Day 1 BBC One: 18.20-22.10

:01:36. > :01:40.Good afternoon and welcome to the Olympic Park here in Rio. We have

:01:41. > :01:43.tonnes of sporting action coming up. People have gathered around the

:01:44. > :01:47.Olympic rings to make sure they get a photo they can send home the loved

:01:48. > :01:51.ones or take home with them. It is a joyful atmosphere. The opening

:01:52. > :01:59.ceremony last night set the tone. But now we can focus on the sport,

:02:00. > :02:06.and here is what is coming up on BBC One. We will join the road race live

:02:07. > :02:10.soon to see the final stages of a gruelling, but beautiful course

:02:11. > :02:17.around Rio, Chris Froome hopefully leading the way for the British

:02:18. > :02:20.team. Britain's team of Max Whitlock,

:02:21. > :02:24.Louis Smith, Nile Wilson, Kristian Thomas and Brinn Bevan begin their

:02:25. > :02:34.challenge with the preliminary stages of the men's gymnastics. We

:02:35. > :02:38.will also be off to the pool, where Adam Peaty, James Guy and Hannah

:02:39. > :02:48.Miley are swimming in heats. That action is on BBC for now.

:02:49. > :02:52.-- BBC Four. New to the Olympics is rugby sevens and Britain's women

:02:53. > :02:56.open their campaign against the hosts Brazil. We will feed up and

:02:57. > :03:02.their second Match Of The Day live against Japan at around nine o'clock

:03:03. > :03:04.your time. This is the scene here in Rio,

:03:05. > :03:30.beautiful, sunny and hot day. Don't forget, you can watch coverage

:03:31. > :03:34.across the BBC. I particularly want to draw your attention to the Get

:03:35. > :03:38.Inspired section of the website. If you want to take up a spot, this

:03:39. > :03:42.will give you the information on how and where to do it and who knows, in

:03:43. > :03:49.four or eight years' time, we might be here with you at an Olympic

:03:50. > :03:53.Games. Christ the Redeemer, high up on the

:03:54. > :03:57.Hill, looking down over the city of Rio. These are the many ways in

:03:58. > :04:02.which you can watch and follow the Olympic Games.

:04:03. > :04:06.But we start with the road race, the men's road race. Nearly 250

:04:07. > :04:10.kilometres, a phenomenally tough course. It is really hilly, with

:04:11. > :04:15.cobbled street sections as well. In the heat of the day, it is really

:04:16. > :04:18.tough. But Britain have a strong team including Chris Froome, who

:04:19. > :04:22.recently won his third Tour de France title. We have Geraint

:04:23. > :04:26.Thomas, double Olympic champion, as well. We also have Steve Cummings

:04:27. > :04:30.and Adam Yates. Here is the story so far of the race. We will join it

:04:31. > :04:37.lied to the final hour in a second. As I mentioned, it has been tough

:04:38. > :04:43.going for the riders. We had a breakaway around 20 kilometres into

:04:44. > :04:49.the race. Six riders led the way. As you can see, chains have fallen and

:04:50. > :04:52.riders have come off as well. Chris Froome had a bike change with 100

:04:53. > :04:56.kilometres to go. He rode back to the chasing pack with a little help

:04:57. > :05:03.from team-mate Geraint Thomas. Let's go live to the race. In an hour, we

:05:04. > :05:07.will see the second gold of the games won. It is a good afternoon

:05:08. > :05:08.for our commentators, Chris Boardman, medallist from 1992, and

:05:09. > :05:17.Simon Brotherton. Thank you and welcome to the closing

:05:18. > :05:20.stages of this men's road race. We are based in Copacabana, on the

:05:21. > :05:26.beach at the finish line, but the riders are up in the hills in the

:05:27. > :05:29.urban jungle, high above the coastline. That is the leader, the

:05:30. > :05:33.world champion from a couple of years ago from Poland, Michal

:05:34. > :05:38.Kwiatkowski. But he is being chased down rapidly. That is Geraint

:05:39. > :05:41.Thomas, the Welshman, who leads the chase. Thomas is at the front of

:05:42. > :05:50.this group. The Colombian is behind him. The Belgian is in that group as

:05:51. > :06:00.well. Ryan Tara may from Estonia is there as well. -- Rein Taaramae. You

:06:01. > :06:06.mentioned the urban jungle, but they finish this climb in the real

:06:07. > :06:11.jungle. Tiny roads and a treacherous descent. Incredible riding, just two

:06:12. > :06:15.a sense left. They are well into the penultimate one now and the race is

:06:16. > :06:18.really taking shape. Geraint Thomas is monitoring things in second

:06:19. > :06:23.position. This small group has a slender lead over the Chris Froome

:06:24. > :06:31.group. And this race is still anybody's at the moment. It

:06:32. > :06:42.certainly is. Gradkowski as part of a six-man breakaway group who left

:06:43. > :06:47.the peloton behind very early -- Kwiatkowski. He is the last one left

:06:48. > :06:51.from the six, but they are closing in quickly. A downhill section here.

:06:52. > :06:56.They get a respite for a few seconds before it ramps up to over 10% and

:06:57. > :07:00.the climbing continues. I'm not sure whether Thomas is trying to get

:07:01. > :07:04.others to come through. He is rolling his body a little bit. But

:07:05. > :07:11.he is not committing fully at the moment. And I am not sure whether

:07:12. > :07:15.that is tactical or physical incapability at the moment. Behind,

:07:16. > :07:21.we are waiting for one of the favourites to throw their first

:07:22. > :07:24.punches. Yates is in position to monitor things. He has been quiet

:07:25. > :07:30.for the last hour but now very much on the front line. They are going up

:07:31. > :07:33.the road in just ones or twos, trying to test things. But they will

:07:34. > :07:40.have to get stuck in soon because there are some quality riders up the

:07:41. > :07:44.road. The Irish cyclist Nicholas Roach is there. But nobody has laid

:07:45. > :07:48.it on the line yet apart from Kwiatkowski, who has been frying in

:07:49. > :07:56.the sunshine. He has been in a group of six. It is an advantage to be in

:07:57. > :08:00.a small group, with the twists and turns and cobbles. It is now that he

:08:01. > :08:04.has got himself into a position where he can take part in this race,

:08:05. > :08:11.but it has cost him to be in that early breakaway. This is not what we

:08:12. > :08:15.would expect from someone of his calibre to get into such an early

:08:16. > :08:23.breakaway. He probably decided it was a long shot anyway. Not going to

:08:24. > :08:27.happen, I don't. Geraint Thomas is second on the road in this Olympic

:08:28. > :08:31.road race, with 45 kilometres to go. This is the second chase group,

:08:32. > :08:41.which includes George Bennett from New Zealand, have a look. There is

:08:42. > :08:46.also the Croatian and surrogate Chernetski from Russia -- Sergei

:08:47. > :09:05.Chernetski, and the Slovenian. They are taking their opportunities.

:09:06. > :09:09.This is a very different course. This is how it played out in London

:09:10. > :09:14.as well. There wasn't any major move. There were riders going up the

:09:15. > :09:20.road in small groups. Then it coalesced into a large 30 to 40

:09:21. > :09:26.rider group, and they contest did the race. The favourites are sitting

:09:27. > :09:35.back at the moment, but the race might be riding away from them. Very

:09:36. > :09:41.exciting out on the climb at the moment. Finally, the junction is

:09:42. > :09:45.made and Michal Kwiatkowski, the former world champion, now has some

:09:46. > :09:54.company. Will he be able to stay with them or will they sweep him

:09:55. > :10:01.away? Geraint Thomas is in third place as queer Kosky settles in.

:10:02. > :10:04.Excitement starting to build -- Kwiatkowski settles in. There was a

:10:05. > :10:09.loud bang a little while ago, not far from where we are sitting. But

:10:10. > :10:22.we gather all is well and it was a controlled explosion at Copacabana.

:10:23. > :10:27.It is not affecting this road race. If Geraint Thomas finds this tough,

:10:28. > :10:33.there are still the British options of Chris Froome and Adam Yates. Yes,

:10:34. > :10:36.three winning cards to play, which is the strongest position the

:10:37. > :10:46.British team has been in for many years. They will play the individual

:10:47. > :10:49.card, look for opportunities and whoever is in front, the others will

:10:50. > :11:01.get behind them. That is the way to play a race like this. Roglic is now

:11:02. > :11:05.on their attack, the Dutchman. This is a small ascent, 800 or 900

:11:06. > :11:10.metres, which gives them a breather in this climb and and it kicks in

:11:11. > :11:15.for the final four kilometres. It is the briefest of breeders. But they

:11:16. > :11:26.will take anything at this point. They have been out there for a long

:11:27. > :11:31.time, just over an hour remaining. Then we will see who is the 2016

:11:32. > :11:41.Olympic champion. Geraint Thomas is doing his bit. The others behind

:11:42. > :11:46.him, you notice them turning their heads. They are not sure whether

:11:47. > :11:52.this is the move yet. Their lead is still quite slender. It was hovering

:11:53. > :11:58.at 45 seconds when we last checked. It is not going to be much more for

:11:59. > :12:06.less than that now. It is still all to play for. In pole position right

:12:07. > :12:14.now, this group have worked to get this advantage. They need to decide

:12:15. > :12:29.soon whether they want to do something with it. Kazakhstan won

:12:30. > :12:37.the gold medal four years ago with Alexander Vinogradov on The Mall in

:12:38. > :12:41.London. This group is still only a handful of seconds ahead of the main

:12:42. > :12:46.group. It is too small to be called a peloton now. They are again

:12:47. > :12:52.starting to look around to see who will get in the front. You can't do

:12:53. > :12:55.that. You have to commit yourself. Cancellara is getting distance. He

:12:56. > :13:01.has done well to be at the forefront of the race for as long as he has. I

:13:02. > :13:06.am surprised there are as many who are still potentially in contention

:13:07. > :13:12.here, given the nature of the route. There really is a tough course.

:13:13. > :13:16.There might be real confidence in the group. They have seen the gaps

:13:17. > :13:20.and think they can close them. It is 20 minutes of climbing each time

:13:21. > :13:23.they go up here, so they might think, we can close that on the

:13:24. > :13:29.final climb and we don't have to commit ourselves on this penultimate

:13:30. > :13:36.ascent. Thomas looks OK. None of this group look fantastic and none

:13:37. > :13:41.of them are pure climbers, so it is anybody's guess. Caruso, the

:13:42. > :13:49.Italian, has just been sitting there. I think he might be there to

:13:50. > :13:55.monitor. They have no responsibility to chase while Nibele is off the

:13:56. > :14:07.road. You get an idea now of how big their lead is, or maybe we will not.

:14:08. > :14:35.It is 31 seconds. Nobody is want to really go for it. They are all just

:14:36. > :14:42.waiting. It is a quality group. Cancellara on the wheel of Nicholas

:14:43. > :14:47.Roach. Cancellara struggling to stay in contact, but if he could, he is

:14:48. > :14:59.one of the best ascenders in the world. Bennite counters that attack,

:15:00. > :15:06.George Bennett from New Zealand. -- Bennite.

:15:07. > :15:12.Froome is going to wait until the last possible moment, it looks like,

:15:13. > :15:16.the last climb. And Vincenzo Nibali is playing the same game along with

:15:17. > :15:21.him. Adam Yates is looking pretty good at the moment. Absolutely. One

:15:22. > :15:27.of the first beauty shots. The view from the top of the climb from Vista

:15:28. > :15:33.Chinesa. That lake in the foreground that we briefly saw is where the

:15:34. > :15:40.blurring is taking place. -- where the rolling. And still they climb

:15:41. > :15:44.and still Kia Kosky hangs in there. -- Klukowski. He's played a cagey

:15:45. > :15:48.game, too early the break, looked back, decided whether he would go

:15:49. > :15:51.with it, committed to it, went into stand-by mode, waited until he got

:15:52. > :15:56.to the circuit and started to raise, a clever rider not in the of form.

:15:57. > :16:00.But he got over the top and he is a good sprinter as well. It's not

:16:01. > :16:04.going to be fought out by out and out sprinters, of course because of

:16:05. > :16:08.the nature of the course. It is the best of the ones who are left,

:16:09. > :16:13.really. He would be one of them. I think they are going to get

:16:14. > :16:16.overhauled, to be honest. But what a great position for Great Britain to

:16:17. > :16:20.be in, a man in the move and two behind, another one watching for

:16:21. > :16:27.anything that develops and Froome waiting for the final lap. The pace

:16:28. > :16:31.being made by Ukraine on the back of the second of this first-rate group.

:16:32. > :16:34.Adam Yates in. Interesting, the absence from the first ten riders on

:16:35. > :16:39.Spain, Valverde is still back there but the master tactician, he must

:16:40. > :16:44.have decided that it's close enough and he will wait for the last dive.

:16:45. > :16:47.That looks to me like Stephen grows wheat from the Netherlands, not a

:16:48. > :16:53.great day for them. -- Steven Kruijswijk. After the Tour de

:16:54. > :16:56.France... He will have to keep going because he's out in the middle of

:16:57. > :17:00.nowhere, in the jungle at the moment, Kruijswijk. Less than 42

:17:01. > :17:12.kilometres remaining, now. They have got them lined out, that

:17:13. > :17:20.is visual. Adam Yates still looking good in third position. -- for sure.

:17:21. > :17:23.Australia working really hard, here. You can tell when someone is in good

:17:24. > :17:30.shape because they overlap the wheels, waiting, waiting, not

:17:31. > :17:35.sitting back. This is really strong. Valverde, further back in the pack.

:17:36. > :17:43.Richie Porte potentially still a player in this race.

:17:44. > :17:54.Quietening consistent climb as well, this, it dips up and down, folds

:17:55. > :18:00.flat, kicks up around the bends. It might be the first time we have seen

:18:01. > :18:05.we're Tarkowski get out of the saddle. Keen to have a look and see

:18:06. > :18:09.what the situation is. -- Mishal quip Kosky. They won't be getting

:18:10. > :18:18.much information, either. Steadfastly holding up half a

:18:19. > :18:22.minute, here. Greg van Avermaet and Geraint Thomas and front then Sergio

:18:23. > :18:25.Henao behind them. At this point in the race, there's just too many of

:18:26. > :18:29.them, you are not all guaranteed a medal. They need to press on and

:18:30. > :18:32.build that half a minute lead over the top, assuming they can maintain

:18:33. > :18:43.it, if they are going to have a shot and no one is going to want to ride.

:18:44. > :18:49.The peloton really strung out, predictably so come on this climb.

:18:50. > :18:59.-- so, on this climb. And Adam Yates continues to just sit

:19:00. > :19:04.in there. Monitoring what is going on, staying up towards the front.

:19:05. > :19:11.This is the bit in bike racing that I just could not get myself to do,

:19:12. > :19:14.to just wait. A mistake here, and they just have to wait and wait and

:19:15. > :19:18.they are judging all the time, how far to go, what is the gap, how are

:19:19. > :19:23.they feeling, can they close the gap? They are weighing up all the

:19:24. > :19:27.different things, here. Simon Clark is absolutely piling on the pressure

:19:28. > :19:31.at the front. Doing a good job of holding some classy rider that half

:19:32. > :19:34.a minute. All of the favourites have clearly decided it is a bridge of

:19:35. > :19:41.all gap on one climb and they are going to wait. -- Bridger bowl gap.

:19:42. > :19:54.-- a gap they can bridge. They are on the descent, in the next to last

:19:55. > :19:58.position, Thomas Kane. They were looking at Ipanema Beach, away in

:19:59. > :20:01.the distance. And then just around the other side is that the cabana,

:20:02. > :20:08.which is where the riders will be heading for an yen. A little stretch

:20:09. > :20:12.for Kwiatkowski, now. -- in the end. I'm not sure if he was letting them

:20:13. > :20:19.go. Yes, he's decided he cannot stay in the pace so is over. He certainly

:20:20. > :20:25.got his money's were there, didn't he? The thick end of 200 kilometres.

:20:26. > :20:33.-- moneys worth. Out there in a group of six in the final hour, but

:20:34. > :20:34.it proved too much for him. One of the Danish riders trying to bridge

:20:35. > :20:58.the gap, it looks like. Enjoying this bit of the descent. It

:20:59. > :21:06.gets a bit more hairy later. Exactly 40 kilometres to go, now. It has

:21:07. > :21:10.been an interesting race, the way this has panned out. In a sense, it

:21:11. > :21:16.is similar to previous Olympic Games. It is not always the biggest

:21:17. > :21:19.of star names that are going to win out today because once they get into

:21:20. > :21:24.a position of having to close some gaps, who is going to do the

:21:25. > :21:27.chasing? If you do it for yourself you may be handing the winter your

:21:28. > :21:31.opponent and it just changes the dynamics, it is like being in a

:21:32. > :21:36.breakaway but all they, the numbers are so small. The penultimate time

:21:37. > :21:41.they go past Vista Chinesa. Right at the top of the climb. They went into

:21:42. > :21:46.that corner very quickly, there, using every bit of road. You can see

:21:47. > :21:50.how professional they are, how they know how to handle a bike. There is

:21:51. > :21:54.no room for error on this descent, you can't go one centimetre off the

:21:55. > :21:59.edge of the tarmac because there is a wheel trap, a one foot drop,

:22:00. > :22:03.either side. This is where it is really tough for the motorbikes and

:22:04. > :22:08.the cameramen on them. What a job they do. I counted that is 25

:22:09. > :22:15.seconds, that distance. They are coming back. Ever so slowly. What is

:22:16. > :22:18.going to be fascinating is who in the breakaway is going to work on

:22:19. > :22:23.the flat because that will decide their fate. It is not the climb, 30

:22:24. > :22:27.seconds, just under, it is fair to say, is not likely to be enough of a

:22:28. > :22:31.buffer for one of them to stay away and take the gold medal so they need

:22:32. > :22:34.to build that margin if they can. That means they have to work

:22:35. > :22:38.together on the flat. It also means that one of them is going to lose

:22:39. > :22:42.out and get dropped on the climb, so who is going to commit themselves

:22:43. > :22:45.but to mark are they going to work equally? If one person tries to sit

:22:46. > :22:51.on, they are doomed because everyone will say they are not working and it

:22:52. > :22:54.will kill the breakaway. Similarly, behind, we saw some great work done

:22:55. > :23:00.by the Spanish team in the previous lap. But I don't think that is going

:23:01. > :23:13.to happen again. Not as prominent this time. Sweeping down here.

:23:14. > :23:15.Twisting, turning, sinuous descent, technical, requiring total

:23:16. > :23:20.concentration from these tired athletes. The penultimate time down

:23:21. > :23:26.this road. And there's a crash! One of the Portuguese riders. I'm happy

:23:27. > :23:31.to see him getting up, if you look at what he has got to content with,

:23:32. > :23:35.there. That is the first hairpin we have been watching which takes them

:23:36. > :23:45.by surprise. And that is Nelson Oliveira from Portugal. It is a

:23:46. > :23:52.relief to see him up on his feet. That was a close call. Let's have a

:23:53. > :23:56.look at it once again. There he is, and the fencing did its job, albeit

:23:57. > :24:02.rather uncomfortably. But it is better than disappearing off the

:24:03. > :24:06.side of the hill. The good news is that Nelson Oliveira, as you can

:24:07. > :24:09.see, is OK and relatively unscathed. That is a relief. The camera is

:24:10. > :24:13.sticking with him which is a bit of a shame because once we have seen

:24:14. > :24:17.he's OK, we want to get back in with the racing because it is fascinating

:24:18. > :24:20.stuff, here. We have less than an hour left in this Olympic

:24:21. > :24:23.championships and they are on one of the most hair raising descent I have

:24:24. > :24:27.ever seen, certainly in an Olympic road race. In fact, we have never

:24:28. > :24:32.seen anything like this in an Olympic road race, a course that is

:24:33. > :24:38.incredibly diverse. The motorbike is struggling to keep with the riders.

:24:39. > :24:44.It shows how professional they are. It looks like a Brazilian rider, no,

:24:45. > :24:49.one of the Australians, Richie Porte, Richie Porte. Look at the

:24:50. > :24:56.damage he has done to himself. You can see clearly that he has gone

:24:57. > :25:06.into the pole, Richie Porte, at the side of the road. It is held up with

:25:07. > :25:09.solid poles. It is not riders. Bear is the aftermath of the crash,

:25:10. > :25:13.Richie Porte not the only wonderful so drama on the penultimate lap of

:25:14. > :25:18.the Vista Chinesa circuit, with roughly an hour still to go in the

:25:19. > :25:24.Olympic Games road race. Richie Porte of Australia out of the race.

:25:25. > :25:29.One of the favourites for the race, and a rider who we may well have

:25:30. > :25:32.seen on Wednesday as well. Well, we might have done but it sums up his

:25:33. > :25:37.year. It has been fraught with problems and crashes and

:25:38. > :25:41.mechanicals. Let's hope that is the end of his bad luck. It was bound to

:25:42. > :25:45.happen today, I've been banging on about it all through the race, I'm

:25:46. > :25:49.afraid but when you have no way of... You step one centimetre

:25:50. > :25:53.outside of the tarmac, you can't recover and that is going to happen.

:25:54. > :25:57.There's no run-off, nowhere to go. And he's crashed on one of the safer

:25:58. > :26:02.parts of the course because those netting portions are few and far

:26:03. > :26:05.between. They are but it was his misfortune not only to go into the

:26:06. > :26:09.netting but to hit the pole quite clearly and nearly take it out of

:26:10. > :26:20.the ground. Looks like he's broken his collarbone. But I would breathe

:26:21. > :26:23.a sigh of relief if that was as bad as it gets today. That's good. These

:26:24. > :26:26.guys are back onto the safer, lower part of the descent. Here we go, a

:26:27. > :26:28.couple of Italians. We missed some major attacking because of that.

:26:29. > :26:31.They have done Chris Froome and chosen not to use the climb but the

:26:32. > :26:34.descent to try to make some ground up and they have done just that.

:26:35. > :26:38.That must have been an incredible descent from Vincenzo Nibali, to

:26:39. > :26:42.close on this group. Not much in it, they have got some other riders

:26:43. > :26:46.behind them. We will try to get them identified as soon as we can. But

:26:47. > :26:49.now we have got the favourites for this race coming into play. And I

:26:50. > :26:59.think that could be Chris Froome, there. It is room or Thomas, rather,

:27:00. > :27:03.sorry. Adam Yates has come across. Yes, the green helmet of Adam Yates

:27:04. > :27:07.as he goes past Geraint Thomas. Two Italians, two British in the final.

:27:08. > :27:12.What a position for Great Britain to be in and what a position for the

:27:13. > :27:15.Italians to be in. Absolutely. Soon as we get the time checks, we will

:27:16. > :27:19.let you know but if this group holds, it is all going to come down

:27:20. > :27:29.to that climb. That must have been an amazing descent by Vincenzo

:27:30. > :27:30.Neeley to get across, there. So Sergio Henao is still in there as

:27:31. > :27:47.well and Van Avermaet. Adam Yates and Fabio Aru and

:27:48. > :27:51.Vincenzo Neely came across. Fabio Aru is some company for Vincenzo

:27:52. > :27:59.Neely but one of them has do give it up and guess who it is? -- Vincenzo

:28:00. > :28:08.Neely. I think Rafael Marquez is involved in this breakaway and Jakob

:28:09. > :28:11.Fuglsang from Denmark. Interesting development, Rafal Majka, the king

:28:12. > :28:17.of the mountain 's winner in the Tour de France, so Poland with

:28:18. > :28:23.another card to play. What a final lap it is going to be. It is a shame

:28:24. > :28:27.that we missed it. Absolutely but it is Fuglsang, number 61. A shame we

:28:28. > :28:32.missed the descent but it must have been quite a piece of riding, three

:28:33. > :28:37.Italians, with Caruso. Vincenzo Nibali is great at the descent. Yes

:28:38. > :28:40.so we have two to work and want to finish it off, a fantastic position

:28:41. > :28:48.for them but this time, two Brits in the mix, Thomas and Adam Yates.

:28:49. > :28:52.Kwiatkowski was still in this group and he has Rafal Majka with him as

:28:53. > :28:55.well and Italy are well placed with Caruso, Fabio Aru and Vincenzo

:28:56. > :29:02.Nibali. Adam Yates and Thomas in there for Great Britain. And Andrey

:29:03. > :29:07.Zeits for Kazakhstan. Sergio Henao for Colombia. Greg van Avermaet of

:29:08. > :29:12.Belgium and Jakob Fuglsang from Denmark. Well, this is a very tasty

:29:13. > :29:18.looking group and an important juncture in the race. 32.4

:29:19. > :29:22.kilometres to go. Kwiatkowski, this is where we were talking right at

:29:23. > :29:25.the start of the day about team responsibilities, professional team

:29:26. > :29:29.responsibilities, how they could influence this race, Kwiatkowski is

:29:30. > :29:33.getting dropped on the climb. Fantastic December, got back into

:29:34. > :29:38.contention but is now working on the front, so clearly there is nothing

:29:39. > :29:41.in it for him but he's also got two Team Sky team-mates there and he's

:29:42. > :29:46.helping them out to try to keep this group away. And Rafal Majka is in

:29:47. > :29:52.the group as well, his compatriot. Yes, fascinating stuff. Italy R.N. A

:29:53. > :29:58.great position and suddenly Spain very much on the back foot. -- are

:29:59. > :30:02.in a great position. Rodriguez and Valverde from Spain. I don't know if

:30:03. > :30:05.I can see Chris Froome behind but I'm assuming you there. It must be

:30:06. > :30:14.Rui Costa on the wheel with the pink helmet. And Daryl Impey from South

:30:15. > :30:18.Africa. Yes, Rui Costa and Valverde, I think, is the one who has really

:30:19. > :30:23.lost out. I would have expected him to be more attentive but he was

:30:24. > :30:26.hanging back. Three of those four won all the medals in Florence in

:30:27. > :30:30.2013 in the road race championship when the two Spanish riders

:30:31. > :30:35.contrived to end up losing and being outfoxed by Rui Costa. Now it is

:30:36. > :30:36.chance to get revenge but he's got to get across to this group and they

:30:37. > :30:49.are really motoring. It's going to be a fascinating

:30:50. > :30:59.final. What a last lap it is going to be. It's the waiting game, 12

:31:00. > :31:05.kilometres from the bottom of the descent to the climb starts again.

:31:06. > :31:13.So we have probably got six or seven left now. 30 kilometres to the end

:31:14. > :31:24.of this race. And it kilometres of that -- eight kilometres of that is

:31:25. > :31:27.uphill. As we have just seen, going over the top first doesn't mean you

:31:28. > :31:43.will be the one who goes for the win. Descending like Nibali and Aru

:31:44. > :31:55.could get you back on level terms. Cancellara, going back in front. The

:31:56. > :32:04.pack have caught the two Spanish riders again. The tempo is being set

:32:05. > :32:13.by Cancellara, with 30 kilometres to go. Meanwhile, we are with the front

:32:14. > :32:19.of the race. There two British riders in the front group in the

:32:20. > :32:28.closing stages of this road race on the opening day of the Games. We are

:32:29. > :32:37.hearing that they have a 52nd lead -- a 50 second lead. There are

:32:38. > :32:41.struggling to get organised. There are no big teams doing the chasing.

:32:42. > :32:46.The Spanish want somebody else to help them out, but a lot of the

:32:47. > :32:51.favourites are up the road. Kwiatkowski is cramping up. That is

:32:52. > :33:01.probably the end of it for him. It is a long day out. He dropped his

:33:02. > :33:10.tempo in the last few minutes, having been in that breakaway group

:33:11. > :33:13.all day. It is a shame. He was doing a good job and that is one of the

:33:14. > :33:28.reasons why this group was making such headway. Their two Team Sky

:33:29. > :33:32.team-mates there as well. Looking behind, it is going to be an

:33:33. > :33:35.almighty climb to try and get back in contact, Chris Froome at the back

:33:36. > :33:42.of that group at the moment, jettisoning some bottles. I wonder

:33:43. > :33:46.if he is good enough to make the junction on the client. He is

:33:47. > :33:53.sitting a long way back in this group now. The group is being led by

:33:54. > :34:01.Cancellara, the last Olympic Hara from him. Chris Froome seems to be

:34:02. > :34:11.getting something to eat and drink. Not much racing left to do now. Get

:34:12. > :34:19.your supplies in. Doesn't matter how much action there is, you have to

:34:20. > :34:22.keep eating and drinking. Cancellara is driving hard to bring this group

:34:23. > :34:25.back, but he is not going to do it alone. If you leave him there, all

:34:26. > :34:50.he will do is monitor the gap. So Italy are setting the pace.

:34:51. > :34:56.Caruso has done a big job for them today, been in the breakaway, doing

:34:57. > :35:01.the work. Nibali is in the perfect position. We barely said his name

:35:02. > :35:08.for the first few hours of the race. He was the favourite before the race

:35:09. > :35:15.started, Vincenzo Nibali, along with a birdie from Spain. Unless

:35:16. > :35:21.something changes fast, the winner is likely to come from this group.

:35:22. > :35:27.Could the likes of Chris Froome close that gap if it is a minute? As

:35:28. > :35:33.the footballers say, it is a big ask. And when you have two

:35:34. > :35:39.team-mates, you can't risk bringing anybody important with you. Froome's

:35:40. > :35:43.big target is the time trial here. We said at the start of the day that

:35:44. > :35:48.his biggest advantage might be to give his team-mates and opportunity,

:35:49. > :35:53.because everybody is thinking he has come out of the Tour de France in

:35:54. > :35:57.fantastic form. There are other capable riders capable of taking a

:35:58. > :36:00.gold medal, and that is what the British team have done. This is the

:36:01. > :36:06.best race I have seen the British team ride. Certainly since I have

:36:07. > :36:10.been involved with British cycling. Hats off to Rod Hollingworth, the

:36:11. > :36:14.strategist behind this. They have come here with individuals who can

:36:15. > :36:20.the job and they haven't come in working for one person. It has given

:36:21. > :36:35.them options and they have used it superbly. Valverde up there with

:36:36. > :36:39.Cancellara. Caruso is piling on pressure at the front of the race.

:36:40. > :36:47.He was second in the Tour of Britain four years ago, behind Nathan Haas.

:36:48. > :36:57.It has been a long day for these cyclists. And for us! They have been

:36:58. > :37:02.in the sunshine throughout. It's been a fantastic race to watch. We

:37:03. > :37:12.could see from the make-up of the course that it was going to be an

:37:13. > :37:20.interesting day. This is the chase group, and we still do not have a

:37:21. > :37:21.time gap to the front of the race. Heading back to the team car here to

:37:22. > :37:43.grab one final bottle. It is just the status quo now,

:37:44. > :37:46.everybody is pinned in place. And there are the French. We have seen

:37:47. > :37:53.little from them throughout this race. They seem to have been waiting

:37:54. > :38:00.for the opportunity. They might have watched it right away if they don't

:38:01. > :38:04.get stuck in here. Alaphilippe has chances. There are three Frenchmen

:38:05. > :38:17.and they are not helping the chase at the moment. There are two British

:38:18. > :38:25.riders in the front pack, Adam Yates and Geraint Thomas. Adam Yates won

:38:26. > :38:29.the British jersey, fourth overall in the Tour de France. And Geraint

:38:30. > :38:35.Thomas, the Commonwealth Games road champion. And the two-time Olympic

:38:36. > :38:40.gold medallist of the track in Beijing and London as part of the

:38:41. > :38:47.team pursuit squad. This is the leading group. The big prerace

:38:48. > :38:56.favourite, Vincenzo Nibali, is in this group. Andrey Zeits Kazakhstan

:38:57. > :39:08.will be the surprise of those riders in that leading group -- Andrey

:39:09. > :39:27.Zeits of Kazakhstan. Fuglsang in the red. The gap is coming down.

:39:28. > :39:36.Yates can afford to dangle at the back in a group of this size,

:39:37. > :39:39.getting rid of the extra weight. This race is finely balanced, with

:39:40. > :39:50.more riders in contention than we anticipated. , We can see the lead

:39:51. > :39:54.motorbikes. If they leave it to the Italians, that lead might be eroded

:39:55. > :40:02.enough to see the back group come into contention again. It has cost

:40:03. > :40:06.Valverde to get back on terms, but 30 seconds is now looking printable.

:40:07. > :40:15.He realised it was now or never to get involved with the chase. I think

:40:16. > :40:20.the French have just come to watch! Barbet is in third position. South

:40:21. > :40:25.Africa have two riders in the race, and they are both up here. One of

:40:26. > :40:28.them rode well in the Tour de France. I wonder how much he has got

:40:29. > :40:32.left in his legs. The Spanish have just got off the front and probably

:40:33. > :40:38.said, we will all lose together if you don't get stuck in. There is

:40:39. > :40:48.Froome on the left-hand side, behind Rodriguez, in the Navy. Caruso is

:40:49. > :40:59.done. That leaves our room and Nibali for Italy upfront. Italy down

:41:00. > :41:12.to a couple now. Zeits is looking good in third place, the Cowes

:41:13. > :41:23.Eider. -- the rider from Kazakhstan. This is irrelevant, because that was

:41:24. > :41:28.his job. Italy have always been the most consistent country in getting a

:41:29. > :41:34.team of writers to work together. -- a team of riders. And considering

:41:35. > :41:37.the strength of personality they have, it is interesting that they do

:41:38. > :41:43.stick to the three line whip when it comes to it. Now we see a bit of leg

:41:44. > :41:48.stretching from the French. At last, buddha is getting involved. But it

:41:49. > :42:03.doesn't look like he can follow the move -- Bardet.

:42:04. > :42:10.We have not seen Froome react yet, but they had to do this. They have

:42:11. > :42:14.to go at the start of the climb, because if you don't, there will not

:42:15. > :42:19.be enough road left to get back on terms. I wonder what is happening at

:42:20. > :42:38.the front. They must also be starting to play out the race. Here

:42:39. > :42:45.is the front of the race. Nibali is leading. I thought he would be the

:42:46. > :42:54.protected rider. Yates is now starting to work hard. It is hard to

:42:55. > :43:04.tell with Yates, you just kind of hangs there. In this instance, the

:43:05. > :43:13.climbers are probably the best descenders as well. Aru is going.

:43:14. > :43:23.And Zeits is now accelerating, the Kazakh. Now Adam Yates is being

:43:24. > :43:29.distanced a bit. He has to grit his teeth and try and hang on to this

:43:30. > :43:32.leading group of riders on the final lap in the Olympic Games. They are

:43:33. > :43:38.starting to slip away into the distance. Can he claw his way back?

:43:39. > :43:42.I don't think he can. Same with Geraint Thomas. He is capable of

:43:43. > :43:49.staying in this group, but it is going a bit quick. It might ease.

:43:50. > :43:53.The second climb is not too steep. Then there is the descent, and then

:43:54. > :43:59.it is a 6% average gradient all the way up. When Geraint Thomas won

:44:00. > :44:06.Paris-Nice, he struggled to stay with them in the final climb. But it

:44:07. > :44:10.was a fantastic descent and chase into the finish in Nice, which won

:44:11. > :44:14.him the race in the end. So all would not be lost for Geraint Thomas

:44:15. > :44:19.if he were within touching distance when they reach the top. Aru was

:44:20. > :44:24.launching the first results to break it up, but he is struggling to stay

:44:25. > :44:30.in contact. But he knows it is worth it because he have that recovery

:44:31. > :44:39.opportunity made climb. Rodriguez leads the chase. He was not among

:44:40. > :44:46.the favourites because of form recently. He said the course is

:44:47. > :44:54.ideal for him, and he is living up to his old form now. Valverde is

:44:55. > :44:59.struggling to hold on to the wheels. It doesn't look as if it will be his

:45:00. > :45:03.day. There is Chris Froome, at the back of this group. This is not the

:45:04. > :45:10.first group on the road. I think this is the second group. That is

:45:11. > :45:14.why he was working on the flat. He knew his form. He probably spoke to

:45:15. > :45:22.Rodriguez said, we need to get this gap down, you finish it off.

:45:23. > :45:27.Yates about to be called by Rodriguez, looking to end his career

:45:28. > :45:30.in a blaze of glory, been so close also mutations and done so well in

:45:31. > :45:33.the Grand Tours without winning any and was desperately close to

:45:34. > :45:39.becoming the world champion, pipped to the line in 2013 in Florence by

:45:40. > :45:42.Rui Costa, left in floods of tears afterwards and is he going to claim

:45:43. > :45:46.the Olympic gold medal? He's got a lot of work to do pseudo- -- still

:45:47. > :45:50.because he's got to get up to this group which still includes Geraint

:45:51. > :45:53.Thomas, number 20, for great Britain and on his will, Vincenzo Nibali and

:45:54. > :45:58.the rider out of the saddle, just sitting down in the pale blue with

:45:59. > :46:03.the black, yellow and red striped of Belgium is Greg van Avermaet. Fabio

:46:04. > :46:06.Aru holding up the back but Thomas is looking better and better,

:46:07. > :46:10.actually, looking better. Chris Froome accelerate on the group

:46:11. > :46:15.behind. He's got to be careful who he takes with him but he's waited as

:46:16. > :46:19.long as you can and wants to get himself back in contention. I think

:46:20. > :46:23.that is a reasonable price to pay a fee only to grow and barred it with

:46:24. > :46:27.him. And Esteban Chaves in the white jersey tried to follow as well and

:46:28. > :46:31.it looks like Bauke Mollema, the Dutch rider, has followed the wheel

:46:32. > :46:35.of Chris Froome. Romain Bardet looks up and is Chris Froome still on the

:46:36. > :46:38.attack? Romain Bardet cannot go with him and Chris Froome is digging in

:46:39. > :46:41.and opening up the gap and Bauke Mollema is leading the chase after

:46:42. > :46:46.him but Chris Froome, now, riding away from the second group, here, on

:46:47. > :46:52.the road, on the last lap of the Vista Chinesa finishing circuit,

:46:53. > :46:56.here in Rio. He's on the back foot, isn't he, which is very poignant for

:46:57. > :46:59.Chris Froome, he's on the back foot and he's got to get back in

:47:00. > :47:03.contention, got to work as hard as he possibly can to try to bridge the

:47:04. > :47:07.gap, just to get back into a medal position. He may have been told that

:47:08. > :47:10.Adam Yates has been dropped which has given him the opportunity to try

:47:11. > :47:19.to get across. Geraint Thomas looking in good shape on the front,

:47:20. > :47:21.managing to stay with them as they go through the crowds. He's got that

:47:22. > :47:24.little descent to look forward to and recover and then it is not so

:47:25. > :47:27.steep. Fabio Aru fighting to stay in contention but I think is they've

:47:28. > :47:31.done. Chris Froome a bit further back down the road. Not making much

:47:32. > :47:35.inroads on the group, though, he's probably got about 50 metres and he

:47:36. > :47:39.needs to be closing the gap faster than this. Back up towards the

:47:40. > :47:42.leading group and Fabio Aru, the Italian looks as though he is being

:47:43. > :47:45.dropped, we said he did not quite have the form in recent weeks, but

:47:46. > :47:54.some of these people, the crowd need to get off the and get out of the

:47:55. > :47:57.way and Andrey Zeits of Kazakhstan cannot hold the pace either but here

:47:58. > :47:59.comes the pressure at the front of the race from Vincenzo Nibali will

:48:00. > :48:02.stop Rafal Majka from Poland goes with him. He looks good. Really

:48:03. > :48:05.strong and Fuglsang from Denmark up to the front as well but struggling

:48:06. > :48:10.to hold the wheels, just getting dropped, as is Greg van Avermaet.

:48:11. > :48:14.Sergio Henao is up there and the great ride by Geraint Thomas, lung

:48:15. > :48:18.busting effort, his legs must be absolutely screaming at this point,

:48:19. > :48:23.but Geraint Thomas is hanging in there at the front of the Olympic

:48:24. > :48:27.road race. Doing a fantastic job, he needed the respite, struggled with

:48:28. > :48:32.the opening pace but now he's on it, in fourth place, hanging in, only

:48:33. > :48:36.one of those guys at the moment would end up without a medal but

:48:37. > :48:40.Vincenzo Nibali has another card to play, probably the best descender in

:48:41. > :48:42.the group but if they do it crest the top together, even if he went

:48:43. > :48:46.away alone, he probably would not get enough time to make it stick.

:48:47. > :48:49.This is a fascinating group and I think we are probably looking at the

:48:50. > :48:55.make-up of where the medals are going to from. Chris Froome to get

:48:56. > :48:58.across, very difficult. It is going to be tough for him but Adam Yates

:48:59. > :49:02.is going to see if he can find a fifth the wind or something to try

:49:03. > :49:05.to dig in, even if it is just for a couple of minutes, to try to lift

:49:06. > :49:08.Chris Froome back up towards the front of the race and that is

:49:09. > :49:11.precisely what Adam Yates is doing. What a year he has had, what a

:49:12. > :49:19.talented young man and what a great career he could still have in front

:49:20. > :49:22.of him. Some big gaps there, over half a minute to close and the

:49:23. > :49:24.kilometres are ticking away, just over 20 remaining, starting to look

:49:25. > :49:29.behind you see what damage is being done. Vincenzo Nibali accelerates.

:49:30. > :49:32.He goes again and he's got to do this, thin out the group because he

:49:33. > :49:36.won't necessarily win the sprint. It is all down to him, his team has

:49:37. > :49:40.worked for, sacrificed themselves one by one and now it is down to him

:49:41. > :49:46.to finish it off, small bursts not enough at the moment, though. Thomas

:49:47. > :49:51.is still in there. This is going to be one fascinating descent of this

:49:52. > :49:56.mountain, that is for sure. Sergio Henao is still up at the front of

:49:57. > :50:00.the race, I think, the Colombian, a very select group, now. Rodriguez,

:50:01. > :50:06.there, Joaquim Rodriguez, the best smash rider on the road at the

:50:07. > :50:08.moment. A top ten finish in the Tour de France, the South Africa, mind

:50:09. > :50:25.you, leading him up the climb. Romain Bardet is on the will of

:50:26. > :50:30.Chris Froome, head of the rider who was fourth in Paris, Adam Yates.

:50:31. > :50:33.Adam Yates has just been dropped and he is unlikely to be the chase them

:50:34. > :50:36.down, Chris Froome has to do this himself if he wants to get across.

:50:37. > :50:39.Adam Yates has already shown he does not have the validity to close and

:50:40. > :50:43.stay with them, let alone close the gap so he really has do work for

:50:44. > :50:49.himself if he wants to get back on terms. I think it is just too far in

:50:50. > :50:54.the distance remaining for him. Rafal Majka, with the red stripe

:50:55. > :50:58.down his jersey, the Polish rider, as we momentarily lost the picture,

:50:59. > :51:02.Vincenzo Nibali looking around, Geraint Thomas hanging in there,

:51:03. > :51:06.Fuglsang is there, Greg van Avermaet is there. Van Avermaet has had a

:51:07. > :51:10.second wind, done really well to get back on terms and is looking

:51:11. > :51:14.stronger. I suppose you have to remember there is a fatigue factor

:51:15. > :51:17.and some of these riders will fare better, so the stronger riders won't

:51:18. > :51:21.necessarily last as long so Van Avermaet is used to long, single day

:51:22. > :51:25.races and is starting to find a second wind, not fatiguing as fast

:51:26. > :51:34.as the others. Rodriguez is doing a fantastic job, slowly making inroads

:51:35. > :51:39.to get concerns as well. They are not too far away, here and closing

:51:40. > :51:42.in, Fabio Aru trying to hang on for all use web buddies sort of court in

:51:43. > :51:45.no man's land, Andrey Zeits looks as though he's going to get back on and

:51:46. > :51:49.there are still a number of riders who will fancy their chances, if

:51:50. > :51:54.they can stay pretty close to the front as they go over the top.

:51:55. > :51:59.Fuglsang has decided to take on the pacemaking, for whatever reason,

:52:00. > :52:03.Vincenzo Nibali has decided not to go again, maybe he's not capable. It

:52:04. > :52:07.was a strong surge a few moments ago but only shorter we might have seen

:52:08. > :52:11.the best he's got to give. But like I say, defending is what he has got

:52:12. > :52:14.to give as well. Some ride by Geraint Thomas, whatever happens

:52:15. > :52:18.between now and the finish. He's done a phenomenal job, the whole

:52:19. > :52:21.team has, to give Great Britain this opportunity. It is not perhaps the

:52:22. > :52:25.one that a lot of people were expecting, Chris Froome, but I would

:52:26. > :52:29.give good odds on Geraint Thomas being a better sprinter if it comes

:52:30. > :52:33.down to it. What a great sporting summer it has been for Wales already

:52:34. > :52:38.with the football team at the Euros. Is Geraint Thomas about to write

:52:39. > :52:42.another chapter, here in Rio? Rodriguez catches Fabio Aru,

:52:43. > :52:45.catching up with the rear wheel, goes past him and he's going to get

:52:46. > :52:51.back on terms, almost certainly, before they get over the top.

:52:52. > :52:55.Vincenzo Nibali, I think, I feel sure, must just be waiting for his

:52:56. > :52:59.next chance, just waiting and waiting. You will have gauged this

:53:00. > :53:02.crime, knows where the steep sections are. The strongest of the

:53:03. > :53:08.climbers but perhaps not quite strong enough to make a significant

:53:09. > :53:11.gap. Joaquim Rodriguez has done really well, made that junction,

:53:12. > :53:15.pretty much, almost onto the wheel of Fabio Aru, who is hanging on and

:53:16. > :53:24.Louis Meintjes is just about managing to stick with the Spaniard.

:53:25. > :53:31.Just a bit further down,... They have got away from Chris Froome.

:53:32. > :53:36.This is Alaphilippe, number 13. Has to get back on terms. Where is Chris

:53:37. > :53:39.Froome? Is he in front of these riders behind them? The thought

:53:40. > :53:43.would be that he would be in front of them but you never know and we

:53:44. > :53:46.are not being given any in formation, unfortunately. We should

:53:47. > :53:50.get a look when they go over the top. One thing we can save all

:53:51. > :53:54.certain if this race is an absolute bits and the winner will probably

:53:55. > :53:59.come from the front group containing Vincenzo Nibali and Geraint Thomas.

:54:00. > :54:03.You would think so, wouldn't you? It certainly looks that way, this is

:54:04. > :54:07.the little descent halfway up the final big one. You forget how long

:54:08. > :54:12.it is, 20 solid minutes, with one-minute rest in the middle. It is

:54:13. > :54:17.like rounds in a boxing match, isn't it? Just not much time for recovery,

:54:18. > :54:21.as you can see, the road is about to go uphill again, very quickly. They

:54:22. > :54:24.make a right-hand turn to start the second part of the climb, another

:54:25. > :54:29.four kilometres lying before them up to the summit of the Vista Chinesa

:54:30. > :54:32.for the final time. Not quite as deep, though, I'm not sure how much

:54:33. > :54:37.of a consolation that will be to the guys who are already in trouble,

:54:38. > :54:41.here. It starts off quite leisurely, 3-4% and then kicks up to 11% and

:54:42. > :54:46.then it's pretty consistent around 6% all the way to the summit.

:54:47. > :54:47.Gripping stuff inside the last 20 kilometres of these men's Olympic

:54:48. > :55:02.road race. It is now I think five and three

:55:03. > :55:10.quarters hours that they have been in the saddle. They left us here at

:55:11. > :55:14.Copacabana five and three quarters hours ago and Alaphilippe, the rider

:55:15. > :55:20.we were talking about earlier today, is still looking to be a factor,

:55:21. > :55:24.here. If anyone is wondering why Fuglsang has decided to ride on the

:55:25. > :55:29.front, Wellcome he Vincenzo Nibali's team, of course. This is Chris

:55:30. > :55:33.Froome. But we don't know where he is on the road. Is he in front of

:55:34. > :55:40.Alaphilippe behind? But we know who it is. Is Chris Froome closing the

:55:41. > :55:43.gap? He was certainly in front of them before so there's no reason why

:55:44. > :55:48.he isn't still. This is the front of the race, we know that. We will

:55:49. > :55:51.watch these guys keep on looking back down the road and see if he

:55:52. > :55:55.comes into view, that is the best we can offer you at home. But what a

:55:56. > :55:58.fantastic race, we are certainly not been disappointed in the fact we

:55:59. > :56:03.have pictures at all from under this dense canopy I think is incredible,

:56:04. > :56:07.as the race really kicks off now. Andrey Zeits starting to lose a bit

:56:08. > :56:11.of contact and predictably, Fabio Aru is as well and Rodriguez can't

:56:12. > :56:15.go with it. Sergio Henao and Vincenzo Nibali at the front of the

:56:16. > :56:19.race. And this time, they have got some daylight and these two have

:56:20. > :56:24.managed to slip away, got three or four seconds worth of lead and that

:56:25. > :56:28.might be enough. Such motivation in these positions because you are both

:56:29. > :56:32.guaranteed at least a medal. It is worth digging deep. Absolutely and

:56:33. > :56:35.Sergio Henao, we knew his form was pretty good coming into the

:56:36. > :56:39.Olympics, who races for Team Sky alongside Chris Froome and still

:56:40. > :56:42.finished 12th in the Tour de France despite all that. Now perhaps a

:56:43. > :56:50.chance for glory for him and Colombia, who knows? It is the final

:56:51. > :56:53.move, I think, the final split, Vincenzo Nibali knows that if he

:56:54. > :56:58.wants a certain win, he has to get away. He is unlikely to win a

:56:59. > :57:02.spread. Rafal Majka on the chase from Poland, now, three times a

:57:03. > :57:04.stage winner in the Tour de France and the king of the mountain 's

:57:05. > :57:09.winner and Chris Froome is a little bit further back down the mountain,

:57:10. > :57:13.as you can see, behind Alaphilippe. Rafal Majka is a good sprinter as

:57:14. > :57:17.well so we have three medals. Vincenzo Nibali having another go,

:57:18. > :57:23.wants to get rid of these riders but Alaphilippe is flying up the

:57:24. > :57:26.mountainside and Vincenzo Nibali now makes his bid for victory, gritted

:57:27. > :57:31.teeth and tries to leave the others behind. He's out on his own and it's

:57:32. > :57:33.a long way to the finish after this descent but he's the best defender

:57:34. > :57:36.in the group and he could make enough of a buffer, if he can reach

:57:37. > :57:40.the summit alone, he can make enough of a buff on the descent to give

:57:41. > :57:46.himself up by of getting all the way to the chequered flag. -- a fighting

:57:47. > :57:49.shot of getting. It is tricky stuff, he knows he's got to get away if he

:57:50. > :57:54.can beat Rafal Majka, who can sprint. But both riders have enough

:57:55. > :57:58.to get back on terms. It's going to be a fascinating finish. Vincenzo

:57:59. > :58:03.Nibali just can't quite get enough daylight to get himself away. It is

:58:04. > :58:07.a really steep bit of the climb, this one, is Alaphilippe joins what

:58:08. > :58:12.was the leading group of riders. This is a superb final lap from him,

:58:13. > :58:20.the young Frenchman. So he did get away and Chris Froome was left

:58:21. > :58:23.behind. He went well in the Tour de France, some very impressive

:58:24. > :58:27.finishes, a fourth and a fifth as well as a second place. Very

:58:28. > :58:35.consistent, second in the Liege race earlier in the spring as well.

:58:36. > :58:38.That's it, Vincenzo Nibali knows he has given we can and needs to take a

:58:39. > :58:42.breather but I don't think he's going to shake these two. -- all he

:58:43. > :58:46.can. He can take them by surprise but Rafal Majka is one of the

:58:47. > :58:49.canniest riders in the peloton, let alone this group, he's not going to

:58:50. > :58:53.let Vincenzo Nibali get behind him if he can help it and he's going to

:58:54. > :58:57.make sure he keeps an eye on the best climber in the group. He knows

:58:58. > :59:01.he has got to stay with him. He can't out time trial him. He might

:59:02. > :59:05.be able to stay with him in the climbs but has a very good chance of

:59:06. > :59:08.outsprinting him. The gap between these three and the group behind

:59:09. > :59:12.will be key when they go over the top because remember, in the second

:59:13. > :59:16.group on the road, a handful of seconds behind, Geraint Thomas is

:59:17. > :59:18.still in that group. But at the moment, Vincenzo Nibali leading from

:59:19. > :59:31.Sergio Henao of Columbia and Rafa magic of Poland. -- Rafal Majka.

:59:32. > :59:34.Still a feral distance, even when they get to the bottom of the

:59:35. > :59:38.descent but as we saw earlier on this circuit. -- fair old distance.

:59:39. > :59:43.But earlier, Vincenzo Nibali showed his prowess at descending. If we

:59:44. > :59:46.take out the descent, there's ten kilometres of racing left to do,

:59:47. > :59:52.that is a technical thing, a carriage thing, a part of the race

:59:53. > :59:56.where it is about skill. -- acreage thing. The other ten kilometres is

:59:57. > :00:00.visible as well. You have to break it up into mental chunks for them as

:00:01. > :00:04.well. Back to Chris Froome, we think he is still 40 seconds behind. I

:00:05. > :00:07.don't think he has any reasonable hope of getting back on terms from

:00:08. > :00:12.here. You have to remember, he's not won a major single day race, so we

:00:13. > :00:15.were expecting an awful lot of him, to be honest. Geraint Thomas was in

:00:16. > :00:25.a good position but had not quite got the legs to live with an on form

:00:26. > :00:28.Vincenzo Nibali, road all the way through the Tour de France largely

:00:29. > :00:31.as training for this event, one of his two targeted events this year

:00:32. > :00:33.and now we can see why, this and the Giro d'Italia, and he has got

:00:34. > :00:37.himself in position to try to win both. It is Rui Costa, the former

:00:38. > :00:40.world champion with Chris Froome on the road at the moment, the

:00:41. > :00:47.Portuguese, just a bit further down the mountainside.

:00:48. > :00:56.But here are our three leaders. I think Nibali would rather have got

:00:57. > :01:01.rid of the other two by now. Absolutely. He doesn't want to leave

:01:02. > :01:12.this to chance. It is his main goal for the year, and the only way he

:01:13. > :01:16.can win is by getting away. He may try to drop them on the descent,

:01:17. > :01:25.which would be a scary thing to watch. Alaphilippe tries to make a

:01:26. > :01:30.break from the Geraint Thomas group. Fuglsang is in third place in the

:01:31. > :01:34.red, Geraint Thomas still in there. We could do with a time gap from

:01:35. > :01:37.this group to the leading three to give us some indication as to

:01:38. > :01:47.whether they could still be players in the race. I think it will only be

:01:48. > :02:03.a handful of seconds. They are riding consistently. The worst of

:02:04. > :02:08.the climb is behind them. So is a fan! That Italian fan is getting a

:02:09. > :02:16.bit excited. He has a fair bit of pace, though! Thanks for that. We

:02:17. > :02:26.are being told 15 seconds is the gap. So it is still possible for

:02:27. > :02:33.them to make the junction. Van Avramov at would have a good chance.

:02:34. > :02:45.The lone figure of Chris Froome, trying to make that junction, but it

:02:46. > :02:54.is not happening for him. Rui Costa has left him behind. Here is the

:02:55. > :02:59.front of the rest again. Nibali is still leading at the end of this

:03:00. > :03:05.gruelling, attritional and quite superb Olympic Games men's road

:03:06. > :03:14.race. It has had everything and we have enjoyed every element of it.

:03:15. > :03:19.This climb most of all. The descent, not so much. I don't want to see

:03:20. > :03:27.anyone come to harm. There was a dramatic crash for the Australian,

:03:28. > :03:30.Richie Porte. He looked OK, but still a nasty fall. At least the cat

:03:31. > :03:36.netting do this job and stopped him disappearing off the side of the

:03:37. > :03:41.hillside. -- the catch netting did its job. They are starting to drop

:03:42. > :03:54.now. Nibali is in his natural place at the front. Majka tried to stop

:03:55. > :04:01.him. Is me not just be the motorbike that struggles to keep up. This is

:04:02. > :04:07.the second group, the Geraint Thomas group. You can see how close they

:04:08. > :04:14.are behind as they cover the same road. It is still a fair trek to the

:04:15. > :04:17.finish, Chris. When they get to the bottom, there is not much room for

:04:18. > :04:22.manoeuvre for the three at the front. That was where Richie Porte

:04:23. > :04:28.crashed. This is the start of the real twisty descent, follow

:04:29. > :04:36.hairpins. You can be sure Nibali has researched this carefully. It is not

:04:37. > :04:43.much of a lead. But difficult to close on a descender like Nibali.

:04:44. > :04:52.They have to store and re-accelerate after it. Then those gaps start to

:04:53. > :05:00.appear and it is hard to close them again. The first cycling medals up

:05:01. > :05:14.for grabs, the second set of medals to be awarded at these Games. Just a

:05:15. > :05:16.few minutes away now. We are waiting for Chris Froome. Clearly, he is not

:05:17. > :05:37.going to get back on terms now. Nobody is giving Nibali an inch. And

:05:38. > :05:47.there isn't an inch to spare on this road. Really technical, tight

:05:48. > :06:00.descent. We should probably talk in metric, there is not a centimetre to

:06:01. > :06:05.spare! They are coming round in dribs and drabs now. We have still

:06:06. > :06:11.not had a shot of Chris Froome, I can only assume we have missed him.

:06:12. > :06:15.We need some indication of the speed of these riders as they hurtle down

:06:16. > :06:22.the mountainside toward the centre of Rio. It is a crash! Sergio

:06:23. > :06:31.Hanauer is down, and Vincenzo Nibali is down! Suddenly, Rafal Majka is on

:06:32. > :06:35.his own in the lead at the front of the race. We said it was tight and

:06:36. > :06:40.technical, we said it was an unforgiving descent here, and that

:06:41. > :06:44.is precisely what it has proven to be. Disastrous for two of the three

:06:45. > :06:49.leading riders. Just as they thought they were going to be contesting the

:06:50. > :06:53.medals, the big prerace favourite, Vincenzo Nibali, is on the ground.

:06:54. > :06:57.It will be disastrous for the next people around the corner if they

:06:58. > :07:01.don't get them off the road fast. That is a genuine hazard for the

:07:02. > :07:04.rest of the riders. We said this would happen. We said the descent

:07:05. > :07:08.would play as big a part in this race as the climb, and so it has

:07:09. > :07:16.proven. Let's hope everybody else gets around safely here. It doesn't

:07:17. > :07:24.look like Nibali is getting up. That Olympic dream, gone in a flash. As

:07:25. > :07:33.the rest of the race goes past and leaves him behind. That dangerous

:07:34. > :07:37.corner looks even trickier now. Froome was in a similar but less

:07:38. > :07:50.consequential crash in the Tour de France. But this time, the price has

:07:51. > :08:21.been paid. Hang on, I am just hearing that

:08:22. > :08:29.Geraint Thomas has gone down, but we haven't seen any of this. Here is

:08:30. > :08:38.the leader. Rafal Majka is out in front alone. There is Geraint Thomas

:08:39. > :08:44.at the side of the road. He crashes out of the Olympic Games on the

:08:45. > :08:48.final descent of the climb of Vista Chinesa. He was a contender for a

:08:49. > :08:54.medal in the closing stages, Vincenzo Nibali. His hopes are in

:08:55. > :09:02.tatters. The previous contenders, Vincenzo Nibali and Henao, have

:09:03. > :09:05.crashed. And Geraint Thomas has fallen in a separate incident. Rafal

:09:06. > :09:13.Majka now leads this Olympic road race on his own. And Alaphilippe of

:09:14. > :09:20.France is chasing hard to try and get up with the remnants of the

:09:21. > :09:25.Thomas group. Before we saw Geraint Thomas lying along the side of the

:09:26. > :09:29.road, Majka is a worthy winner, because he didn't take a risk on the

:09:30. > :09:33.descent. He used his judgment. It is not just about physical ability. He

:09:34. > :09:37.decided to back off slightly and found his way through that crash.

:09:38. > :09:41.His tiny bit of prudence has paid off and put him in a gold medal

:09:42. > :09:46.position. Can he take it all the way to the line? He only has a handful

:09:47. > :09:50.of seconds. We think it is 20 seconds for Rafal Majka, the Polish

:09:51. > :09:59.rider. But he has ridden a wily race. Alaphilippe has come on strong

:10:00. > :10:03.in the closing stages. This group are not trying to bring Majka back.

:10:04. > :10:07.So he looks like he is heading to being Olympic champion, because

:10:08. > :10:11.there is not an organised chase behind him. He might be alone, but

:10:12. > :10:16.he has only got eight kilometres to go and all the incentive in the

:10:17. > :10:23.world. Rafal Majka finds himself in the box seat here. He can almost

:10:24. > :10:35.touch the finish. Here is the chase group.

:10:36. > :10:44.You can see the dead legs now. It is like the last round in a boxing

:10:45. > :10:49.match. They have been out there for the best part of six hours now. It

:10:50. > :10:55.is about who has got the most left now, not who has the best form. We

:10:56. > :11:00.have joking Rodriguez, Fabio Aru in the white jersey, Zeits from

:11:01. > :11:06.Kazakhstan, the South African in the green and white. Fuglsang is there

:11:07. > :11:14.from Denmark, and one other rider who is not in the picture. It is

:11:15. > :11:17.Julian Alaphilippe. I think that group will just concentrate on

:11:18. > :11:21.trying to get onto the podium, all playing into the hands of Rafal

:11:22. > :11:25.Majka, who is heading for that gold medal now. What a turn up for the

:11:26. > :11:29.books. I honestly thought Nibali had it, but just overcooked it and

:11:30. > :11:37.changed the course of the race in one bend. Let's hope he is OK, and

:11:38. > :11:41.Geraint Thomas too. We will get the stories in post race interviews, no

:11:42. > :11:48.doubt. But it was a dramatic last descent. Let's hope Geraint Thomas

:11:49. > :11:53.is OK, a dramatic descent of Vista Chinesa left him in the gutter along

:11:54. > :11:59.the outside of the road, having overcooked the bend slightly. Fabio

:12:00. > :12:03.Aru is suddenly back in the running in this Olympic Games road race.

:12:04. > :12:08.Greg Van Avermaet will fancy his chances if it comes back together.

:12:09. > :12:13.But Rafal Majka is powering away and hoping he has the legs to take him

:12:14. > :12:19.all the way to a golden victory on the seafront here on the beach at

:12:20. > :12:27.Copacabana. Just a handful of kilometres remaining. I am sure that

:12:28. > :12:34.is enough now. The chasing group's efforts are not consistent. And the

:12:35. > :12:37.kilometres are ticking away. It is a closable gap if this group work

:12:38. > :12:43.together, but with six kilometres to go and I'm not working, I think it

:12:44. > :12:49.is his. He would be a worthy winner given the way he has written. He has

:12:50. > :12:53.won a Stage 3 times in the Tour de France. He won the king of the

:12:54. > :12:57.Mountains jersey this year. He won the Tour of Poland as well. He was

:12:58. > :13:01.third in the Tour of Spain last year and also came fifth in the Tour of

:13:02. > :13:06.Italy, the Giro d'Italia, earlier in the summer. So a very strong rider,

:13:07. > :13:12.but often has not managed to land the big prizes. That is often what

:13:13. > :13:16.happens in the Olympics, though. Somebody who was always there or

:13:17. > :13:20.thereabouts gets an opportunity as the favourites watch each other and

:13:21. > :13:27.all the pressure is on them. In this case, he proved to have the better

:13:28. > :13:32.judgment and good enough legs. I can't believe they will close that

:13:33. > :13:38.gap now. And he kept a cool pressure in that intense descent. If they do

:13:39. > :13:42.get it together, it is not impossible that they could bring him

:13:43. > :13:49.back. He is tired. He has been out there all day. He has not gained

:13:50. > :13:52.much more time. They would not need to do it huge amount to bring him

:13:53. > :14:01.back, but they have to work together. And they haven't got much

:14:02. > :14:08.time in which to do it. Rafal Majka casts an anxious glance over his

:14:09. > :14:11.left shoulder to see what the advantage is and whether there is a

:14:12. > :14:14.bit of cat and mouse going on behind, whether they are worried

:14:15. > :14:19.about who is going to collect the other medals. Fuglsang now attacks

:14:20. > :14:26.from the right-hand side of the road. And on his wheel is Greg Van

:14:27. > :14:38.Avermaet, the Belgian. Everybody else, for the moment, sits and

:14:39. > :14:45.watches. As you suggest, Chris, maybe they are a bit cooked. They

:14:46. > :14:52.are all knackered now. They are just surviving to the finish. Majka was

:14:53. > :14:56.not involved in any breakaways. He wasn't attacking from the front of

:14:57. > :15:00.the race. He just made sure he was in the right place at the right

:15:01. > :15:07.time. The gap is coming down rapidly, which is surprising me.

:15:08. > :15:09.Greg Van Avermaet is driving hard. These two are better sprinters than

:15:10. > :15:20.Majka if they can get back on terms. I tell you what, Greg van Avermaet

:15:21. > :15:24.will be licking his lips that this situation. Fuglsang is there and the

:15:25. > :15:30.chase is very much on behind. This is the front of the race,...

:15:31. > :15:34.Alaphilippe getting back on terms and I would give him a good chance

:15:35. > :15:37.of beating Rafal Majka as well so Rafal Majka, who looked like he was

:15:38. > :15:40.heading for a nailed on gold medal, now looks like he could be in threat

:15:41. > :15:44.of getting a medal if these three can catch him up which would be

:15:45. > :15:48.desperately sad inside the last four kilometres. What a dramatic and

:15:49. > :15:53.exciting finish to this meant's Road race. Riders crashing at the vital

:15:54. > :15:56.moment on the final descent, taking out some of the favourites,

:15:57. > :16:01.including Geraint Thomas of Great Britain. Rafal Majka looking as

:16:02. > :16:04.though he was going to profit, in a lead group of three and suddenly

:16:05. > :16:07.found itself on his own, almost as a last man standing from the lead

:16:08. > :16:11.group. But we are not sure whether the lead he has is going to be big

:16:12. > :16:16.enough to take him all the way to the line. The chase is very much on.

:16:17. > :16:20.Fuglsang of Denmark and Greg van Avermaet of Belgium are right after

:16:21. > :16:25.him now. Nine seconds is the difference between them, they are

:16:26. > :16:28.right on top of him. I would say it is less than nine seconds now and

:16:29. > :16:31.that is almost enough, you could eat that in a sprint. He is the two

:16:32. > :16:35.behind him hesitate and start to think about the spread when they get

:16:36. > :16:39.to about a kilometre to go but to be honest, I think they will catch him

:16:40. > :16:41.before that. They are not hesitating at the moment, absolutely flying

:16:42. > :16:46.along the seafront as they make their way back towards Coburg and

:16:47. > :16:50.the finish. They have Rafal Majka very much in their sights. And Rafal

:16:51. > :16:53.Majka just digs as deep as he possibly can, just to see what else

:16:54. > :16:57.you can find, whether he has got anything left in the tank that would

:16:58. > :17:03.hold him clear of these two chasers, who are bearing down on him now,

:17:04. > :17:07.almost with the Finnish insight. It is brinkmanship at its very best,

:17:08. > :17:10.isn't it? You will see them both starting to look behind, none of

:17:11. > :17:13.them want to work too hard, they all know that if they do too much, they

:17:14. > :17:18.will not win the sprint. They are starting to think about that as well

:17:19. > :17:22.and the leader is just holding his own, now. It's now or never and he

:17:23. > :17:27.knows it, you can tell by the look on his face, he could not possibly

:17:28. > :17:30.be giving anything more, his legs are screaming, here, this is his

:17:31. > :17:34.chance to win an Olympic gold medal and these two riders are out to deny

:17:35. > :17:38.him and claim the gold for themselves. Fuglsang leading the way

:17:39. > :17:42.and Van Avermaet menacingly sitting on his wheel. Six seconds is the gap

:17:43. > :17:48.and the motorbikes are starting to help the chase quite a lot to close

:17:49. > :17:52.the gap now. Two kilometres to go. I think it is going to come down for a

:17:53. > :17:56.-- to a sprint for them and I know what Rafal Majka will get if that is

:17:57. > :18:00.the case, less than two kilometres to go and he will be able to see the

:18:01. > :18:04.finish soon. Four seconds the gap, that is more realistic and the two

:18:05. > :18:08.behind know they need to get to him quickly so they can start to think

:18:09. > :18:12.about the spread. They are closing right in and they will join him

:18:13. > :18:16.before we get to the finish now. And Alaphilippe is in the wings as well,

:18:17. > :18:21.out of shot at the moment but not far behind. These three words need

:18:22. > :18:24.to ease much for him to get back on terms and raffle Matt Cook would

:18:25. > :18:28.come away from this empty-handed. You can't give any room at all here

:18:29. > :18:32.to Alaphilippe, you can't forget him because he won't be playing cat and

:18:33. > :18:35.mouse, he would be fiddling around, looking after his shoulder -- over

:18:36. > :18:38.his shoulder, he will be going for it, gaining ground on these riders

:18:39. > :18:46.all the time, we need to look back and see how far behind he is. Van

:18:47. > :18:49.Avermaet, I would not have said about the narrow half ago that he

:18:50. > :18:52.was going to be the one to contest the finish, he'd worked so hard on

:18:53. > :18:55.the climb, got dropped, got back on terms but a wily rider, he has spent

:18:56. > :18:58.his energy well and used Vincenzo Nibali to get back in contention on

:18:59. > :19:00.the descent. He got himself back into the group and survived the last

:19:01. > :19:05.climb and then has profited from those technical mistakes made by the

:19:06. > :19:08.front three. I think they should be about roughly in the last kilometre

:19:09. > :19:12.of this race moron is because when they turn left onto the seafront,

:19:13. > :19:16.they've only got about 500 metres to go. A little look behind from Greg

:19:17. > :19:20.van Avermaet, still no sign of where Alaphilippe is but the race is

:19:21. > :19:23.rapidly approaching the beach at Copacabana and for a few minutes,

:19:24. > :19:27.there, it looked as though Rafal Majka was going to enjoy a lone

:19:28. > :19:30.victory and become Olympic champion but suddenly, he's going to have to

:19:31. > :19:35.sprint against these are the two with the chasing group closing down

:19:36. > :19:39.but may be running out of time. They have, we have not had a shot looking

:19:40. > :19:41.back down the road for the last few kilometres and Alaphilippe has been

:19:42. > :19:45.reabsorbed, Rafal Majka is going to get a medal, I'm relieved about that

:19:46. > :19:49.but I think I know what colour it will be. Into the finishing straight

:19:50. > :19:53.and just over 300 metres to go, the riders almost insight, the ground

:19:54. > :19:56.have been waiting all day, this is what they have been waiting for, I

:19:57. > :20:02.don't think many of them were expecting to see these three at the

:20:03. > :20:06.front of the race. Who is about to become the Olympic champion? Van

:20:07. > :20:11.Avermaet goes for glory, opens up the attack. Rafal Majka has got

:20:12. > :20:16.nothing left, Van Avermaet... Is he going to take the victory for

:20:17. > :20:20.Belgium? Van Avermaet is the Olympic champion! Jakob Fuglsang of Denmark

:20:21. > :20:24.take the silver, and Rafal Majka, who just five minutes ago looked set

:20:25. > :20:28.for gold, is to settle for bronze and here comes the spread between

:20:29. > :20:33.the remnants of the chasing group, led out by the young French rider,

:20:34. > :20:35.Julian Alaphilippe and Joaquim Rodriguez will chase him all the way

:20:36. > :20:41.up towards the line, they are fighting for the minor places, Fabio

:20:42. > :20:48.Aru over the line, Louis might just as well but there is the Olympic

:20:49. > :20:51.champion, Greg van Avermaet Belgium. Phenomenal ride by him. I would not

:20:52. > :20:54.have said he was going to be the one who would win today but he showed

:20:55. > :20:58.some real grit and stayed in contention, had some tough times

:20:59. > :21:04.going up that hard, hard climb on the Vista Chinesa circuit but stuck

:21:05. > :21:09.in their and his endurance paid through. Bears Geraint Thomas.

:21:10. > :21:12.Coming in, clearly injured but able to finish the race which is a real

:21:13. > :21:18.relief, it has to be said. Tears in the Belgian team, here. I have to

:21:19. > :21:21.say, as disappointing as it was in the end for Geraint Thomas, to see

:21:22. > :21:25.the medal chance disappearing from his grasp so late in the race, it is

:21:26. > :21:28.a major relief to see him on the bike and riding up the seafront,

:21:29. > :21:34.here, towards the finish. Battered but unbowed, the Welshman, rapidly

:21:35. > :21:38.coming in towards the finish. And riders will be finishing for some

:21:39. > :21:41.considerable time but Van Avermaet was always going to be the favourite

:21:42. > :21:45.when it came down to those three. It was but I'm amazed he had the grit

:21:46. > :21:50.to stick in there, with the true climbers up there and a descent --

:21:51. > :21:54.event like that but he showed why he is a top Classics rider, he's more

:21:55. > :21:58.than just as printer, more than a climber, more than someone who can

:21:59. > :22:03.ride a descent, can read a race and read himself and measure his energy.

:22:04. > :22:06.Van Avermaet, a man who has won stages in the Tour de France last

:22:07. > :22:09.year and busier, here comes Geraint Thomas ordered the seafront, had the

:22:10. > :22:14.yellow jersey in the Tour de France, Van Avermaet this year well. He has

:22:15. > :22:19.won a good few races but none as big as this single one-day race. Here

:22:20. > :22:22.comes Geraint Thomas, wondering what might have been. His performance was

:22:23. > :22:29.so good for so long. We did not quite see what happened on the

:22:30. > :22:32.descent but the relief is he's OK. The British team, regardless of the

:22:33. > :22:37.outcome today, rode fantastically well. I was really impressed by the

:22:38. > :22:40.way they manage their resources and ultimately, they did not have the

:22:41. > :22:44.legs today. Even Chris Froome, when he went for it, was not making

:22:45. > :22:47.inroads. He's had a lot of responsibility since the Tour de

:22:48. > :22:51.France, clearly lost a bit of edge and it is the one-day race which is

:22:52. > :22:58.a different thing. Adam Yates coming in. With Dan Martin on his wheel and

:22:59. > :23:02.also there, Chris Froome. So it was a tough day, as expected, we knew it

:23:03. > :23:06.would be at the British team did what they could but in the end, we

:23:07. > :23:09.had a worthy winner in Greg van Avermaet and bitter disappointment

:23:10. > :23:13.for Geraint Thomas in particular, is Chris Froome decides to have a

:23:14. > :23:16.little sprint with Dan Martin up towards the line, competitive to the

:23:17. > :23:20.last and then Adam Yates over the line for Great Britain as well. All

:23:21. > :23:24.those top riders within three minutes in the end. Despite the

:23:25. > :23:31.crashes and everything else, a close race. I'm wondering if Chris Froome

:23:32. > :23:36.actually stopped? Three minutes down, he was only a few seconds off,

:23:37. > :23:40.he may have stopped with Thomas. Maybe he stopped and helped out

:23:41. > :23:43.Geraint Thomas at the time. Fuglsang, there, the silver

:23:44. > :23:49.medallist from Denmark. Riders continuing to cross the line.

:23:50. > :23:52.Fuglsang banging his handlebars in frustration at the end of the race

:23:53. > :23:56.but I think it was no disgrace and no surprise in a way, that that man

:23:57. > :23:59.there was able to beat into the line, Greg van Avermaet. He has been

:24:00. > :24:03.knocking on the door for a long time until the last year or two, Van

:24:04. > :24:07.Avermaet, but had missed out so many times on the big victory. The sprint

:24:08. > :24:10.again, Van Avermaet makes the move, gets the gap, Rafal Majka had

:24:11. > :24:15.nothing left, he knew that he was going to end up with the bronze

:24:16. > :24:21.medal and Fuglsang, of course, as you can see, not able to close the

:24:22. > :24:24.gap at all. A big, comfortable sprint win at the end of a long,

:24:25. > :24:30.tough, arduous Olympic road race for Greg van Avermaet of Belgium. He is

:24:31. > :24:38.only the second Belgian rider ever to win this race, after a win in

:24:39. > :24:44.Helsinki in 1952. It's been a while, considering how Belgium are such a

:24:45. > :24:48.fine, traditional cycling nation but some of -- Van Avermaet begins the

:24:49. > :24:51.celebrations. Spare a thought for Rafal Majka, he was in what looked

:24:52. > :24:55.like the race winning move with Vincenzo Nibali and Sergio Henao,

:24:56. > :24:58.who both crashed on the final descent of Vista Chinesa and

:24:59. > :25:02.suddenly, Rafal Majka was in the box seat with no one around him, on his

:25:03. > :25:05.own. The gold medal looked to be there for the taking but in the end,

:25:06. > :25:12.that was the man who took it off him. Greg van Avermaet, great race,

:25:13. > :25:14.great course. We said it was going to be a difficult descent, Chris

:25:15. > :25:17.Boardman said how treacherous he thought it was and we both had

:25:18. > :25:22.misgivings about the descent when we saw it yesterday. We took some

:25:23. > :25:27.pictures and it looked very unforgiving and so it proved. Richie

:25:28. > :25:31.Porte, Geraint Thomas and Sergio Henao, just three of the riders who

:25:32. > :25:35.came a cropper when they were just pushing to the limit, as you have do

:25:36. > :25:39.in a race like this with so much on the line. But Rio provided a

:25:40. > :25:44.wonderful backdrop throughout the race, not just here in Rio itself

:25:45. > :25:51.but as it headed out along the coast, all the way to the first

:25:52. > :25:57.circuit. That seems a long time ago now! The first circuit of Grumari,

:25:58. > :26:04.and then back along the coast, past all of the beach at -- beach huts,

:26:05. > :26:07.in towards Rio and the finish. You can see what it means, not just the

:26:08. > :26:15.winner but his team-mates as well, all that work, all that effort, to

:26:16. > :26:19.fruition. -- coming to fruition. Here comes some more of those who

:26:20. > :26:23.have made it to the finish line. Among them, Serge Pauwels, who will

:26:24. > :26:26.have a big grin on his face because he knows that he is part of an

:26:27. > :26:36.Olympic gold medal winning nation today. Greg van Avermaet will have

:26:37. > :26:43.so many media duties and so much protocol to follow. From here on in,

:26:44. > :26:50.over the next couple of hours before he can really start to relax and it

:26:51. > :26:58.will sink in. But Van Avermaet, with one of the easier sprints of his

:26:59. > :27:02.career. The British team performed well, great job done by Ian Stannard

:27:03. > :27:06.early in the race, took a lot of terms at the front, and Steve

:27:07. > :27:08.Cummings as well, Adam Yates in the end got into what looked like the

:27:09. > :27:12.race winning move with Geraint Thomas but did not quite have the

:27:13. > :27:15.legs. Thomas still hoped to be in the hunt for a medal right up

:27:16. > :27:20.towards the end of the race but crashed at the roadside, crashed out

:27:21. > :27:23.of contention and there is the top nine, Van Avermaet, Fuglsang and

:27:24. > :27:28.Rafal Majka, Alaphilippe just outside the medals after a very

:27:29. > :27:32.strong final lap, Jo Kim Rodriguez, in his final race before retirement,

:27:33. > :27:35.the best of the Spanish finishers, fifth place, Fabio Aru, who did not

:27:36. > :27:39.look as though he had the legs and was not as strong as Vincenzo

:27:40. > :27:42.Nibali, but ending up in sixth and Louis Meintjes from South Africa, of

:27:43. > :27:48.the back of an excellent top ten finish in the Tour de France, in

:27:49. > :27:52.seventh place, Andrey Zeits of Kazakhstan, a good ride from him and

:27:53. > :28:07.Tanel Kangert, who is a team-mate of Vincenzo Nibali, in ninth place.

:28:08. > :28:12.Welcome if there's ever been a more scenic Olympics road race, I'd love

:28:13. > :28:15.to see it. It's a great way of understanding the topography of the

:28:16. > :28:18.land around Rio on a scorching hot day but what an incredibly

:28:19. > :28:23.difficult, dangerous race for the riders. Let's go back down to the

:28:24. > :28:27.finish at Copacabana... Struggling to say it! Jill Douglas is there. So

:28:28. > :28:34.many incidents to talk about. For you, what will be the headlines that

:28:35. > :28:36.come out of the race? I think the technical descent, the fact that

:28:37. > :28:41.Vincenzo Nibali set off in pursuit of gold and went down. We looked at

:28:42. > :28:45.the course yesterday, we drove up and down the descent, Chris, and at

:28:46. > :28:49.the time, we both said this would be where the decisive move in the race

:28:50. > :28:53.was. In the course preview, we said the descent would play a bigger part

:28:54. > :28:57.in this rate than the crime itself and sadly that came to be. When

:28:58. > :29:01.there's no room to make any error whatsoever, and the pressure is on,

:29:02. > :29:05.and the is going to decide who is sprinting for medals, it is going to

:29:06. > :29:10.happen. I was surprised, once they had got into a group of three, but

:29:11. > :29:14.Vincenzo Nibali made the mistake, absolutely tragic. I think we might

:29:15. > :29:20.get a word with the Olympic champion now, Greg van Avermaet is making his

:29:21. > :29:25.way here. Gray, a quick word in English? Congratulations. You have

:29:26. > :29:30.won some big races in your time, wore the yellow jersey, but this is

:29:31. > :29:35.the best you have done? Yes, this is the biggest title you could ever

:29:36. > :29:40.have, the Olympic champion. For me, it was not a great course, it was

:29:41. > :29:45.really hard. Not the best, I was not the favourite but I had a great day

:29:46. > :29:48.and everything in the last 10-15 kilometres when perfect. A lot of

:29:49. > :29:54.guys crashed on the descent because they took some risks but I just

:29:55. > :29:59.played safe. Stayed focused and I knew I had a good spread so in the

:30:00. > :30:01.end, the last five or six K, everything when perfect, catching

:30:02. > :30:06.Rafa Majkova and then I was the fastest guy of the two, incredible

:30:07. > :30:08.the two, incredible movement. Mutch congratulations, I know you are

:30:09. > :30:14.being moved on to collect your medal but well done. There we are, and

:30:15. > :30:18.very happy Olympic champion. As he said, he did not take the risks but

:30:19. > :30:21.Vincenzo jete -- Vincenzo Nibali gave everything to get the gold

:30:22. > :30:23.medal, one of the best defenders in the sport but today, it was not his

:30:24. > :30:36.day. -- December. No, but being the best descender

:30:37. > :30:42.means you have to push the envelope. Sometimes it is knowing when to back

:30:43. > :30:46.off. It takes a lot of courage sometimes to do less, not more.

:30:47. > :30:49.Tragic for him. Majka showed great judgment in backing off while in

:30:50. > :30:53.that group. I thought he might have got himself a gold medal, but he

:30:54. > :30:57.just didn't have the legs. He ran out of steam. I think cleverness

:30:58. > :31:06.came into it as much as anything. Van Avermaet is a very clever bike

:31:07. > :31:09.rider. He knows how to use his resources. We are waiting to see if

:31:10. > :31:17.Geraint Thomas appears. I imagine he is on his way after catching up with

:31:18. > :31:23.Chris Froome at the finish. We saw that he had a nasty crash on the way

:31:24. > :31:27.down. Did you see it? Nobody saw the crash. It was in disarray, we just

:31:28. > :31:31.saw motorbikes coming around the corner and seeing bodies on the

:31:32. > :31:35.floor. It doesn't look like anyone has been seriously hurt, thank God.

:31:36. > :31:39.There are lots of trees at the edges of the road, so the potential for

:31:40. > :31:44.serious damage was there. I think Richie Porte has probably broken

:31:45. > :31:48.collarbone. It was a nasty descent for everybody and not a difficult

:31:49. > :31:51.one to make a mistake on, if that makes sense. You would not have to

:31:52. > :31:55.make much of a mistake for the consequences to be huge. The British

:31:56. > :31:59.team rode fantastically, regardless of the results. They used their

:32:00. > :32:02.resources to the best, but they just didn't have the legs. The other

:32:03. > :32:08.riders were quicker on the day. There was nothing more that could be

:32:09. > :32:13.done. Chris Froome even had the legs to sprint at the end, trying to beat

:32:14. > :32:17.Dammartin over the line. It was a long day in the saddle. How will

:32:18. > :32:22.this set him up for Wednesday in the time trial? Not well, to be honest.

:32:23. > :32:25.There is a price to pay and you will not fully recover before the time

:32:26. > :32:31.trial. He has to make a choice. But I like the fact that he committed to

:32:32. > :32:35.this. He said, I am in it to the end and I'm going to sprint for the

:32:36. > :32:39.minor places. But it is not ideal preparation for the time trial. A

:32:40. > :32:44.great performance from the British team. The guys did their job early

:32:45. > :32:53.on, Ian Stannard leading the charge. I would not have brought standard.

:32:54. > :32:57.-- Ian Stannard. But I would admit that I am wrong. It was a great

:32:58. > :33:01.decision to bring in somebody who was just for the flats and to make

:33:02. > :33:04.sure all the grunt work got done. What a loyal person to have on your

:33:05. > :33:08.side. The team selection was excellent. I am not one for putting

:33:09. > :33:14.a spin on it when you don't win, but I can't see what else they could

:33:15. > :33:17.have done. I suppose it is what ifs, but if Geraint Thomas had stay

:33:18. > :33:24.upright, could he have been in the mix for a middle? Yeah, but his legs

:33:25. > :33:30.were not quite there -- in the mix for a medal. It worked out

:33:31. > :33:33.fantastically, but they just didn't have the legs to finish the job.

:33:34. > :33:39.There is nothing you can do about that. As the Olympic champion does

:33:40. > :33:42.another interview over your shoulder, we will have the ceremony

:33:43. > :33:48.shortly and hopefully a word with Geraint Thomas. Meanwhile, back to

:33:49. > :33:53.you. We will definitely be back with you to hear from Geraint Thomas and

:33:54. > :33:56.Chris Froome. Many thanks to respond and Simon Brotherton. During that

:33:57. > :34:00.road race, there was a huge roar from the Aquatic Centre behind me,

:34:01. > :34:04.which suggested something very special had happened, and it

:34:05. > :34:07.involved Britain's Adam Peaty. Here are Adrian Moorhouse and Andy

:34:08. > :34:14.Jensen. In four and three, Peaty and

:34:15. > :34:21.Murdoch. It has not been that fast so far. What can they do? They are

:34:22. > :34:29.in great position is next to each other. There is Ross Murdoch. Adam

:34:30. > :34:35.Peaty, the two British boys. And there is the world number one, the

:34:36. > :34:46.favourite to win the Olympic title, Adam Peaty. Ross Murdoch will give

:34:47. > :34:52.him a run for his money, I think. The final heat of the men's 100

:34:53. > :34:54.metres breaststroke and Great Britain's world record holder,

:34:55. > :35:01.Commonwealth champion, has started very well. Adam Peaty in four in the

:35:02. > :35:11.Red Hat, with Ross Murdoch of Great Britain also going well in three. A

:35:12. > :35:21.great start from Peaty. I would not be surprised if he went for it right

:35:22. > :35:30.now. He is holding water really well. Let's see what he has left in

:35:31. > :35:34.the last 15 metres. This could be a massive world record if he can hold

:35:35. > :35:41.onto it. It is his world record. He's swimming away the field. We are

:35:42. > :35:50.looking for 57.92. This is going to be outstanding! 57.5, goodness me!

:35:51. > :35:56.Half a second underneath the world record. A massive win for Adam

:35:57. > :36:04.Peaty. He didn't need to do it, but he blew the field away. Massive

:36:05. > :36:09.world record. Over 1.5 seconds faster than the rest of the field.

:36:10. > :36:18.What a brilliant world record. That is the time to do a world record.

:36:19. > :36:21.Adam Peaty is brilliant at turning everything into an opportunity.

:36:22. > :36:25.People say to him, how do you manage the pressure? And he has said, I am

:36:26. > :36:32.the world record holder, they are going to be worried about me! 57.55

:36:33. > :36:39.from Peaty. Ross Murdoch swam well. He will be in the semifinals. He was

:36:40. > :36:46.third. Goodness me, three tenths underneath world-record pace. Thumbs

:36:47. > :36:54.up?! Are you kidding me? I would do a dance! That is stunning. Ross

:36:55. > :37:02.Murdoch congratulate him. He might have not done enough to get in. But

:37:03. > :37:15.Peaty, all-powerful, leading the world into the semis. A new world

:37:16. > :37:20.record for Adam Peaty. He looks tremendous.

:37:21. > :37:26.Adam, what possessed you to go in there and swim like that? Just

:37:27. > :37:33.laying down your cards? Yeah, I was showing a bit of my hand. What was

:37:34. > :37:39.it? I have been practising that front end for a while. I heard the

:37:40. > :37:42.crowd screaming more than I thought, there is something dodgy going on

:37:43. > :37:47.here! I just enjoyed my first Olympic Games. I am unofficial

:37:48. > :37:53.Olympian now, so it is great to enjoy the atmosphere. It doesn't

:37:54. > :37:59.matter what country they are from -- I am unofficial Olympian now.

:38:00. > :38:04.Obviously, you are spear hunting the British swimming team. Yeah,

:38:05. > :38:10.hopefully tonight, get a better performance and see what we have

:38:11. > :38:14.got. Don't be afraid of the slot, it is just swimming two lengths. It is

:38:15. > :38:17.what you have done all your life. Hopefully, that will translate to

:38:18. > :38:26.the kids back home watching who want to get involved in swimming. It is

:38:27. > :38:30.scary, but once you are in that lane, it is amazing. That is one of

:38:31. > :38:33.the things you are bringing to British swimming. You must be

:38:34. > :38:41.pleased with the rest of the squad. It is great. But our job is not done

:38:42. > :38:47.until we have got those medals round our neck. I am now looking to get my

:38:48. > :38:55.head down and see what happens. Great start, well done.

:38:56. > :38:58.Adam Peaty, sensational. Just 21 and in his first Olympic Games, he

:38:59. > :39:02.smashes the world record in the heats. He has semifinals tonight

:39:03. > :39:06.just after 3am, your time. And then the final of the 100 metre

:39:07. > :39:11.breaststroke tomorrow night, same time, early hours of the morning.

:39:12. > :39:15.Britain have only ever had three male swimming Olympic champions, and

:39:16. > :39:20.you know their names, David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse

:39:21. > :39:24.in 1988. Adam Peaty is trying to do something very unusual. We will

:39:25. > :39:29.catch up with James Guy, a contender in the 200 free. We will catch up on

:39:30. > :39:33.his 400 free hit later. I want to take you out to the Deodoro massive

:39:34. > :39:36.equestrian centre to tell you the story of the eventing team. You will

:39:37. > :39:40.know it includes William Fox-Pitt, who last October had a horrendous

:39:41. > :39:44.fall on a young horse in France. He was in a coma, suffered a serious

:39:45. > :39:48.brain injury and has managed to get back to fitness. Got selected for

:39:49. > :39:53.the team. It was a controversial selection. He went into the dressage

:39:54. > :39:57.arena second in the team line-ups today on chilly morning, a

:39:58. > :40:01.16-year-old stallion. This will be his last major competition. William

:40:02. > :40:08.said he would never have come back without the support of his horse.

:40:09. > :40:12.His dressage test was flawless. It was absolutely beautiful. He got a

:40:13. > :40:15.score of 37. Given that Michael Young, who went after him, made a

:40:16. > :40:21.couple of mistakes, that means William leads the dressage stage

:40:22. > :40:28.halfway. A stunning success for him. Afterwards, he spoke to Lee

:40:29. > :40:32.McKenzie. What an incredible way to start your

:40:33. > :40:41.Olympic campaign. Could it have gone any better? That was a great start.

:40:42. > :40:49.Chilly is such a special horse. He is my mate. He was confident and

:40:50. > :40:53.relaxed. We have worked so hard with Tracy Robinson, our trainer. She has

:40:54. > :40:57.helped me through my injury and to get me back on track and to get me

:40:58. > :41:01.thinking straight. She has been brilliant. That was really down to

:41:02. > :41:05.her. I have had an interesting last few months. Thank you so much to UK

:41:06. > :41:09.sport and the lottery. We had funding and support, both physically

:41:10. > :41:16.and mentally, to get me back. They did a superb job. I have been lucky

:41:17. > :41:22.to be here. I know you said you never doubted that you would be

:41:23. > :41:27.ready in time for Rio. You always want to be back here for Rio, but

:41:28. > :41:32.did it feel more special riding into the arena today? It was very special

:41:33. > :41:43.riding into the arena today. I have done five Olympics. They have all

:41:44. > :41:46.been useless. And of course, Chilli Morning is 16 and it is the end of

:41:47. > :41:51.his career. After the journey we have had, this is a big moment. But

:41:52. > :41:56.I was not thinking about that when I was in there. I have been so lucky

:41:57. > :42:01.to have that support to get here. And yes, at times, you have thought

:42:02. > :42:05.it is coming around fast. Last November, I thought August was ages

:42:06. > :42:14.away and suddenly, it is around the corner. So I have got back. My

:42:15. > :42:20.eyesight has come back. I feel good. It is so good to see him perform

:42:21. > :42:25.like that. Two more team members to come tomorrow. That will be proper

:42:26. > :42:28.funnel and Kitty King, who at her first Olympics is taking up

:42:29. > :42:32.position. William has been predicted a bit in terms of selection by going

:42:33. > :42:36.second. The cross-country course out there is really big. It will be a

:42:37. > :42:39.major test. We are hearing that Geraint Thomas is receiving medical

:42:40. > :42:46.attention. He did finish the road race, but he had a terrible crash on

:42:47. > :42:48.the final descent. We will try and catch up with him later. But let's

:42:49. > :42:57.bring you up-to-date on some of the other headline makers on day one of

:42:58. > :43:01.the Rio Olympics. The first gold medal of the games

:43:02. > :43:05.came in the women's ten metres air rifle. America's Ginny Thrasher

:43:06. > :43:11.secured a debut major international victory on the biggest stage of all.

:43:12. > :43:30.The Chinese took silver and bronze. Out on the logo, British rowers

:43:31. > :43:35.Katherine Grainger and Vicki Thornley also enjoyed the first

:43:36. > :43:38.taste of Rio 2016 action, progressing through the women's

:43:39. > :43:42.double sculls hit along with 20 twelfths silver skulls medallist

:43:43. > :43:52.Alan Campbell. But there was bad news for British

:43:53. > :43:56.judoka Ashley McKenzie, whose campaign ended at the second round

:43:57. > :44:05.stage when he lost to Kazakhstan's world champion.

:44:06. > :44:41.This is what we have got coming up for you.

:44:42. > :44:50.And this is how to watch everything you want to watch here at the

:44:51. > :44:55.Olympics. To help you make even more of your

:44:56. > :44:59.Rio 2016 Olympic Games, from boxing to badminton, hockey to handle,

:45:00. > :45:03.you've got it all covered right here on the BBC. Alongside coverage on

:45:04. > :45:09.BBC One, BBC Four and Radio 5 Live, you can access up to 24 live sports

:45:10. > :45:13.on the BBC Sport website or via the BBC Sport app, on mobile, connected

:45:14. > :45:17.TVs and games consoles. The very best of these will be available on

:45:18. > :45:24.the Red Button, via satellite, cable or Freeview, depending on your

:45:25. > :45:27.set-top box or your TV receiver. If that's not enough, you can download

:45:28. > :45:30.the BBC Sport app or set up news and medal alerts and live event

:45:31. > :45:49.reminders so you can follow all your favourite sports.

:45:50. > :46:09.Last year, Max Whitlock became the first British male gymnast ever to

:46:10. > :46:13.be a world champion, when he beat his team-mate Louis Smith on the

:46:14. > :46:17.pommel horse. He and Louis now form and spearhead the British team

:46:18. > :46:24.that's in action here in Rio. It includes Kristian Thomas, Brinn

:46:25. > :46:28.Bevan and Nile Wilson. It's been a very long and very bumpy journey for

:46:29. > :46:31.me. I put everything on the line the last couple of years I couldn't have

:46:32. > :46:34.done anything more. I want to be able to go out there and hit my

:46:35. > :46:40.routines as best as possible. I feel like I've improved a lot. I'm going

:46:41. > :46:48.to be an Olympian, it's like a dream come true really. This team is

:46:49. > :46:51.actually very strong cost of its five-man team, it's very hard to

:46:52. > :46:54.make the team and we know you have to deliver competition after

:46:55. > :46:58.competition, be consistent with what we do. We've got such a strong team

:46:59. > :47:02.that the positives are we are able to push each and on to higher levels

:47:03. > :47:07.and get the best out of each other. For so long we were expected to be a

:47:08. > :47:12.team that took part, whereas now you can expect us to cause a bit of an

:47:13. > :47:16.upset. I think Great Britain have done a fantastic job over probably

:47:17. > :47:19.the last eight years or so of the transition from juniors to seniors,

:47:20. > :47:23.it's been successful, where you'd tend to get a big drop-off in other

:47:24. > :47:27.countries. It shows that what we are doing within British gymnastics,

:47:28. > :47:31.we're doing it correct, doing it right. Our goal is to make the final

:47:32. > :47:40.and challenge for a medal in Rio. I believe we can do it. Realistically

:47:41. > :47:44.we are only top five in the world. Japan art in front of us, China are

:47:45. > :47:47.in front of us. Russia, we have a close battle with. So it's

:47:48. > :47:52.interesting, you know, but in gymnastics anything can happen. As a

:47:53. > :47:56.gymnast and an athlete and very ambitious. I think you have to aim

:47:57. > :47:59.high and I do. I try to keep the medals and results at the back of my

:48:00. > :48:04.mind. It's about doing a job and hopefully it can be done. In terms

:48:05. > :48:08.of performance I love the biggest stage and I think an Olympics,

:48:09. > :48:14.performing at an Olympics, I'll love it. I'm hoping to go there and

:48:15. > :48:17.perform the routines to my potential. You have to stay so

:48:18. > :48:21.focused on what you want to achieve. There might be setbacks and

:48:22. > :48:27.obstacles but it doesn't stop you from dreaming and you have to dream

:48:28. > :48:31.big. It's a wonderfully talented team. They are raring to get going.

:48:32. > :48:37.Now is their time to perform. They need to finish in the top eight of

:48:38. > :48:40.the 12 teams in action in this early qualification setup. It is

:48:41. > :48:44.significant for the individuals to progress to their respective final.

:48:45. > :48:49.Let's head over to the Rio Olympic Arena and join our commentators over

:48:50. > :48:51.at the other side of this Olympic Park in Baja. Our commentary team,

:48:52. > :49:14.Craig Heap and Christine Still. COMMENTATOR:

:49:15. > :49:29.So next on to the vault for the USA, Alexander Naddour. And a big double,

:49:30. > :49:34.what a fantastic fault that was. -- vault that was. It was indeed. Just

:49:35. > :49:40.have a look at this, really powerful, blocks the front of the

:49:41. > :49:44.horse. Into the air, two and a half times round in the pike position,

:49:45. > :49:53.spots the floor, a little adjustment on landing. That will score big. The

:49:54. > :50:01.Americans are great vaulters, they are powerful, committed gymnasts.

:50:02. > :50:02.Lovely, straight vault. The lines on the mat indicate whether you have

:50:03. > :50:19.stayed in a straight line or not. So there is the score for Alexander

:50:20. > :50:25.Naddour, 15.1. Over to the high bar, we will see Marcel Nguyen, from

:50:26. > :50:32.Germany. A very stylish, smooth gymnast. Full pirouette.

:50:33. > :50:40.Just gloss of legs there, but very difficult combination -- loss of

:50:41. > :50:49.legs. The somersault over the bar, he does it with the full twist.

:50:50. > :50:58.He has done one with a full twist, very difficult. Lovely one armed

:50:59. > :51:02.Circle. That was an error, he was meant to put his hand on after the

:51:03. > :51:10.full term. It just slipped. He recovered well. The judges will take

:51:11. > :51:19.that the loss of swing. Close bar element, now a big lift up into the

:51:20. > :51:22.air so he can put two twists, two somersaults in. He will be

:51:23. > :51:26.disappointed with that. Disappointing there from the German

:51:27. > :51:41.Marcel Nguyen. That mistake will be very costly.

:51:42. > :51:50.So we are watching the replay here of the German team, lovely double

:51:51. > :51:59.twisting double straight dismount, but there was an error in the

:52:00. > :52:03.routine early on. There was indeed, Christine, it will be costly, he was

:52:04. > :52:08.a silver in the all-round competition in London 2012. He has

:52:09. > :52:13.had a break from gymnastics, with a modelling career, come back to the

:52:14. > :52:17.team but a very experienced gymnast. His experience was lacking a bit on

:52:18. > :52:23.that first piece of apparatus. You could see he was disgruntled with

:52:24. > :52:27.himself. The German team, the high bar is one of their big apparatus.

:52:28. > :52:34.They would certainly be hoping for a good start here. They would be. This

:52:35. > :52:42.was the error, the hand just didn't grasp, and although he stayed on the

:52:43. > :52:47.apparatus it was an obvious mistake. The score will reflect that, no

:52:48. > :52:58.doubt. Give the judges something to think about. So onto the floor,

:52:59. > :53:07.representing Great Britain, Max Whitlock. And a superfast floor

:53:08. > :53:14.work, a full twist into two and a half twists, very nicely landed. The

:53:15. > :53:19.routine made up of twists. Watch out here, three and a half, into front

:53:20. > :53:25.somersault with half turn. He is a bit of an expert on the pommel horse

:53:26. > :53:32.as well, showing you here. A bit of break dancing as well for good

:53:33. > :53:39.effect. Lots of flair in this routine. Gymnasts of course have to

:53:40. > :53:45.hold the handstand, they have to show balance as well as the ability

:53:46. > :53:52.to tumble. Every landing needs to be clean. And that was very difficult.

:53:53. > :53:53.You could see a real big concentration as he went forwards

:53:54. > :54:06.into that. A lovely roll-out, gymnasts are

:54:07. > :54:12.allowed to clued one of those -- include one of those somersaults to

:54:13. > :54:15.roll-out. A big tripled to finish. What a first routine from Max

:54:16. > :54:21.Whitlock, fantastic stuff. Marcel Nguyen on the high bar, 13.366, he

:54:22. > :54:28.will be disappointed with that but the score has come in for Max

:54:29. > :54:33.Whitlock, 15.5 on the floor. A great start. Next up on the floor,

:54:34. > :54:34.Kristian Thomas for Great Britain. And a whip into double Arabian. Very

:54:35. > :54:47.difficult combination. Double twist, into full twist. Quite

:54:48. > :54:55.a tall gymnast, he has to harness this power inside the 12-metre

:54:56. > :55:01.square. Very nice shapes. All these gymnasts know that everything has to

:55:02. > :55:05.be perfectly performed. That was a very unusual and interesting

:55:06. > :55:11.handspring, to miss the feet and roll out.

:55:12. > :55:27.Beautifully wide armed handstand. Lovely control and strength.

:55:28. > :55:37.Big concentration. Up into the dismount, double Arabian, what a

:55:38. > :55:42.routine from Kristian Thomas. So we have seen two really fabulous

:55:43. > :55:48.routines from the British guys. Well, what a routine from Kristian

:55:49. > :55:53.Thomas. You can really tell why he is the captain of the team, so calm,

:55:54. > :55:56.so collected, all those years of experience. We have seen a lot of

:55:57. > :56:00.nerves out here in the first round, but that was spot-on. The whip into

:56:01. > :56:04.the double Arabian in the pike position, hugely difficult. Double

:56:05. > :56:09.twist, spot the flaw, punch, took full twist, secure on the landing,

:56:10. > :56:27.precise. Just what you need. Next onto the high bar, representing

:56:28. > :56:33.Germany, the one and only Fabian Hambuechen.

:56:34. > :56:47.And that's why. Beautiful somersault over the bar with a twist and a

:56:48. > :56:51.second one. You are allowed to do one straight and one tuck, they are

:56:52. > :56:57.different elements. Super straight Tkachev, into a hot one and a half.

:56:58. > :57:03.The idea is you've got to keep the swing going. Link the elements,

:57:04. > :57:08.which he has done. Not too many, just giant circles. You want to try

:57:09. > :57:14.and make each move count. Squat dislocation with half turn into the

:57:15. > :57:18.hot fall, you can see him change the shape of the swing, lift up, two

:57:19. > :57:24.twists, a beautiful landing. That was the routine Germany needed at

:57:25. > :57:26.that moment. It was indeed and he certainly is enjoying the crowd in

:57:27. > :57:40.this arena today. So by the time the competition

:57:41. > :57:49.finished in the first round, we had a full arena. Not quite full now.

:57:50. > :57:54.There we can see, the straight position with the full turn, perfect

:57:55. > :57:58.position of the hands. Now you can see as he travelled backwards across

:57:59. > :58:01.the bar, that's the Tkachev. We see it in straddle position, in the

:58:02. > :58:07.straight, gymnasts have to perform twisting elements, elements around

:58:08. > :58:10.the bar, and there you can see he wraps it into a double twisting

:58:11. > :58:17.double straight back dismount. As you can see, the expression on his

:58:18. > :58:24.face is well and truly happy with that. High bar scores have been

:58:25. > :58:29.quite difficult to come by this competition so far, I think a 15.3

:58:30. > :58:35.is the highest. The score for Kristian Thomas on the floor,

:58:36. > :58:37.15.233, into the nine for execution, a brilliant start for the British

:58:38. > :58:54.boys on the floor. So the British lads finished on

:58:55. > :59:01.floor, ready to move round to the pommel and in the front Louis Smith.

:59:02. > :59:12.That's their total, 45.799. A good performance, three 15s, Great

:59:13. > :59:20.Britain and USA are very comparable teams. The highest score from the

:59:21. > :59:29.American 15.366. The top scorer of the day, 15.533.

:59:30. > :59:37.Germany's team total, 43.799, carrying a bit of a disastrous high

:59:38. > :59:46.bar. This has been the gymnast to watch, a massive 6.4 Star value. Two

:59:47. > :59:51.somersaults with the half turn out, he nominated double pike front half

:59:52. > :59:57.out, he did have to took his legs up in the second somersault, didn't he,

:59:58. > :00:04.Craig? -- tuck his legs up. 6.4, it's the average of six -- two more

:00:05. > :00:13.scores for the final, absolutely huge. Blocks at the front, one, two,

:00:14. > :00:16.a little bit tuck there, half turn. I think the judges will give the

:00:17. > :00:20.double pike half out because although he did tuck his knees up at

:00:21. > :00:25.the end, over three quarters of the move was done in the pike position.

:00:26. > :00:28.He will have a deduction for a step out at the side, but that is a

:00:29. > :00:40.massive vault. You can see there he pulls his legs

:00:41. > :00:48.apart a little bit to increase rotation. He has got a big second

:00:49. > :01:13.fault as well. This is his second vault. Another

:01:14. > :01:22.massive 6.4. This is the difficulty level. This is his signature vault.

:01:23. > :01:32.Watch carefully. Turn on full twist in the first somersault. Tucked back

:01:33. > :01:40.out, that is unbelievable. When we first saw the hard-won, we could

:01:41. > :01:49.never imagined somebody doing 2.5 somersault plus a twist. That was

:01:50. > :01:52.better than the first vault. Technically it was more in line. He

:01:53. > :02:11.is a powerful gymnast. These gymnasts pretty much come all

:02:12. > :02:16.this way to win this one apparatus. I think he will have a good chance

:02:17. > :02:26.of winning it if he vaults like that.

:02:27. > :02:40.He has set the bar. Here comes Louis Smith of Great Britain, come to do

:02:41. > :02:47.the pommel horse. Now is your moment.

:02:48. > :03:03.A single leg work, a solid start for Smith. This builds the difficulty of

:03:04. > :03:09.the routine, probably one of the most difficult routines we will see

:03:10. > :03:18.today. Good extension. He needs to keep the momentum going. Come on.

:03:19. > :03:28.That is the forward travel connecting into the backward travel.

:03:29. > :03:37.Up into the handstand. What about that? A fantastic start from Louis

:03:38. > :03:45.Smith. He has performed his top routine. You can see the delight on

:03:46. > :03:56.his face. Good style, very smooth in the transition from the handstand

:03:57. > :04:02.down. Lifting his hips well at the front of the swing. He has actually

:04:03. > :04:11.improved his style. Very good technically, but the big thing is

:04:12. > :04:14.how difficult this routine is. He is always full of courage, always

:04:15. > :04:21.prepared to go the extra tenth or so. Extra pair await on the finish.

:04:22. > :04:32.It has been a long wait since 2012 and that was a great routine. -- an

:04:33. > :04:43.extra pirouette. 15.7, the top scorer so far. He really absorbed

:04:44. > :04:53.the pressure. A huge scorer for the team. And the current world

:04:54. > :05:06.champion, Max Whitlock, moves to the pommel horse.

:05:07. > :05:14.Really difficult work on the one handle. Got to keep the rhythm

:05:15. > :05:19.going, keep the tempo. Up into the handstand, this is really difficult

:05:20. > :05:24.work. That is such a difficult skill element. There is the full spindle.

:05:25. > :05:34.Now he has to settle into the routine. Travelling backwards and

:05:35. > :05:41.travelling with a down. A Wendy on the end of the horse. Keep this

:05:42. > :05:47.going up into the handstand. A full peer wet. What about that? Two of

:05:48. > :05:53.the most fantastic routines you will see from the British guys. Absorbing

:05:54. > :05:59.all that pressure. It is not easy to come as a world champion and do a

:06:00. > :06:06.great routine like that. Delight on everybody's faces. That is what they

:06:07. > :06:15.needed, that is what they wanted. The union Jack tape on his finger. A

:06:16. > :06:22.very nice style, but he is so thick and fast and precise with his hand

:06:23. > :06:25.movements. We will need to keep our eye on the difficulty of this

:06:26. > :06:34.routine because it is massively difficult. Two of the judges have

:06:35. > :06:39.just eyed up the difficulty. That will be on the side of your screen

:06:40. > :06:47.to give us an idea of just how difficult that routine is. A really

:06:48. > :06:52.solid start from Team GB. You can breathe a sigh of relief as well as

:06:53. > :06:57.the rest of Great Britain. That was a very anxious wait for two of the

:06:58. > :07:03.boys to get through. There is no doubt that they will be in the

:07:04. > :07:17.Olympic pommel horse final. A couple of times we have said already this

:07:18. > :07:22.is the time to do it. Max Whitlock in first place so far and Louis

:07:23. > :07:35.Smith in second. France is in third. I do not want to get too excited,

:07:36. > :07:41.but that was absolutely fantastic! It gives them a very nice cushion.

:07:42. > :07:43.But now the challenge is not to get overexcited. They have got a long

:07:44. > :08:10.way to go. Three somersault in a row. The

:08:11. > :08:20.second not so difficult, but he is very speedy and fast. He packs a lot

:08:21. > :08:29.into a routine. Very difficult start. But the tumbling has not

:08:30. > :08:40.maintained at quite the same level of difficulty. Good control on the

:08:41. > :08:48.handstand. Clean and smooth in the one and three quarters roll-out.

:08:49. > :08:54.You need a big dismount. If you do not have a big this night, it

:08:55. > :09:03.affects your difficulty level quite a lot. He finishes with a difficult

:09:04. > :09:08.tumble. Happy with that. A very confident routine from Fabian

:09:09. > :09:14.Hambuechen on the floor. A very powerful gymnast. A full twist in

:09:15. > :09:25.the first and second somersaults. Pinpoint accuracy. I think his legs

:09:26. > :09:28.went a little bit there. He should have done something else and he

:09:29. > :09:42.ended up in a punch front with a full twist. He shrugs his shoulders.

:09:43. > :09:50.He is not happy with that. If they feel it is not a fair score, they

:09:51. > :09:55.can make a protest. But they have to move to their next piece now, so

:09:56. > :10:00.they have to get their minds settled. You can see the head coach

:10:01. > :10:06.asking the judges because they can query the difficulty score. They

:10:07. > :10:11.will be telling him we did not add this and this. If they wish to make

:10:12. > :10:18.an official protest, they have to pay for it. I am a bit surprised

:10:19. > :10:19.that is being allowed. You are not allowed to approach the judges in a

:10:20. > :10:36.competition. There is still a long way in the

:10:37. > :11:04.competition to go. Representing the United States of

:11:05. > :11:11.America, Samuel Mikulak. And the USA are looking very strong and

:11:12. > :11:23.confident. A full twisting somersault over the bar. He kicks

:11:24. > :11:24.out at just the right time. A full pirouette straight into the hop

:11:25. > :11:45.over. Just taking the odd swing between

:11:46. > :11:50.elements to be sure of them. He has fulfilled everything and now he

:11:51. > :11:57.needs a big dismount. A wonderful landing, double twisting, double

:11:58. > :12:02.straight. What a routine. The Americans are pumped, they are up

:12:03. > :12:13.for this. Look at that. Talk about kneeling the landing.

:12:14. > :12:23.Not one of his specialist pieces, he will be focusing and concentrating

:12:24. > :12:37.hard here. Come on, Max. Mighty Max on the rings. That is a good start.

:12:38. > :12:51.A good lift to the handstand. Come on, Max, hold on. A double pike into

:12:52. > :12:56.the double tuck. Great amplitude on those swinging elements. Up to

:12:57. > :13:10.handstand. It is working well so far. Controlled well into handstand.

:13:11. > :13:14.A little adjustment on the landing. What a routine from Max under

:13:15. > :13:18.pressure. They have all struggled a little bit with these rings in the

:13:19. > :13:24.training. They are a little bit different to the ones you get at

:13:25. > :13:31.home. That was a great score for Samuel Mikulak. Max has done a

:13:32. > :13:36.really good job on rings in the past six months. He knows it is not his

:13:37. > :13:42.strongest piece of apparatus. He has not got the physical build and the

:13:43. > :13:48.strength like the others, but he has got an ability to swing and he is

:13:49. > :13:57.good at twisting and it was a good dismay. That should go well into the

:13:58. > :14:05.14th. That is the secret, make your weekly thing is strong enough to

:14:06. > :14:17.stand up. That is a good score. Well done, Max.

:14:18. > :14:28.He has impressed us many times. He needs to keep a cool head now. 20

:14:29. > :14:33.years of age. His Olympic debut, but very strong. The first circle round

:14:34. > :14:45.to the Maltese. The body flat with the rings. In two a swinging

:14:46. > :14:49.element. Gymnasts get combination and that is value for connecting the

:14:50. > :14:58.strength moves. Now into the swinging element. Double pike and

:14:59. > :15:10.double tuck. Solid work. Another crucifix. Held for the required two

:15:11. > :15:22.seconds. Now he has got to swing to handstand. There it is. Backward

:15:23. > :15:25.long swing. Come on. Full twisting double straight. What a job from

:15:26. > :15:35.Nile Wilson. A really nice routine, gaining

:15:36. > :15:40.strength all the time. Only 20 years of age but becoming a really

:15:41. > :15:49.powerful gymnast. So the Americans have had a 15.133 four Mickey lack.

:15:50. > :16:02.Let's see what his team-mate can do. -- for San Michalak. From the United

:16:03. > :16:06.States of America. I'm really excited. He came in a bit at the

:16:07. > :16:16.last minute to the USA team, he was the reserve. They had an injury.

:16:17. > :16:25.Smoothly out. He'll can see here comes the move, lovely flair.

:16:26. > :16:29.This time with the full twist, a really big stretch that time. Works

:16:30. > :16:38.with such speed. He controls the top of the swing.

:16:39. > :16:47.There we see three difficult moves all linked. Bonuses for doing that.

:16:48. > :16:55.Perhaps a tiny bit late on one more two of the turns but really exciting

:16:56. > :17:01.high bar work here. Two twists. A little pace, great stuff from the

:17:02. > :17:07.USA on high bar. They really are working that Barwell. So pumped.

:17:08. > :17:13.Look at the Americans, they are all coming off shouting and screaming.

:17:14. > :17:16.His stepfather is usually running around at the side but I haven't

:17:17. > :17:22.seen him today. Look at the score for Nile Wilson, 14.941 on the

:17:23. > :17:31.rings. Great Britain keep in the mix. That was a difficult routine,

:17:32. > :17:35.but lots of the turns to me were late. That's a full turn, it was

:17:36. > :17:39.late, he will get three tenths for that but he will get the combination

:17:40. > :17:44.for connecting it into the next move. But this is big stuff. That is

:17:45. > :17:47.in the layout position and if you look there, the bending of the arms,

:17:48. > :17:53.that's a deduction as well, so this is what the judges are looking for.

:17:54. > :17:58.Look how he catches, a little bent arm. One tenth here, one tenth

:17:59. > :18:04.there. Travelling backwards across the bar, that's the Tkachev. He

:18:05. > :18:10.caught that well, pushed out into the hop one and a half. I think a

:18:11. > :18:17.bit leggy in places. But super high in the dismount. Double straight,

:18:18. > :18:29.with double twist. One step to adjust the landing. Been a world

:18:30. > :18:35.medallist on high bar. 15.333, with a 7.3, that's a big difficulty

:18:36. > :18:41.score. So there you've got a good overview of the arena, the warm up

:18:42. > :18:47.happening. It's a quick warm up, and there's the standings. USA are less

:18:48. > :18:51.than one mark ahead of Great Britain, who are ahead of Japan and

:18:52. > :18:58.in Brazil, Korea, France, Germany, the Netherlands. So it's looking at

:18:59. > :19:02.this stage very close between those first four countries, and of course

:19:03. > :19:08.remember eight teams qualify for the final.

:19:09. > :19:12.CLARE BALDING: A great start therefore Britain's

:19:13. > :19:15.gymnasts, very busy here in the park. The sky is beginning to darken

:19:16. > :19:19.as the sun dips behind the hills over here. Just to bring you news on

:19:20. > :19:23.Geraint Thomas, we understand he's been taken to hospital after that

:19:24. > :19:27.crash on the final descent. He had moved up into a potential medal

:19:28. > :19:32.winning position, but that is him lying in the cement got on the side

:19:33. > :19:36.of the road on the final descent. So I really painful finished about

:19:37. > :19:40.race. He did get back on the bike, finished tenth. Chris Froome was

:19:41. > :19:44.11th. Gold went to Belgium, we will have more reflections on the mend

:19:45. > :19:47.Broz-macro brace to come. If you've been watching the gymnastics,

:19:48. > :19:51.cycling, the swimming, the equestrian, and you want to take up

:19:52. > :19:57.sport yourself, then BBC sport can help you. Go to the get inspired

:19:58. > :20:02.selection of the website. Get inspired as BBC sport's campaign

:20:03. > :20:06.to get you active. It's on the BBC website. You can find inspirational

:20:07. > :20:11.stories from people just like new, as well as hints, tips and over 70

:20:12. > :20:15.practical guides to help you get something done. There is an activity

:20:16. > :20:19.finder to help you find something to try near you. You can tell us how

:20:20. > :20:23.you are getting on and ask those questions through our social media

:20:24. > :20:26.recounts. Maybe you can inspire someone else to give something a

:20:27. > :20:29.try. So now we are passing the baton over to you. Just get up, get

:20:30. > :21:09.inspired and get active. # Witness the fitness #.

:21:10. > :21:12.For every athlete here, it's a four year cycle. If you're going to

:21:13. > :21:15.compete in many Olympics you need to keep your motivation, keep your

:21:16. > :21:21.fitness like this man did. Mark Foster competed in the Olympics how

:21:22. > :21:25.many times? Five times. How many times world champion? Six times. How

:21:26. > :21:31.many times did you break the world record? Eight times. Let's look at

:21:32. > :21:34.Adam Peaty, the world record holder, the world champion in the 100 metres

:21:35. > :21:38.breaststroke. This morning he lined up in the heats of the 100 metres

:21:39. > :21:43.breast ruck alongside his team-mate, Ross Murdoch.

:21:44. > :21:48.COMMENTATOR: It's not been that fast so far, the

:21:49. > :21:55.final heat of the 100-metre breaststroke. What can they do? They

:21:56. > :22:02.are in great position is next to each other. There is Ross Murdoch,

:22:03. > :22:05.Adam Peaty, great shot. The two British boys, and there's the world

:22:06. > :22:09.champion, the world record-holder, the world number one, the favourite

:22:10. > :22:21.to win the Olympic title. Adam Peaty. Ross Murdoch will give him a

:22:22. > :22:27.run for his money, I think. The final heat of the men's 100-metre

:22:28. > :22:29.breaststroke and Britain's world record-holder and Commonwealth

:22:30. > :22:34.champion has started very well indeed. Adam Peaty in four, in the

:22:35. > :22:39.Red Hat, with Ross Murdoch of Great Britain also going well in three. A

:22:40. > :22:44.great start from Adam Peaty. Look at that stroke, so strong. I can't wait

:22:45. > :22:48.to see the 50-metre split, could be world record. I would not be

:22:49. > :22:54.surprised if he went for it right now. 26.69, huge, under the world

:22:55. > :22:59.record. His stroke looks fantastic, he's holding water really well.

:23:00. > :23:03.Let's see what he's got left. He really is going well, really pushing

:23:04. > :23:08.his stroke, his turnover extremely well. -- extremely fast. It could be

:23:09. > :23:13.a massive world record, it's his world record. He is swimming away

:23:14. > :23:19.from the field. 57.92 we are looking for, this is going to be

:23:20. > :23:26.outstanding. 57.5, oh, my goodness me! Half a second underneath the

:23:27. > :23:31.world-record, a massive, massive heat from Adam Peaty. He didn't need

:23:32. > :23:35.to do it, but he certainly did. He blew the field away! A massive

:23:36. > :23:39.world-record. Confirmation of the result of the men's 100-metre breast

:23:40. > :23:44.row, annual world record for Adam Peaty. He looks tremendous. Great

:23:45. > :23:48.Britain's Ross Murdoch in third, he will be in the semis. Adam, what

:23:49. > :23:54.possessed you to go in there and swim like that? Laying down your

:23:55. > :23:59.cards, I guess? I was showing a bit of a hand. 26.6 nine. I've been

:24:00. > :24:04.tracked -- practising that for a while, to come back, I heard this

:24:05. > :24:07.crowd screaming more as I got to the wall. I thought there was something

:24:08. > :24:13.dodgy going on here. I enjoyed my first Olympic Games, I'm officially

:24:14. > :24:16.Olympian now. It's great to get out here and enjoy the atmosphere. It

:24:17. > :24:21.doesn't matter what country they are from, they are all saying well done,

:24:22. > :24:23.which is what the Olympics is about. No pressure because you are

:24:24. > :24:28.spearheading the British swimming team. Yes, hopefully tonight get a

:24:29. > :24:34.better performance in the final, see what we have got. Hopefully I can

:24:35. > :24:37.give the confidence to the swimmers, don't be afraid, it's just swimming,

:24:38. > :24:41.what you have done all your life. Hopefully it will translate to the

:24:42. > :24:44.kids back home watching, for anyone who wants to get involved in

:24:45. > :24:49.swimming and hopefully you come to this arena, people feel a bit

:24:50. > :24:54.scared, it is scary, but once you are in the lane it is absolutely

:24:55. > :24:56.amazing. It's one of the things you are bringing to British swimming,

:24:57. > :25:00.you must be pleased with everyone else because the whole of the squad

:25:01. > :25:04.has done well. Everyone is in finals tonight. It's really great, it

:25:05. > :25:07.pushes the rest of the swimming team. The job is not done until we

:25:08. > :25:10.have the medals around our neck and we are looking to get a better

:25:11. > :25:12.performance now and get my head down and see what happens. A great start,

:25:13. > :25:26.it's good to see you working well. Thank you very

:25:27. > :25:28.much. CLARE BALDING:

:25:29. > :25:31.It's a fabulous start by Adam Peaty. How important is it, Mark, to set

:25:32. > :25:34.that marker and make sure everyone else knows you are in top form? For

:25:35. > :25:37.him, definitely. His best time is half a second better than everyone

:25:38. > :25:41.else. He has not been beaten for four years. I don't think he likes

:25:42. > :25:45.being beaten. Coming in there and smashing the world record, he

:25:46. > :25:48.looked, his start has always been a problem, he seems to have addressed

:25:49. > :25:53.that. It will be another thing in the final. If he does that, the gold

:25:54. > :25:58.medal is round his neck. That was frighteningly fast. I can't put it

:25:59. > :26:01.into terms how fast it is. He is one second faster than anyone else in

:26:02. > :26:06.the world and he knows he has been that time, it's something special.

:26:07. > :26:11.Everyone expected Cameron Van der Burgh of South Africa to be a threat

:26:12. > :26:17.to Adam Peaty, how did he go? He was OK, but the thing is Adam Peaty has

:26:18. > :26:22.been 58.5, that was 57.5, today I think he was 59.1, Bundaberg gets

:26:23. > :26:30.faster and progresses in the semis and the finals but seeing that he

:26:31. > :26:33.knows Adam Peaty use of his own and Cameron Van der Burgh is battling

:26:34. > :26:36.for a silver or bronze. Adam Peaty has done it the hard way, giving

:26:37. > :26:41.them a bit at the beginning, going out catch you up and go past you,

:26:42. > :26:46.and now he can take off. He can swim any kind of race he likes. He will

:26:47. > :26:49.be in the semifinals tonight, 3am your time, his final of the

:26:50. > :26:56.100-metre breaststroke is a big bids to become Britain's first male

:26:57. > :27:01.Olympic swimming champion since Adrian Moorhouse in 1988 will be

:27:02. > :27:06.tomorrow night, about 3am. He could be beaten to that record by James

:27:07. > :27:11.Guy, whose strongest suit is on Monday, but today, he was in the

:27:12. > :27:15.heats of the 400 metres free and it will be his final tonight and he

:27:16. > :27:19.qualified in style, didn't he? It was a decent heat. When we talk

:27:20. > :27:22.about people having good morning swims it's the same for everyone in

:27:23. > :27:26.the world so it's no different for us. He doesn't get pushed in

:27:27. > :27:35.national competition, but a silver in the world last year. Coming back

:27:36. > :27:41.from a ban, another competitor was here in the heat and he looked good.

:27:42. > :27:44.James looked a bit heavy. By heavy, you don't mean physically he looked

:27:45. > :27:50.overweight, you mean he looked heavy in the water. He looked very trim,

:27:51. > :27:53.actually, in the water he looked heavily towards the end and that

:27:54. > :27:57.might be the first race, getting in the water and blowing out the

:27:58. > :28:00.cobwebs. It's his first Olympic Games although he has won a lot of

:28:01. > :28:04.things and I expect more from him tomorrow night, tonight, as he will.

:28:05. > :28:11.He didn't qualify in style, but he did qualify. Yes. He has made it in

:28:12. > :28:15.six to the final and there is two seconds between them. They will all

:28:16. > :28:18.step up and go faster. When it comes to the final, this might sound

:28:19. > :28:22.weird, he really likes hurting himself. In those races when it

:28:23. > :28:25.comes down to the last half a length when you want to hurt yourself, that

:28:26. > :28:30.is the difference between being on the podium and not being on the

:28:31. > :28:35.podium. You are right, it does sound weird. Max Litchfield was in the

:28:36. > :28:40.men's 400 IM heats. Did a PB, made it to the final. He went into here

:28:41. > :28:47.in about eighth place so it was touch and go. He looked good. His

:28:48. > :28:50.strokes look good. His fly is a bit awkward, his freestyle looks good on

:28:51. > :28:54.the end. In any championships you will come him seeing down the last

:28:55. > :29:00.length, you can only ask what anybody wants to do is do their best

:29:01. > :29:03.time at a major championships. The swimmer in the middle of the pool

:29:04. > :29:07.looked smooth, the two Japanese will be dominant tonight. There he is at

:29:08. > :29:13.the bottom of the picture, he came second in the heat and six for the

:29:14. > :29:16.final, you can't ask any more than that. Doing progression, your best

:29:17. > :29:20.times, you look can stay I did everything I could on the day. For a

:29:21. > :29:25.lot of the guys it's their first chance at an Olympic Games. For

:29:26. > :29:29.Hannah Miley, it's probably her last chance. She has never managed to win

:29:30. > :29:36.a medal, she has finished fifth and sixth. What are her chances? This is

:29:37. > :29:39.her best opportunity. The Hungarians women nearly broke the world record

:29:40. > :29:42.this morning and she has been dominant. She is way ahead of

:29:43. > :29:46.everyone else and may break the record this evening. The other

:29:47. > :29:51.girls, it's a scrap. Aimee Willmott could potentially medal as well.

:29:52. > :29:55.Hannah could get a medal, she goes in fourth, it's tight between

:29:56. > :30:00.second, third, fourth and fifth, Aimee Willmott goes in fifth. She

:30:01. > :30:04.looks all right this morning, her start was awful. She was under

:30:05. > :30:10.world-record pace, by a body length, going down the end, another

:30:11. > :30:17.competitor. The interesting thing is here, she wins about 15 seconds

:30:18. > :30:24.behind everyone else. Why? She ate her Weetabix before she came here.

:30:25. > :30:30.The other competitor dominated. They can't catch? No chance, she will be

:30:31. > :30:35.three or four seconds ahead. That sort of margin. She will win the

:30:36. > :30:39.final by that margin. It's about the other medals. For Hannah Miley it's

:30:40. > :30:42.about a medal and there she is finishing third, has she got a

:30:43. > :30:49.chance to win a first-ever Olympic medal?

:30:50. > :30:57.If anyone deserves it, she deserves it. She trained very hard. We call

:30:58. > :31:04.her Smiley Miley and she has got this wonderful attitude. Apart from

:31:05. > :31:07.the start, she can progress and get posted this evening, and that middle

:31:08. > :31:12.will be there and there will be a few tears in the eyes of everybody

:31:13. > :31:18.who supports her. Let's hear from her.

:31:19. > :31:24.Katinka Hosszu is smoking, but the silver and bronze are up for grabs.

:31:25. > :31:30.And even a gold to a certain degree because can she back it up? It is

:31:31. > :31:33.who can get the most recovery and who can come back faster and

:31:34. > :31:41.fighting fit and we can all go for it. If we come away with one or two

:31:42. > :31:45.or no medals, I am happy to get back to the final and that is the first

:31:46. > :31:49.stage and I want to work on the second stage. You are so experienced

:31:50. > :31:56.and you have been unlucky and a part of the South this is your time. I

:31:57. > :32:00.feel like a wise old owl sitting in the background and not getting wound

:32:01. > :32:06.up, but experience has helped me to come here a lot better in my head. I

:32:07. > :32:11.have always been prepared, but the latter part is always in my head. As

:32:12. > :32:21.long as I can go faster than I did this morning, that is what it is all

:32:22. > :32:26.about. We have Amy Wilmot swimming for Great Britain, how did she get

:32:27. > :32:35.on? She looked very good. Like I said, there is not a lot between

:32:36. > :32:45.everybody. She looked very controlled. Her backstroke looked

:32:46. > :32:49.really good. Dirado is a backstroke swimmer. I think she looks very

:32:50. > :32:55.smooth, she has been working on her technique. It has been quite an

:32:56. > :32:59.exciting start, the heats are taking place later in the day than they

:33:00. > :33:03.normally would. Often you were getting up at seven o'clock in the

:33:04. > :33:09.morning to watch the heats. Does it suit the swimmers to have a later

:33:10. > :33:14.start and later finals? In general it does not suit anyone from any

:33:15. > :33:19.country. Heat at midday and in the finals at ten o'clock in the evening

:33:20. > :33:24.is strange and that is because it is for the Michael Phelps show and the

:33:25. > :33:28.NBC in America. One o'clock midday would normally be nine o'clock in

:33:29. > :33:33.the morning, so they will get up for hours later than they normally would

:33:34. > :33:37.get up and in the evening go to bed at four hours later. Everybody will

:33:38. > :33:41.shift their body clock and the way they eat and some people will do it

:33:42. > :33:47.better than others, but it is the same for everybody. I only ask

:33:48. > :33:52.because if you look at Beijing where Becky Adlington won two gold medals

:33:53. > :33:58.that was funny timing and if you go right back to Seoul, when Adrian

:33:59. > :34:03.Moorhouse one the only gold medal for Britain, that was funny timing

:34:04. > :34:08.as well. Thank you. I am always here for you. We are moving on to a sport

:34:09. > :34:14.that is brand-new in terms of Olympics. They have had rugby

:34:15. > :34:18.before, but they have never had rugby sevens and Great Britain has a

:34:19. > :34:22.very strong team because it includes major names who brought home the

:34:23. > :34:28.World Cup in the 15 aside version two years ago. That is one of the

:34:29. > :34:38.joys of being in the Olympic Park. Let's meet some of the team members.

:34:39. > :34:49.Sevens is a game of speed, pace, agility and it is also about the

:34:50. > :34:55.power. The game is brutal, it is one of those games that is fast paced.

:34:56. > :35:00.You have got the normal bit of the 15s, the scrum and the contact, but

:35:01. > :35:05.you have to be faster and agile and superfit. Some people think about

:35:06. > :35:12.rugby players and they think about bulk. Look at me, definitely not. I

:35:13. > :35:16.do not want to make any personal comment, but you are quite slight.

:35:17. > :35:22.Quite a lot of players are quite slim, it is a fast game, you do not

:35:23. > :35:29.have to be big to play sevens. I seem to be the only one falling

:35:30. > :35:33.over. In your sport what is the big rivalry? Maybe Wales and England.

:35:34. > :35:38.That is not relevant on this occasion because you are all in one

:35:39. > :35:44.team. We came in and we have bonded so well with all of the girls and

:35:45. > :35:50.all of them are so welcoming. This bit I can do. You have got a rivalry

:35:51. > :35:55.between England, Scotland and Wales and one of the things was what was

:35:56. > :36:00.the interaction belike? But it has been fantastic and they are all

:36:01. > :36:05.great friends now and that helps. Rugby sevens is brand-new to this

:36:06. > :36:09.year's Olympic Games and it is a wonderful opportunity for the sports

:36:10. > :36:14.to be seen by millions worldwide and Team GB women are up for the chance.

:36:15. > :36:19.We had been building to the Olympics and we won the tournament and we

:36:20. > :36:24.have been there a couple of times and the girls are in a very good

:36:25. > :36:28.place. If we get everything right and we executed to the best of our

:36:29. > :36:34.ability, I think we have got a great chance to get a medal and to be

:36:35. > :36:38.challenging with everybody else. It is an inclusive sport and now it has

:36:39. > :36:44.been put aside the great events in the Olympics. Do you think you will

:36:45. > :36:48.get gold? At the moment we are just trying to get there, but anything

:36:49. > :37:23.can happen. I would like to back Team GB, definitely.

:37:24. > :37:31.Apologies for the loss in sound. The rugby sevens players have to be

:37:32. > :37:36.incredibly fit because they have to do two matches today, two matters

:37:37. > :37:41.tomorrow and two matches on Monday. Great Britain opened their campaign

:37:42. > :37:44.against Brazil. Sir Clive Woodward and Eddie Butler are our

:37:45. > :37:50.commentators. A special day in the history of the

:37:51. > :37:56.Olympics, women's sevens rugby. The Great Britain team have had time to

:37:57. > :37:57.get there. It is basically the English team, plus Jasmin joys of

:37:58. > :38:16.Wales. Britain come away and score the

:38:17. > :38:21.first try of their history, Joanne Watmore is the score. She was the

:38:22. > :38:33.top try scorer in the last World Series. It has been a very testing

:38:34. > :38:41.first half for Team GB. But that has saved them, not the offside, the

:38:42. > :38:47.tackling. They will be getting some air in their lungs, they looked very

:38:48. > :38:56.tired, it is very hot here. They are going for the penalty. It is the

:38:57. > :39:00.final kick of the first half, Great Britain leading 7-3.

:39:01. > :39:13.A chance to tap and go. Again the passing is not good. Emily

:39:14. > :39:24.Scarratt had to stop and take it into contact. Offside. It is going

:39:25. > :39:29.to be more relief. Natasha Hunt was the try scorer,. But it has not

:39:30. > :39:38.improved in the second half. They have given possession of the

:39:39. > :39:55.way, but Brazil was offside. There was a bit of a gap on the

:39:56. > :39:57.right-hand side. It was all too simple, there was nobody in front of

:39:58. > :40:20.her, a try. That is just naive. This is the flying Jasmin joys. A

:40:21. > :40:23.renowned 200 metres sprinter back in Wales. She has got real pace. Well

:40:24. > :40:43.done by her, excellent. That is a good break instead by

:40:44. > :40:49.Emily Scott. Well played. Emily Scott just to put the seal on the

:40:50. > :40:54.performance. The first obstacle overcome by the British team. They

:40:55. > :40:59.will be feeling a whole lot better now.

:41:00. > :41:04.An incredibly impressive start for Great Britain against Brazil. Now at

:41:05. > :41:10.the Diadora stadium they are ready to face Japan, their second match of

:41:11. > :41:30.the day. We are joining it live with Sir Clive Woodward and Eddie Butler.

:41:31. > :41:44.Written in possession straightaway. An early chance. It is more than a

:41:45. > :41:48.chance. Amy Wilson-Hardy is going to score. It is such a contrasting

:41:49. > :41:56.start. They were hesitant this morning, they were nervous. That is

:41:57. > :42:03.much more impressive. Great from the restart by Emily Scarratt. But here

:42:04. > :42:10.is Amy Wilson-Hardy, wow. What a great start for Team GB. The women,

:42:11. > :42:17.compared to the Australians and the New Zealanders, had a poor morning.

:42:18. > :42:22.It is a cooler evening tonight. Let's hope Team GB can really put

:42:23. > :42:29.down a marker for tomorrow's game. What a great start for Amy

:42:30. > :42:35.Wilson-Hardy. Alice Richardson adds the two points. That was superbly

:42:36. > :42:56.taken by Abby Brown. A little untidiness at the breakdown

:42:57. > :43:00.and Japan claim this put in. These restarts have been very good from

:43:01. > :43:05.all the teams. But the great restart from Team GB. They will be

:43:06. > :43:13.disappointed they did not clear up that ruck. The Japanese came in and

:43:14. > :43:20.caused a counter ruck. But we are bigger in our forward pack and we

:43:21. > :43:30.could push them off the ball. Tommy to is going off. Yamaguchi is coming

:43:31. > :43:36.on. Japan were on the end of a 45-0 defeat to Canada. That will be

:43:37. > :43:42.Britain's key match tomorrow against Canada. This Team GB has got to put

:43:43. > :44:09.down a marker tonight. An excellent tackle by Emily

:44:10. > :44:20.Scarratt. By her standards she had a quiet match this morning, but that

:44:21. > :44:38.was a wonderful tackle. Nakamura hovers over the ball.

:44:39. > :44:46.Amy Wilson just beaten by the touchline. That was very well read

:44:47. > :44:58.by Katy McLean who saw the line-out was going to be taken quickly. It is

:44:59. > :45:04.Great Britain's second try. Alice Richardson, the scorer.

:45:05. > :45:10.The kick before that from the Japanese women was interesting, got

:45:11. > :45:15.ambushed by Team GB. A much better display. That kick before, so many

:45:16. > :45:20.times kick in seventh and 15th, you click it and it rolls just out. If

:45:21. > :45:23.you just keep it in play, she will score there, the kick is a good

:45:24. > :45:29.option. Much better play by Team GB already because there's a real

:45:30. > :45:31.urgency here. They had a big wake-up call this morning. This is

:45:32. > :45:37.impressive stuff. The Team GB women this evening. Is a clear difference,

:45:38. > :45:42.isn't there? They all look much more controlled on the ball, much more

:45:43. > :45:49.aggressive in the tackling. Another wonderful restart from Katy McLean,

:45:50. > :45:57.a wonderful restart. Emily Scarratt with the follow up. Now danger for

:45:58. > :46:07.Great Britain. Japan come away with it.

:46:08. > :46:20.Mifuyu Koide reader feeds you may cruder. Subsidy inside to yammer

:46:21. > :46:31.Gucci. -- Suzuki inside to yammer Gucci. Suzuki finds you may cruder.

:46:32. > :46:38.Chiharu Nakamura, advantage was being played. Japan take it through

:46:39. > :46:44.Chiharu Nakamura. Japan still in possession.

:46:45. > :47:09.The power of Chiharu Nakamura. But Team GB come to the left. They have

:47:10. > :47:13.to score. They did well to turn the ball over, off they come, as

:47:14. > :47:19.straights bring down the middle of the field. Joanne Watmore can

:47:20. > :47:26.conserve some energy here. If a slowdown. Stroll it in. Those yellow

:47:27. > :47:31.boots. Great defence from Team GB, well done to Japan women as well.

:47:32. > :47:35.They played very well. They play very narrow, the moment the ball

:47:36. > :47:41.gets turned over. It's going to be a try. It's good to see Team GB, we

:47:42. > :47:45.have got some pace out here. Joanne Watmore, the chance for some gas,

:47:46. > :47:50.Amy Wilson-Hardy, much better performance than we have seen. Those

:47:51. > :47:53.coaching the team, Simon Middleton who has been coaching the team for a

:47:54. > :47:57.couple of years, it's at the breakdown that will be causing most

:47:58. > :48:00.concern. We are losing too much ball, too much turnover at the

:48:01. > :48:05.breakdown. I'd be getting those breakdowns on a tape and having a

:48:06. > :48:10.good look at it with the women tonight. You are bobbing Katy

:48:11. > :48:15.McLean, it was not the best restarting, allowing her team-mates

:48:16. > :48:19.together position. Easy position for the Japanese, because it is a poor

:48:20. > :48:23.restart. Very unusual, because Katy McLean has restarted really well

:48:24. > :48:28.today. Alice Richardson did well to follow up. Japan still in

:48:29. > :48:32.possession. That's come forward. Just look now really quickly, you

:48:33. > :48:39.have seven Japanese women, all about 20 yards, quite simple, it's so easy

:48:40. > :48:47.to defend against a top women's team like Team GB so they have to keep

:48:48. > :48:50.their wit and everyone finds the ball. Get a couple of people going

:48:51. > :48:55.the other way because that was the meat and bread for a very good Team

:48:56. > :49:00.GB defensive effort. With a good scrum here now, they can feed the

:49:01. > :49:05.ball. The half-time hooter goes. Danielle Waterman gets it away to

:49:06. > :49:12.Richardson. This is Emily Scarratt, who is such a power. Has been quiet

:49:13. > :49:20.so far, but that's more like it. That didn't quite work, but... To

:49:21. > :49:26.herself, Danielle Waterman. She manages to get the pass and away as

:49:27. > :49:33.well. Joanne Watmore. Katy McLean with the follow-up support. Great

:49:34. > :49:38.skills by Joanne Watmore, great pass out of the tackle. No wonder she is

:49:39. > :49:41.smiling. Much, much better. What a great half for Team GB. A totally

:49:42. > :49:46.different side than we saw this morning. This is very encouraging

:49:47. > :49:50.for the big games to come tomorrow. The restart, every part of the team

:49:51. > :49:51.has gone well in this half of the game. Big, big step up from this

:49:52. > :50:02.morning. Last bit of action of the first

:50:03. > :50:09.half, Katy McLean to add the conversion. She misses. Half-time,

:50:10. > :50:10.that healthy looking scoreboard for Great Britain, they lead Japan by

:50:11. > :50:24.26-0. Here we are in the Deodoro rugby

:50:25. > :50:27.stadium, the sun is going down, the heat is going down, but it's been a

:50:28. > :50:32.glorious day. We've had some wonderful rugby. We've had some

:50:33. > :50:39.mismatches, it must be said, but in all the heat there will be the fast

:50:40. > :50:47.that go past the slow -- in all the heats. It's looking good for Britain

:50:48. > :50:55.at the moment. They are leading Japan at half-time, by 26-0. Simon

:50:56. > :51:01.Middleton, not quite as fraught as he was this morning. When Great

:51:02. > :51:04.Britain had the half-time Hoddle, much more contented now. They won

:51:05. > :51:12.this morning against Brazil but it was an easy stuff. This is much more

:51:13. > :51:15.like it against Japan. -- it was uneasy stuff. You will be talking

:51:16. > :51:25.about the rock, there were too many losing possessions, going off your

:51:26. > :51:35.feet,... It was quick to secure the ball. But here we go.

:51:36. > :51:46.Alice Richardson starts the second half. Joanne Watmore follows up.

:51:47. > :51:50.Japan will get this away. Through Chiharu Nakamura. Heather Fisher is

:51:51. > :52:15.on for the British team. Japan through Hume Kuroda, to Noriko

:52:16. > :52:21.Taniguchi. This is Kana Mitsugi, Heather Fisher with the tackle.

:52:22. > :52:32.Abbie Brown with that tackle. Good pick up. By Noriko Taniguchi. That

:52:33. > :52:45.such a good tackle by Danielle Waterman. This is just a good day

:52:46. > :52:50.run. By Noriko Taniguchi for Japan. It could be Japan's first try of the

:52:51. > :52:56.game. Instead, the loose pass means it will be a line-out. For Great

:52:57. > :53:00.Britain. You say that was a wonderful piece of play by the

:53:01. > :53:07.Japanese women, who just show you how dangerous they are. In the first

:53:08. > :53:11.half, to be winning 20 60 shows how well they played. There is a

:53:12. > :53:15.wonderful defence from Alice Richardson and seem to be making

:53:16. > :53:18.some more changes here. Emily Scott comes on, Jasmine Joyce, the one

:53:19. > :53:26.non-English player in the team, Jasmine Joyce from St David's in

:53:27. > :53:31.Pembrokeshire. This is good tactics, it's the first day, it gives the

:53:32. > :53:40.whole squad a run, we are 26-0 up. The women getting good run in the

:53:41. > :53:45.first day. Off we go under chance to stretch -- and it's a chance to

:53:46. > :53:52.stretch the legs again. They came back against the run of play and

:53:53. > :53:59.again the sort of order is calm down, Emily Scott, we've got plenty

:54:00. > :54:06.of points, plenty of time and conserve the energy, the big game

:54:07. > :54:13.comes tomorrow against Canada. Really impressed with Emily Scott.

:54:14. > :54:19.She came on this morning and gave right to the team. A wonderful

:54:20. > :54:24.athlete. She's a wonderful sight in full flow. A great try by Team GB.

:54:25. > :54:29.Really good to see them rotating the side around now. It's a big game

:54:30. > :54:32.tomorrow against Canada, that's really big. Emily Scott try scorer

:54:33. > :54:35.and converter and here she is back on the try line. With the restart.

:54:36. > :54:52.With the restart. We will keep quiet about that

:54:53. > :54:55.restart from Emily. Great Britain haven't claimed that many of their

:54:56. > :55:02.own cooking restarts, you compare that with New Zealand and Australia,

:55:03. > :55:07.and there's a difference. Is the quality kick, Katy McLean is the

:55:08. > :55:13.number one restart when she's on the third of play, it's an important

:55:14. > :55:16.part of the game. Is going to be a yellow card against Jasmine Joyce,

:55:17. > :55:23.throwing the ball away. We saw that this morning, zero tolerance of any

:55:24. > :55:27.throwing away of the ball. We spoke to Paddy O'Brien, the referee, the

:55:28. > :55:32.head honcho, he made it clear anyone who throws the ball away its an

:55:33. > :55:34.immediate yellow card, its indiscipline and that's

:55:35. > :55:38.disappointing. To be fair the referees have been consistent with

:55:39. > :55:43.all the teams today. The New Zealand team this morning had two of their

:55:44. > :55:47.women yellow carded. And they played very well with six. It will be

:55:48. > :55:58.interesting to see how Britain go up, down to six, 42-macro minutes.

:55:59. > :56:05.-- lasting two minutes. It's a stretch, as Kana Mitsugi finds her

:56:06. > :56:09.way blocked but Marie Yamaguchi makes ground and it's another

:56:10. > :56:22.penalty. Away they come again, Kana Mitsugi. Marie Yamaguchi to Chisato

:56:23. > :56:30.Yoko. Heather Fisher is so strong, a great tackle from Heather Fisher.

:56:31. > :56:33.Team GB do train for this, I went to see them train on Wednesday, they

:56:34. > :56:37.were training with six. You don't want players in the sin-bin but it

:56:38. > :56:41.does happen. Throwing the ball away in any high tackle is immediately

:56:42. > :56:46.penalised as well. Katy McLean back on the field again now, they have

:56:47. > :56:57.their restart queen back on. A -- great drill. There's not much width

:56:58. > :57:02.because they are down to six. Claire Allen, a change of tactics. It may

:57:03. > :57:12.well work. Emily Scott in hot pursuit, that Wood back goes Noriko

:57:13. > :57:16.Taniguchi. Scott does well, didn't play the Japanese player on the

:57:17. > :57:21.floor. Unlucky, surely? I thought she did really well there, she

:57:22. > :57:24.stayed on her feet, a very harsh decision. Look how narrow the

:57:25. > :57:29.Japanese women play. They have seven on the field. If you really coach

:57:30. > :57:33.this team and help them spread across the field, they are playing

:57:34. > :57:37.about 20 yards which allows the six women from Team GB to really get

:57:38. > :57:43.their defensive drills up. Jasmine Joyce coming back on, Britain back

:57:44. > :57:48.to seven. She has real pace, Jasmine Joyce, the one Welsh woman in the

:57:49. > :57:52.team. She has impressed, when she came on this morning she did very

:57:53. > :57:56.well. It helps if you try to get that team to stay on the pitch

:57:57. > :58:03.though. That's a big coaching point. Danie Waterman to read feeds the

:58:04. > :58:09.scrum -- Danielle Waterman. Claire Allen can't find a way through.

:58:10. > :58:16.Jasmine Joyce goes in to do a bit of rocking. Heather Fisher, the

:58:17. > :58:21.powerhouse. I'm really pleased for Heather Fisher. She, by her very,

:58:22. > :58:25.very high standards, had a poor game this morning. I think that's why she

:58:26. > :58:31.didn't start. She is defensively right tonight. She is a wonderful

:58:32. > :58:36.woman player and really stretches this team. It's a mean old hand off.

:58:37. > :58:42.It will do her confidence the world of good. What a wonderful player,

:58:43. > :58:48.great to see her. It's a real competition now after this morning.

:58:49. > :58:51.This is a good performance after the Canadians and the Japanese this

:58:52. > :58:57.morning, Team GB are playing really well here. Katy McLean comes now, we

:58:58. > :59:02.see how important the restart is if Team GB can get their goals going

:59:03. > :59:06.correctly. INAUDIBLE

:59:07. > :59:13.The teams that have scored 40 points, New Zealand, Canada,

:59:14. > :59:16.Australia, are by a margin, by a margin, those that keep their

:59:17. > :59:22.concentration, have the fitness, and Britain are now up in that group.

:59:23. > :59:30.They only scored 29 against Brazil, but this is emphatic here. They

:59:31. > :59:35.don't want to concede any. Fisher misses a tackle but that excellent

:59:36. > :59:42.support work by Danielle Waterman covering heavy Fisher. -- Heather

:59:43. > :59:50.Fisher. Jasmine Joyce, great footwork by Joyce.

:59:51. > :59:59.You have to imagine they are playing Canada tomorrow and they must score

:00:00. > :00:03.in this play. That's disappointing. I have to say, that is

:00:04. > :00:08.disappointing. Katy McLean boot the ball out of play. The women say that

:00:09. > :00:13.is good enough for us, 40-0, that will do. We have Canada tomorrow,

:00:14. > :00:19.then we'll see Sir Clive, what it's all about.

:00:20. > :00:26.That is building up as a great game because the Canadians were very

:00:27. > :00:35.impressive. Quite simply whoever wins that game will play the way to

:00:36. > :00:41.Australia. A mouthwatering game. Britain I safely through for the

:00:42. > :00:45.moment. Everything was better, the conditions were better, it was

:00:46. > :00:52.cooler, they were moored together, they were very good in defence.

:00:53. > :00:58.Japan posed a few threats, but on all fronts it was an improved

:00:59. > :01:04.performance by Britain. They rang the changes and everybody who came

:01:05. > :01:10.on had something positive to add. Don't they look happy enough coming

:01:11. > :01:16.off the pitch. They rather came off with their heads down this morning

:01:17. > :01:22.and were in for a bit of a hard time from Simon Middleton. Simon

:01:23. > :01:28.Middleton and assistant coach Richie Pugh look a lot happier. Japan have

:01:29. > :01:32.a chance tomorrow. Their game against Brazil will give them a

:01:33. > :01:38.chance for qualification. Because the two top third placed teams will

:01:39. > :01:42.go into the knockout stages. There is still something to play for even

:01:43. > :01:49.though you have been on the wrong end of a defeat. Japan have played

:01:50. > :01:56.two and they have lost two, but they will come back tomorrow and give it

:01:57. > :02:00.everything they can. It is such an exhausting game. You can see the

:02:01. > :02:09.strain on the faces of the losers. It is so demanding aerobically. It

:02:10. > :02:13.takes it out of you, only 20 minutes played, especially if you are

:02:14. > :02:23.spending a lot of time in defence, scrabbling for the ball. Happy

:02:24. > :02:28.enough, played two, won two. John Inverdale will talk to one of them.

:02:29. > :02:33.I hope to talk to one of the score at the moment. Clive Woodward has

:02:34. > :02:38.come down to talk about the opening day.

:02:39. > :02:44.We have been getting tweets and texts about the paucity of the crowd

:02:45. > :02:49.and we can talk about that in a moment. Hello, we can talk about

:02:50. > :02:55.your try, but the defence in that game was outstanding. We had to dig

:02:56. > :03:00.deep especially going down to six and it was stay connected to each

:03:01. > :03:04.other and keeping together as a team we manage not to concede and that

:03:05. > :03:11.was the main aim. By common consent this morning was a bit scratchy, how

:03:12. > :03:14.keen were you to improve on that? It was first game nerves, especially

:03:15. > :03:19.playing the hosts, but we got the win in that game and that was the

:03:20. > :03:25.confidence we needed. We know if we stick to our processes, we can get

:03:26. > :03:30.good results. It was about resetting and getting the performance. Canada

:03:31. > :03:35.is the big one tomorrow morning, how do you feel about that? We have set

:03:36. > :03:40.ourselves up very well to go into that game. It is about going home

:03:41. > :03:45.and resting up and getting as practised as we can for the decider.

:03:46. > :03:50.What is your take on how much of an improvement that was on the match

:03:51. > :03:53.this morning? It was a massive improvement. They had a lot of

:03:54. > :04:00.errors this morning, silly knock-ons. It was very hot.

:04:01. > :04:04.Comparing them with the Australians and the Canadians and the New

:04:05. > :04:09.Zealanders, they were a bit short. Tonight was a lot better and I

:04:10. > :04:13.thought that was really strong. A couple of new players have come into

:04:14. > :04:18.the team and they have added some gas to the side. They looked a lot

:04:19. > :04:24.more composed. The breakdown is an area of concern. They keep on

:04:25. > :04:31.getting penalised. That will cost them dearly against Australia and

:04:32. > :04:39.the big Canada tomorrow. You would think with a lot of Ireland players

:04:40. > :04:42.they would be a lot of bulk in the players, but when you think about

:04:43. > :04:50.the aerobic fitness of these players, that is the big thing. --

:04:51. > :04:55.players from the islands. They are not the biggest, they are incredibly

:04:56. > :04:59.powerful. The New Zealand women are not the biggest team in the

:05:00. > :05:06.tournament. Kylie McAllister was just amazing. Porto Woodman, these

:05:07. > :05:12.are wonderful athletes, they are fast, and athletic and they are a

:05:13. > :05:17.real pleasure to watch. The skills are amazing, the lettuces is

:05:18. > :05:22.amazing. Australia and New Zealand stood out, they are a class above

:05:23. > :05:28.the rest of the teams. But Team GB and the Canadians on the night can

:05:29. > :05:38.roll over those two teams. Australia played Fiji and in the way they were

:05:39. > :05:43.expecting Fiji to be major players, maybe they are the up-and-coming

:05:44. > :05:48.force. They have been training with the men with Ben Ryan, the head

:05:49. > :05:54.coach of the Fiji team they deserved to win. They were ranked seventh and

:05:55. > :05:58.the USA were sixth. They were not expected to win that. But again the

:05:59. > :06:04.footwork, the off-loading and the power. The scrum and the ruck, they

:06:05. > :06:10.all went so well. They were a surprise because they have not been

:06:11. > :06:14.playing that game very long. It is fantastic for women's rugby in Fiji.

:06:15. > :06:20.I thought it was a great day for women's sevens rugby. We are a long

:06:21. > :06:25.way out of the centre of Rio which may be a factor, also in the hockey

:06:26. > :06:30.venue across the way as well. The crowd is disappointing. Maybe the

:06:31. > :06:35.women's tournament should have been played on a mix and match basis with

:06:36. > :06:44.the men's event to give the women's game a bigger profile. There have

:06:45. > :06:48.been about 6000 people, it is the first day. Tomorrow and the final

:06:49. > :06:54.state is on Monday. I think hindsight is a great thing. Normally

:06:55. > :07:00.sevens tournament lasts two days. But I think the quality of the rugby

:07:01. > :07:04.has been the biggest standout for me. The restarts in every team has

:07:05. > :07:10.been world-class. If you focus on one part of the game, the restarts,

:07:11. > :07:15.the kicking, your pace and power, these athletes can do wonderful

:07:16. > :07:18.things. World rugby as a whole should be proud of all the women

:07:19. > :07:25.today because they their sport crowd. I am pleased about Team GB

:07:26. > :07:28.because I was worried this morning. Tonight they can look at the videos

:07:29. > :07:35.and they have a big chance of beating the Canadians tomorrow. A

:07:36. > :07:38.great day and a hot day. We will stop talking now because you have

:07:39. > :07:44.just trod on the table which connected it. I have no idea if we

:07:45. > :07:47.have to stop now. I will hand back to you. We have not got much more to

:07:48. > :07:55.say. Still spot on without any talk

:07:56. > :08:00.about. There is a wonderful view of sugar Lake Mountain in the

:08:01. > :08:05.background. Britain are at the top, but they still have Canada to come.

:08:06. > :08:11.We will also be looking at Australia against Fiji. We are back in the

:08:12. > :08:17.park and it has really cooled down and it is a gorgeous evening light

:08:18. > :08:21.with a lot of people around. There were queues outside to get into the

:08:22. > :08:26.park, so much so that many people did not get into the events that

:08:27. > :08:32.people wanted to see. There is no lack of appetite for tickets. These

:08:33. > :08:36.guys are all the volunteers. These are the colours you will see a round

:08:37. > :08:42.the park. Why did you want to volunteer here? I am and I am from

:08:43. > :08:47.Brazil, but I have been living in London for the last ten years and I

:08:48. > :08:52.came to volunteer because I am addicted to sport. It is a lifetime

:08:53. > :08:56.event. I do not know when they will be another opportunity for me to

:08:57. > :09:00.participate in an event as big as big as the Olympics. Presumably you

:09:01. > :09:06.could watch the opening ceremony last night. What did you think?

:09:07. > :09:15.Amazing. I was so proud because we were a little bit worried. I was so

:09:16. > :09:20.happy to see that everything was amazing and the reviews around the

:09:21. > :09:23.world were amazing. It had a serious message as well.

:09:24. > :09:30.You have come over from the UK to volunteer. Where are we in life? We

:09:31. > :09:33.just graduated in university, we went to Edinburgh and we came

:09:34. > :09:38.straight from the London Olympics and we had the best time in London.

:09:39. > :09:44.I have never been to South America, so why not? It is the most

:09:45. > :09:49.incredible atmosphere. Did you volunteer in London? I had a job in

:09:50. > :09:55.media, but was working in London. What about you, Flossie? I am with

:09:56. > :10:00.flora and we are staying with family in central rear and it is so

:10:01. > :10:04.exciting to be here and have the experience to be in the arena and

:10:05. > :10:14.see the applets. I am pleased to have you. Where are you from? I am

:10:15. > :10:18.from India and I am here for the second time. I came to the World Cup

:10:19. > :10:27.and it was fabulous and I got on a plane and came here. What are you

:10:28. > :10:30.doing? I am in the basketball arena and I am helping out the press

:10:31. > :10:35.people and make sure they get the team sheets on time. You are all

:10:36. > :10:42.working on the basketball and you did not know each other? No, we just

:10:43. > :10:48.met a few hours ago. We met each other under way here. That is how

:10:49. > :10:54.friendships are made and that is how sport is made and the friendship of

:10:55. > :10:58.the Olympics is definitely made by the volunteers. Thank you for

:10:59. > :11:05.talking to us. We are going to catch up again with the gymnastics. When

:11:06. > :11:12.we left it in terms of qualification Team GB were in second place. That

:11:13. > :11:14.was after three rotations. Your commentators are Craig Heap and

:11:15. > :11:42.Christine Still. Lovely two and half twists forwards

:11:43. > :11:52.to start. One and three quarters to roll-out smooth and efficient. A

:11:53. > :12:01.very nice rebound out of the second somersault. Super pommel work on the

:12:02. > :12:20.floor as well. It is really a question of

:12:21. > :12:25.difficulty and landing. He is showing both, although I have a

:12:26. > :12:26.little feeling that was a step out the floor area. Difficult to from

:12:27. > :12:41.here. Full twisting double back. He did a

:12:42. > :12:49.half twist in the first somersault and a half twists in the second. A

:12:50. > :12:54.good opener. A solid performance. Great special awareness. Two and a

:12:55. > :13:01.half twists. That is virtuosity, the way that he could spin. We saw Max

:13:02. > :13:08.Whitlock performed that. I think judges like to see a bit of

:13:09. > :13:21.originality in these floor routines. It certainly had difficulty. The

:13:22. > :13:32.double twist. Yes, you step out. 0.1 of a deduction.

:13:33. > :13:42.Quite an unusual finish, but the gymnasts can pick the most efficient

:13:43. > :13:55.way to twists. It is unusual for them to twist quite as late as that.

:13:56. > :13:58.Teams tend to send their weekly gymnasts up first and try to build

:13:59. > :14:08.on that score. That was a good opener. Weaker and maybe a confident

:14:09. > :14:12.gymnast. You do not want somebody who is known is to go first. You

:14:13. > :14:28.want somebody who is going to go for it. The Americans are all up for it.

:14:29. > :14:43.One deduction for stepping out. The first of the Brits.

:14:44. > :14:51.He has nominated a six difficulty. There should be three twists in

:14:52. > :14:54.this. A fall at the end of it. He made the twists, but it was a deep

:14:55. > :15:02.landing and he had to step out of it. The first thing he said to his

:15:03. > :15:10.coach was, I am all right. We can see what went wrong possibly. You

:15:11. > :15:16.wrapped into the triple twist and his feet went under his body a

:15:17. > :15:18.little bit. With his hips back, there is only one place you can go,

:15:19. > :15:33.backwards. rally this is Marcel Nguyen, going

:15:34. > :15:39.up onto the rings. Another gymnast was injured, so possibly that's why.

:15:40. > :15:46.A strong start. Circle round to the Maltese. Immensely strong, these

:15:47. > :15:50.gymnasts. It's so difficult for people at home to realise how strong

:15:51. > :15:58.you have to be to do that. Swinging to the top planche. Swing back to

:15:59. > :16:07.handstand, double pike, double tuck, great height between the rings, into

:16:08. > :16:13.the crucifix. , back planche back to the crucifix, done with ease.

:16:14. > :16:24.A great swinger in this -- piece of apparatus. He spots the floor.

:16:25. > :16:30.Vari-Lite framed gymnast and when you have to hold your body up like

:16:31. > :16:36.that to be light framed is a big advantage -- a very light framed

:16:37. > :16:45.gymnast. Lovely strength and body lying here. -- body lying here. Very

:16:46. > :16:54.good, the somersaults, took immediate crucifix. A little boss of

:16:55. > :17:04.shape the full twist, a bit of a pike. Those are the points the

:17:05. > :17:16.judges take off. 17.33 four Marcel Nguyen. Representing the USA, Jacob

:17:17. > :17:25.Dalton. Back to the floor. A lovely start there, I really very exciting

:17:26. > :17:30.floor worker. Into huge double Arabian somersault. If you do a whip

:17:31. > :17:35.without any hands, rather than a flip, it gains you some bonuses and

:17:36. > :17:46.that was a super landing after two twisting somersaults. The obligatory

:17:47. > :17:53.balance. Good extension through the feet and legs.

:17:54. > :18:02.A super lift out of the two and a half twist.

:18:03. > :18:11.Very good height again, before the roll-out. You can see the big focus

:18:12. > :18:17.and concentration, up for this tumble. And the triple twist, there

:18:18. > :18:26.was not much wrong with that floor routine at all. The question will be

:18:27. > :18:29.how difficult? Well, I'm going to call him Dynamic Dalton after that

:18:30. > :18:34.floor routine and I think probably some of the better landings we have

:18:35. > :18:45.seen on the floor today. Brilliant, hugely difficult first tumble. Back

:18:46. > :18:49.in, half turn out, blind landing. There's the width. He opens out

:18:50. > :18:56.within about a foot of the edge of the floor. Not only can he tumble,

:18:57. > :19:00.this guy, but he can twist as well. Triple twist, head out, spot the

:19:01. > :19:06.flaw. That's the best final tumble landing we have seen so far, Chris.

:19:07. > :19:13.It is and his team-mate, Tom Mitchell like, is the top scorer so

:19:14. > :19:16.far on the floor, 15.8, and if they worked him last they probably expect

:19:17. > :19:21.his score to go higher still, so that was a very good piece of

:19:22. > :19:28.apparatus for the USA -- some Mihkel Aksalu is the top scorer so far on

:19:29. > :19:33.the floor. They are so pumps, I wonder what they are saying to each

:19:34. > :19:39.other. 15.64 Jacob Dalton on the floor. Currently on floor, USA one

:19:40. > :19:50.and two. Of course we have still got one whole round to go, 182.9, the

:19:51. > :19:58.USA's total at the moment. Score of 46 to GB's 43. 46.1, so they are the

:19:59. > :20:05.top team on the floor at this moment in time.

:20:06. > :20:19.I recognise the tattoos. So many of them have tattooed was! Oleg Stepko,

:20:20. > :20:30.from Azerbaijan. On the pommel horse.

:20:31. > :20:41.A final deep breath, straight up to handstand. Super work, handstand,

:20:42. > :20:45.handstand, from the single leg work. Lovely circle there, clearance

:20:46. > :20:51.between the horse and the body. That's a full spindle. Travel up

:20:52. > :20:57.onto the handle. That builds the difficulty. Working on the one

:20:58. > :21:09.handle well. Keeping the rhythm and the momentum. Forward travel, into

:21:10. > :21:14.another movement. Keep this going, turn on the end, that is the Wendy

:21:15. > :21:19.circle. Onto one handle, into the handstand, a pirouette. That didn't

:21:20. > :21:28.quite go through handstand, did it? It was a little bit sideways. You

:21:29. > :21:33.can see his face says it all. He looks a bit stunned there, Chris,

:21:34. > :21:39.with that. Well, he had a little bit of a fight on his hands right at the

:21:40. > :21:42.end, but he almost went through a sort of planche position in the

:21:43. > :21:47.dismount, didn't he? A beautiful work on the pommel horse. Maybe he

:21:48. > :21:57.was just stunned that he had done as well as he had! Just watch here. He

:21:58. > :22:01.wasn't through the vertical, was he? Look at his eyes! He knows, he's

:22:02. > :22:13.thinking, I wonder if I have pulled that off? The score, 14.975, so that

:22:14. > :22:25.it GB's team total, 178.972 at the moment. 182.9, the USA's total at

:22:26. > :22:30.the moment. Max Whitlock for Great Britain, first up on parallel bars.

:22:31. > :22:37.A strong start, the double back from the long swing.

:22:38. > :22:49.The front of rise, the half turn. Double back somersault. Working

:22:50. > :23:01.well, come on, Max! That is that it out. Into the handstand. High in the

:23:02. > :23:04.struggle front somersault. -- struggle front somersault. Fix the

:23:05. > :23:09.handstand, that the full turn around the one arm.

:23:10. > :23:23.Turn onto one bar. Stretch those feet. Pirouette in. Double pike

:23:24. > :23:26.back, well done, Max. Great routine from Max. Coming off that vault I

:23:27. > :23:31.think actually a little bit of pressure off his shoulders. He looks

:23:32. > :23:36.quite happy, that was a very nice routine, very well paced. He looks

:23:37. > :23:39.quite a little bit happier. He does, and this is another piece of

:23:40. > :23:43.apparatus along with rings that he has been trying to work on his

:23:44. > :23:49.difficulty. Look at that difficulty there, swinging to the double back.

:23:50. > :23:51.He has made good progress on this apparatus and actually Max has

:23:52. > :23:57.worked very hard to make the pieces that he didn't score so well one,

:23:58. > :24:03.pieces that can pick up and I think all credit to him and his coach,

:24:04. > :24:08.Scott. Very nice neat work as well. This was a good routine for him and

:24:09. > :24:17.a very good decision to have him lead off nice and solidly for the

:24:18. > :24:20.team. Rings and he bars have been the two pieces of apparatus that the

:24:21. > :24:26.Great Britain lads have not exactly struggled at but haven't quite

:24:27. > :24:29.matched some of the other teams -- rings and parallel bars. The floor

:24:30. > :24:30.and the pommel horse been places they have been leading the way. But

:24:31. > :24:45.this is much better. We see him chat to his coach,

:24:46. > :24:55.15.066, a very good score there. Let's see what Marcel Nguyen from

:24:56. > :25:03.Germany can do on the vault. Usually a very good, explosive vaulter. It

:25:04. > :25:07.will be a two and a half twist I think, oh, no, double front, very

:25:08. > :25:15.nice indeed. Well performed, very dynamic. The two and a half twists

:25:16. > :25:24.and the double front have the same difficulty level. He's a very

:25:25. > :25:27.powerful gymnast. Arms in, block, up into the air, two and a half

:25:28. > :25:30.somersaults and the tuck position, that would be deducted heavily

:25:31. > :25:34.because of how far he pulled his knees apart. They call that the

:25:35. > :25:37.cowboy and it helps increase rotation. With height like that

:25:38. > :25:42.there's no need for him to split his legs as wide as that in my mind and

:25:43. > :25:49.that is a three tenths deduction. Yes, you are right, but it's a

:25:50. > :25:52.technique he is used. You can get legs much closer to your head and

:25:53. > :25:54.increase your rotation, you could literally see it there, speed up as

:25:55. > :26:05.he pulled the legs in. Should score relatively well.

:26:06. > :26:12.Germany could do with a few good scores in the bank, and it does,

:26:13. > :26:13.14.6, execution nine there. That was a good score with a big step on

:26:14. > :26:25.landing. Interesting camera angle, you can

:26:26. > :26:35.see to the vault. Next up on Germany is Fabian Hambuechen. Also

:26:36. > :26:41.nominating a 5.6, a round off, a flip on and there's the two and a

:26:42. > :26:44.half twists. A very nice landing. Delighted. The gymnast who is

:26:45. > :26:56.injured is also really pumped up for that.

:26:57. > :27:09.Some Michalak, USA to the pommel horse. -- some Michalak. Original

:27:10. > :27:14.hop down the pommel horse, good extension therein the double leg

:27:15. > :27:21.circle, opening up the hips. Myspace to the routine on the one handle. --

:27:22. > :27:25.nice pace. That builds the difficulty. And again, travels down

:27:26. > :27:29.the horse. That is the Wendy swing on the end as he travels forward, a

:27:30. > :27:35.little bit of a brush with the horse. He is losing rhythm, he is

:27:36. > :27:42.having to work. Come on, fight, come on, come on, pick up the pace. Come

:27:43. > :27:47.on! Now, 30 seconds, compose yourself. He wound himself so faster

:27:48. > :27:54.than he had almost run out of energy. You can see a real battle.

:27:55. > :28:02.This was a piece of apparatus that America struggled with in the World

:28:03. > :28:10.Championships. Now, he needs to finish with a dismount. The second

:28:11. > :28:20.time lucky. Up onto the handle, much better there. Pirouette. He not that

:28:21. > :28:24.final turn in. You were right, Craig. Not so confident and secure

:28:25. > :28:50.here. I must admit I've not seen him

:28:51. > :28:55.looking so pumped for a competition in such a while. He's really

:28:56. > :29:00.enjoying it out there. He hasn't competed much for a while, he's had

:29:01. > :29:05.to push hard to be back. You know sometimes break does you good. I

:29:06. > :29:09.mean at Louis, he breaks from gymnastics, refreshes, comes back.

:29:10. > :29:15.But yes, you can see here he completely ran out of steam. He kept

:29:16. > :29:19.fighting like you were saying, but you have to have a bit of technique

:29:20. > :29:26.as well as fight don't you? Suddenly on the pommel horse. You can't

:29:27. > :29:31.strengthen the pommel horse. Even that dismount was falling all the

:29:32. > :29:33.way, wasn't it? There is still the smile and the positivity. 13.1, not

:29:34. > :29:46.a great score. Even without the fall, that is a

:29:47. > :29:55.14.1. Not a great score. Alexander

:29:56. > :30:19.Naddour. Single leg work back down into the

:30:20. > :30:31.handstand. Handstand again. Good work on the one hand all. Good

:30:32. > :30:44.rhythm. There is the spindle. That is travel. His shoulders nearly

:30:45. > :30:48.tipped him off, he did well. Forward travel and backward travel. Up into

:30:49. > :30:54.the handstand. A better routine for the USA. They are happy with that

:30:55. > :31:08.routine, much more confident, much more secure.

:31:09. > :31:14.Good lift of the hips above the pommel horse. That is what the

:31:15. > :31:21.judges are looking for, good clearance. Every time you brush the

:31:22. > :31:28.apparatus, either the handles or the Horus, they are deductions you see

:31:29. > :31:33.there. He just caught his legs. Just as they tired towards the end of the

:31:34. > :31:46.routine it is very easy to do that, but that was much better. He did

:31:47. > :31:51.well. There were a couple of places in the routine I thought he might

:31:52. > :32:11.have fallen off. But that is the grit and determination we know.

:32:12. > :32:23.Front up rise into the handstand. Half term between the bars. The

:32:24. > :32:32.under somersault with a half turn. The judges are looking for nice,

:32:33. > :32:33.straight arms, which he has. It is such a difficult routine for such a

:32:34. > :32:55.young man. The under bar work. Flying back, he checks, a swinging

:32:56. > :33:09.half turn, a double pike. A good read team. And a good score, very

:33:10. > :33:13.impressive. The gymnasts are getting themselves ready for the rings. You

:33:14. > :33:34.can see the change of the hand guards. Not quite so secure, just 42

:33:35. > :33:44.there. Much better for them, Germany on vault. For Great Britain it was

:33:45. > :33:50.back up into the 44s on parallel bars. They will be relatively

:33:51. > :33:58.pleased with that performance. Just one apparatus to go. All these teams

:33:59. > :34:02.are looking for a top eight qualification and each of these

:34:03. > :34:13.gymnasts are looking to be in the top eight in the final. The first up

:34:14. > :34:23.on this final rotation from Armenia on the vault.

:34:24. > :34:36.He is going to do a big vault. It is worth six. He powers down like a

:34:37. > :34:47.sprinter and that was a super vault. There will be a deduction for

:34:48. > :35:07.off-line. That is one in the bank so far.

:35:08. > :35:20.He is much more renowned for his pommel horse work. A very classy

:35:21. > :35:24.style, this gymnasts. Front twist. The twists are rewarded well and the

:35:25. > :35:30.gymnasts have become fantastic at them. You can see he is a pommel

:35:31. > :35:37.horse specialist here. Lying I believe in third place at the

:35:38. > :35:42.moment. We have still got the powerhouse of China to come. They

:35:43. > :35:53.are favourites in the men's competition in the last round. And

:35:54. > :35:57.Russia. He just keeps inside. The tips of his toes. A straight

:35:58. > :36:10.somersault into the corner. A nice double twist to finish, but

:36:11. > :36:19.not a difficult routine at all. It was classy. Yes, he was down for the

:36:20. > :36:23.floor originally, so he ended up going first up. And efficient

:36:24. > :36:36.routine, probably not the most difficult. That might be enough for

:36:37. > :36:42.a vault final. He was a finalist in 2012 on the pommel horse. Hungarian

:36:43. > :36:46.gymnasts have a long tradition on the pommel horse. They are inventors

:36:47. > :37:06.of many of the moves. Working well on the one handle. Keep

:37:07. > :37:11.the hips extended, that is the travel with turn. That is the

:37:12. > :37:26.Magyar, invented in Hungary. Wind it up, into the handstand and

:37:27. > :37:34.makes appear wet. Well done. A solid routine. He will be looking for a

:37:35. > :37:38.place in the final. They have not had massively high scores. Well,

:37:39. > :37:47.there have not been massively high scorers anywhere really. A lovely

:37:48. > :37:51.style. He keeps hold of his style and technique right the way through.

:37:52. > :37:56.Hungary is famous for its pommel horse workers. Lovely soft, smooth

:37:57. > :38:17.action. Good pirouette to finish. Well, I think that will be enough,

:38:18. > :38:18.Chris. I certainly hope it is. It depends on the difficulty, doesn't

:38:19. > :38:34.it? His big toes must have just crept

:38:35. > :38:42.out. We thought he held it in, but obviously not. Maybe they are using

:38:43. > :38:54.Hawk-Eye in the gymnastics. An anxious wait to see if it is good

:38:55. > :39:05.enough for a final in Rio. USA on the rings. He is a strong guy.

:39:06. > :39:13.A powerful gymnast on the floor. Will he be powerful on the rings? I

:39:14. > :39:23.should think so. Straight into the Maltese. Body level with the rings.

:39:24. > :39:28.That is what the judges look for. A swing back upright into the top

:39:29. > :39:35.planche. Very strong. A circle to the crucifix. And as all the great

:39:36. > :39:42.ring workers are doing at the moment, they are releasing their

:39:43. > :39:50.hands from the rings. That built the difficulty, into the crucifix again.

:39:51. > :40:02.He needs to swing to a handstand at some point. That is the handstand.

:40:03. > :40:07.He winds up for the dismount. A double twisting double back. Slight

:40:08. > :40:12.adjustment on landing. One of the better pieces for the USA. They all

:40:13. > :40:31.look very powerful gymnasts. He has been world champion over the

:40:32. > :40:39.years on this. It is an interesting routine. Half turn to handstand from

:40:40. > :40:44.one buyer. It is interesting, but look at the height in that double

:40:45. > :40:54.back somersault. Enough time to kick out. Into the double back. And under

:40:55. > :41:02.somersault into the handstand straight on with a half turn. That

:41:03. > :41:13.was better. Flight into the long swing. Into the double back. Was it

:41:14. > :41:19.a tax or a pike? I am not sure. A full twisting double back dismount.

:41:20. > :41:26.That is his signature move. A really special dismount. We are used to

:41:27. > :41:32.seeing double pike or whatever, but with the full twists, you have got

:41:33. > :41:39.to be Sony P. What I love about his routine is he is so original. And so

:41:40. > :41:52.well performed. Tight knees, locked together, so smooth in and out of

:41:53. > :42:06.things. The dismount was a double back with full twist.

:42:07. > :42:14.A superb double front. He really spends that fast. He looks like he

:42:15. > :42:23.has got the time to kick out half turn. Can he manage a smile? Yes, he

:42:24. > :42:39.can. We seem to be getting routine is all over the place. -- routines.

:42:40. > :42:46.A handspring vault. A block to the front. He start narrow, but another

:42:47. > :42:52.one with a big cowboy. There will be deductions for the landing and the

:42:53. > :42:57.splitting of the knees. He really does not look like he needs to do

:42:58. > :43:09.that because he is really high and flighty. He will need a 15 for any

:43:10. > :43:19.sort of final. There you have got one. That is good enough for a

:43:20. > :43:28.final. We are going to see the Brits on the high bar. And we saw him win

:43:29. > :43:35.the European Championships earlier in the year. He needs a routine to

:43:36. > :43:44.equal that if he is going to go into the final here. There is fierce

:43:45. > :43:57.competition. Lovely straight Kovacs with full twist. Cleanly caught in

:43:58. > :44:03.the tuck. One and a half turn, swinging in the forward grip. There

:44:04. > :44:08.is the squat in and out with the full-time. He puts an extra circle

:44:09. > :44:16.in there. The half turn into the pike. I love the way he does that.

:44:17. > :44:33.Keep focused, Nile. He needs to power up and release. A

:44:34. > :44:39.beautiful dismount. Well done, Nile, we really need a performance like

:44:40. > :44:46.that at the end of the competition. Well done, Nile, Great Britain

:44:47. > :44:51.needed you on the high bar. That routine is packed with difficulty

:44:52. > :44:56.from start to finish. What I love about the routine is it is totally

:44:57. > :45:01.well-balanced. It is not a safe style of release than in various

:45:02. > :45:08.positions. They have had some ups and downs around the competition,

:45:09. > :45:13.but this is qualification. They just need to make the top eight and then

:45:14. > :45:18.put all those little errors right in the team final.

:45:19. > :45:24.Full twisting in the straight position, at full stretch, there is

:45:25. > :45:29.no deduction therefore the catching. He does it again in the tucked

:45:30. > :45:36.position. One hand, two, then the other one. Look at this. Double

:45:37. > :45:40.twisting, double backed somersault in the straight position, a slight

:45:41. > :45:52.adjustment on the landing. But there you go, come on. So let's wait and

:45:53. > :45:59.see, has he made it? Wow, what a score, 15.5, difficulty of seven. So

:46:00. > :46:03.here we have USA top qualifiers after two subdivisions ahead of

:46:04. > :46:07.Japan, Great Britain, Brazil and Germany in fifth place. The

:46:08. > :46:14.Netherlands in six, Korea in seven and France eight. Great Britain

:46:15. > :46:16.looking very strong, we won't know the final standings until the final

:46:17. > :46:20.session has gone later tonight but they are looking good at the moment.

:46:21. > :46:24.The crowds are still pouring into Olympic Park, there's a late session

:46:25. > :46:28.of tennis, that takes place behind me, where hopefully Andy Murray will

:46:29. > :46:31.defend his title. News and Kyle Edmund and Heather Watson, they

:46:32. > :46:34.played earlier and won their opening-round matches. That is the

:46:35. > :46:40.velodrome, where the track cycling will be taking place. That has been

:46:41. > :46:42.Britain's most successful sport in the last three Olympic Games. I may

:46:43. > :46:47.have found the youngest spectator here at the Rio Olympics. This is a

:46:48. > :46:56.severe she is only nine months old. -- this is Anna Sofia. This time

:46:57. > :47:00.last night we were telling you about the Olympic refugee team, a new

:47:01. > :47:04.initiative introduced this year. It includes ten athletes, seeking

:47:05. > :47:10.refugee status, and one we introduced you to was Yusra Mardini,

:47:11. > :47:13.who has come from Syria. She was competing today in a swimming. This

:47:14. > :47:19.was her heat of the 100-metre butterfly. She completed it in one

:47:20. > :47:22.minute and nine seconds, which wasn't fast enough to move her

:47:23. > :47:25.forward in the competition, but she did win her heat. The crowd

:47:26. > :47:30.responded accordingly. They knew that sometimes it is not about times

:47:31. > :47:31.or results, it's about being here and afterwards she spoke to Sharron

:47:32. > :47:41.Davies. Well done, how does it feel to be

:47:42. > :47:46.here? It was really amazing, I was really happy. It was hard but I was

:47:47. > :47:50.happy. Do you wonder what you may be able to do if you can get access to

:47:51. > :47:57.a swimming pool more in the future? Yes, we are going to work more

:47:58. > :48:05.because I think we have to work, because I want to go up a level more

:48:06. > :48:08.so I can achieve a medal. With -- how has the attention been?

:48:09. > :48:12.Everybody wants to speak to you. It's amazing, everyone here

:48:13. > :48:18.supporting us and we are really glad for that. Good to see you, well

:48:19. > :48:21.done. Fantastic attitude, huge support

:48:22. > :48:27.from the crowd, they will be using the Olympic flag as their flag. If

:48:28. > :48:31.in the event of a medal is won, the Olympic anthem will be played. We

:48:32. > :48:34.are heading off to BBC Two, where we will bring you more rugby sevens. We

:48:35. > :48:40.will show you Team GB in hockey action and later on, back on BBC One

:48:41. > :48:44.we will have an update on an amazing road cycling road race from earlier,

:48:45. > :48:47.we will bring you date with everything that happened in the

:48:48. > :48:51.swimming and boxing, everything else Olympic, a combination of round-up

:48:52. > :48:55.and any live action still happening. Stay up late tonight, that is when

:48:56. > :48:59.the swimming finals will be state -- taking place. We will see you in a

:49:00. > :49:02.minute on BBC Two.