Tokyo Olympics LIVE updates Titmus McKeown Seebohm chase more gold athletics takes centre-stage Logan rides for glory

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Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare on Saturday was provisionally suspended after testing positive for human growth hormone before the Tokyo Olympics, the Athletics Integrity Unit said in a statement.

Okagbare, competing in her fourth Olympics and having won silver in the long jump at the Beijing 2008 Games, had competed in the 100m heats on Friday and was due to run in Saturday’s semi-final.

The AIU said she tested positive on July 19.

“It’s a long way to come to fall, literally .. in my head I was like, ‘really?’“

The morning after the gutsiest performance witnessed on the track by an Australian at the Olympics, Pat Tiernan was humble and a bit embarrassed.

It was not how he wanted people to remember his race.

Tiernan fell three times in the final lap, run to exhaustion in the heat but determined not to fall off the main pack.

“Up until 600 metres to go and I just ran out of steam. It was definitely hot but we knew that coming in,” he said.

“I thought I was in a really good spot as far as preparing for that, I hydrated during the day and I thought I put myself in a good position but something wasn’t right today.

Patrick Tiernan of Team Australia competes in the Men’s 10,000m Final.Credit:Getty

“It’s the Olympics we have been waiting for this for five years now and I got close. I think it was about 180 when I collapsed for he first time and you don’t stop when you have only got 180 metres to go and at the time I didn’t think that I was completely done.

“I just thought I will get back up ad then it happened again and I knew I was in trouble but at that point you are so close you hsave to will yourself across the line.

“Frustration. It’s a long way to come to fall, literally - fall short of your goal. In my head I was just like, really? But at that point you have to get up and try and keep going.

“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened so it was frustrating in that regard but you get across the line then deal with this stuff again later.”

“It’s an honour to represent Australia and regardless of whether it is a performance I am pleased with or not you still have to get across that line and finish that race, and for me being so close to that finish line it was something that not only I could do but I needed to do.”

With two laps of 25 to go in the 10,000m race, Tiernan stood tall and strong - a counterpoint among a field of shorter African runners.

After willing himself to the finish, he was taken straight away by doctors to the medical room for treatment. He came in 19th place and his time of 28:35.06 was his best of the season. He may not remember the race later, but it was a memorable performance of unimpeachable endeavour and bravery that went viral on social media.

“It’s interesting to me because it is not the sort of publicity that I was hoping I would be getting after this race,” he said.

“It doesn’t feel like anything heroic to me, I fell a bit short of where I would like to be. I haven’t really had a chance to process that or look into that.

“I am glad it has struck a chord with a few people.”

Alex Yee has brought it home for Great Britain, capping off a stunning swim, cycle and run for the Brits.

The individual Olympic silver medallist has now won gold, along with his teammates Jessica Learmonth, Jonathan Brownlee and Georgia Taylor-Brown.

Great Britain’s Alex Yee is congratulated by his teammates after bringing home the bacon in the mixed triathlon relay.Credit:AP

Britain were neck-and-neck with France at the last running leg but the French fell away in the final period. They were eventually overtaken by the United States to finish with bronze.

Australia finished more than two-and-a-half minutes behind the leading pack.

Kaylee McKeown is considered a strong favourite in the first of four chances Australia have to win more gold in the pool today.

But this graphic paints an interesting picture.

McKeown’s lane (two) tells you she didn’t qualify fastest but the breakdown of her times against the median splits of all eight finalists shows just how much ground the 20-year-old has to make up - particularly in the final 50m.

Emily Seebohm’s splits in the semi-final were very encouraging. She sustained a strong 150m burst after being only average through the first 50m.

Swimming legend Shane Gould, who went to the same high school as Ariarne Titmus half a century earlier, is willing on the 20-year-old to join her as the second Australian to win three individual Olympic gold medals in the pool at the same Games.

Titmus is certainly a chance to pull off a rare 200m-400m-800m treble if she can beat Katie Ledecky for the third time in as many individual events in Tokyo.

Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky after their 400m freestyle final.Credit:Getty Images

After brilliant wins in the 200m and 400m freestyle, Titmus has a chance to etch herself further into Olympic folklore if she can produce an upset victory in the 800m, which begins at 11.46am (AEST) today.

Read more of Tom Decent’s preview of the race here.

That’s the view of US anti-doping boss Travis Tygart, who is the latest bigwig to hit out at the Russian-by-any-other-name team in Tokyo.

In a statement sent to Britain’s Daily Telegraph overnight, Tygart said that the situation in Tokyo was like rewatching a “horror film”. He added: “All can now see this ban once again for the farce that it is.”

Several British politicians had earlier branded Russia’s involvement in the Games “a sham”, while the usually reserved broadsheet itself was happy to declare that “Great Britain has now been denied a total of four medals by the so-called ROC [Russian Olympic Committee].”

A quick reminder that you can find everything you need to know about these Olympics - the full medal table, the schedule and all the results - on our website. You don’t need to go very far either. Just click here.

Back on BMX, and British gold medallist Bethany Shriever has found herself a new high-profile fan: former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.

“Bethany Shriever what a ledge, well done,” Gallagher wrote on Twitter after the 22-year-old from London’s east end won her country’s first ever gold medal in BMX. “Respect to all BMX folk.”

Bethany Shriever and Liam Gallagher.Credit:Getty

There were amazing scenes as Shriever, who once had to Crowdfund her career because of a lack of funding, crossed the line ahead of Colombian great Mariana Pajon on Friday.

Asked about Gallagher’s message Shriever said: “That is absolutely crazy. I cannot believe it.

“I’ve just seen it. Someone said Liam Gallagher is tweeting about it. That is just absolutely crazy.”

No word yet from Liam on Logan Martin’s chances.

Reuters

Australia is well off the pace in the mixed relay triathlon, now almost two minutes behind the leaders Great Britain and trailing Spain and Hungary.

The men have just handed off to the women for exchange two of four, who have now just come out of the water for their cycling leg.

Despite the early start, the heat is already getting to the athletes with at least four men collapsing after getting across the line.

Outside, crowds are building despite Tokyo extending the coronavirus state of emergency on Friday afternoon.

Hundreds have gathered around the Odaiba Marine Park to catch a glimpse of the triathletes whizzing past.

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