Galal Yafai wins GB's first boxing gold in style ahead of athletics rush - Tokyo Warm-Up
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Updated 07/08/2021 at 08:23 GMT
Galal Yafai is the Olympic flyweight champion after another exhilirating performance in the final against Carlo Paamal. It is GB's first gold in the ring at Tokyo 2020 and sees Yafai enter the pro ranks with a stellar amateur legacy. You want it? We have it. Stream every Olympic event live on discovery+.
‘Wow indeed!’ - GB boxer Yafai crushes Paalam to claim Olympic gold
SATURDAY’S BIG STORIES
GOLD FOR YAFAI
Galal Yafai picked up Team GB’s first gold in boxing at Tokyo 2020 with an exhilarating victory over Carlo Paalam. The Birmingham fighter dumped Paalam onto the deck on his way to an incredible win.
Yafai held his head in his hands almost in disbelief when he was confirmed as the Olympic flyweight champion and the 28-year-old can now return home to show off his gold medal to his two brothers, who are also boxers.
It was the perfect end to a fairy tale Olympics for Yafai as he lived up to his family name and is now set to take on the pro ranks.
FOUR IN A ROW
The United States secured their fourth gold medal in a row in the men’s basketball tournament. The stars and stripes have been truly unstoppable on the court at the Games and have claimed gold in 15 of the 19 Olympics since 1936.
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Kevin Durant won his third Olympic gold medal
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France fought back within three points of the USA in the final seconds, but the Americans managed to see off the late comeback. Kevin Durant lead his side to victory with 29 points in an 87-82 victory and with ten first-time Olympians in the USA side, the gold medal is all the sweeter.
STILL TO COME
Athletics continue to dominate the Tokyo schedule with a host of finals set to go ahead. Medals will be decided in the women’s high jump final (11:35am), the 10,000m final (11:45am) and the 4x400m relay final (1:30pm), while there is also the men’s javelin final (12pm), the 4x400m relay final (1:50pm) and 1,500m final (12:40pm).
There is the baseball gold medal match from 11am with the United States going toe-to-toe with home favourites Japan. Japan already claimed the gold medal in the women’s softball competition and will be looking to do the double in the men’s tournament.
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Equestrian could yield another medal for Team GB with gold medalist Ben Maher hoping to fire his country to the team Olympic title in the jumping team final (11am). Harry Charles on Romeo 88 and Holly Smith on Denver complete the Team GB team.
There is also the climax to the men’s football team as Brazil aim to defend their title against Spain. Each side is awash with big names and the final is expected to be a thrilling affair. With the likes of Brazilian duo Richarlison and Dani Alves and Spanish duo Marco Asensio and Pedri in action, it could be a classic. Kick-off is 12.30pm.
The men’s modern pentathlon continues with the laser-run with GB’s Joseph Choong and James Cooke in action from 11.30am.
HEROES AND MORE HEROES
Durant capped off a fantastic individual Olympics with a gold medal on Saturday. He became the USA’s Olympic record holder for the most career points in Japan and is once again part of the Olympic-winning team.
Tokyo 2020 is Durant’s third Olympics and no one encompasses the Olympic spirit on the basketball court more than the legendary star. The final against France was another fine performance from the USA captain, who now has three Olympic gold medals in his trophy cabinet.
An unusual pick, but Frazer Clarke proved what it meant to be a team captain with his support of Yafai in the flyweight final. Clarke was in the stands, draped in the British flag urging on his GB team-mate as she stormed to a gold medal.
Clarke won a bronze medal in his division and Yafai yelled up to his friend and captain, “Happy birthday Fraze,” after his win, in a testament to how much of a hero and role model Clarke has become for his boxing squad team-mates.
OLYMPIC SPIRIT
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USA's Molly Seidel crosses the finish line of the women's marathon final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Sapporo on August 7, 2021.
Image credit: Getty Images
Usually a bronze medal in the marathon would be amazing enough, but how about an Olympic medal in just your third career marathon? That’s exactly what American Molly Seidel did with her epic race on Saturday in the blistering heat in Tokyo.
Seidel is only the third American woman to win a marathon medal at the Games and was a complete unknown before storming onto the scene at the US Olympic trials in February 2020.
The 27-year-old somehow went from a novice to an Olympic bronze medalist in the space of 18 months. Not sure it gets more Olympian than that.
RETRO CORNER
Let’s have a look back at Brazil’s famous Olympic success on home soil at Rio 2016. The men’s team were under intense pressure to deliver in their home Olympics. It was a dramatic final that went to penalties, with who else but Neymar sealing it for Brazil.
EUROSPORT IN TOKYO
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Laura Muir won silver in the 1500m
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Greg Rutherford was blown away by Laura Muir’s efforts in the 1500 metres as the Brit set a new national record and secured a silver medal.
Muir spoke to Rutherford directly after the race and the Eurosport expert was amazed by the British athlete’s work-rate.
“Laura Muir absolutely whizzed round the track, looking unbelievable, to come away with that silver medal, beating Sifan Hassan as well, it was incredible,” he said.
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'What a performance!' - GB's Muir takes quite brilliant silver in 1500m
"A national record, she's the Olympic silver medallist, she's the person that sadly has not been getting those global medals. But she's putting more hard work I think I've ever seen an athlete do, her and her coach Andy Young.
“They absolutely go for it all the time, and it’s remarkable to see, genuinely – and I use the word a lot – but it was brilliant. That’s what we needed.”
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