Paris 2024: Keely Hodgkinson, Simone Biles, Emma Finucane, plus GB silver & bronze in kayak cross (2024)

Published

5 August 2024

Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson raced to a brilliant victory in the women's Olympic 800m final with a dominant display in Paris.

It was Team GB's second gold of the day after Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane broke the world record on three occasions as they powered to glory in the velodrome in the women's team sprint.

Joe Clarke had earlier won silver just minutes after fellow Briton Kimberley Woods won bronze in the chaotic kayak cross event.

Elsewhere, Simone Biles' "redemption tour" concluded with another gymnastics medal, though the American superstar reminded fans she was not invincible during the balance beam and floor finals.

Britain also collected a third triathlon medal, but were downgraded from silver to bronze in a dramatic photo finish to an exhilarating mixed relay race.

Hodgkinson arrived at the Stade de France carrying a weight of expectation on her shoulders and as a heavy favourite to win Britain's first gold on the track since Mo Farah won two at Rio 2016.

If there were any nerves, they barely showed as she delivered a calm and calculated performance to move into the lead before the bell and glide away from the field in the home straight.

The 22-year-old was visibly emotional as she crossed the line and recognised the scale of her achievement that has long appeared her destiny.

As a 19-year-old, Hodgkinson took a surprise silver at the Tokyo Games, breaking the British record set by Kelly Holmes in the process.

She has since been a runner-up at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and back-to-back World Championships, albeit having also won two European titles.

Victory ended her streak of silvers on the global stage, though, and meant she emulated Holmes' achievement in Athens 20 years ago.

Moments later, the Paris crowd were also thrilled by Armand Duplantis, as the Swede improved on his own world record in the men's pole vault final after securing the gold medal.

With Britain having not qualified for the women's team sprint since 2012, Marchant, Capewell and Finucane had expressed a desire to change the narrative around the event.

And they did not disappoint, lowering the world and Olympic records twice on the way to the final - though fast conditions also allowed Germany and New Zealand to set new world marks in the first round.

Britain were behind on the splits after the first lap in the gold-medal race against New Zealand, but Capewell overturned that deficit and Finucane extended the lead on the last leg to secure GB's first medal in the event.

It sparked emotional celebrations in the velodrome with Marchant kissing her two-year-old son Arthur at the side of the track while Capewell broke down in tears.

In qualifying for the men's event, Jack Carlin, Ed Lowe and Hamish Turnbull clocked the second-fastest time behind the Netherlands.

GB were also second-fastest in qualifying for the men's team pursuit as Dan Bigham, Ethan Hayter, Ethan Vernon and Ollie Wood set a new British record to finish behind Australia on the timesheets.

While it may not be an event for the purists, the chaotic kayak cross event proved hugely popular in front of packed grandstands on its Olympic debut.

And it also delivered more success for GB as world champion Woods, 28, became the first British woman to win two Olympic medals in canoeing having also taken bronze in the women's K1.

It was a "bittersweet" silver medal for Clarke, who won gold in the K1 in Rio in 2016, before being controversially overlooked for selection for the Tokyo Games three years ago.

The 31-year-old went into the men's event as a heavy favourite, with three world titles to his name, but was caught up in traffic early on.

"It was bittersweet in some ways," said Clarke. "I came for gold but got silver which I am very proud of.

"It was a bit of redemption after missing Tokyo and I think I have put that one to bed."

US superstar Biles had already won three gold medals at these Games - in the team, all-around and vault events - and was hoping to add two more on day 10.

However, the 27-year-old slipped off the beam to miss out on a medal for the first time in Paris.

The American lost her balance at the end of an aerial series and placed fifth as Italy's Alice d'Amato won gold, with China's Zhou Yaqin - who had been the top qualifier - taking silver.

Biles looked unhappy with the crowd after her routine, speaking animatedly to her coach and team-mate Sunisa Lee, but was all smiles as she re-emerged shortly afterwards for the floor final.

She had been the top qualifier, but Brazil's Rebeca Andrade took an early lead and Biles' bid to usurp her fell just short as she paid the price for twice landing with both feet outside the floor area.

She still secured her 11th Olympic medal with a silver, while team-mate Jordan Chiles took bronze with the final routine.

After Alex Yee won the men's triathlon and Beth Potter claimed bronze in the women's race, GB had high hopes for the mixed relay.

They led narrowly for much of the first three legs - featuring Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Sam Dickinson - with Potter having a five-second advantage as she began the anchor leg.

She was caught on the bike by Germany's Laura Lindemann and the USA's Taylor Knibb, before battling to stay with them during the run, and was fractionally third as the trio turned into the home straight and sprinted for the line.

Lindemann held on for gold and although Potter and Knibb had the same time, the USA were given silver after officials reviewed the finish-line photo.

Related Topics