This brings Australia to a total of 48 medals so far: 18 gold, 16 silver and 14 bronze.
Matt Richardson speeds into silver
“I put my best foot forward, I didn’t leave anything out on the track. He’s (Lavreysen) one of the greatest sprinters we’ve ever seen on this planet,” Richardson said.
Richardson came second after Harrie Lavreysen, who has won the last five sprint world championships. Source: EPA / Martin Divisek
“I’m extremely proud of the silver. I have bronze and silver – there’s one more to collect and that’s what we’ll try to do in the keirin.”
He and Matt Glaetzer will ride the opening keirin heats on Saturday.
Maddison Keeney shines at the springboard
She scored 343.10 from her five-dive program as Chen proved a runaway winner with 376.00.
Needing to nail her final, most fiendish dive – a forward two-and-a-half somersaults with two twists – Keeney did just that, producing barely a splash on entry. Source: SIPA USA / Bildbyran/Jon Olav Nesvold
“I was very nervous today,” she revealed. “But I’ve been working really close with my psych for the last 10 years.”
“Many times my legs have buckled from under me, but going through all those experiences, falling off the board, it’s kind of made me who I am today. I feel like I’ve been forged in fire.”
Champion sprint paddlers Green and Van der Westhuyzen get bronze this time
Hungary’s Sandor Totka and Bence Nadas won silver.
If the Australians were able to repeat their semi-final time of one minute 26.85 seconds in the medal race, they would have taken gold. Source: AP / Ebrahim Noroozi
The pair won the title in Tokyo, however the 1000m event was replaced by a 500m race for the 2024 Games.
“We would have loved to come here and get the gold again but we’ll live to fight another day and coming back home with the dirty gold isn’t too bad,” said 25-year-old van der Westhuyzen.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif wins gold medal bout
Khelif’s gold medal is Algeria’s first in women’s boxing. She is only the nation’s second boxing gold medalist, joining Hocine Soltani (1996).
Breaking’s Olympic debut
Gunn’s first battle was against American Logistx, but the Australian was unable to win a point in any three contests including against 16-year-old French B-girl Syssy.
Rachael Gunn couldn’t make the athleticism of teenage French breaker Sya Dembele, known as Syssy. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
The athletes were judged on creativity, personality, technique, variety, musicality and vocabulary, which is the variation and quantity of moves.
Australia’s 16-year-old B-boy Jeff Dunne, known as ‘J Attack’, will line up in the male competition on Saturday.
Afghan refugee athlete disqualified for political slogan
Manizha Talash, a member of the refugee Olympic team at the Paris Games, was disqualified after displaying the words “Free Afghan Women” on her cape during her breaking routine in the competition’s pre-qualifiers on Friday.
Talash, who lives in Spain, wore a light blue cape that had the phrase written on it during her pre-qualifier loss to India Sardjoe of Netherlands. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
Political slogans and statement are banned on the field of play and on podiums at the Olympics, and breaking’s governing body later said the 21-year-old had been disqualified.
The Paris Games are the third Olympics where a team of refugees is taking part. Afghanistan is represented by a contingent of three women and three men, in a largely symbolic move by the International Olympic Committee as a message to the country, which under Taliban rule has restricted women’s and girls’ access to sports and gyms.