medal-infused morning, four GB swimmers entered heats.
Luke Greenbank and Oliver Morgan swam in the 200m backstroke, but the former was shocked by a disqualification for swimming underwater for too long on a turn, cancelling out his first place finish in his heat. Meanwhile, Morgan has qualified for the seventh lane in tonight’s semi-final so faces an uphill battle to proceed to a shot at a medal.
In the women’s 200m butterfly, two brits, Keanna Macines and Laura Stephens, are both in outside lanes for tonight’s semi-finals having qualified with some middling times and, crucially, no dramas.
12:49 PM BST
GB’s boxing woes continue
Amidst day 5’s medal-rush, a fascinating sub-plot of GB’s first week is their shortcomings in the boxing ring. GB’s Chantelle Reid has just lost a split decision to Morocco’s Khadija Mardi in the 75kg division, taking GB to 0/5 in the ring so far. Given the judges were split three and two, it will be interesting to hear Reid’s take – will she follow Delicious Orie and Rosie Eccles in calling out judging ineptitude?
Either way, Britain’s indefinite boxing hopes at the Olympics now rest solely on Lewis Richardson in this evening’s 71kg bout against Serbia’s Vakhid Abbasov before boxing is removed from the 2028 Games.
12:41 PM BST
And finally harking back four medals ago to bronze medallist triathlete Beth Potter…
“I’m so happy”, said Potter. “I was going for the gold but Cassandre and Julie were just too good for me today and I’m super happy to come away with the bronze.
“I’ve come a long way in eight years. I did it for me but I also did it for everyone who has helped me in eight years and believed in me from day one. It is for them back home as well.”
That eight years of course a reference to her decision to quit 10km running after a 34th placed finish at Rio 2016, and take up triathlon instead – read her full story here.
12:32 PM BST
And now from bronze medallist divers Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson, who earlier claimed a third consecutive diving medal for GB
“I don’t think there is anyway to describe what we are feeling”, said Spendolini-Sirieix. “We are so happy. We have worked so hard.
On leaving it late: “I am sorry we gave everyone a hard time but we always know how to close a competition.”
Lois Toulson said: “There was a blip in the middle with our third dive which is usually one of our strongest. We stayed confident and calm.”
12:29 PM BST
Now we can hear from our victorious rowers, with the sort of story that makes the Olympics so great…
Teammate Hannah Scott added: “It’s been a long time in the making and I still can’t quite believe it. I don’t know if I’m emotional yet but that will come. I think we were so process-driven today and the immensity of what this is, it hasn’t caught up with me.
“The crew today were amazing. We kept it so cool to the end. We had the confidence, we’ve done so many hard miles in training and for anyone out there just go for it. If you think you can you might just do it one day, and that’s the really cool thing about the Olympics.”
12:21 PM BST
4 podiums from 5 available sees GB climb medal table:
12:16 PM BST
Ahead of the curve…
As evident below in this stressfully coloured graph, a medal-saturated morning ensures GB’s record breaking start to Paris 2024 continues:
12:08 PM BST
Speaking of…
…Not quite as dramatic as the rowers but if you get a chance to see Yee’s facials for the preceding 5km you’ll understand the magnitude of this sprint finish.
12:06 PM BST
Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat…
12:01 PM BST
Four(!) medals this morning – let’s hear from the winners
First up, men’s triathlon winner Alex Yee following a late comeback to beat New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde:
I don’t even know, I just have so much respect for Hayden and how much he made me dig for that. Fair play to him, he’s an amazing athlete. For me, almost two laps in I thought silver was on the cards. I owed it to myself to give myself one last chance and with about 2k to go I thought I’d give it everything I had. I’m just so proud I was able to do that for my family, for everyone who has worked hard, for my girlfriend Liv. There’s so many more people than just me that have worked towards this. I am the lucky one who gets to do it.
I was in quite a bad place to be fair. I really wanted to do a swim, bike and run. Maybe I did a bit too much swimming and biking today! That meant that run was really hard. I was going through a really bad patch. For me, I rode that wave and just said one more try and let’s see if I can do it. I didn’t give up.
11:55 AM BST
Proud father moment…
11:46 AM BST
GB’s quadruple sculls take photo finish gold!
A thrilling race with a tense ending….. and it’s a photo finish!!! And they’ve won it, what a comeback!!! They were half a boat length away with less than 500m of the 2,000m to go but reeled in The Netherlands just in the nick of time! This is turning into quite some morning for GB, a fourth medal from five available, and a second gold!!
Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw snatch a gold, and in the space of 30 minutes GB have produced two instantly memorable comeback victories.
11:42 AM BST
GB rowers miss out on podium
You couldn’t take your eyes off that triathlon climax as Alex Yee made his superhuman attack at the end, but in the meantime Britain missed out on a medal – the first podium they’re absent from so far today – in the men’s quadruple sculls. Heartbreak for Tom Barras, Callum Dixon, Matt Haywood and Graeme Thomas. They succumb to the strong efforts of the Netherlands, Italy, and Poland.
The women’s equivalent are up next, hoewever, with a chance for vengeance here…
11:32 AM BST
YEE TAKES GOLD
Incredible finish!!! Yee takes gold with a sensational sprint finish! He looked down and out, with a seemingly insurmountable deficit behind New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde. Then out of nowhere he resurges and eats into Wilde’s lead in rapid fashion, sprinting to the line to win a dramatic gold – shades of Pidcock’s attack on Monday! Yee breaks down into tears immediately on the line, he’s been standing on the shoulders of giants for his whole career but now he solidifies himself as one in his own right. What a race, what an ending! Reaction here!
11:25 AM BST
Bronze tastes nice!
11:24 AM BST
Last lap for Yee
Alex Yee has been subjected to some ruthless attacking running from Hayden Wilde, the Kiwi maintaining a gap of over 10 seconds, increasing his pace anytime Yee looks to be closing the gap. 2km to go now and it’s last chance saloon for the Brit.
11:22 AM BST
GB beat South Africa
GB, as they have for the final three quarters of this match, ensure South Africa are kept well clear of their box to close out a hard-fought, and crucial, victory. They face USA tomorrow, and Argentina on Saturday to keep hold of their qualification spot.
11:18 AM BST
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson celebrate
11:11 AM BST
Yee in contention in final leg
The cycling produced an equally gripping leg as the women’s race, but for different reasons as a bunch of 32 collected to form a fast-paced peloton. GB’s Sam Dickinson put in some notable hard graft towards the end, and tries – and fails – to rev up the French crowd as Alex Yee makes the first attack of the run.
Only New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde – having made up a lot of ground in the cycling leg – is able to follow, and now the Kiwi attacks as we approach the half way mark! Yee currently unable to follow, keep up with the action here!
11:04 AM BST
Women’s hockey well-poised
GB’s hockey team are in a strong position heading into the last five minutes of their match vs South Africa. They went 1-0 down courtesy of a Kayla de Waal goal, but Amy Costello equalised shortly before half time, building momentum for Hannah French to hit the post before giving GB the lead in the third quarter.
The team were sitting in fourth of six in their pool before this game, so this win will be very helpful in helping them hold that position and qualify for the knockouts after two losses to open their campaign.
10:54 AM BST
Spendolini-Sirieix and Toulson WIN BRONZE
They’ve done it! GB’s superb streak in the diving pool continues as Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson’s tournament-best final dive is enough to secure bronze behind China and North Korea! Toulson’s boyfriend, Jack Laugher, who is due to compete in the 3m springboard final on friday is in tears, hugs all around. GB’s second medal of the day. Get all the reaction here.
10:48 AM BST
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson in the medals now!
Diving contests are notoriously difficult to follow and Great Britain briefly move to silver before a North Korea dive sends them back to bronze. It’s a precarious position though, all eyes on the Canadians here…
10:46 AM BST
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson finish up
The British pair have executed their last dive and face a nervous wait to see if Canada can open the door to bronze. As expected, China have wrapped up gold, with North Korea surging into silver with a strong few dives. GB saved their best till last, and now need a Canada error to take Britain’s 3rd diving medal in Paris.
10:43 AM BST
Imogen Grant and Emily Craig through to final
In the rowing, Britain’s Imogen Grant and Emily Craig coast into the final of the women’s lightweight double sculls. They led from the start of the race and earn themselves a shot at a medal that they will very justifiably be fancying themselves for. Follow more rowing here.
10:38 AM BST
Britain out the Badminton
There’s been plenty badminton action this morning, but none of it will feature GB.
The biggest hope was always an outside chance, Kirsty Gilmour has ranked in the top 30 for big stretches of her career but failed to make it out the pools for a third consecutive Olympics. She opened her campaign with a 2-0 victory over Azerbaijan’s Keisha Fatima Azzahra, before losing 2-0 to sixth seed He Big Jiao of China to confirm her exit.
Ben Lane and Sean Vendy also dropped out at the group stage in the men’s doubles, losses to Malaysia and China ensuring their victory over Canada was purely consolatory.
10:24 AM BST
2 down, 3 to go for Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix
GB’s Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson are in bronze… no wait silver after a Canadian slip up after their first two dives. They’re, as expecetd, a sizeable 14-point margin behind the Chinese duo with three dives left in this final. You never know… Although with Chen and Quan’s current form it feels like you do. Live coverage here.
10:17 AM BST
Chloe Brew and Rebecca Edwards exit
Women’s pair Chloe Brew and Rebecca Edwards finish fifth in their women’s pair semi-final, Netherlands, Romania, and Greece qualifying with Denmark beating them to fourth. Our live coverage’s attention turns to Imogen Grant and Emily Craig in the semi-finals of the women’s lightweight double sculls at 10.34.
10:12 AM BST
Yee out the Seine
Alex Yee is out the Seine and into the cycling leg of the Triathlon. Italy’s Alessio Crociani emerges first, Yee following him 17 places and 27 seconds later. Sam Dickinson follows in 21st, giving himself some work to do on the bike with 42 seconds to make up. Follow it here.
10:09 AM BST
Overnight rain in rearview mirror
The women’s triathlon descended into chaos in the bike element earlier, with at least seven crashes as cyclists struggled to take corners with slippy ground conditions. The sun is out now though, and the temperature as Paris approaches midday is an uncomfortable 25 degrees.
This will provide easier conditions for the men’s triathlon, but the forecast of 32 degrees this afternoon doesn’t bode well for the tennis players. Hopefully they’ll have cool water today, Jack Draper clearly suffered in the sweltering 35 degree heat yesterday and complained about the lack of refrigerated water on offer as he crashed out at the hands of Taylor Fritz.
09:58 AM BST
Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith into the final!
The two recover from a precarious start to come second in the race – second to the Romanians and leading the Irish in third, meaning they qualify for the final! The women’s pair, in for the form of Chloe Brew and Rebecca Edwards are up next here…
09:54 AM BST
Busy hour ahead
Following Beth Potter’s bronze we have a very busy period incoming.
Alex Yee and Sam Dickinson have made the unenviable leap into the Seine, which you can follow here.
Meanwhile, Britain’s first rowers are getting underway, with Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith in the men’s pair with our live coverage here.
And you can also follow Andrea Spendolini and Lois Toulson in the 10m platform synchronised diving which starts in five minutes here.
09:47 AM BST
GB back at the shooting range after Hales heroics
Nathan Hales came from nowhere to break the Olympic record on his way to gold in the men’s trap yesterday. Before the event he was struggling to emerge from the shadow of his teammate Matthew Coward-Holley, who disappointed yesterday having won bronze at Tokyo. During the event, however, Hales lived up to the significant shooting pedigree that runs throughout his family – his partner is none other than 2008 and 2012 Olympics alumni Charlotte Kerwood.
Whilst GB’s shooters will have no doubt been invigorated by Hales’ success as they lined up for today’s qualification events. It’s been disappointing, however; Michael Bargaron exits the 50m Rifle 3 Positions competition, finishing 29th and therefore 21 spots and six points from the qualifying threshold.
It seems Lucy Hall will be unable to emulate Hales efforts in the women’s trap, despite a strong start. She ranked first after a perfect first round but has slipped to 16th following a particularly weak second and steady third and fourth. With one round to go this morning, she is ten spots and four points behind the qualifying threshold.
09:20 AM BST
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix coming up
Our live coverage of Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix’s bid for gold in the 10m platform synchronised diving, with partner Lois Toulson, kicks off at 9.30. Why not warm up for it by reading our exclusive interview with her. You cannot underestimate an athlete who has come back from rock bottom, and Spendolini-Spirieix has fought back from a debilitating Tokyo experience when she was aged just 16 to climb up to the platform today – read the interview here.
09:13 AM BST
GB triathlon medal streak continues
One of the outstanding stories from London 2012 in a fairly saturated market was that of the Brownlee brothers, they have kickstarted a generation of British triathlon fever. All four of GB’s representatives today cite the brothers as a big reason for getting into the sport and since Alistair and Jonny’s respective gold and bronze 12 years ago, GB have earned six medals in the event.
Alistair and Jonny were responsible for two more, a gold and silver respectively at Rio, whilst Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown took individual silvers at Tokyo 2020 – the two combining with Jess Learmonth and Jonny for a team gold at Tokyo too. Potter’s bronze today elevates her into a dynasty of British triathletes, one of GB’s most elite sporting groups.
08:57 AM BST
France’s Cassandre Beaugrand wins triathlon – Potter takes bronze!
It looked incredibly tight between the top three but France’s Cassandre Beaugrand has leaned into her home advantage to attack in the last lap, showing a clean pair of heels to Julie Derron six seconds behind in second, and Beth Potter 15 seconds back in third. She wins and La Marseillaise rings out over the finish line. It was a serious effort from GB’s Potter – the choppy conditions in the river and wet surface on the bike ride will have been some of the toughest circumstances she has faced in her young triathlon career, she can be very proud to medal in her first Olympic triathlon race.
Georgia Taylor-Brown comes across the line in sixth – read the reaction on our live blog here.
08:47 AM BST
2 laps to go in Triathlon
There are two laps – 5km – to go in the women’s triathlon. GB’s Tokyo silver medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown has been dropped from a group of four leading the race, she seems to be struggling in the increasing heat as the sun rises over Paris. It is warming up quickly and the road is drying in places which will produce an interesting dynamic for the men’s race.
Medal favourite Beth Potter is still in that leading group though, being led by Julie Derron, so is perfectly poised to continue GB’s considerable triathlon legacy. Stay tuned to our dedicated blog here to keep updated.
08:39 AM BST
Rowing underway
There are boats in the Vaires-su-Marne as the rowing gets underway – the first medals in the lake are on offer today and GB are being strongly tipped to pick them up in the men and women’s quadruple sculls. The women’s four of Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw are heavy gold favourites, whilst the men’s four of Tom Barras, Callum Dixon, Matt Haywood and Graeme Thomas may struggle to keep up with the flying Dutchmen, but will be in contention for a podium.
Beforehand, the men and women’s pairs will race their respective semi-finals, as do the LWT Women’s Double Sculls. Follow all the action through this live blog.
08:27 AM BST
Potter and Taylor-Brown well placed for run
Having survived what was a bit of a blood bath in the cycling leg, GB’s Beth Potter and Georgia Taylor-Brown are in the leading group going into the 10km run, alongside Olympic champion Flora Duffy.
Potter in particular will fancy herself having done the hard work in the river and on the saddle. She is of course a 10km runner by trade, having competed in it specifically at Rio 2016, but deferred to the triathlon in 2017, citing the race in which Alistair Brownlee carried his brother Jonny over the line as the sliding doors moment. Follow our live updates here.
08:17 AM BST
Brutal cycling conditions in triathlon
Despite sweltering conditions in Paris yesterday, the rain returned through the night and the conditions are far from ideal for the triathletes on the bikes. There were several crashes in the women’s road race on day one in what seemed like wetter conditions, but today has been merciless.
There have been at least seven crashes so far, USA’s Kirsten Kasper has been responsible for three of them, and Norway’s Lottie Miller has withdrawn from the race having failed to recover from her second crash.
They’re into the last lap of this leg now, though, and GB’s Beth Potter and Georgia Taylor-Brown are still in the leading group seemingly unscathed.
08:05 AM BST
The awesome foursome
It’s flown completely under the radar that in the men’s 4 x 200 metre relay swimming team, we are in the presence of British sporting greatness. Duncan Scott’s gold last nght drew him level with compatriot Sir Chris Hoy as the joint-third most successful GB Olympian of all time.
You can read our in-depth analysis, with interviews, on how the same four men made history by defending their Tokyo title, and extended GB’s medal streak in this event to three in a row through this link.
07:52 AM BST
What’s coming up
We’ll be bringing you various live blogs through the day on top of the triathlon double-header. It’s a busy morning on the rowing lake, as the men’s and women’s pairs race their semi-finals from around 9.30, before the men and women’s quadruple sculls compete for the first rowing medals on offer in Paris.
From 10am, GB aim to extend their highly successful campaign off the diving board as Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, daughter of reality TV star Fred Sirieix, takes part in the 10m synchronised diving with partner Lois Toulson.
Then, we’ll be running a blog from midday at the BMX stadium as Kieran Reilly aims to turn around GB’s fortunes after Charlott Worthington’s performance was hindered by a case of the ‘twisties’ yesterday.
The action continues from 14.30 as Mallory Franklin takes on the rapids in the canoe slalom – she is a big hope for a medal with significant medalling pedigree in the discipline.
There are outside hopes in the men’s all-round gymnastics final in the form of Jake Jarman and Joe Fraser, with our blog going live at 16.15, and keep an eye out on the swimming with qualifying through the day and medals on offer in the evening. No better place to be to keep up with all the action!
07:25 AM BST
Potter 20 seconds behind
The women are out the Seine and onto the bikes as GB’s Beth Potter emerges in fifth place, trailing 20 seconds behind leader and Olympic champion Flora Duffy of Bermuda – follow our updates here.
07:17 AM BST
Beth Potter up first
Reigning triathlon world champion Beth Potter is GB’s medal hope in day five’s first event, with pollution levels in the Seine deemed low enough at long last – you can follow our live blog of the event, and Alex Yee’s efforts on this live blog here.
07:12 AM BST
Two gold medals yesterday, two more this morning?
Good morning and welcome to our live blog of day five of the 2024 Paris Olympics. After magic monday’s six-medal bonanza, yesterday was always going to feel like a slower day but two gold medals helped Great Britain keep their medal count ticking over to 12, placing them fifth in overall medal count.
The day was expected to be even quieter, was it not for Nathan Hales’ surprise win in the men’s trap shooting, the Briton in tears on the podium having set an Olympic record on his way to victory.
For the second gold of the day, however, it felt as though there was already a place reserved at the top of the podium for James Guy, Tom Dean, Matthew Richards and Duncan Scott as the ‘awesome foursome’ stormed to a gold in the 4 x 200 metre freestyle. The four brushed off any semblance of pressure to become the first ever British relay team of the same individuals to defend an Olympic title, and make it a third medal in a row in this event, as GB, and in particular Matthew Richards, put a frustrating few days in the pool behind them.
This morning, though, Britain’s medal hopes are high as Beth Potter, then Alex Yee, finally get their chance to compete in the triathlon after delays owing to pollution levels in the River Seine. Both races have been given the all clear in that regard – ticket logistics in the event not providing any obstacle – and take place back-to-back this morning.
Potter is up first and, following an audacious transition from track running just seven years ago, is favourite as reigning world champion, whilst Alex Yee is a Tokyo silver medallist; he and Sam Dickinson out-qualified GB great Jonathan Brownlee to line up on the pontoon today.
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