One gold, two silver and two bronze medals was the final tally at the end of a busy fifth day of action in a hot and sticky Paris. But the exit of the women’s football team in Marseille cast a shadow over an otherwise successful day.
Canoe slalom
Jess Fox is officially one of Australia’s greatest Olympians, after the paddler tore down the canoe slalom course at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium to win her second gold medal of these Games – and the third of her career. She becomes the first Australian to win six individual Olympic medals of any colour, passing the star-studded group of Ian Thorpe, Leisel Jones, Shirley Strickland and Anna Meares on five. And she could yet make it three medals in Paris, with the kayak cross still to come. Read Jack Snape’s report
Football
The Matildas are on their way home after suffering a second defeat of their Olympic campaign which ultimately proved terminal for their medal hopes. The USA, ranked fifth in the world, eased to a comfortable 2-1 win that left Tony Gustavsson’s side in third place in Group B. When Canada beat Colombia two hours later and with no way of qualifying, their fate was sealed. Read Kieran Pender’s report
Swimming
Zac Subblety-Cook and Kyle Chalmers each claimed silver late into the night in Paris after a disappointing start to the evening. Zac Subblety-Cook came in behind Léon Marchand in the men’s 200m breaststroke before Chalmers touched home second behind China’s Pan Zhanle in the men’s 100m freestyle. Mollie O’Callaghan, who already has two gold medals to her name at these Games, was unable to add to her tally in a shock result in the first race of the night in the pool. O’Callaghan and teammate Shayna Jack were unable to get on the podium in the 100m freestyle, with O’Callaghan missing out on a bronze medal by an agonising 0.01sec. Read Nicole Jeffery’s report
Swimming
One race did stay true to form though: the women’s 1500m freestyle, which was comfortably and predictably won by the USA’s Katie Ledecky. With her victory, the American made Olympic history – she became the first female swimmer to win gold medals at four different Games. Read Bryan Armen Graham’s report
BMX freestyle
There was disappointment for defending men’s champion Logan Martin at the urban sports park but a new star was born at at La Concorde. Martin’s hopes of a medal evaporated when he failed to complete either of his runs in the final but earlier in the day, Natalya Diehm became the first Australian woman to win an Olympic BMX medal. Read Kieran Pender’s report
Shooting
Penny Smith joined her medal-winning teammates with a bronze in the trap shooting event, miles away from Paris in Châteauroux. Smith, whose star has been rising in the sport, was seeking to become the third Australian to win the event. Her bronze is her first individual medal at the international level. Read Kieran Pender’s report
Triathlon
After a delay, the triathlon races got under way on a “historic day”, according to Paris city officials. The swimming leg of the race was held in the River Seine, just a day after it was deemed to be unsafe for human activity. France’s Cassandre Beaugrand delighted the home crowd with victory in the women’s race, before Great Britain’s Alex Yee delivered a lung-busting late surge to win the men’s event in thrilling fashion. Read Barney Ronay’s take
Other bits
Hosting an Olympic Games during the internet age offers the world more than just sporting heroes; it can also create unexpected cultural stars. This year Kim Yeji – a South Korean markswoman – has become the star of the Games not just for her sporting prowess but also her devastatingly cool demeanour. Read Eva Corlett’s story
A 61-year-old Luxembourgish grandmother on Monday became the oldest competitor in the history of the Olympics to win a table tennis match when she beat the 31-year-old Turkish player Sibel Altinkaya. On Wednesday, she became the oldest player in the history of the Olympics to lose one, too. Read Andy Bull’s report
