Olympic 2016 Results: How to View Thursday's Live Medal Tally Updates
The focus of the sporting world rarely deviates from Jamaica’s Usain Bolt when he takes to the track. Yet in what’s anticipated to be the last individual final of his storied Olympic career, the men’s 200-metre showpiece will be special on Thursday.
Bolt—a two-time winner in this event—has cruised into the final of what has long been his favourite event. It’d be the second leg of a potential triple-triple for the 29-year-old; he’s seeking to win the 100 metres, 200 and 4x100-metre relay for the third successive Olympic Games.
Also in the Olympic Stadium, it’ll be the conclusion of the men’s decathlon, plus the women’s 400-metre hurdles and javelin. There’ll also be medals dished out in the men's beach volleyball final, men’s triathlon and more. Here’s a look at the live standings and what’s to come on Thursday:
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Thursday Preview
Setting fast times and winning races is nothing new for Bolt. But even for a man who sets standards as high as his, the potential triple-triple would be a staggering feat.
Of the three events the Jamaican is competing in at these Games, the 200 metres is the one he excels in the most. Bolt has been especially dominant in the half-lap distance, using his brilliant transition through the bend and exceptional speed endurance to pull away from all of his rivals.
Win here, and it’d be eight gold medals in the Olympics for Bolt. The AFP news agency Twitter feed provided the staggering numbers behind his career:
Of course, there will be competition. American LaShawn Merritt is also extremely handy over 200 metres, while 100-metre bronze medalist Andre De Grasse has been in brilliant form in Rio de Janeiro. Bolt, as he so often does, will surely rise to the big occasion once again. Justin Gatlin and Yohan Blake will not be involved, though.
Prior to that blue riband final, there’ll be other medals for the taking on the track. The 400-metre hurdles is one of the most punishing events on the schedule, and eight women will battle for gold in this war of attrition.
The United States’ Dalilah Muhammad is the big favourite to take the victory, having posted an impressive time of 52.88 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials earlier in the year. As we can see courtesy of athletics journalist Costas Goulas, she was the class of the field in her semi-final:
"Dalilah Muhammad totally dominates the third semi with aplomb and eases up to 53.89 to demonstrate her class. pic.twitter.com/Wqg8gtRALt
— Costas Goulas (@lsabre) August 17, 2016"
Brazil have the chance to win gold in front of their home supporters in the final of the men's beach volleyball, with Bruno Schmidt and Alison Cerutti having put together an excellent run to make it to the last two.
They'll come up against a canny Italian pairing in the gold-medal match. But their chemistry and tenacity—not to mention the backing of a raucous home crowd—should be enough to see them over the line here. With the women's pair of Agatha Bednarczuk and Barbara Seixas having played in the final on Wednesday, Brazil have a chance to surge up the medals table in this discipline.
There’ll also be a fascinating tussle in the men’s triathlon, as brothers Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee are the two favourites for victory. The former grabbed gold in London four years ago and will be desperate to defend his crown. Per World Triathlon, the duo will line up alongside one another, too:
The marquee event of the diving schedule is the 10-metre individual, and the finest women in the world at this discipline will square off on Thursday. In a field stacked with quality, the Chinese duo of Ren Qian and Si Yajie are going to be tough to best.
There’s also a brilliant men’s hockey final on the cards. Belgium sprung a big surprise in the semis to beat the Netherlands 3-1 and will face Argentina, who overcame Germany 5-2, in what promises to be an absorbing gold-medal match.
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