2020 Tokyo Olympics

The USA's Sydney McLaughlin has set a new world record with a phenomenal run in the women's 400m hurdles final. The new Olympic champion broke her own world-best mark of 51.90, storming past compatriot Dalilah Muhammad down the home straight to win the Olympic gold medal in 51.46 seconds.

Muhammad - the Rio 2016 Olympic champion - took silver, going under 52 seconds in a time that also broke the former world record (51.58). Femke Bol of the Netherlands finished third in a new European record of 52.03.

Hungry for more, though, Patty Mills made clear the Boomers hadn’t “done s…”, despite booking a semi-final showdown with the United States after a 97-59 thrashing of perennial contenders Argentina late on Tuesday night.

“For us to be able to be the best, we have to beat the best,” Mills said of a Boomers outfit which’ll have two bites at the cherry as they look to break their Olympic medal drought.

“There’s only one thing that we’re focused on, and we have to get it done,” Mills added. “Tonight’s performance was a result of the belief in each individual on this team.”

Rio 2016 gold medallist Wayde van Niekerk failed to reach the final of the 400m at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Monday (2 August).

The South African, who set a world record of 43.03 in taking victory five years ago, has struggled with a succession of injuries since tearing his anterior cruciate knee ligament in October 2017.

The 29-year-old has struggled for form and recently moved to Florida to train.

In a dramatic end to the Olympic high jump final, Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi will share the gold medal, after each jumped 2.37m.

Three athletes scaled 2.37m setting up an intense battle for the coveted Olympic gold medal with Barshim, Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy, and Belarusian Maksim Nedasekau, all clearing the height.

With no athlete able to beat a height of 2.39m, the gold was shared between Barshim and Tamberi, with Nedasekau taking the bronze on countback.

• Silver for Fred Kerley and bronze for Andre De Grasse
• Britain’s Zharnel Hughes disqualified after false start

Yet on a balmy and steadily more barmy Tokyo evening, they joined everyone else in being blindsided by a tattooed 26-year-old from Rome who inked his name permanently in the record books.

Kaputin was the last to compete for Team PNG on day three of the Athletics competition in Tokyo as she shone through a field of world class athletes.

Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, one day after making history as the Philippines’ first ever Olympic gold medallist, took top billing in an ecstatic nation’s newspapers above reports on a major speech by her president.

But for the 30-year-old being showered with accolades, the story was very different in 2019, when her name was included on a list of people accused of plotting against the same man, Rodrigo Duterte.

Inclusion on the list by Salvador Panelo, then spokesman for Duterte, made Diaz fear for her life, she was quoted by domestic media as saying at the time.

Their captain, Jerry Tuwai, who played in 2016 too, reckoned this victory was “even more special” than their famous first because of what the squad has been through in the past few months. Listening to him, his coach, Gareth Baber, and the rest of the team talk about it all in the minutes after their victory, it was hard to disagree.

Ume lost unanimously against reigning Commonwealth Games champion and gold medallist, Australian Harry Garside.

The three rounds were each scored nine against 10 from all five judges with the final score being Ume 27 and Garside 30 points, across the board.

The Australian athlete entourage congratulated Ume on a great performance and highlighted that more lead up competitions would have led to a very different outcome.

He touched down in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday (18th July), led by Chef de Mission Tamzin Wardley and her management team along with his coach, Mark Keto.

Ume will become the 14th Boxer to represent Team PNG and will become Olympian number 65 when he competes on 25 July in the lightweight division (57-63kg) at the Kokugikan Arena.

Team PNG will be participating at their eleventh Olympic Games after their first appearance back at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, and will be represented by eight athletes from five sports.