Rio day 7 round-up: Phelps, Nadal, Wiggins, Bolt
Michael Phelps beaten to gold by Singaporean swimmer Schooling, Nadal's doubles delight, Wiggins makes history in Velodrome, and Usain Bolt begins 'Treble Treble' quest
Legend Phelps gets ‘Schooled’ by Singaporean swimmer
In just one performance, Singapore's Joseph Schooling beat swimming great Michael Phelps, took home his city state's first Olympic gold medal and became an instant millionaire. On Friday he set a new Olympic record of 50.39 seconds.
Like many of his contemporaries in Rio, who grew up idolising Phelps, he keeps an old photo of himself as a bespectacled teenager with the American that was taken at a meeting in Singapore after the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Singapore has spent millions trying to win more medals at the Olympics, including offering a Foreign Sports Talent programme which grants promising foreign athletes citizenship, as well as a S$1 million ($743,494.42) prize for gold medals.
USA beaten by “cowards”, but Brazil progress
Outspoken USA women's goalkeeper Hope Solo labelled Sweden "cowards" after the world champions' bid for a fourth straight Olympic gold ended. Sweden progressed to their first ever Olympics semi-final 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Brasilia as Sweden coach Pia Sundhage ousted the US team she led to gold in 2008 and 2012. "We played a bunch of cowards," Solo told Sports Illustrated. "The better team did not win today.”
Meanwhile, 120 minutes of high drama in front of a near capacity 60,000 crowd in Belo Horizonte produced no goals between Brazil and Australia. Both teams then found the net with their first four penalties, but Brazil's bid for a first gold medal looked lost when national hero Marta saw her effort saved by Lydia Williams. The five-time World Player of the Year was on her knees in tears of relief seconds later, though, as Barbara parried Katrina Gorry's spot-kick to keep the hosts alive.
Nadal gets doubles gold, reaches singles semis
Rafael Nadal won his second Olympic Games gold medal on Friday and took a step closer to a third by reaching the Rio singles semi-final. Spanish great Nadal and longtime friend Marc Lopez defeated Romania's Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau 6-2, 3-6, 4-6 in the men's doubles title match.
Nadal, the 2008 singles champion in Beijing, is just the fourth player to win gold in singles and doubles after Serena and Venus Williams and Chile's Nicolas Massu. Earlier, the 30-year-old defeated Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the singles quarter-finals.
Wiggins becomes most decorated British Olympian ever
Bradley Wiggins fired Britain to track cycling team pursuit gold in a titanic final battle with Australia on Friday, etching his name as the most decorated British Olympian of all time. Not only that but Wiggins, Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Owain Doull broke the world record twice, smashing their own London 2012 mark and demolishing New Zealand earlier on as they reached the final.
Britain's third consecutive Olympic title in the endurance event was never the forgone conclusion some expected it to be as the Australian quartet of Alexander Edmondson, Michael Hepburn, Sam Welsford and Jack Bobridge ran them close. The Australians made a terrific start and were leading for three quarters of the 4,000m race before Britain roared back to win by 0.743 seconds in a time of 3:50.265.
Bolt begins ‘Treble Treble’ quest on Saturday
Over at the Olympic stadium day two in athletics sees one of sport's biggest draws begin his 'Treble Treble' quest. Usain Bolt, like Phelps also in his last Olympics, is gunning for 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay gold after sweeping the titles in 2008 and 2012. The Jamaican star embarks on the first leg of the opening heats of the 100m before the final on Sunday
