Olympics 2024: Team GB retain swimming relay gold as Nathan Hales breaks records and Simone Biles cements legacy
Team Great Britain earned two medals on the fourth day of competition. The men's 4x200m freestyle relay team successfully defended their gold medal, while Nathan Hales secured gold in the men's trap shooting event and set a new Olympic record.
James Guy, Tom Dean, Matt Richards, and Duncan Scott successfully defended their championship title, securing Team GB's first gold medal in the swimming events at the Paris Games.
Richards narrowly missed out on winning the individual event by a very small margin of two-hundredths of a second, and had to settle for the silver medal. Similarly, Adam Peaty also came in second place in the men's 100m breaststroke, losing by the same slim margin.
On Tuesday evening, the Team GB was in the lead by only half a second after the last exchange, but there was no doubt about the winner as Scott extended the lead on the final leg to secure a relaxed victory.
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An impressive time of 6 minutes and 59.43 seconds put the first place team ahead of the United States by 1.35 seconds. Australia, who took home the bronze medal, was 1.2 seconds behind the United States.
Scott's time of 1 minute and 43.95 seconds was the quickest in the race. If he had achieved this time in the individual event on Monday, he would have won a gold medal. However, he finished in fourth place, just 0.08 seconds behind the bronze medalist and 0.15 seconds behind the first place finisher.
Scott believes that we may be the first team, regardless of gender, to successfully defend a relay title. Throughout this journey, there have been numerous exceptional athletes who have contributed to our success.
When we unite as a team, it's truly memorable. Jimmy and I were both on the team in 2016, and achieving three Olympic medals consecutively is truly astonishing.
I am extremely proud of our collective achievement. The energy and atmosphere were electric, with the presence of the French team adding to the excitement.
I am so happy with how well we all performed in the swimming race. Jimmy achieved his personal best time this morning, his fastest since 2015, and then Tom and Matt also finished strong. I am thrilled with our team's performance.
Hales Wins Gold And Breaks Olympic Record In Trap Shooting
Newcomer Nathan Hales won the gold medal for Team GB in trap shooting at his first Olympic appearance. He set a new Olympic record by hitting 48 out of 50 targets.
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The 28-year-old from Chatham set a new Olympic record of 48 out of 50, surpassing Chinese silver medallist Ying Qi by four shots.
Hales, who tied the knot with former Great Britain Olympian Charlotte Kerwood, secured his spot in the final round with a near-top score.
In his first appearance at the Olympics, Hales displayed confidence and composure, only missing one shot out of 25 in the initial stage of the final. This performance earned him the top spot, leading by one point ahead of his competitor from China.
Entering the last round where the shooter with the lowest score would be eliminated every five shots, Hales moved ahead by one point after the 35th shot. This was the critical moment when he secured his spot for an Olympic medal.
"I had an amazing time at the final and I am thrilled to have set an Olympic record while also securing the win at the Olympics," Hales shared.
I always approach things the same way and treat them with the same level of importance as I do with finals during my training sessions. I exert all my efforts and maintain my concentration on my own performance, rather than getting distracted by what other athletes are doing.
Jean Pierre Brol Cardenas from Guatemala was the next competitor to be eliminated, but Hales was so far ahead at this point that he was able to extend his lead even further in the 10-shot shoot-off for the gold medal, ultimately winning by four points.
Team GB has now won their third gold medal at the Paris Games, with Hales also being the current world record holder in men's trap shooting with a score of 49 out of 50.
Biles Leads Team USA To Victory, Team GB Just Misses Medal
Simone Biles finished "The Redemption Tour" in a familiar place - standing on the highest step of the Olympic podium.
The talented American gymnast showcased her exceptional skills and led an unstoppable USA women's team to victory in the finals, earning them a gold medal.
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Biles gave an outstanding performance, leading the American team to a total score of 171.296, which easily surpassed Italy and Brazil. This was the perfect conclusion to a year where Biles solidified her reputation as the greatest in her sport and one of the top athletes in Olympic history.
Team GB narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing in fourth place after starting the race in seventh. Their performance was impressive and showed great determination.
Becky Downie delivered an impressive routine on the uneven bars, but Brazil, with Rebeca Andrade leading the way, showed superior skill and performance.
"I was aware that every single point mattered in a team competition," stated Downie.
At the beginning, we promised to give it our all and we put in our best effort.
I am extremely proud of them, we gave it our all. We put in maximum effort and took a big risk.
Getting so close in a tough competition like this is really difficult, but hopefully these guys will make a comeback and have more opportunities to compete in finals.
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Which Other Athletes Represented Team GB On Tuesday?
Andy Murray and Dan Evans achieved victory in an exciting men's doubles match by saving two match points. They defeated Belgium's Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen with a score of 6-3, 6-7 (8-10), 11-9.
Heather Watson and Katie Boulter played really well when they defeated the German team of Laura Siegemund and Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-3 in the opening round of the women's doubles event.
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Afterwards, Watson quickly moved on to play mixed doubles with Joe Salisbury, but unfortunately, they were defeated by Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 10-3.
The only British player left in the singles competition, Jack Draper, was defeated by seventh seed Taylor Fritz in the second round with a score of 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 2-6.
Emma Wilson continued to show her high level of skill in the women's windsurfing competition, coming in first place in three out of the five races on Tuesday and securing a second-place finish in another.
She now has a comfortable lead of 17 points in first place in the standings following seven races leading up to Friday's final medal race.
Joe Clarke's impressive performance in the canoe slalom event earned him a spot in the semi-finals, finishing in fourth place with a time of 85.62. Mallory Franklin, who won silver in Tokyo, also secured a spot in the women's C1 semi-finals, finishing in sixth place. Both athletes will compete in the semi-finals tomorrow.
Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne and Rebecca Wilde came second in their rowing heat and secured a spot in the final round for women's doubles sculls.
Guide To Watch Olympics On Sky
Stay informed about the latest news and updates from the Paris 2024 Olympics on Sky Sports' digital platforms and Sky Sports News. Tune in daily until Sunday August 11 for all the action.
In addition to live news updates and blogs as new records are set and medals are won on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app, Sky Sports News will also have reporters on the ground in Paris for the Games. They will be gathering the latest news from both inside and outside the arenas in France, as well as reactions from medalists, coaches, family members, and experts.
Coming this August, Sky Sports+ will be included in Sky TV, the streaming service NOW, and the Sky Sports app. This means that Sky Sports customers will have access to over 50% more live sports this year without any additional charges. Watch the new EFL season, Test cricket, and other top sports with NOW.
