TRENDING NOW

Too much of a perfectionist to watch back her gold-winning 200 metres butterfly final from Rio's Olympic Games, Mireia Belmonte is of the belief that she would see too many things she would want to correct.

The Spaniard took gold, but is yet to re-watch one of the biggest swims of her career for fear of only picking out how she could have got an even better time in the Rio de Janeiro pool.

"No, I still haven't watched it," Belmonte told MARCA.

"Although, I am excited to, because I will see a lot of mistakes, when you swim you always see a lot of things that you could have done better.

"It still hasn't sunk in, I am still thinking about what it is that I have done.

"When I am with my family and coaches and I see what it means to them, it's great.




Kenya's David Rudisha obliterated his rivals in the 800 metres final on Monday to become the first man since 1964 to retain his Olympic title over the distance.

Rudisha, the world champion and world record holder, stormed to victory with a devastating final-lap sprint that cemented his place among the greats such as New Zealand's Peter Snell, the last man to successfully defend an 800m Olympic gold.

Nicknamed 'King David' in Kenya, Rudisha hit top gear in the final 300 metres to surge ahead of his rivals with his trademark finishing kick and win gold in a season's best time of one minute 42.15 seconds.

"I am so excited. It is the greatest moment of my career," Rudisha told reporters.

After winning his first Olympic gold and setting a world record at the 2012 London Games, Rudisha suffered a couple of injury-ravaged years that dented his confidence and caused him to miss the 2013 world championships.

He struggled for much of the current season and came third in national Olympic trials but the 6-foot-3-inch Maasai runner looked in total control of the Rio Games final as his long stride and fluid running style propelled him to victory.

"It's been very difficult," Rudisha said, referring to his injuries. "I have stayed focused and positive. My coach has been great and given me hope."


Croatia's victory against Lithuania and Spain's win over Argentina have confirmed the Olympic Games' basketball quarter-finals, with the host nation are nowhere to be seen.

The Spaniard's triumphed with a scoreline of 92-73 and there is plenty of positivity and optimism in the group, suggesting that they are capable of going all the way.

Final four fixtures are as follows (all times CET):

Australia vs Lithuania (16:00)

Spain vs France (19:45)

United States of America vs Argentina (23:45)

Croatia vs Serbia (03:15 on Thursday)



French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie has apologised for comparing the booing he was subject to during the men's Olympic final on Monday to the hostility of Nazi Germany towards Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Games.

The world record holder was barracked by the Rio crowd when attempting to jump 6.08 metres to stay in the competition against Thiago da Silva, who sprung a huge surprise by winning Brazil's first athletics gold of the Games in the event.

Lavillenie gave the partisan crowd a thumbs down at the start of his run-up in attempt to get them to stop the jeers and said after failing to clear the bar that it was a "bad look" for the Olympics.

"In 1936 the crowd was against Jesse Owens," he said of the black American sprinter whose four gold medals in Berlin were an affront to the Nazi ideology of racial superiority.


Yohan Blake, the world's second fastest man, has finished behind Spain's Bruno Hortelano in the heats for the 200 metres at the Olympic Games.

The 24-year-old - best known until now as the sprinter who found out about a victory in a now-viral post-race interview - beat the Jamaican to post the fastest time in his heat, and the second fastest time of the round of 20.12 seconds - with 0.2 of wind against.

Only Canada's Andre De Grasse, who has also won bronze in the 100 metres, ran faster than he did.

"I think I am capable of running below 20 seconds," Hortelano said after his first round run, which was a personal best.

Getting off to a great start by reacting in 161 milliseconds, the sprinter powered around the bend in expert fashion and then inched ahead of Blake in a photo finish.



Cuban-born Spaniard Orlando Ortega has ended the country's run of 12 years without an athletics medal at the Olympics by claiming silver in the 110 metre hurdles in Rio de Janeiro.


An incredibly tight race saw Ortega sandwiched between Jamaican Omar McLeod, who won gold, and the man who took bronze, Dimitri Bascou of France.
El huracán de emociones de Orlando Ortega

Following in the footsteps of his grandmother Cristina, who represented Cuba at the 1968 Games, Ortega insisted this was the beginning of something great in track and field for Spain.
De Llopart a Ortega, 13 medallas en atletismo

"This country has no limits," he said.

"Now is the beginning of something great for me and Spanish athletics."

Overall, Spain have struggled in the event, only having three finalists, in 1980 and 1984, and Ortega's emotion in the aftermath was evident.

Running in a time of 13.17, he fell to his knees before grabbing a flag and doing a lap of the track in celebration.


After winning his 28th medal at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this summer, 23 of which are gold, Michael Phelps has announced his decision to retire from swimming for the final time.

Arguably the most successful competitor in the history of the Games, Phelps has dominated his sport over five different instalments of the competition.

Having initially said he was walking away from the sport after London 2012, Phelps returned to continue his dominance, but he now says it is finally time to walk away and he is doing so properly this time.

    I've hung up my swimsuit, there is no going back"

Michael Phelps

"I'm living my best days now- in London I didn't care what I achieved looking back, I just wanted to stop swimming.

    "I appreciate them all equally, together they weight about seven or eight kilos!"

Michael Phelps

"It is great to be back and I've had one last chance to finish my career the way I wanted."



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