TOKYO (Reuters) – Simone Biles said she would treasure her Tokyo bronze medal as compatriot Athing Mu ended America’s half century wait for victory in the 800 metres, held without South African Caster Semenya.
Here’s what you need to know about the Tokyo Games:
BILES BEAMS
Biles made a fearless return on Tuesday on the balance beam, using the Olympic stage to remind everyone that athletes are human beings.
The four-time Olympic gold medallist fought off the “twisties” — a sort of mental block in which gymnasts lose their sense of orientation — to claim what she called a “sweeter bronze than Rio.”
TRACK RECORDS SMASHED
Elaine Thompson-Herah completed a second successive sprint double, Karsten Warholm won the 400m hurdles with an astonishing world record and American teenager Mu Athing crushed the 800 metres on an incredible day of Olympic athletics on Tuesday.
American Rai Benjamin was not as lucky. He shaved half a second off the world record in the 400 metres hurdles, and still got beat by Norway’s Karsten Warholm who ran a blistering 45.94 seconds.
World record holder Mondo Duplantis, of Sweden, won the Olympic men’s pole vault gold, soaring over 6.02 metres on his first attempt at that height. [L8N2PA51N]
IOC PROBES
The IOC said it was waiting for a report from the Belarusian National Olympic Committee on the case of sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya.
Tsimanouskaya, 24, had been due to compete in the women’s 200 metre heats on Monday but said that on Sunday she was taken out of her room in the athletes’ village and driven to the airport to board a flight home.
The IOC also said it had asked the Chinese team for a report on why two of its medallists appeared on the podium wearing badges featuring the head of the country’s former leader Mao Zedong.
COWS AND MEATBALLS
Five cows, a meatball restaurant, and a new house. Those are just some of the prizes promised to Indonesian badminton gold medallists Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu when they return home from Tokyo.
Southeast Asia’s biggest country is badminton-crazy, and the sport has produced all of its golds since being added to the Olympic programme in 1992. [L8N2PA2PN]
AUSSIES BEHAVING BADLY
Australian athletes damaged their athletes’ village rooms before departing while other team mates showed “unacceptable behaviour” on their flight home, the Australian Olympic Committee said.
(Editing by Leela de Kretser and Christian Radnedge)
