The penultimate day of the Paris Olympics is in full swing and there are 39 gold medals to be won, the highest number in a single day since 2000.
In the men’s marathon, Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola set a new Olympic record, while Britain’s Emile Cairess finished just outside the medal ranks.
Team GB started the day with mixed feelings, with Erin McNeice missing out on a medal for sport climbing, but taekwondo duo Caden Cunningham and Rebecca McGowan qualifying for their quarter-finals.
Elsewhere, Serbia defeated Germany to win bronze in the basketball team, while New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington – already her country’s most decorated Olympian of all time – won gold again in canoeing.
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Full program of Paris
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Tola sets Olympic marathon record time
Tamirat Tola kicked off the medal race in the men’s marathon on Saturday, crossing the finish line in an Olympic record time of 2 hours, 6 minutes and 26 seconds to give Ethiopia its first gold medal at the Games.
The 32-year-old finished 21 seconds ahead of Belgian Bashir Abdi, with Kenyan Benson Kipruto 13 seconds further back in third place.
It is Tola’s first Olympic gold medal, following the bronze medal in the 10,000 meters he won in Rio 2016 and his world title in the marathon in 2022.
Britain’s Emile Cairess was in contention for a medal at one point and was in second place after about 30km. He dropped off in the latter part of the race, but fought back to take fourth place.
Cairess’s time of 2:07:29, which placed him 29 seconds behind bronze medallist Kipruto, was the British team’s best marathon performance in 20 years.
Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge’s bid for an unprecedented hat-trick of Olympic marathon titles ended in disappointment as he failed to complete the race.
McNeice misses sport climbing medal
Inspired by Britain’s Toby Roberts’ gold medal in the men’s bouldering and main final on Thursday, her compatriot Erin McNeice was given the chance to emulate his success in the women’s event.
However, it was not meant to be, as she finished fifth and therefore missed out on a medal.
Under Roberts’ watchful eye, McNeice, nicknamed McBeast, was in contention for medals after a strong performance in the bouldering, but came up short on the lead climb.
Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret won the gold, ahead of American Brooke Raboutou and Austrian Jessica Pilz.
British taekwondo pair safely through
Team GB taekwondo athletes Caden Cunningham and Rebecca McGowan reached the quarter-finals.
Cunningham defeated Abdoul Issoufou of Niger in his first round match in the men’s +80kg class, while McGowan defeated Venice Traill of Fiji without conceding a point in her match in the women’s +67kg class.
The duo are hoping for Britain’s first taekwondo medals at the Paris Olympics after Jade Jones suffered a first-round defeat earlier this week and Bradly Sinden withdrew from his bronze medal match through injury.
The quarter-finals are scheduled to start at 1:30pm (BST).
Serbia wins basketball gold before All-Stars final
NBA star Nikola Jokic shone as Serbia defeated Germany 93-83 to win bronze in the men’s basketball team.
The three-time Most Valuable Player was joint top scorer for Serbia with 19 points, along with Vasilije Mimic.
It is the country’s second Olympic medal in this event, following silver in Rio 2016.
The gold medal match takes place at 20:30 BST, when the United States takes on France in a thrilling draw.
A star-studded American team, featuring LeBron James and Steph Curry, will compete for their fifth consecutive gold medal at the men’s Olympics, against the French team led by NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wenbanyama.
Carrington wins third gold in Paris
New Zealander Lisa Carrington is unstoppable during the canoe trip.
The 35-year-old New Zealand athlete is New Zealand’s most decorated Olympian of all time. In Paris, she won her third gold medal in the women’s 500m kayak final. She did so with a best time of one minute and 47.36 seconds, an improvement on the Games.
Carrington, who won her first medal at London 2012, took her total to nine, including eight gold and one bronze.
Hungary’s Tamara Csipes won silver in the event and Denmark’s Emma Jorgensen won bronze.
