Paris Olympics 2024 - Day 5

Afternoon Summary

Adriana Ruano Oliva has made history today, obtaining Guatemala's first-ever gold medal at the Olympic Games, in the Women's Trap Shooting Final. Additionally, Guatemala got a bronze medal in yesterday's Trap Men's Shooting Final when Jean Pierre Brol Cardenas came third, behind Nathan Hales and Qi Ying.

A silver medal for Kieran Reilly in the Cycling BMX Freestyle, as he improved on his score in his second, and final, attempt. Only Argentina's Jose Torres Gil managed to outscore him. Anthony Jeanjean (France) completed the podium in third.

(Image by David Davies)

Mallory Franklin qualifies for the final of the Women's Single Canoe, finishing in 6th place. The final will take place later today at 16:25pm BST.

In the final of the Women's Single Canoe, Mallory Franklin did not have the cleanest of runs, accumulating four penalties including three two-second penalties, on gates 7, 14 & 22, and one horrendous fifty-second penalty on the 20th gate. This placed Franklin in last place, with no chance of a medal. The 30-year-old finished 2nd at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and has previously won two World Championships: London, 2023; and Pau (France), 2017. Jessica Fox managed to defend her Olympic title for Australia, achieving back-to-back gold medals in this event. Elena Lilik from Germany was 2.48 seconds off the pace, with both athletes completing their runs without accumulating any penalties. The USA's Evy Leibfarth, who suffered one penalty, equalled her best ranking in a World Championship event, achieving a bronze medal.

Morning Summary

A successful day so far for British triathletes as Beth Potter launched Team GB's medal haul on the fifth day of the Paris Olympics, by accomplishing bronze in the Women's event.

(image from express.co.uk)

This was immediately succeeded by Alex Yee's miracle performance on the last lap of the Men's competition, as he upgraded his silver medal from Tokyo to gold in Paris.

The same triumph could not be shared amongst the British shooting team, even with Nathan Hales' inspiring masterclass in yesterday's Men's Trap Shooting Final, as Michael Bargeron and Lucy Charlotte Hall have both been eliminated from their respective events - 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men's Qualification and Women's Trap Shooting Qualification.

In Table Tennis, Liam Pitchford lost to Slovenia's Darko Jorgic, 4-2, as the Brit is eliminated from the round of 32.

Great Britain beat South Africa, 2-1, in the Women's Hockey. South Africa was first on the score sheet with a goal from Kayla de Waal in the first quarter. Amy Costello pulled one back for Team GB in the second, and Hannah French secured victory in the third. This is the first win for the Women's team at the Olympics as they are currently in 4th place in Pool B, with 3 points - behind Argentina, Australia and Spain. On the current trajectory, Great Britain will progress into the Quarter Finals, as the top four teams from each pool will progress. Although, there are still two matches to play, against the United States and Argentina, so qualification is not guaranteed.

Team GB's Katie-Jemima Yeats-Brown beat Aina Laura Rasoanaivo Razafy of Madagascar in the round of 32 in the Judo event but stumbled on the following hurdle against the Austrian, Michaela Polleres, in the round of 16.

Adulation for British rowing this morning, as Great Britain has won their 6th gold medal of the Olympics. Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw are Olympic champions in the Women's Quadruple Scull Final, beating the Netherlands by 0.05 seconds, and Germany completed the podium in third.

British pair, Oliver Wynne-Griffith and Tom George, qualified for the Men's Pair Final A, finishing behind Romanian duo, Florin Arteni and Florin Sorin Lehaci. They will also face Croatia, Switzerland, Spain and Ireland in the final, which will take place on the 2nd of August.

Great Britain also won their semi-final in the Lightweight Women's Double Sculls, with Emily Craig and Imogen Grant progressing into Final A, alongside New Zealand, the United States, Romania, Greece and Ireland.

Where there is a triumph, there is unfortunately disappointment. The Men's Quadruple Sculls Final saw Great Britain finish just outside the podium positions, in fourth place, finishing behind the Netherlands, Italy and Poland.

In the Women's Pair Semi-Final, Rebecca Edwards and Chloe Brew, did not progress into Final A but will compete in Final B on the 2nd of August.

Team GB's Andrea Spendolini Sirieix and Lois Toulson received a Bronze Medal in the Women's Synchronised 10m Platform Final, behind China, who won in the men's event, and North Korea.

In swimming, Oliver Morgan progresses into the semi-finals of the Men's 200m Backstroke, finishing fifth in his heat. Meanwhile, Luke Greenbank, who competed in the same heat as Morgan, was disqualified from his heat after initially winning it, for travelling too far underwater.

In the Women's 200m Butterfly, on the other hand, both Keanna Louise Macinnes and Laura Stevens make it to the semi-finals as they finished first and fourth, respectively, in their heat.

Triathlon

6:49 am

Both the women's and men's triathlons will go ahead today. British athletes, Beth Potter, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Kate Waugh will compete in the Women's event, which is taking place at 7:00 am BST this morning. The Men's event will follow at 9:45 am BST, with Alex Yee and Samuel Dickinson set to start for Team GB.

7:00 am

Starting from the Ponte Alexandra III Bridge, the Women's event has commenced.

7:10 am

The current proved challenging for the swimmers as they navigated their way around the buoys on the first lap. The athletes are required to complete two laps, one of 910 metres, and the other 590 metres.

7:13 am

Flora Duffy (Bermuda), Bianca Seregni (Italy) and Vittoria Lopes (Brazil) exit the water at the front to complete the first lap of the swim, with Beth Potter close behind in 4th, and Georgia Taylor-Brown in 12th, 28 seconds behind the leaders. Kate Waugh is further behind in 43rd.

7:23 am

Flora Duffy in first after 22 minutes in the water. Potter has dropped to 5th, 20 seconds behind the leaders, with Taylor Brown in 10th place, 35 seconds behind. The 40km bike ride is now underway.

7:32 am

The first lap has been completed, with Duffy maintaining her lead. The athletes are required to complete 6 more laps.

7:39 am

Duffy drops out of the lead as the trailing group catches up to her. Potter leads after completing the second lap, with Taylor-Brown in 5th. Waugh still trails in 16th place by over a minute.

8:14 am

The leading group start the final lap of the bike ride with Maya Kingma of the Netherlands in the lead. Taylor-Brown trails in 3rd and Potter in 5th. Waugh is still in 11th place leading the catching group, but still over a minute behind the leaders.

8:22 am

Julie Derron (Switzerland) leads Maya Kingma and Beth Potter as the bike stint concludes and the run begins. Taylor-Brown is in 9th, and Waugh is in 12th. The athletes are 10km away from finishing this triathlon, with 4 laps of 2.5km to complete.

8:32 am

Derron maintains her lead over France's Cassandre Beaugrand and Great Britain's Potter after the first lap, with Taylor-Brown in 6th, 9 seconds behind the leaders. Kate Waugh drops further back as her hopes for a top-10 finish are fading away rapidly. Three laps to go.

8:35 am

It is now a four-way battle for the lead between Derron, Beaugrand, Potter and Emma Lombardi (France), who are separated by almost nothing.

8:38 am

Derron leads Potter at the start of the penultimate lap, with Lombardi and Beaugrand behind. The Olympic title is going to one of these four. Taylor-Brown is still in 6th, 30 seconds behind the leaders.

8:46 am

The athletes have started their final lap of the run in the Women's triathlon with Derron still in the lead, Beaugrand behind, and Potter in 3rd.

8:52 am

Cassandre Beaugrand overtakes Julie Derron and begins to put some significant distance between her and the Swiss athlete. Potter is still in 3rd.

8:55 am

France have earned themselves another gold medal as Cassandre Beaugrand wins the Women's Triathlon. Julie Derron inherits the silver medal and Beth Potter the bronze. Emma Lombardi's race ends in heartbreak as she finishes outside the medals by 6 seconds. Former Olympic champion Flora Duffy, who won in Tokyo, comes in 5th, with Taylor-Brown who got silver three years ago in 6th.

9:45 am

In a race that was supposed to have finished 24 hours ago, the Men's Triathlon has begun. Alex Yee seeks to improve on his silver medal in Tokyo as he pursues gold. The course is identical to that of the Women's event: 1,500m swim (2 laps, 910m & 590m); 40km bike ride (7 laps of 5.715km); & a 10km run (4 laps of 2.5km).

9:57 am

After the first lap of the swim, Matthew Hauser (Australia) leads followed by Alessio Crociani (Italy) and then Henri Schoeman (South Africa) in third. Alex Yee is in 10th,13 seconds off the pace, followed by Samuel Dickinson in 22nd, who is 32 seconds behind the leader.

10:06 am

Following the conclusion of the swim, Crociani takes the lead from Hauser who is in third, and Schoeman inherits 2nd. The athletes have now transitioned into the cycling phase of the triathlon. Yee drops to 16th, with Dickinson, making up a couple of places, in 20th.

10:15 am

The first lap of the cycling is complete, as a huge leading pack has formed with nineteen riders, including Great Britain's Alex Yee. Sam Dickinson has dropped to 32nd in the chasing pack.

10:22 am

Alex Yee is in 2nd place, behind Marten Van Riel (Belgium), after the second lap of the cycling. Dickinson still resides in 32nd, 30 seconds off the lead.

10:48 am

The chasing group has caught the leading group. Sam Dickinson is performing well at the front, gaining a lot of ground in his cycling stint. Alex Yee is close behind in the lead pack.

10:52 am

At the end of the penultimate lap, Dickinson leads with Kristian Blummenfelt (Norway), reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo, in 2nd. Alex Yee has dropped to 23rd.

11:00 am

We go into the final stage of the Men's Triathlon as Dickinson finishes the cycling stint in first position. The athletes now have to complete a 10km run.

11:01 am

Alex Yee is in the lead! Sam Dickinson pulls out of the triathlon as he was brought in to 'pilot' Yee and is thought to be conserving his energy for the mixed relay on August 5th.

11:05 am

It is now Britain's Yee against New Zealand's Wilde, as the pair justle for first position.

11:14 am

Alex Yee is dropping further back from Hayden Wilde, as the gap extends to 15 seconds at the end of the second lap.

11:17 am

French chasing pair, Leo Bergere and Pierre le Corre, are catching Yee, with 9 seconds between them. However, simultaneously the British athlete is slightly closing in on Wilde, as the gap has closed to 12 seconds.

11:21 am

One lap to go. Alex Yee's hopes of achieving a gold medal in Paris are rapidly fading, as the gap is extended again to 14 seconds. The French athletes have also dropped further back by another 16 seconds.

11:30 am

Alex Yee is an Olympic champion! He passed Hayden Wilde on the final straight to win a gold medal for Team GB! The New Zealander had to settle for silver and Leo Bergere took bronze. Another heartbreak for France as Pierre le Corre finished outside the podium positions.

Rowing

11:45 am

Two gold medals in just over fifteen minutes! Great Britain are Olympic champions in the Women's Quadruple Sculls Final. Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw lead Team GB to victory over the Netherlands by the smallest of margins (0.05 seconds).