The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is officially under way after yesterdayâs opening ceremony when Naomi Osaka lit the flame in the National Stadium, signifying the start of the Games. In reality they have been going for a few days now with football and softball competitions getting going early to fit in the fixtures, but the schedule is now jam-packed with events.
Ecuadorâs Richard Carapaz won a thrilling menâs cycling road race in front of a few thousand fans at the Fuji International Speedway track on the outskirts of Tokyo. Belgiumâs Wout van Aert won a bunch sprint for silver ahead of Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, who took bronze. Britainâs Geraint Thomas abandoned the race after an early crash.
Elsewhere the Gamesâ youngest competitor, Hend Zaza, represented Syria in the table tennis and took pride in defeat. The 12-year-old prodigy beat someone four times her age to get here and her journey to success in a country torn by war for much of her life is undoubtedly one of the stories of the Olympics. From a British perspective Polly Swann and Helen Glover are competing in the rowing heats, Seonaid McIntosh is in action on the shooting range and Andy Murray will step on to court in the menâs tennis doubles alongside Joe Salisbury. Follow all the latest news, updates and results below.
China leads medal count after first day of Tokyo Olympics
China is on top of the medal count after day one of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, having won three gold and one bronze medal at the end of the first day.
South Korea is in second place with one gold and two bronze medals.
In third, Italy and Japan are tied with one gold and one silver medal each.
Five countries have claimed one gold medal â Ecuador, Hungary, Iran, Kosovo, and Thailand.
For the first time in almost 50 years, Team USA has ended day one of the Summer Olympics games without winning a medal.
The US ended up on top of the medal count in Rio in 2016 and in London in 2012. In Rio, Team USA took home 121 medals, 51 more medals than second-place finisher China. In London, the US won 104 total medals.
Gustaf Kilander24 July 2021 20:40
Is Brazil vs Ivory Coast on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Tokyo 2020 fixture
The match kicks off at 9:30am BST on Sunday 25 July at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama.
The game can be streamed live on the Eurosport player and discovery plus. It is not being shown on UK TV channels.
Andre Jardine probably wonât be tempted to make too many changes after his Brazil side put in an effervescent showing against Germany, even allowing for the sloppy concession of two second-half goals. Paulinho or Malcolm may be pushing for a start in attack, with Claudinho perhaps the player most likely to be replaced after Matheus Cunha and Richarlison put in exceptional displays.
Ivory Coast have to make one change to their bench at least, as Aboubacar Doumbia was sent-off in the closing stages of the win over Saudi Arabia and will be suspended as a result. They are unlikely to rotate heavily though, knowing theyâll need a result either here or against Germany to make the knockouts.
Karl Matchett24 July 2021 20:20
Sundayâs events and start times
Another packed day of sport at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is scheduled on Sunday.
Andy Murray and Naomi Osaka will both be in action on the tennis court, Jade Jones will attempt to become the first woman in British history to win Olympic gold in three different Games in the -57kg taekwondo category, surfing will make itâs Olympic debut, USAâs popular menâs team will take to the basketball court, the womenâs cycling road race will be staged on the outskirts of Tokyo, and Simone Biles will make her first appearance of these Games.
Here is the full event schedule:
Lawrence Ostlere24 July 2021 20:00
Team USA ends day 1 of Summer Olympics without a medal for the first time since 1972
Day one of the Tokyo Olympics has ended without Team USA winning a medal for the first time in a Summer Olympics since the 1972 games in Munich, Germany â 49 years ago.
Team USA competed in five of seven medal events on Saturday. Chinaâs Yang Qian won the first gold medal of the day when she beat the competition in the womenâs 10m air rifle final.
Mary Tucker of the US, a favourite to win the event, came in sixth place.
The US archery mixed team made up of Brady Ellison and Mackenzie Brown, on top of the world rankings, were beat by Indonesia in the first round, 5-4.
The other medal events that included Team USA were fencing, cycling, and weightlifting.
China has the most medals after the first day with four.
Chinaâs Yang Qian won the first gold medal of the day when she beat the competition in the womenâs 10m air rifle final.
(AP)
Gustaf Kilander24 July 2021 19:40
When is Jade Jones competing in taekwondo for Team GB?
One of Great Britainâs legitimate medal hopes at the Tokyo Olympics takes to the stage over the weekend, with Jade Jones competing in the womenâs taekwondo event.
Jones has enormous pedigree in the world of her sport, itâs fair to say – she won gold at the Youth Olympic Games in 2010, before doing the same on the senior stage at London 2012.
At Rio in 2016 Jones won a second Olympic gold medal and she will now be attempting to make it three in a row, the first British woman to do so if successful in Japan, as well as the first taekwondo fighter to ever claim three Olympic titles.
Which category is Jones competing in?
Jadeâs weight category is the Womenâs -57kg.
Sunday 25 July, with the first qualification contest starting at 2am BST.
Which round will Jones compete from?
Jade Jones enters the competition from the round of 16, which starts from 2:28am.
Her fight is 3:52am and will be against the winner of the qualification contest.
The quarter-finals start from 6:12am, while the semi-finals are shortly after 8:04 am and repechages from 11am.
Should Jones go the distance once more, the gold medal contest will be at 1:30pm.
Karl Matchett24 July 2021 19:20
Nyjah Huston: Who is Team USAâs star skateboarder at Tokyo Olympics ?
He is one of the worldâs most high-profile skateboarders with more than 4.7m followers on Instagram.
Californian Nyjah Huston is being tipped for crossover stardom when he competes in the first ever Olympic Games skateboarding competition, in the Mensâs Street category.
The 26-year-old is the highest paid skateboarder in the world and has a string of sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike, Monster Energy, Mountain Dew and Doritos.
Huston grew up in Northern California in a home-schooled Rastafarian family that was strictly vegan, with a Black father and a white mother.
His father, Adeyemi was a skateboarder, and in 2005 the family bought a 15,000sq-ft skatepark near their home in Davis, California.
Graeme Massie24 July 2021 19:00
Simone Biles: Who is the US gymnast competing at Tokyo 2020 Olympics and when does she compete?
She is arguably the most dynamic gymnast of all time and is set to bring down the curtain on her glittering Olympic career in Tokyo.
Simone Biles may stand at only 4ft 8 tall, but the 24-year-old is one of world sportâs biggest stars.
She won four Olympic gold medals at Rio in 2016 in the team event, the individual all-around, the vault, and the floor exercise, as well as a bronze medal in the balance beam.
And in doing so, she set an American record for the most gold medals in womenâs gymnastics at a single games.
When is Simone Biles competing at Tokyo 2020?
The American won four gold medals at the last Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, taking victory in the individual all-around, floor and vault competitions, as well as earning gold as part of the triumphant USA team.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, Biles has a remarkable 19 gold medals from five appearances at the World Championships, and four skills named after her â two on the floor, one on the balance beam and a double-twisting vault.
Biles is aiming to become the first woman to defend her all-around gold medal since 1968 in Japan, and is also regarded as the favourite to take victory in the vault, floor and balance beam at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre.
The USA are likely to defend their team competition crown, which will be Bilesâ first chance at gold. The womenâs team final is due to start at 11.45am BST on Tuesday 27 July.
Olympic gymnast shares her daily food routine
Speaking to Womenâs Health, the 23-year-old gold medal gymnast, who has won a total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals for the US gymnastics team, explained that she doesnât track calories or monitor what she eats in any particular way.
âI eat what I feel good with and try not to overeat or stuff myself because Iâm always at the gym,â she said before expanding on why she chooses not to track her food.
âFor gymnasts, in particular, [tracking] can lead to health problems and eating issues, so I just eat what I know I can and should,â she said.
For a pre-workout breakfast, Biles said she usually has a âquick biteâ in the morning, either oatmeal or fruit.
Graeme Massie, Harry Latham-Coyle, Olivia Petter24 July 2021 18:40
First Lady Jill Biden cheers on Team USA in swimming, 3×3 basketball, and football
First Lady Jill Biden spent her Saturday supporting Team USA, crisscrossing Tokyo to attend swimming, 3×3 basketball, and football.
Team USA swimmers greeted Dr Biden by chanting her name in the arena from across the pool.
She also spoke to the US womenâs 3×3 basketball team, who beat France 17-10 and Mongolia 21-9 on the opening day of the new Olympic sport.
She then attended the US womenâs football teamâs 6-1 win against New Zealand.
The Americans made a forceful comeback after losing their first game to Sweden, 3-0.
Gustaf Kilander24 July 2021 18:20
Tokyo 2020: Team GB Boxer Karriss Artingstall wins but Peter McGrail eliminated
British featherweight Karriss Artingstall made an encouraging start to her Olympic campaign with a comfortable opening victory over Keamogetse Kenosi but Peter McGrail was eliminated in his first round bout.
Macclesfield-born Artingstall, a gunner in the British Army and a bronze medallist at the 2019 World Championships, proved too classy for her Botswanan opponent, who struggled with her headguard on several occasions.
Artingstall was given the nod by all five judges in every round, with four scores of 30-27 and one of 30-26, as she eased into the last-16 of the 57kg category at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo
âItâs not my best performance at all, I wouldnât even rate it over a six (out of 10), but I (have) just done what I had to do,â said Artingstall after she booked a second round clash against third seed Jucielen Romeu of Brazil.
âSeeds mean nothing to me, itâs just a number at the end of the day. I have never come across her myself so I donât know what to expect. But as long as I am in there on my A game, I am a nightmare for anyone to beat.
âIâll warm up throughout the tournament, and youâll definitely see better performances from me.â
Kurt Walker overcame a cut to his right eyebrow in the corresponding menâs division following a savage left hook in the third round by Spainâs Jose Quiles, but the Irishman was awarded a unanimous decision win earlier on Saturday.
âI thought I had done enough. I was dominant in the first and third rounds. In the second he gave his all but then he had nothing left for the third,â said Walker. âI had to dig deep, but thatâs a great first fight for me.â
Walker next faces top seed and reigning world champion Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov of Uzbekistan.
âHeâs got two arms and two legs like myself so it doesnât bother me,â added Walker. âIf you want to be the best then you have to beat the best. Iâm fighting at the Olympics which is more than I thought Iâd be doing last year, so Iâm happy.â
However, British rival McGrail fell at the first hurdle, the Merseysider dropping a unanimous decision to veteran Thai Chatchai-Decha Butdee, who also competed at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
(Getty Images)
Karl Matchett24 July 2021 18:00
Tokyo 2020: Thomas focused on time trial after abandoning road race due to crash
The Yates twins were Britainâs only finishers after Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart were caught in a crash around 70km into the race â with Geoghegan Hart losing his front wheel in a storm drain in the centre of the road to bring down Thomas behind him.
Thomas landed hard on his right side â having dislocated the same shoulder during the Tour de France â and knowing his race was effectively over the Welshman pulled out on their first passage of the finish line, still with 60km to go, to turn attention towards Wednesdayâs time trial.
âIâm feeling beaten up but not too bad,â said Thomas â whose medal hopes in Rio were dashed by a late crash five years ago. âIâve definitely felt worse. The muscles and everything went into spasm almost.
âIt was a freak thing, Tao slipped on the metal ridge in the middle of the road and I had nowhere to go, I just went straight down.
âItâs disappointing after all the hard work and sacrifice, especially after the Tour and everything that happened there, but we live to fight another day and Iâll try to rest up now to give Wednesday one last go.â
Karl Matchett24 July 2021 17:40