Day 5 at the Paris Olympics is set to see the men's and women's triathlon events take place after the men's was postponed yesterday (Tuesday, July 30) due to pollution in the River Seine.
Results from the latest water analyses received at 3.20am on Wednesday (July 31), were deemed compliant by World Triathlon.
It brings with it a great chance of a medal for Team GB with Tokyo silver medallist Alex Yee looking to upgrade that result.
He has had a fascinating rivalry with Hayden Wilde of New Zealand, Yee got the better of the Kiwi at the Commonwealth Games and the result could well come down to a sprint finish.
Meanwhile, world champion Beth Potter, who competed in athletics at Rio 2016 before adding swimming and cycling to her repertoire, faces tough competition from the likes of France’s Cassandre Beaugrand with the home crowd on her side.
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson, returning for their second and third games respectively, will be hoping to medal in the synchronised diving, with the women’s 10m platform final taking place at 10am.
They won bronze at the World Aquatics Championships and will face tough competition from the Chinese who took gold in February.
In the afternoon, world champion Kieran Reilly is hoping to soar to the top of the podium in the BMX freestyle finals. Tokyo gold medallist Charlotte Worthington will also defend her crown as the men’s and women’s finals take place from 12.10pm.
GB’s most successful female canoeist and reigning C1 world champion, Mallory Franklin, will hope to go one better than her silver in Tokyo in the C1 race, with semi-finals starting at 2.30pm.
She will face fierce competition from defending champion Australian Jessica Fox, who has the added excitement of competing alongside her sister Noemie this time in Paris.
Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto will be looking to defend his Olympic gold in the men’s all-around artistic gymnastics event at 4.30pm but will be up against Chinese powerhouse Zhang Boheng, in a hotly anticipated battle at the Bercy Arena.
The surfing in Tahiti, French Polynesia comes to an end, while swimming has finals in women’s 1500m freestyle, women’s, and men’s 100m freestyle, men’s 200m butterfly and breaststroke.
There are plenty of team sports too, with basketball, men’s handball and women’s football enjoying plenty of group games. US face South Sudan in basketball, France takes on Egypt in handball, and Netherlands play Germany in men’s hockey - two nations tipped for a top podium spot.
The women’s hockey matchup on day five sees Netherlands face China - and an interesting side plot for China’s head coach Alyson Annan.
China has invested in their hockey side, with the notable appointment of Annan in 2022, who is set to face the side she coached for six years prior.
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Team GB has a good chance of winning a medal in the women’s quadruple sculls final just before midday, which follows the men’s final.
Archery, badminton, basketball 3x3, beach volleyball, boxing, equestrian, fencing, judo, shooting, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, and water polo will also be gracing the Olympic stage over the course of the day, so there will be no shortage of drama on July 31.
What not to miss on Day 5 of the Olympics
In a replay of the bronze medal match from the last Olympics, Australia take on Emma Hayes’ USA team in Group B of the women’s football at Marseille Stadium, more than 400 miles from the French capital. The USA beat the Matildas in a seven-goal thriller three years ago in Japan, so expect fireworks.
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Athlete to watch
Katie Ledecky is set to feature in the 1500m freestyle final, the second of her four events. As the world record holder, she’ll be going for gold while keeping her sights set on the 800m on August 3, where she can match Michael Phelps’ record of four straight golds in the same Olympic event.
Best Brit to watch
Charlotte Worthington has been through tough times since winning gold in Tokyo, including time away from the sport for mental health reasons.
But she has rediscovered her love of BMX and is eager to recreate the incredible scenes that showed her win gold three years ago.
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