August 2021

The highs: Caeleb Dressel “New Michael Phelps” is an eye-grabbing headline but could use more nuance. What the US really needed was not someone to rival Phelps’ medal haul – because no one can – but a new male talisman, a figurehead to stand alongside Katie Ledecky and capture mainstream attention. And, of course, a […]

Jason Kenny became the most successful British Olympian while his wife, Laura Kenny, added her fifth Olympic medal with respective silver medals, the couple’s reign of dominance in the Olympic velodrome ending when they came up short on Tuesday. Despite losing to the dominant Netherlands in the team sprint final, Kenny’s eighth Olympic medal means

Great Britain’s reign as Olympic men’s team pursuit champions ended in bizarre fashion on Tuesday as the Danish rider Frederik Madsen crashed into Charlie Tanfield during their semi-final. With Britain – Olympic champions in this event since 2008 – among the teams calling for Denmark to be disqualified in a row over illegal equipment used

The new Olympic 400m hurdles world champion Karsten Warholm has criticised Nike’s super spikes as “bullshit” – saying they act like trampolines and take away from the credibility of track and field. The Norwegian, who was speaking after winning gold in 45.94sec, a world record and a performance widely recognised as one of the greatest

Jack Laugher won bronze for Team GB in the individual 3m springboard at the Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, in a final that delivered a Chinese diving masterclass of execution and daring. Laugher took silver five years ago in Rio, but after Tuesday’s event said he had regularly cried himself to sleep after a dip in

The designer behind the lightning fast Olympic Stadium track in Tokyo has said it gives a 1-2% performance advantage to athletes, making it the quickest in history. Super spikes, hot weather and the track have all been cited as contributing to a number of sensational times, with the Norwegian Karsten Warholm becoming the latest to

Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast of all time, ended her Olympics with a bronze but after a turbulent week in Tokyo it felt like a victory. The four-time Olympic champion won bronze on the balance beam in Tokyo on Tuesday. Her score of 14.000 put her behind gold medalist Chenchen Guan (14.633) and Xijing Tang

Rugby Australia and Football Australia are investigating allegations of bad behaviour from their men’s Olympics sevens team and the Olyroos on their flight home from Tokyo. Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll said he had convened a meeting with RA chief executive, Andy Marinos, and FA boss, James Johnson, after receiving reports of incidents

Ninety-one women from 53 nations competed on the balance beam in last week’s qualifying. The top eight (with a limit of two per country) have advanced to today’s final. Larisa Iordache, the Romanian star who qualified fourth but who’s been dealing with an ankle injury, withdrew from the final. First reserve Urara Ashikawa of Japan

Australia are through to the Olympic men’s hockey final for the first time in 17 years after a 3-1 defeat of Germany in their semi-final in Tokyo. The Kookaburras will battle Belgium for the gold medal in Tokyo on Thursday evening. Tim Brand and Blake Govers were on target in a pulsating semi-final contest, scoring