Sports Arena: August 2012

Highlights from the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremonies

Athletes attend the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games

Performers with umbrellas are suspended in the air during the Opening Ceremony

Stefan Wermuth / ReutersKirsty Wigglesworth / AP

From fireworks and flying performers to a welcome from professor Stephen Hawking, the London Paralympic Games started off with a bang exploring the theme of Enlightenment. Here, TIME presents the best moments from the opening ceremonies.
Performers with umbrellas are suspended in mid-air during the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Paralympics in London,

Robots compete in their own 'Olympics' games

WATCH: the robots competing in the RoboWorld Cup introduce themselves

London may be host to the Olympics and paralympics but Bristol is the place to be if you are a sporty robot.

26 teams from around the world are currently competing in the FIRA RoboWorld Cup
They are taking part in a range of games, including football, basketball and weightlifting.
It is the first time that the event has been hosted in the UK and organisers say that they have had a record number of entries.
The robots have also smashed a few world records along the way.
Marathon hopes The Usain Bolt of the robot world comes from Singapore.
"The sprint world record was 42 seconds but Singapore has smashed that with 31 seconds," organiser Dr Guido Herrmann told the BBC.
Unlike their human counterparts, the robots do not run 100 metres.
"It is three metres [9ft 10in] forward and three metres back," explained Dr Herrmann.
Homegrown pre-tournament favourites from Plymouth University will compete against Singapore in the sprint final on Saturday and "still have a very good chance", he said.
It could be shaping up to be the robot equivalent of super Saturday.
Another local team, from Bristol University's robotics laboratory, is competing in the final of the marathon.

Robots compete at the Robot World Cup, copyright Joe Meredith

Competition is fierce in all disciplines

The event - a gruelling 42 metres - is going to be a challenge for Team Panther, as the entry is dubbed.
"To be honest we'd just be happy to finish the race. At the moment our robot isn't walking very well," confessed team member David Pollard.
The competition is made more difficult by the fact the teams have not been told in advance where the race will take place.
"A table-top is easier than a floor or carpet but the surface is yet to be decided," he added.
Team Panther's robot has been built from scratch but it will be competing against shop-bought robots which, according to Mr Pollard, are currently outperforming the home-made versions.
But he doesn't think this is unfair.
"Essentially you should be able to build a better robot than one off the shelf but this is our first year," he said.
Weightlifting DVDs The main focus of the competition is football, but competition in other disciplines has also been intense. The weightlifting record is one of several expected to fall.
"The current world record is to lift 89 DVDs which is quite a bit for a small robot. But already in training a couple have lifted 100 DVDs," said Dr Herrmann.
Many of the robots compete in multiple sports. The organiser described them as "decathletes" rather than single-event specialists.

Fun is at the heart of the competition but all entrants must observe one important rule.

Just like their human equivalents, having the right trainers is vital for a sports robot

"The robots must be autonomous. Once they start the humans must be hands-off," Dr Herrmann said.
It is a coup for Bristol to have won the bid to host the event which has been running since 1996.
But Dr Herrmann admitted that competition was "fierce".
"I had to submit a bid in 2010 and go to Bangalore to present it," he said.
"Putting the dates between the Olympics and the paralympics may have helped."
The competition ends on Saturday.

A first for last

Andrew Osagie's time of 1:43.77 is a world record for the eighth-placed finisher in an Olympic 800m final
It would have won him the gold medal at the last three Olympics
Now fourth-fastest Briton over 800m behind Sebastian Coe, Steve Cram and Peter Elliott

In Amos and Kitum, 17, the future of the event looks in good hands but whether anyone can get near the dominant Rudisha before the next Games in Rio looks unlikely.

Amos clocked 1:41.73 - the 11th fastest 800m of all time - to become the fourth-fastest man ever over the distance. Only Rudisha, Wilson Kipketer and 2012 Games chief Seb Coe have run two laps of the track faster.
Rudisha has set the three fastest 800m times of all time and managed six of the fastest eight 800m ever.
His pace was consistent throughout, clocking 23 seconds for the first 200m, 25 for the second, 25 for the third, and 26.1 for the final quarter.

Source:By Tom Rostance BBC Sport at the Olympic Stadium

Analysis: Denise Lewis Olympic heptathlon champion and BBC Sport athletics pundit and

Tom Fordyce Chief sports writer, BBC Sport

Final Results


Rank	Athlete	Country	Medal moment	Result
1	Rudisha	KEN	Watch: Medal moment	1:40.91 WR
2	Amos	BOT	Watch: Medal moment	1:41.73 WJ
3	Kitum	KEN	Watch: Medal moment	1:42.53 PB

Usain Bolt declares himself the 'greatest' athlete

Jamaica's Yohan Blake, Usain Bolt and Warren Weir

Usain Bolt declared himself "the greatest athlete" to have lived after sealing an Olympic sprint double.

After retaining his 200m title, four days after doing the same in the 100m, he said: "I'm a living legend."

Two-time Olympic champion Daley Thompson: "Usain Bolt always said he wanted to be a legend, and in order to do that he had to do the double double. I guess the legend continues. He's still quite easily the best and he could be for as long as he wants. I suspect he is going to lack a little bit of motivation, because he likes doing the other things. In the last few years our sport would have sunk without a trace without him. We all owe him a debt of gratitude because he's bringing the people in."

Beforehand, the Jamaican, 25, had said he thought it possible he could break his own world record of 19.19 seconds.

Afterwards, he admitted: "I was fast but I wasn't fit enough," before sounding an ominous warning: "I am not ready to retire. I love this sport."
Jamaica completed a clean sweep in the 200m, with Yohan Blake winning silver and Warren Weir bronze behind Bolt's 19.32 seconds.
"We pushed each other and we're happy," declared Bolt after the race.
Although he broke neither the World nor Olympic records on this occasion, Bolt was full of joy and bravado in the post-sprint media conference, insisting he had left a permanent imprint on the sport.
"I'm now a living legend," Bolt added. "Now I am going to sit back, relax and think about what's next.

Analysis

Tom Fordyce Chief sports writer at the Olympic Stadium

Bolt, as ever, celebrated his fifth Olympic gold like a glorious loon - crossing the line with an admonishing finger to his lips, throwing himself down into 10 press-ups, seizing a photographer's camera to snap back at the flashes fired at him from all around.

Read more of Tom's feature on Bolt

"I don't know what I really want to do after this, whether to run the 100 or 200 or try something else. I need to find a goal that's going to motivate me to great things. The rest of the season I am just going to have fun because I did what I came here to do."

Bolt led his compatriot Blake, 22, from the starting blocks but slowed as he neared the finish line.
"I came off the corner, I could feel the strain on my back a little bit, so I was trying to keep my form," he said. "But I stopped running because I knew it wasn't going to be a world record.
"I really wanted to do it in the 200m, but I'm happy. I came here and I gave it my all and I'm proud of myself."

Usain Bolt retains 200m title to make Olympic history

Source:BBCSports

Allyson Felix wins 200m gold for United States at London 2012

Allyson Felix raced to Olympic 200m gold in a time of 21.88 seconds, to win the title at the third attempt.

The three-time world champion beat a strong field to register her first Olympic gold over the distance after two silvers in 2004 and 2008.
The American came from behind in the final straight to pip Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to first place.

"That was very impressive from Allyson Felix. It was a great race with some great athletic talent. Felix, with her long stride, is a great sprinter with very nice technique. She could not be matched."

Fraser-Pryce ran a personal best 22.09 to take silver, with Carmelita Jeter of the United States third in 22.14 secs.

"It has been a long time coming," said Felix. "I've waited so long for this moment and I am just overjoyed. There are so many people I love here tonight and I am just overjoyed to share it with them."
Veronica Campbell-Brown, who won the title in 2004 and 2008, finished outside the medal placings in fourth.
The Jamaican duo of Fraser-Pryce and Campbell-Brown got off to a flying start, leaving the rest of the athletes trailing. But Felix, in lane six, finished the stronger, while Fraser-Pryce held off Jeter to take second.
Felix, 26, went into the race buoyed by the fastest time in the semi-final, having been the only athlete to run under 22 seconds.
She took that form into the final to banish her disappointment of previous years against a high-class field in which London 2012's 400m champion Sanya Richards-Ross finished fifth.

Source: Michael Johnson Four-time Olympic champion & BBC Sport pundit

Final Results


Rank	Athlete	Country	Medal moment	Result
1	Felix	USA	Watch: Medal moment	21.88
2	Fraser-pryce	JAM	Watch: Medal moment	22.09 PB
3	Jeter	USA	Watch: Medal moment	22.14

Usain Bolt eases into 200m final at London 2012

Usain Bolt effortlessly breezed into the Olympic 200m final to set up a much-anticipated showdown with his training partner Yohan Blake.

“I know what I can do, so I never doubt myself.” Usain Bolt

The reigning Olympic champion won the second semi-final in 20.18 seconds, racing out of the blocks brilliantly before relaxing down the straight.

Jamaican compatriot Blake had taken the first semi in 20.01 secs from Wallace Spearmon, while Churandy Martina won the third in 20.17.
Great Britain's Christian Malcolm, running in his fourth Olympics, finished third in the final semi in 20.51 secs but missed out on the fastest loser spots. France's Christophe Lemaitre took one of those, clocking 20.03 secs behind Blake.
"It's all about going through as easy as possible. That was the aim, so I'm pretty happy," said Bolt. "I'm ready. This is my favourite event, so I'm looking forward to it. I know what I can do, so I never doubt myself."

"I believe there is a lot more to come from Usain Bolt. I don't think he ran the bend or the home stretch that hard. He got a very good start from the blocks and was extremely relaxed for more than 100m. Bolt knows he will have a little bit more work to do against Blake in the final but I don't think he feels much pressure from anyone."

Malcolm finished 0.14 secs off the second fastest loser place in what may be his final individual race.

"I fancied my chances," the 33-year-old Welshman told the BBC. "I'm disappointed. In my last Olympics, it would have been nice to make the final, but it wasn't to be.
"I'm getting older and it's not getting any easier. This atmosphere is amazing and now it's on to the relay."
Ever since Bolt ran 9.63 secs to retain his 100m title on Sunday evening, there has been intense speculation as to the time he might run in Thursday's 200m final.
His Olympic record of 19.30 secs from Beijing may well be in danger, certainly if Blake runs close to his personal best of 19.26 secs.
After winning his semi-final, Blake said: "The race was a walk in the park. I've been working hard. All I needed to do was kick well."
American Spearmon, who clocked 20.02, is confident there can be an upset in Thursday's final (20:55 BST).
"Spearmon has been here before, so he knows what it takes," he said. "There's lots of people that could spoil the party."
Bolt's own world record of 19.19 secs, set in Berlin three summers ago, seemed impossible at the time. But this is a fast track, Bolt is in wonderful shape and no-one dare rule anything out.

Source:Michael Johnson Four-time Olympic champion & BBC Sport pundit

Tom Fordyce Chief sports writer at the Olympic Stadium

New taekwondo rule: Don't kick hard

Spain's Joel Gonzalez Bonilla fights Sweden's Uno Sanli (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Taekwondo officials trying to take the sting out of the sport's deadliest kicks have come up with an interesting new rule: Don't bother kicking hard.
To make the sport safer, officials recently announced that any head kicks will be awarded points even if there is no force behind the kick; athletes only need to touch their opponent's head with their foot to score.
The London Olympics will be the first games to use the new rule. Previously, players had to use some power to demonstrate a proper kicking technique and kicks that just grazed or touched the opponent's head didn't count. That is all now history.
Some of the sport's top athletes say that change undermines the spirit of the martial art, originally developed by ancient Korean warriors.
"Personally, I think it's a little silly," said Steven Lopez, a double gold Olympic medallist and record five-time world champion. "Taekwondo is a full-contact combat sport and I think a good head kick should still be a good head kick," said the American fighter.
"You have to find a way to win within the rules, but this doesn't change the fact that I want to kick (my opponent's) head as hard and as fast as possible," he said. "If a guy can now find a way to score off of me with just his pinkie toe touching my head, I'll find a way to beat him," Lopez said.
Officials at the World Taekwondo Federation say the change was made to protect athletes. In recent years, the governing body tweaked the rules to grant players more points for head kicks — athletes now score three to four points for head shots versus one to two points for kicks to the body. That motivated fighters to kick their opponent's head more often, even though none of the protective equipment, a dipped foam headguard and a mouthguard, has changed.
"We modified the rules for safety," said Philippe Bouedo of the taekwondo federation. "We're moving from a power sport to a touch sport for the safety of players."
But that may not be entirely feasible.
Some of taekwondo's most lethal kicks, which involve a spinning technique, are extremely challenging to slow down or execute without power.
"You can't throw a spinning hook kick without force," said Lopez, referring to one of the kicks frequently used to knock out opponents. "Or if you do, it will be superslow and by the time you do it, they will have kicked you in the face."
Others said the new rule might make fights more action-packed. "I can conserve my energy and kick more since I don't always have to kick hard," said Joel Gonzalez of Spain, the top-ranked fighter in his 58-kilogram division.
He acknowledged, however, the change didn't reflect taekwondo's origins as a martial art intended to cripple the competition. "I don't kick as hard so that is a gift to my opponent," Gonzalez said. "But it also means I can kick to the head more times since it isn't as difficult."
Australian athlete Safwan Khalil said he's adjusted his fight strategy now that he knows he doesn't have to kick hard to score a head shot. "It's easier to follow up a head kick with another combination since you don't have to kick hard," he said.
Khalil said that even though the change might make taekwondo safer for players, it was still a combat sport. "There won't be less knockouts," he said. "People are still going to go for the head even if they don't use as much power as before."
With Olympic medals at stake, Lopez doubted fighters would go any easier on each other.
"Everyone wants a medal at the end of the day," he said. "No one's going to stand in my way and stop my dreams," Lopez said. "I'm going to kick as hard as I can."

Jeter defends relationship with suspended agent

LONDON — Shortly after winning her second Olympic medal in two days, Carmelita Jeter found herself defending her relationship with an agent who was suspended as part of the BALCO investigation.

Jeter said she considers Mark Block "a close friend" during a news conference after she won the 200-meter bronze Wednesday night. Jeter also won silver in the 100 meters.
In March 2011, Block was suspended for 10 years by an anti-doping arbitration panel after it found he trafficked in drugs supplied by Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and gave them to his wife, sprinter Zhanna Block.
When asked about Block, Jeter said: "I don't know how some people are raised, but I was raised to always be friends with someone and have loyalty with people. If he got in trouble for whatever he got in trouble for, that does not mean that I don't still care about him."

Semenya in Olympic debut 3 years after gender test

Making her Olympic debut three years after being forced to undergo gender tests, Caster Semenya of South Africa finished second in her 800-meter preliminary heat Wednesday.
Semenya was sidelined for nearly a year while track and field's governing body decided whether to allow her to compete after she won the 2009 world title at age 18. She was tested and eventually cleared to return to action in 2010, then was the runner-up at last year's world championships.
Semenya carried South Africa's flag at the opening ceremonies in London and is a leading medal contender in the 800. She ran her heat Wednesday in 2 minutes, 0.71 seconds, behind the 2:00.47 run by Alysia Johnson Montano of the United States.

South Africa's Caster Semenya waits to start in a women's 800-meter heat during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Mo Farah reaches 5,000m final at London 2012 Olympics

Great Britain's Mo Farah finished third in his 5,000m heat to automatically qualify for the final and stay in contention for double Olympic gold.

Farah won 10,000m gold on Saturday and was given a huge roar from the crowd when introduced at the start line.

"Mo had to work hard. Even for Olympic champions 12-and-a-half laps can still be hard work. I think Mo is going to have to be absolutely at his best to win gold. When he gets to the final he'll want to be controlling it rather than reacting to it."

He had to work to book a spot in a second final and said: "It was pretty difficult as I was tired."

Fellow Briton Nick McCormick was 12th in the second heat and failed to reach Saturday's final.
Farah stuck around after his third place to watch the second heat to study his rivals as he bids to add an Olympic gold to his World crown in the 5,000m.
"The heat took a bit more out of me than I was expecting," added Farah. "But I'm really happy with where I am now and I've got a couple of days off.
"I kept getting caught as there was a lot of pushing and shoving going on. That's what happens in the heats and, hopefully, it will settle down in the final."
McCormick ran in the faster heat and narrowly missed out on a final spot as a fastest loser.
"I did everything I possibly could," he said. "I'm disappointed I missed out by two spots but it was a brilliant occasion.
"I loved the crowd, they were absolutely fantastic. I gave it everything but I have come a long way from where I was two years ago and I'm just disappointed not to make the final.
"I think I could have done. It was a very scrappy race. I just didn't have enough but I gave it everything, I've got no regrets."

Source:Steve Cram BBC athletics commentator

Usain Bolt wins Olympics 100m final at London 2012-Video

Usain Bolt - A unique and very special talent

You can doubt other athletes all you want. They will fail, if only occasionally. They will bend to the laws of physics and physiology.

The same rules do not apply to Usain Bolt.
In retaining his Olympic 100m title in 9.63 seconds despite being, by his own admission, only 95% fit and after a season in which he has been beaten, injured and questioned like never before, the 25-year-old Jamaican reminded the watching world of something we were in danger of forgetting: he is not like the rest of us.
Bolt does not make the impossible real, he can make it almost mundane.
His time of 9.69 seconds in the 2008 Olympic final once blew minds and reset parameters seemingly forever. Now that time is relegated to the footnotes, a metre down on his London calling card and more than 0.1 secs off his wondrous world best.

Bolt beats Blake to win 100m gold

Sunday night's unequivocal excellence, however, was not about the numbers. Bolt came to these Olympics with a simple, singular aim: to confirm his status, once and for all, as a legend of the sport.
You might reasonably think he had already done enough. Bolt, a student of sprinting and its history, did not.
To him, his Beijing sprint double was a task only half completed. Only by retaining both titles, something no other man in history has ever done, would he be satisfied.
Even as the afternoon hours ticked away, there were still grave misgivings about his chances. Yohan Blake had beaten him - twice - at the Jamaican trials just a few weeks ago.
Bolt had not run since. Instead he had sought treatment from sports doctor Hans Muller-Wohlfahrt, his back and hamstrings said to be as unreliable as his summer form.
When Justin Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic champion, won the night's first semi-final in 9.82 secs, the quickest ever showing at that stage of a competition, the doubts swelled further. With fellow American Tyson Gay, the second fastest man in history, also going to his blocks, this was the highest quality field ever assembled in a major global final.
Oh ye of little faith.
Bolt not only got out fast - quicker than either Blake or Gatlin - but left his rivals behind as if sucked away by a jet-engine's thrust.

Analysis

Steve Cram BBC athletics commentator

"He wasn't the best out of the blocks but he didn't need to be. He has got so much more than the rest of these guys. It is the strongest field there has ever been in this event but they cannot touch Usain Bolt."

Blake's 9.75 secs for silver was nowhere. Neither was Gatlin's 9.79 secs for bronze. Both were personal bests, yet in a narrative written by Bolt's brilliance, these things are reduced to afterthoughts.

London, stunned and screaming, had witnessed the quickest 100m final ever.
Seven men went under 10 seconds, beating the previous record of six, achieved at both the 1991 World Championships and 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The times for the athletes finishing from third to seventh were the fastest ever registered for those positions.
Had Asafa Powell not popped his groin and limped over the line, all eight finalists would have gone under 10 seconds for the first time in history. Since Powell's nominal 11.99 seconds would have won the 100m final at the first Olympics in 1896, there was neatness regardless.
With Bolt away in a golden blur, none of it mattered.
You could lose yourself in arguments about how Sunday's time compared to his Berlin best - a tailwind of 1.5ms here to 2009's 0.9ms, the comparatively fresh 17 degrees centigrade of London less conducive to record-breaking than Germany's mid-summer warmth.
To do so would be to neglect the impact this man has on the wider world.
There is good reason one million people applied for tickets for Sunday night's session at the Olympic Stadium. This is not just the biggest single contest in the planet's biggest sporting occasion, but one of a finite number of opportunities to witness the greatest sprinter that has ever lived do what no athlete has ever done before.

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Bolt's joy after retaining 100m title

Every Olympic 100m champion in the last 32 years was there to watch - Maurice Greene, Donovan Bailey, Linford Christie, Carl Lewis and Alan Wells.
Since Bolt is more than just athletics, it did not stop at sprinters. At one point, I looked around to see Lennox Lewis, John McEnroe and Kobe Bryant all within hailing distance.
Bolt worked for this win. The strength of the field meant he could not celebrate from 15 metres out as he had four years ago.
It merely made for a superior script. Only in Gatlin's bronze, after two long doping bans and a reputation at rock-bottom within the sport, could there be displeasure.
That Gay, universally liked by his peers and undervalued by the public at large, should miss out on his first Olympic medal by 0.01 secs to a man like Gatlin and leave the track in tears was a sad sub-plot.
Gay has run two of the five fastest 100m races of all time - 9.69 secs in Shanghai three years ago and 9.71 secs in Berlin the same summer. Because he has done so in the era and races of Bolt, only the aficionados will pay sufficient dues.
Bolt, as ever, was in the mood for partying - cavorting, clowning, delighting the capacity crowd with his full range of showman celebrations.
"People can talk," he shrugged afterwards, in a brief moment of sober reflection. "All they can do is talk. I brought it. I know what I need to do."

Reaction

"To be the second-fastest man in the world behind Bolt is an honour. He is the fastest man in the world and I've got a silver medal. What more can I ask for?"
Yohan Blake, Olympic 100m silver medallist

That may well have been Bolt's last ever Olympic 100m. Few sprinters maintain a physical peak across eight years or a mental desire to stay at the top once they have conquered every challenge confronting them.

By the time the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro come around, Bolt will be approaching his 30th birthday. If track still holds his focus, it is more likely to be over one lap than the single straight, the goal an unprecedented domination of three distances should the incomparable pain of 400m running not turn his sated stomach.
In case any of us were feeling a little wistful for that reason, or that a contest so eagerly anticipated for so long is over in such a beautiful blink of the eye, Bolt gave us a little reminder before he left the stadium that something even more stunning may be just round the curve.
"I really want to do something special in my 200m," he said, teasingly, to reporters waiting to interview after his 100m triumph.
His own world record of 19.19 seconds? Incredibly, impossibly, the 19-second barrier itself?
"It's been on my mind for years and years," he said, with as straight a face as he ever could.
"This season, on this track, feeling confident... we'll see."

Source:Tom Fordyce Chief sports writer at Olympic Stadium

London 2012 Olympics: Day 10 must-see moments

Kenny through to sprint semi-finals

Jason Kenny and Victoria Pendleton will hope to continue Britain's domination of the velodrome, Dai Greene takes centre stage at the Olympic Stadium and gymnast Beth Tweddle aims to finally land gold.

Here are Monday's events to watch out for (all times BST):
Full schedule available on BBC Sport website

TRACK CYCLING (17:43): Jason Kenny, men's individual sprint

Kenny faces the daunting challenge of filling Sir Chris Hoy's shoes after being selected ahead of the reigning Olympic champion for Britain's sole individual sprint place. France's Gregory Bauge, the world champion, was always likely to provide a tough a opponent whoever was selected, but Kenny will be optimistic of improving on his silver from Beijing.
Kenny must first get past Njisane Nicholas Phillip from Trinidad & Tobago in the semi-final (16:00). Victoria Pendleton continues her individual sprint campaign, facing Belarusian Olga Panarina in the quarter-finals (16:43).

Read up on the protagonists:

ATHLETICS (20:45-20:46): Dai Greene, men's 400m hurdles

Greene might be the reigning world champion but the Welshman has a huge task on his hands to add Olympic gold after scraping into the final with the seventh-fastest time. Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico's Javier Culson qualified fastest. Holly Bleasdale has joined the elite in the women's pole vault over the last year and could be in the mix for medals (19:00-21:06), with world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva the favourite.

GYMNASTICS (14:50-15:24): Beth Tweddle, women's uneven bars

This is the big chance for Tweddle to finally win the Olympic medal that has eluded her in more than a decade at the top of the sport. The 27-year-old Liverpudlian, who has won three world, six European and seven British titles, topped the leaderboard in qualification on Sunday ahead of He Kexin of China and Russian Viktoria Komova. China's four-time world and defending Olympic champion Chen Yibing is one to watch in the men's rings final (14:00).

EQUESTRIAN (14:00-17:10): GB eventing team

Britain's showjumping quartet of Nick Skelton, Ben Maher, Scott Brash and Peter Charles lie in joint second place with Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands going into the final day. Saudia Arabia currently lead. Skelton, who is riding in his sixth Olympics, is hoping to lead Britain to a first Olympic showjumping medal since 1984.

HOCKEY (19:00-20:30): GB women

Great Britain's women face a potentially do-or-die clash with Olympic champions the Netherlands. If China beat Japan in the afternoon, GB will need a draw to reach the semi-finals. The British won their opening three group matches, but a shock 2-1 defeat by China means they still have work to do.

OTHER GB TEAMS IN ACTION

Basketball men v China 16:45, Handball men v Iceland 16:15, Volleyball men v Argentina 16:45, Water Polo men v Montenegro 18:20.
Source: BBC

London 2012 Olympics: Day Eight must-see moments

There are star names and medals on offer everywhere you look on Saturday, from British triathlon hope Helen Jenkins and Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt in the morning to Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah in the evening.

Here are Saturday's events to watch out for (all times BST):
Full schedule available on BBC Sport website

ATHLETICS (10:05-21:14): Jessica Ennis, heptathlon; Mo Farah, men's 10,000m;

Jessica Ennis will hope to finish off the job she started on Friday as the heptathlon concludes with the long jump (10:05), javelin (11:40) and 800m (20:35). The Briton has a solid lead after her best day one score.
Mo Farah then goes for the first of a possible two medals in the 10,000m (21:15), and the fastest women on earth line up in the 100m final (21:55). Earlier in the day, Usain Bolt and his fellow sprint stars take part in the men's 100m first round (12:30 to 13:20). South Africa's four-time Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius will make history as the first amputee sprinter to compete at the Olympics when he goes in the men's 400m (10:35).

Read up on the protagonists:

TRIATHLON (08:55): Helen Jenkins

Jenkins might not have the profile of Brownlee brothers Alistair and Jonny but the Welsh triathlete is herself a world champion and in great form heading into Saturday's Olympic race at Hyde Park. She will have help from team-mates Lucy Hall and Vicky Holland. Australia's Erin Densham, Swiss Nicola Spirig and Paula Findlay of Canada could be among the medal threats.

ROWING (11:30): GB men's four

It could be another golden day for Britain at Eton Dorney with two defending Olympic champion boats in finals. Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter are the world and Olympic champions in the men's lightweight double scull (12:10), while Kat Copeland and Sophie Hosking are improving fast in the women's lightweight boat (11:50).
Britain have won the men's four at the last three Olympic Games but recent performances by Australia suggest they have the speed to match the power of Andrew Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed, Tom James and Alex Gregory - the Olympic final could be a sensational battle.

TRACK CYCLING (16:11): GB women's team pursuit

The British trio of Laura Trott, Dani King and Joanna Rowsell smashed the world record as they won the world title in Melbourne earlier this year and they qualified for Saturday's Olympic final by setting another world best. Trott also has the six-discipline, two-day omnium to go for later in the event and could become one of the stars of the Games. Jason Kenny begins his individual sprint campaign earlier in the day.

SWIMMING (20:27): Michael Phelps, men's 4x100m medley

Michael Phelps will try to win an 18th Olympic gold medal in his last competitive race before retirement when the US go in the men's 4x100m medley. Briton Fran Halsall represents another chance for the home nation to boost its medal tally in the pool in the women's 50m freestyle final (19:30).

TENNIS (14:00): Serena Williams, women's singles

American Williams has powered her way through the women's draw and the only person standing between her and a Wimbledon-Olympic gold double is Russia's Maria Sharapova. Andy Murray and Laura Robson are first on Centre Court at 12:00 BST in their mixed doubles quarter-final against Australian pair Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Stosur. The winners will face Germany's Christopher Kas and Sabine Lisicki later on Saturday.

FOOTBALL (19:45-21:30): GB men

Stuart Pearce's team won their group to earn a quarter-final against South Korea at the Millennium Stadium as Great Britain bid to win a first Olympic football medal since 1912.

OTHER GB TEAMS IN ACTION

Basketball men v Australia 20:00, Handball men v Tunisia 09:30, Hockey women v China 16:00, Volleyball men v Poland 11:30, Water Polo men v Hungary 18:20.

Red Sox miss late chances, lose to Twins in 10

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling sits with his wife Shonda, right, wait after being introduced as a new member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame before the baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park in Boston, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012. (AP

A day after managing only two hits and getting shut out by Minnesota, the Boston Red Sox did much better at the plate.
Even so, 14 hits weren't enough to beat the Twins.
The Red Sox squandered an early four-run lead and failed to score after the third inning, falling 6-5 to the Twins in the 10th Friday night.
"We felt like we were in complete control of the game and then they have a big inning and we just seem not be able to find a way to score," Boston star Dustin Pedroia said.
Jamey Carroll's single off Vicente Padilla (4-1) with one out in the 10th scored Darin Mastroianni from second base with the go-ahead run.
Jared Burton pitched a perfect 10th to record his fourth save of the season for Minnesota, which owns the second-worst record in the AL.
Boston was 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 on base overall. The Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but Tyler Robertson struck out Jacoby Ellsbury and got Pedroia to fly out to preserve a 5-all tie.
Following a four-game winning streak, the Red Sox have dropped three straight and fallen back below .500 at 53-54.
"Talent can only go so far. You have to figure out ways to win," Red Sox right fielder Cody Ross said. "There's a difference between being a really talented group and being a winning group.
"On paper, it looks like that, but right now it just feels like we're treading water and it's not a good feeling. We got to snap out of it."
Boston capitalized on a rare error by first baseman Justin Morneau in the third inning.
After Adrian Gonzalez drove in Pedroia with a single to put the Red Sox in front 2-1, Minnesota starter Brian Duensing retired Ryan Lavarnway and Will Middlebrooks, and seemingly escaped the inning on a routine foul pop up by Carl Crawford.
But Morneau dropped the ball just in front of Boston's dugout, and Crawford hit Duensing's next pitch into Boston's bullpen, staking the Red Sox to a 5-1 lead.
It went downhill from there, though.
"We had chances. We just didn't come through," Pedroia said. "That's basically it."
Carroll and Morneau each went 4 for 4 and reached base five times. Morneau doubled twice and Carroll also doubled.
Mastroianni led off the 10th with a double. After Middlebrooks made a spectacular diving catch on a bunted foul ball by Brian Dozier, Carroll singled and dropped Boston to 2-6 in extra-inning games this season.
Jeff Gray (6-1) pitched 1 1-3 innings for the win.
Crawford singled, doubled and hit his third home run in a week for the Red Sox.
On Thursday night, Boston got a pair of hits from Gonzalez and nothing else in a 5-0 loss to the Twins.
"Last night, that was awful offensively. And then tonight, it was a good game, we just didn't find a way to pull away," Pedroia said. "When (Carl Crawford) hit the big home run, we didn't score any more runs. We got to do a better job of that."
After Boston left the bases loaded in the eighth, Lavarnway doubled with two outs in the ninth, but Middlebrooks grounded out to end the threat.
Red Sox starter Felix Doubront couldn't hold the 5-1 lead. He went five innings, allowing five runs and eight hits.
Control problems got the best of him in the fifth, enabling the Twins to tie it. Doubront walked Joe Mauer to load the bases and then walked the next batter, Josh Willingham, to make it 5-2. Morneau hit a soft two-run single and the Twins made it 5-all on a sacrifice fly by Danny Valencia.
"I think with Felix pitching and a four-run lead, I think they felt it was going to be a different kind of game and then they kind of had to shift gears," Boston manager Bobby Valentine said. "And they did, getting guys on base, and just misfired."
NOTES: Boston RHP Josh Beckett was scratched from his scheduled start Sunday because of a lower back injury. Franklin Morales will return to the rotation to fill Beckett's slot. ... Injured Red Sox slugger David Ortiz took batting practice and did some running drills prior to the game. The designated hitter has been on the DL since July 17 with a right Achilles strain. ... Red Sox reliever Andrew Bailey, who has missed the entire season after undergoing right thumb surgery, will pitch for Double-A Portland on Sunday. ... The Red Sox Hall of Fame Class of 2012, including Curt Schilling, Marty Barrett and Ellis Burks, was honored during a midday induction ceremony and again prior to the game.

Andy Murray boosted for Olympics final v Roger Federer

Olympic men's singles tennis gold medal match

Venue: Centre Court, Wimbledon
Date: Sunday, 5 August
Start: 14:00 BST

Coverage: BBC TV, radio and online

Andy Murray believes his chances of winning Olympic gold are boosted as Roger Federer will be playing in his first Games singles final on Sunday.

Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, lifted his seventh Wimbledon title last month by beating Murray.
"It's so rare for him to be in a position where he's trying to do something new because he's achieved so much in tennis," said the Briton, 25.
"I hope that will even things out a little bit."
He added: "Most times I've played him, he's experienced the situations way, way more times than me."

Route to Olympic tennis final

Andy Murray (Great Britain)

1st rd: Bt Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3 6-3
2nd rd: Bt Jarkko Nieminen 6-2 6-4
3rd rd: Bt Marcos Baghdatis 4-6 6-1 6-4
QF: Bt Nicolas Almagro 6-4 6-1
SF: Bt Novak Djokovic 7-5 7-5

Roger Federer (Switzerland)

1st rd: Bt Alejandro Falla 6-3 5-7 6-3
2nd rd: Bt Julien Benneteau 6-2 6-2
3rd rd: Bt Denis Istomin 7-5 6-3
QF: Bt John Isner 6-4 7-6
SF: Bt Juan Martin Del Potro 3-6 7-6 19-17

Murray overcame Novak Djokovic to reach his first Olympic final - which will take place on Sunday - while Federer, 30, beat Juan Martin del Potro.

The Swiss has played 107 career singles finals to Murray's 32, winning 75 to the Briton's 22. This year's Wimbledon final was Federer's eighth and Murray's first.
But Murray has won eight of their 16 meetings and will be buoyed by his rousing victory over world number two Djokovic in the semi-finals, which guaranteed him at least a silver medal.
"Playing against Roger is always tough," said world number four Murray, who must also play at least one mixed doubles match alongside Laura Robson on Saturday.
"I've had some good wins against him and some tough losses. I will have learned from the Wimbledon match - I'll look and talk with my team about that match and the tactics for going into Sunday.
"I want to try to win. I don't think going into matches trying to get revenge for something that's happened in the past really helps. I think you need to try and focus on the future.
"It's going to be a tough match. I'll need to play great tennis to win. I hope it's a great match because the way the semi-finals went, the tournament deserves a great final. I hope we can provide that."

Murray reaches Olympic tennis final

Federer needed four hours and 26 minutes - the longest three-set singles match in the Open era - to grind down del Potro and later admitted to being "extremely drained".
Murray, by contrast, was on court for exactly two hours and looked as if he had plenty of energy to spare as he leapt around Centre Court in celebration.
"I don't feel tired at all," he admitted. "Mentally I feel really fresh. Normally after playing a match with Novak, you will feel a bit fatigued. I feel fine.
"Anybody that knows me knows I won't go into the match happy with just having a silver medal. I go into the match 100% trying to win. I'll give everything I can on the court.
"There's obviously huge motivation to try to win a gold medal. Winning against Roger in a match like that is fairly significant. I'll be desperate to win.
"Now I'm in the final, I have the chance to win a gold medal. I'm not going to have that chance for another four years. So I'll give it everything I can to try to do that."
Murray is also in his first Olympic final, having lost to Lu Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan in the first round in Beijing four years ago.
But Federer said of the Scot: "He got amazing crowd support in the Wimbledon final. I was able to handle that. But there's never a guarantee. I don't know how much the crowd plays in the outcome of the match.
"He's such a great player but I've been around as well. I think it should be a great match."
By David Ornstein BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Saudi woman's Olympic judo bout over in 82 seconds

It was over in little more than a minute, but it will go down as one of the most memorable moments of the London Games.

Saudi Arabia's Wojdan Shahrkani and Puerto Rico's Melissa Mojica compete during the women's 78-kg judo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

A young Saudi judo fighter's decisive defeat on the mat Friday is being hailed as a victory for women in the conservative Gulf kingdom, a step that would have seemed unimaginable if thousands of fans at the sprawling ExCel Center and millions at home hadn't seen it with their own eyes.

Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani was one of just two women competing for Saudi Arabia at the games, the first time the Gulf state has sent female athletes at all. And she was only able to compete in judo after a compromise between Olympic organizers, the international judo federation and Saudi officials that cleared the way for her to wear a modified hijab.

Even that was unacceptable to hard-liners, who said she was dishonoring herself by fighting in front of men, including the male referee and judges.

The crowd roared as Shahrkhani stepped onto the mat for her fight against Puerto Rico's Melissa Mojica wearing judo dress and what appeared to be a tight-fitting black cap.

The drama was not in seeing who would win. In a competition where everyone else holds a high-level black belt, Shahrkhani has only attained a blue.
On the mat, the Saudi looked tentative and cautious on her feet, unwilling to grab Mojica's uniform and making little attempt to throw her off balance. The two heavyweights circled each other for about a minute before Mojica, the 24th-ranked judo fighter in the world in her weight class, grabbed Shahrkhani with a secure grip on her collar and flipped her onto her back, ending the match in 82 seconds.
As she rose to her feet, Shahrkhani gently reached for her head to make sure the hijab was still in place. It was, and the two women bowed to each other and left to a loud ovation.
Afterward, the teenager — whose age is given as 16 by Olympic organizers, but 17 or 18 by her father, and 19 on the Saudi Olympic website — walked with her father past journalists and TV cameras.
"I am happy to be at the Olympics," she whispered in Arabic, her brother, Hassan, holding both her arms. "Unfortunately, we did not win a medal, but in the future we will and I will be a star for women's participation."
Later, she sat on a sofa in her judo pants and a black Saudi Arabia track jacket and hijab, her father's arm around her shoulder.
"I was scared a lot, because of all the crowd," she said, giggling and animated as she answered questions from a small group of journalists, and vowed to be ready to compete again when the games move to Rio de Janeiro in 2016. "It was the opportunity of a lifetime."
Her father, Ali, a judo referee, told The Associated Press he "cried like a baby" watching his daughter compete.
"She was happy and smiled when she finished the fight. She hugged me and said: 'Daddy, I did this.' I was so proud," he said.
It didn't take long for voices of support to pour in — from the Olympic village and around the Middle East.
"Saudi judoka Wojdan Shahrkhani lost to her much more experienced competitor ... but many are proud of her," Saudi blogger and journalist Ahmed Al Omran tweeted.
Another Saudi resident, Alaa Al-Mizyen, added: "Wojdan remains a winner to me and millions of men AND women around the world."
Rafid Fatani, a Saudi-born man who has a blog called Saudi Root wrote, "I'll walk out later with the Saudi flag around my neck & my head up high as if we won the biggest gold medal in the history of the Olympics."
At the ExCel center, fans said they were thrilled to have witnessed history, even if the level of judo wasn't anything to write home about.

"I thought it was great, it's like a little piece of history that we saw this morning because it hasn't happened before," said Orla O'Connor, 33, from Cork in Ireland.

Mark Adams, a spokesman for the International Olympic Committee, hailed the participation of Shahrkhani and a female athlete from Qatar who competed in another event.

"It is a great symbol. It is a great message to women in those countries," he said. "Did we expect them to win gold medals? Probably not, but they're here, they're competing and I think we should be very happy."
Shahrkhani's opponent also had kind words, and said fears the hijab would get in the way, or even be dangerous, were overblown.
"There was no problem at all with the hijab. I think everyone has a right to their religion and to be given an opportunity," Mojica said. "This is no problem in judo."
In many ways, however, the young Saudi's story is just beginning.
Back home, some hard-liners have urged her not to jeopardize her place in the afterlife for a fleeting bit of fame on earth. Others have warned that she and her family could face ostracism when she goes home.
"She will definitely face difficulties (back home)," Hashem Abdo Hashem, editor-in-chief of Saudi's Arabic daily newspaper Okaz, told The Associated Press. "The society here will look at her negatively."

Saudi women face widespread restrictions in nearly all aspects of public and private life, particularly under guardianship laws that require them to have a male relative's permission before they can travel abroad, work, marry, get divorced or even be treated at some hospitals. It is also the only country in the world that forbids women — both Saudi and foreign — from driving. Some women who have challenged the driving ban have even been detained.

Recently, King Abdullah has pushed for some limited reforms in the face of opposition from the country's ultraconservative clerics. Women have been promised the ability to run and vote in municipal elections in 2015, and a new university near Jiddah allows men and women to study together in contrast to the strict general separation of the sexes across the kingdom.

The decision to allow Shahrkhani and another U.S.-based Saudi woman to compete in the games was an extension of those reforms.

After the match, Shahrkhani looked to the future, both for her and many other women in her country.

"Hopefully," she said, "this is the beginning of a new era."

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