Tokyo Olympics LIVE updates: Teenage skateboarder Keegan Palmer and kayakers win gold medals within
It’s another gold for Australia, 22-year-old kayakers Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen winning the K2 1000m after staving off a late charge from Germany.
Green, a Gold Coast lifeguard who grew up wanting to be an ironman, and South African-born van der Westhuyzen, who needed to pass a citizenship test to compete for Australia in the Tokyo Olympics, qualified fastest for the final, but I think pundits were tipping a few crews to improve in the final.
But after going out hard, the Australians held on to win in 3:15.28 from Germany’s 3:15.58.
That was a race for the ages. Remarkable.
Hannah Green has hauled herself right into medal contention after a stunning finish to her second round in the women’s golf tournament at Kasumigaseki Country Club.
The Australian, who spent two weeks in hotel quarantine shortly before the Olympics as she returned home for a freshen-up, had four birdies on her inward nine for a six-under 65. Green (-6) is up to a tie for seventh, five shots off the blistering pace being set by American Nelly Korda (-11), who is eight-under through 13 holes today.
Minjee Lee (-3) made up for a slow start to finish with a respectable three-under 68 after an even-par 71 on Wednesday.
Those two rapid gold medals means Australia has now equalled its record for an Olympics Games, joining the 17 the country won in Athens in 2004.
And there are still a couple of good opportunities to come with the Kookaburras playing off for gold in the men’s hockey final tonight and our beach volleyballers Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar qualifying for Friday’s gold medal match.
Australia’s next best gold medal total was 16 at Sydney 2000, 14 at Beijing 2008 and 13 at Melbourne 1956.
Who would have thought an 18-year-old skateboarder would be the one to write his country into the record books?
Keegan Palmer winning the inaugural men’s park final, just minutes after kayakers Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen held off a fast-finishing Germany in the K2 1000m final at Sea Forest Waterway.
What a day.
It’s raining gold medals for Australia in Tokyo, skateboarder Keegan Palmer has produced our second one in about 10 minutes after putting down two runs of his life to secure the inaugural men’s park title.
He recorded a higher score in his last run than his first, notching 95.83, to ensure the 18-year-old from the Gold Coast blitzes his competition. He’s standing on top of one of the ramps and throwing his arms in the air. What a moment for the young man, who is as fresh faced as they come.
The other Australian in the final, 17-year-old Kieran Woolley, wound up in fifth with 82.04.
What a day for the two youngest skaters in the final.
The time is almost here for the Boomers to see if they can spring one of the great Olympic upsets.
I’m at the Saitama Super Arena as the Boomers are introduced for their warm-ups. Green dotted lights line the court and so do the red-yellow circle reminiscent of the indigenous flag. Unsure if that’s deliberate or not but that might be a great sign for Patty Mills and the team.
The USA just arriving now, stars galore, ready to advance to another gold medal game. But the Boomers are here to win, not to compete, and I cannot wait for this one. No crowd of course but you can just feel the tension in the air out here.
The great man, Peter Bol, in the house for this one, Cate Campbell courtside again, she did the trick as the Boomers caught fire against Argentina. Only one place to be for the Aussies in Tokyo this afternoon.
To check in on the latest updates from the big clash, follow our separate blog with Roy Ward HERE
It’s another gold for Australia, 22-year-old kayakers Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen winning the K2 1000m after staving off a late charge from Germany.
Green, a Gold Coast lifeguard who grew up wanting to be an ironman, and South African-born van der Westhuyzen, who needed to pass a citizenship test to compete for Australia in the Tokyo Olympics, qualified fastest for the final, but I think pundits were tipping a few crews to improve in the final.
But after going out hard, the Australians held on to win in 3:15.28 from Germany’s 3:15.58.
That was a race for the ages. Remarkable.
One run left for each of the eight skateboarders in the men’s park final and Keegan Palmer still leads.
The 18-year-old just tried a trick in his second run which I have never seen before – and neither have the commentators by the sounds of it – and understandably he came unstuck.
Does it really matter? No. He has a monster 94.04 from his opening run and is just a few minutes away from a gold medal, which would be Australia’s 16th of the Olympic Games.
Fellow Australian Kieran Woolley laid down an 82.04 in his second run and is in fourth, just outside the medal positions.
Keegan Palmer has landed a score which is going to be mighty hard to toss as the Australian firms for a medal in the skateboarding men’s park final.
The 18-year-old Gold Coaster, who was only fifth best into the final, has wowed the judges with a 94.04, an incredible result to lead the eight skaters after the first of three runs.
Kiama’s Kieran Woolley had an incomplete first run and scored 17.03, but he still has two chances to atone.
Palmer is leading Brazil’s Pedro Barros (86.14) after the first round.
Is there another gold medal coming Australia’s way?
Asked what Australia’s female beach volleyballers need to win their gold medal match against the United States, Taliqua Clancy looked at her partner Mariafe Artacho del Solar, paused to think for a moment, and said: “Just each other.”
Clancy’s three words probably said all that needed to be said about the surprise packages of the tournament, who had just beaten Latvia convincingly in two sets, 23-21 and 21-13, to progress to the final where they are guaranteed at least a silver medal.
In their previous match the Australians had beaten top-ranked Canada, and go into Friday’s final fully equipped and brimming with confidence.
Read Malcolm Knox’s review of Australia’s beach volleyball semi-final win here.
There are 19 NBA stars on the Australian and United States men’s basketball rosters. The two teams clash in today’s semi final (2.15pm AEST). We take a look at the annual salary of the players in action. You can follow the Boomers v USA match closely here.
Hannah Green and Minjee Lee are starting to make a move during the second round of the women’s golf tournament at Kasumigaseki Country Club as temperatures force players to be supplied with almost a bottle of water per hole.
Green (-4) is four-under through 13 holes and Lee (-2) has finally started to gain some momentum with back-to-back birdies with three holes left in her round.
Both the major winners are still a decent way off the pace, set by Denmark’s Nanna Madsen and Emily Kristine Pedersen, as well as India’s Aditi Ashok. All three are at nine-under with Madsen and Ashok in the clubhouse and Pedersen on her last hole after a scintillating eight-under so far today.
Source: | This article originally belongs to smh.com.au
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