Day 13 BBC One: 13.45-18.00 Olympics

Good afternoon. Day 13, you are just in time because we have a final to

enjoy at Lagoa, in the Sprint canoeing, and British involvement,

very strong, Liam Heath and Jon Schofield trying to upgrade the

bronze they won in the fastest of the events here, in the 200 metres

kayak double. This is an event that Usain Bolt covers on the track in

less than 20 seconds. This is about 30 seconds of full throttle flash on

the water. -- thrashing. COMMENTATOR: Thanks, we are waiting

with bated breath. Great Britain with a real chance of taking medals.

Liam Heath and Jon Schofield who took the bronze medal in London. It

is very tight, seven crews could come away with the gold medal.

Multiple world champions. We don't have the reigning Olympic champions,

Russia are out and Belarus, who took silver in London, not here. Serbia

in one, France in two, Great Britain in three and then Lithuania in four,

Spain with Craviotto and Toro in five, they had an impressive win

earlier this season. Hungary, alongside them. Totka and Molnar,

the world champions. 22 and 30 years old, this is their first Olympics,

can they cope with the pressure? Germany in seven, who have now gone

ahead in the Camp Nou sprint medal table with two golds, getting the K2

thousand metres -- canoe. And then Cochrane and Fournel of Canada, they

are the dog causes, if they get a good start you don't know what could

happen. The first few strokes are vital. -- the dark horses. Over the

last 50, the crews can fall away, they can't maintain the stroke rate

and speed. Yes, really crucial. Over the last 20 metres, the shift can

really happen but the start is the most important part, they must get

out well. So, Lithuania, Spain and Hungary are in the key lanes, 4-6

and Great Britain is in three. Schofield and Heath had a fantastic

semifinal. They didn't make a race for it in the Haines, not going for

the automatic call the occasional spot but they looked very sharp in

the semifinals -- the heats. Here we go, Olympic glory is just some 30

seconds away. The Lithuanians are starting very strongly indeed. Heath

and Schofield, left behind. Germany are trailing. Spain and Little

rainier looking very good in the middle. Spain starting to come

strong -- lit away near. Now they are striding to accelerate, Heath

and Schofield are moving up, level second place. Still the Spaniards on

the near side. Gold going to Spain. Very tight between Great Britain and

Lithuania in the Silver Medal position. Photo finishes right the

way through. The Spaniards, I said that they had an impressive victory

in the World Cup, nowhere near as impressive as their Olympic final

run they took the silver in the K2 500 four years ago and they've come

to Rio and taken the K2 200. They looked fantastic, they looked

fantastic yesterday. I was talking to people yesterday and their money

was on Spain. Great Britain, they have a Silver Medal, one better than

they did in London. They will be delighted. Fantastic performance.

Slow start from Heath and Schofield, well below the performance we store

the base might we saw in the semifinal, but they believed, when

others might not have come through to improve their run from London.

Heath and Schofield getting Britain's first medal of the Camp

Nou sprint regatta in Rio. They have the Silver Medal -- the canoe.

Craviotto and Toro deserving the gold medal. Heath and Schofield were

like lightning in the closing stages. I've got to see it in slow

motion, how they got ahead of Lithuania over the last five metres.

Certainly at one point, Great Britain were coming up in silver

position, but then they came back a bit and Lithuania came up. It was

difficult to see where they were going to finish and the final line,

I kept being distracted by the Germans because it is so bright.

Maybe it is a distraction technique. They didn't feature in the medals.

Fantastic silver, the Schofield and Heath. They got bronze four years

ago in London in front of the home crowd. Not the smoothest of four

years, not dominating but coming out here today, in the heats and

semifinals they were in fantastic form. Heath and Schofield in lane

three on the far side. You can see the front of their boat, I think

they picked it up later, they started coming back into the race

later in the state, the furthest black boat away. The finish and they

lunched perfectly. 199 metres gone, they were still in the bronze medal

position. Yeah that's timing for you, it's all about racing to the

line. That's what they did. They got it, zero point three seconds,

getting the Silver Medal. Look at that, you can see, they'll be so

excited. What a brilliant way for Liam to start his Olympic campaign.

He will go tomorrow in the K1 200 metres and we will look to see if he

can go better again. That is fantastic and then he will have a

full collection. They've done so well at World Championship, two

silvers and a bronze from the World Championships. Now they have a

bronze and a silver in the Olympics, rapidly becoming the most successful

ever sprinters. Tim Brown is still the name that dominates in terms of

all-time greats from Great Britain but now we have a medal from the

sprint to add to the two from the slalom last week with Joe Clarke and

in the CT with Florence and Hounslow, so is proving to be very

good for the British paddlers and it isn't over yet. -- C2. We have an

event tomorrow, Heath made even better than that and in the K2. And

women's K4, they say that is where the effort has been put in and where

they have the effort DeLaet -- have the something to prove. They will be

trying to get amongst the field. One boat straight through to the final

in the K4 qualification and I imagine that Britain will be saving

their efforts for the semifinals. Not the fastest 200 metres, 32.075,

only three hundredths of a second separating Great Britain and

Lithuania. Canada, the outsiders, actually, not really making an

impression. 1.69 behind. The Canadians can give themselves a pat

on the back for making the final, that's something to talk about and

now they can build over the next four years. But here are the two men

who have claimed the Silver Medal, Liam Heath and Johnny Schofield. A

good day for them and British paddling.

Schofield came from Downriver racing originally. -- Jonny Schofield. Liam

Heath, 2010 was when he first came back into the sport. Not so good

over the longer distance. 200 metres was introduced into the limpet

Games, a programme was set up and he was invited to join and now look

where he is -- the Olympic Games. This event will move on. We had

success in the K1 200 in London with Edward McKeever who couldn't qualify

for the British boat in these Olympics, that's how tough the

competition is. We've had three events, Brazil have got themselves

back on the medal table but as far as we are concerned it is all about

Liam Heath and Jonny Schofield. Schofield is a smart man, he did

physiology and biomechanics, which I'm sure helped in terms of learning

to get the boat moving at speeds in excess of 20 kilometres an hour. He

is very thirsty and likes to take control of his programme. Waiting

with the medallists. A great moment for British paddling.

Congratulations to Heath and Schofield. Indeed, congratulations.

Silver Medal, what was the feeling as you finished? Confusion. A little

bit. Fast and furious, you go for it and you pop your head up at the end

and everyone is there, and you are like, what happened? Waiting for the

scoreboard. Did you have no idea? We could tell that the Spanish were

ahead of us and our race was on the other side of the course compared to

the others so I couldn't have guessed. Sitting in the back of the

boat, a lot of people in front of me! It was a great lunge at the end.

We gave it a bit of a lunge, you can see the finish line, you go for the

blocks and hit it as hard as you can. Sometimes that can be the peak

speed of the race. Coming into the Games, we heard you talking about

the fact that you had unfinished business from London. You got

bronze, but this silver, how satisfying is it? Unbelievable. So

satisfying, this guy is on fire in the K1, training every day, I didn't

want to let him down because I know he is the best guy out there. I

basically sitting in front of the boat and he telling me what to do. I

don't think really, I just go as hard as I can. It is a wonderful

combination. How long can this combination go on for? Will you go

for the next one? I'm not sure, I will take some time out, my wife

might have a say as well. Yeah. You had unfinished business, Liam. We

look forward to seeing you later in the week. Cheers. Fantastic because

they were pipped on the line by the Belarussians in London four years

ago which is why they stand together and have come back fighting, and

they've got the Silver Medal, number 50 14 Great Britain so far. For

those of you who like this kind of stuff, back in Athens, Ian Wynne, a

bronze medal, and Doctor Tim Brabbats. We had Edward McKeever and

then John -- Dhoni and Liam. That is great for Britain. Liam is going

well in the K1 event, which McKeever won wonderfully four years ago. He

is starting in that tomorrow. There you go. That was worth going to,

wasn't it? Hoping that there may be more medal success down here, Fort

Copacabana because it is the start of the men's triathlon and very

strong chance is courtesy of the Brownlee brothers and Gordon Mensur,

from Yorkshire. Ali Emerson and Jonathan Edwards have got their spot

early with an hour to go. -- Annie. Jonathan, a quick question about

Christian Taylor. He has retained the triple jump title but he has

said, Jonathan Edwards, watch out with that world record. It is still

yours. I was nervous because he did a big first round jump, 17 metres 86

and then he was pushed by the American in second place and I

thought, if they are going head-to-head, maybe it would go but

I can hold on for longer. He is talented but he couldn't break the

record. Triathlon now, and assess the possibilities, four years on

from London. It has been an up-and-down kind of four years for

both of the Brownlee brothers, especially Alistair but the good

news is that they have arrived in very good shape. Amazing shape, what

a fantastic bit of timing. A couple of difficult years, we know about

Alistair's injury problems but they are done and dusted and he has had a

couple of great races coming here. We are in a great position because

they will bring the bikes around into the transition 100 yards away.

We spoke to Johnny after he put his bike in transition and he seemed

very relaxed -- Jonny. They love racing, when you love it it makes it

easier. They will be nervous but they want to crack on with it.

They are in good form, this course is one they like and will suit them.

It has a tough swim which is what they need. They run into the waves,

thankfully, the surf is down today, it could have been tricky. It could

have been tricky, it's something the athletes are not used to so it's the

same for everyone. The Brownlee is will suit this because it's very

tough and very technical. Four years ago it was about the Brownlees

versus Javier Gomez, who is not here, everyone is disappointed, but

it's another Spaniard who will provide the opposition, Mario Mola.

Mario Mola is the one to watch and if he's there at the end of the

bike, with the Brownlee is, he will make it difficult. He's a phenomenal

runner, his bike is improved, his swim has improved but I will be

surprised if we see him at the end of the bike but anything can happen.

That is going to be the story of this race, the Brownlee is will go

out hard, they have Richard Varga from Slovakia, Gordon Benson, the

third member of the team is a sort of demented --. Mustique, and they

want to make the swim, make the bike hard, because this Mario Mola is in

contention when they get to the run, watch out. He has run so well this

year and the Brownlee is will find it tough to beat him. The swim is

going to be on from the start. Richard Varga is a phenomenal

swimmer, he trains with the Brownlee, and look at the French

because they will hit the pace hard. They know the importance of getting

away from Richard Murray and Mario Mola. People at home will want to

know about the dynamic between Alistair and Jonny, they are

brothers, they are friends, they are training partners, they are

competitors. They are. I have run over the scenarios in my head if it

comes down to a sprint finish. Physically they are both the same

athlete, very similar. But I think mentally, Alistair has proven time

and again that he has the edge of his brother. But they are much

stronger together racing and the fact they are both here and both fit

is good for everyone. This to me as almost a kind of bizarre thing,

because for two thirds of this race, in the swim and the bike, they will

work together and it's to their benefit to work together. Then it

changes, the dynamic changes, once they get off their bikes and into

the run. They do and then it's free for all, they need one another in

the swim and on the bike, they don't need one another on the run. You

would have to put your money on Alistair, but Jonathan is an

incredible athlete and every bit as good as Alistair. He needs his time

and to stay mentally strong. It's winter in Brazil. I wish we had

winters like this in the UK, think back to the gold Coast at the

beginning of the season, Jonny had heat exhaustion and Alistair

struggled in the race, we have seen Alistair with problems before. How

much of a factor will this be? It will be big and it will favour Mario

Mola, he's a very light athlete, a Spaniard, used to training in the

heat but I know the boys have been preparing well and doing heat

training, so they are well prepared as well. We saw one of the

triathletes come through, he had like an ice pack on him to try to

keep his core temperature down. What can happen when you are out there?

We have Alistair and Jonny warming up together, going head to head very

shortly. But so relaxed, so much together at the moment? Yes,

absolutely. As we have said, they definitely need one another, it's

vital, even their coaches say the importance of them both being in the

same race really affect the outcome. OK, thank you. Hazel, we are about

an hour away from the race. Can Alistair Brownlee be the first to

retain the title? Can Jonny go better than bronze last time? It

will be fascinating. It will become you will see it shortly. We have 1.5

K swim, 41.6 kilometres they tell me on the bike, and ten kilometre run

at the end of it, and it gets under way about 3pm your time. We are

going back to Lagoa now, there is great celebrations therefore

Brazil's athlete after a bronze medal earlier on, there he is a and

after his silver on Tuesday, he has another chance in the remaining

event for him, rather upstaging the Ukrainian there. But it's a great

celebration and there is more action to enjoy from Lagoa because Rachel

Cawthorn of Great Britain didn't make it through to the final of the

500 metres, that's coming up shortly with New Zealand's Lisa Carrington,

but this is the B final. Let's see how she goes here.

COMMENTATOR: Rachel Cawthorn going in lane two

for Britain, the best she can do is ninth in Olympic results. She

desperately needs a good one just to raise the spirits but she has some

really tough competition, so many big names have made it through,

Ewelina Wojnarowska is in lane one, Spela Ponomarenko Janic in four, the

Slovakian in lane six, Teresa Portela of Portugal in seven and

Karin Johansson, who is in a times they are under way. Keep your eyes

on lane two, a good start from Rachel Cawthorn, even better from

Teresa Portela, 500 metres is the distance. This is about a good

sprint start to get yourself a position, settle into the rhythm for

the midsection of the race, then it's all about who can hang on, who

can maintain the speed of the closing stages. Ewelina Wojnarowska

of Poland is going well, Rachel Cawthorn is almost a boat length

behind. It's one of those races where you have your own paddle, you

know where you can come through, but you have to stay in touch with the

race, certainly when you come through 215 metres. The Polish

competitor is looking strong, pushing through the legs. So much of

this is about the stroke rate and Ewelina Wojnarowska is striking

higher than Rachel Cawthorn, who is being left behind, second position

at the moment looks as though it is Spela Ponomarenko Janic, they are

through the halfway stage and still Ewelina Wojnarowska, the 29-year-old

from Poland, fourth in the World Championships in 2015, a challenge

now coming in from Serbia. The Russian is back in the B final,

similar situation in the C1 200 metres, Elena Anyushina wanting to

make a point here. She was only allowed to raise in the Olympics

less than two weeks ago. Perhaps no surprise she made the B final, not

the a final. The builder change in pace from Rachel Cawthorn as we see

a sprint finish coming in -- still no change. Hartley has left the

charge late, Elena Anyushina will go this one. -- will win this one.

South Africa just behind, Spela Ponomarenko Janic gets second place

for Slovenia. They have a photo finish for third, but again, another

disappointing run from Rachel Cawthorn, and work to do in the

British women's squad, particularly after the success we have just seen

with the men. Yes, they have come here with the K for on the top of

their mind, that is their focus, so we will see this but right behind

them, does the it as getting out of the stage, both her and Jess Walker

have competed so they have settled the nerves and let's hope they come

out tomorrow in the k4, they have high hopes for it and let's hope

this will settle them into their rhythm, they will feel like the

Olympic Games, they can come out. Rachel will be desperate to get off,

girlfriend to Jon Schofield, desperate to get off the water and

give him a big hug -- hug and congratulations. There's the winner

of the B final, Elena Anyushina, at 22 she has a long future ahead of

her. She is to raise K2. A good start from Slovakia, but the star is

important but not as important as the last 100 metres, where you have

to maintain that stroke rate. I did think Rachel Cawthorn's stroke rate

was right down even from the early stages of the race. It will be

interesting to see what she says about that, she looked stronger in

the semifinal yesterday. I don't know if there is tactics to it, but

she did bullet off towards the end, she came back into the race and let

it go maybe out of the start, lost quite a bit in the first 250 and had

to work hard to pull back into the race but they will be out there

tomorrow with three of their team-mates. There you see the

results of the B final. Teresa Portela of Portugal, who started so

well, in third position. That's the view that many thousands of tourists

today will get of the regatta course and at 900 metres, the boats look

smaller than matchsticks. Absolutely minute. They look as though they are

going very, very slowly. I can assure you that around 20 kilometres

an hour in the next race, the women's K-1 500-metre a final, and

Rachel Cawthorn will just have to watch. She has cause to celebrate

though. HAZEL IRVINE:

Right now it's 16 hours ahead of Rio in New Zealand so by my calculations

I reckon it is about to IM in their morning and you can absolutely

guarantee there will be millions of people staying through the night,

pushing through the night to save their paddler, Lisa Carrington, can

basically achieve what Laura Trott did and become their greatest female

Olympian ever. She is from the port of -- she's from a port, on the east

side of the North Island, right next to a beautiful mountain and she

retained her in London's 200-metre sprint title on Tuesday. Right now

she could take over from Valerie Adams, the shot-putter, as the

greatest female Olympian ever from New Zealand, with a third gold medal

here and that would be choice, as they say down there. Today, she is

just about to set out in this 500 metres final and Patrick and Helen

are released the -- it's a really significant race for not just Lisa,

but so many others in this race. Can you assess her chances in this one

for us? Well, it is perhaps that it is the tightest race we will get

today, it might be the tightest race of the whole regatta. There are

three big names, Hazel, that stick out in this event. Of course Lisa

Carrington of New Zealand, and out and out star, her speciality is the

200 metres. We have also got Inna Osypenko-Radomska, who was many

people's favourite to take the 500 but don't deny Danuta Kozak, who has

not been well over the last three years, she did not look ill in the

semifinals yesterday and she is of course the defending champion, so

Inna Osypenko-Radomska, Danuta Kozak and Lisa Carrington, and Franziska

Weber, Maryna Pautaran, so it's a tough one to call. Is going to be

very tough. Carrington is mentally very strong, coming away with the

Olympic gold in the 200 metres. It's about whether she can hold on,

because we know she is quite quick and does come through towards the

end but you have got an extremely tough competition. They are under

starter's orders, China with juju in Le Mans, Lisa Carrington in laying

two, having a slightly slow qualifying process, Emma Jorgensen

in three, Franziska Weber in four, Hungary with Danuta Kozak in six and

Inna Osypenko-Radomska, who will give her a major battle. Inna

Osypenko-Radomska is usually so fast away. We have Dalma Ruzicic-Benedek

in lane eight. Carrington has made a decent start. When she won the world

title in this eventually led pretty much from the first 100 metres, all

the way through. The high stroke rate to Inna Osypenko-Radomska, in

the black boat, a really good start for Belarus who has got herself in a

good position. She went off hard and fast, Danuta Kozak is working hard

to get herself in the race. The Hungarians are concerned about how

she is feeling, having had a stomach bug, but she's looking like she's

pulling up on the race. We have Belarus, we have Danuta Kozak of

Hungary, you can see the black hole of Inna Osypenko-Radomska and at the

moment Lisa Carrington is fifth or sixth out of the eight paddlers, it

at the top of the picture. It's the second half of the race where

Carrington comes through. Hungary's Danuta Kozak has that slightly jerky

style, a slightly longer pulling the Wolcott -- water, but the power she

generates from her legs is so important. Coming strong now is

Dalma Ruzicic-Benedek of Serbia, but she might have left the charge too

late. 100 metres to go. It's Danuta Kozak, the defending champion in

gold medal position. Surely Carrington can't come back from this

one. On the far side, a charge from juju of China could get her into the

medals. No doubt about the gold medal, we thought it would be the

closest race, it has turned out to be the easiest win of the day,

Carrington makes the charge but there are only 15 metres to go.

Danuta Kozak takes gold, the silver could go to Emma Jorgensen of

Denmark, or Lisa Carrington of New Zealand. My goodness, Belarus also

win with a shout for the silver I think Emma Jorgensen might have got

it and it would be another nation on the podium, but what a performance

from Danuta Kozak, 1:52.492, I know the conditions are slightly better

than yesterday, and looking at the scoreboard, Danuta Kozak gets it,

Emma Jorgensen gets the silver, Lisa Carrington settle for bronze, and

Francisco Webber of Germany never got into it. Carrington, Helen, was

what, one and a half lengths behind, with 150 to go and still she gets on

the podium, I know it's not gold, but a remarkable recovery?

I was surprised, they were coming up and edging their noses in front of

each other. I thought that Zhou was going to

come through. Carrington, you know what, she is really a superstar of

this sport. The capacity to be that far back. I thought she was out of

it. To come back and get a sober middle photo finish. Kozak, whatever

you say about her, she is outstanding and we know that she

will go again tomorrow in the K4. The Hungarian think they have got

it. Well deserved, not a big enough expression really, she took some

time to get into it but once she was intermittent use to aggression and

power. She dominated. Look at the start, Kozak is in the boat with

number six, the white T-shirt and it was a while before she got level

with the Belarussian, she accelerated. A lot of movement in

the boat, bouncing down the course. You can see the muscles, you can see

Kozak's bill, that's where the power comes from and her legs are even

stronger. -- build. I wonder it Carrington would have benefited from

being in four or five, I don't think she could have touched Kozak but it

is rare to see her starting in two. I wonder if that was a factor.

Carrington missing out on the Silver Medal via a fraction. Actually, I

don't think Jorgensen was aware that Carrington was so fast on the

left-hand side. Jorgensen takes silver, another nation on the

podium. We had a fantastic mixture. With Kozak taking gold, that is

hungry's second gold of the Championships. They got the gold in

the women's K2 500 metres, denying Germany by five hundredths of a

second. We saw the most dominant display of the regatta so far. Look

at the margins between them. That's the photo finish for second place

and actually Jorgensen from Denmark was comfortably in Seoul but and

Carrington just squeezing in. They have lengthened the boat for the

photo. It wasn't quite as... Split as it showed. There you can see the

times. Kozak is the gold-medallist for the K1 500. The two-time world

champion is now a two-time Olympic champion. Lisa Carrington, who

already has one gold, getting a bronze in the K1 500. Yeah Lisa

Carrington, a few metres to far for her in that one. The bronze goes

with the two goals she has won in London and here in Rio and I'm sure

that there will be celebrations at home about that. When you talk about

who is doing what in different nations, Kozak, that is her fourth

gold medal because she won two in London. One more here and she goes

in the kayak quad, and she would equal the record as the most leading

woman in Hungarian history. As you can tell, it's not all about us at

these Games! So much happening for other nations and fascinating to

keep tabs on it. Now it is time to talk about taekwondo. And as the

fellow said, isn't that a kick in the head?

COMMENTATOR: The teenage kicking superstar from North Wales is the

Olympic champion. That is Jade Jones and we'll be seeing her in about ten

minutes time as she seeks to defend the title she won in London. But we

are going to the medal podium, a Silver Medal for the boys, Schofield

and Heath, after the Silver Medal, upgrading the medal that they won in

London in a sprint finish on the line with the Belarussians. They

were pipped at the post, but this time they have gone one step better.

Let's enjoy the moment with them. COMMENTATOR: So, the crews from the

K2 200 metres taking their place on the pontoon behind the podium. Nice

to see some British fans turning up to see some success. Heath and

Schofield, astonishing run from them. They couldn't do anything

about taking the gold medal. This time they struck lucky. Jose

Perurena, an Olympic paddler himself, presenting the medals. He

was a member of the team at the back sicko Games -- the Mexico Games. He

has had his role since 2011. Anders Gustafsson alongside him from

Sweden, a member of the ICF, the International Canoe Federation. The

brains medal, going to Lithuania. They made two successive finals at

World Championship level, finishing in fifth and seventh, so there

wasn't a feeling that they would be the ones taking a position on the

podium. Both men taking four, nearly five years out to do their studies

they've been back in action for the last five years. It has paid

dividends. They have won themselves and Olympic bronze medal. It has to

be said that they were a few hundreds of a second outside the

bronze. The first British medal and the

Canoe sprint regatta at the Lagoa. It is ace or the medal going to Liam

Heath and Jonny Schofield. What a moment, what a moment. It is one

thing to come to two successive Olympic Games and win a medal in the

same event on both occasions but it is extra special to step it up a

level. They didn't get gold, but silver will feel like gold to them.

It certainly will, stepping up a level, it is so tight out there in

the competition. They came out yesterday and showed fantastic form.

The Spanish were superb and they were out in the lead slightly. A

tight finish and Great Britain coming away with a Silver Medal.

Liam Heath on the left of your picture will be racing in the K1 200

metres. I hope he doesn't have too many press obligations because he

must rest and get ready for the K1 heats tomorrow. The gold-medallists,

Craviotto and Toro. They took silver in the K2 500 four years ago.

Actually Craviotto proposed to his girlfriend shortly after winning a

medal, I think in Leicester Square. He is now married with a kid and he

has a gold medal to take home. What a moment for him, Craviotto and Toro

looking supreme, particularly in the second hundred of the short last. 30

seconds, that's all it takes. 45, 50 strokes maximum to win gold. And an

emotional moment for both men. Ladies and gentlemen, the anthem of

Spain. So, Spain taking their second gold

of the Canoe sprint, having taken it in the K1 thousand, and Britain

getting their first medal, Heath and Schofield taking silver, one better

than they did in London four years ago. STUDIO: And counting Joe

Clarke's Canoe slalom gold and the silver. In San Hounslow in the

Whitewater, that is a third medal in the canoe so far. Liam will be in

the boat on his own tomorrow at Lagoa in the single event, which was

won last time by Ed McKeever. We'll be there to see that. Important

moments in the Welsh town of Flint, which has really taken a huge

interest in taekwondo over the last few years because their local girl,

Jade Jones, they supported for a long time. They raised money to send

her to the Youth Olympics six years ago and they were handsomely repaid

with a golden postbox. Jade, the youngest member of the team in the

home Games, striking gold. COMMENTATOR: You little beauty. The

teenage kicking superstar from North Wales is the Olympic champion.

That's it, she's the world champion. Is a lot of what you do today trying

to programme your subconscious, so that when you are fighting, anything

that happens, you can just react? Definitely, for the Olympics it is a

new system that we haven't been used to. It is harder to score and going

high on punches, you have to completely change our game. Right,

ladies, I've watched you training, sparring, hitting each other,

defending. I want to see how the dynamic changes by coming to your

house. You have got a kettle, yeah? How is it, living together because

you have come from a session. It is good that we are in different weight

categories, if it was a house of 57, I would hate that because I wouldn't

want to get too close to them. But we opposite ends of the weight so we

can help each other. I need to check something, just you to hear? Just me

and jade, yeah. My question is, why do you have two fridges? She is a

heavyweight! LAUGHTER I can see you are definitely focused

on Rio, plenty of food. Can I see where you chill out? So, Jade, four

years ago, London 22 world, Olympic champion, did you expect it? --

2012. The journey to the Olympics was fast, I went to the economy in

2010, so two years ago and no one was expecting me to even go to the

Olympics. It went so fast and literally six months ago I was

picked and I gave everything I had in training. I believed I could win,

I was going to win, but when I did it, I felt a bit lost, so much

pressure and I felt so lost. You know, now I'm in a good place and

I'm trying to do it again. Have you had to try and fall back in love

with taekwondo? Definitely, there are times, you have a hard loss, you

think, I don't want to do this any more, it is so hard, I'm not

enjoying it, but I absolutely loved taekwondo and the kicking and I just

wanted to win, I didn't even know why I wanted to win. Was it

difficult, Jade winning gold, she is obviously your friend and you are

pleased, but you couldn't compete? It wasn't nice at all, obviously we

live together, we were there training and I broke my leg, Jade

gets to go and win the Olympics, but I can't do nothing about that.

Obviously she showed as it can happen, I can take it one way and

hate her but I can take it the other way and look at what she has done,

we can do the same thing. It feels even more special because let's do

it together now, it's our chance to both get gold together.

HAZEL IRVINE: Jade and her housemates, the

heavyweight world champion, we have seen Bianca in action on Saturday

but now is the moment of truth for Jade Jones, the defending champion,

just about to get other way -- under way. Homer opponent is Naima Bakkal,

a Moroccan. It could be the first of four fights on the way to a possible

retention of her gold medal hearing radio, all over to you, guys.

COMMENTATOR: We are about to see why her opponent

in this opening bout, Naima Bakkal of Morocco, 25 years of age, really

begins here. She had some World Championship experience, second

round only last year. For her, Jade Jones, 19 when she won in London, 23

now, and perhaps in the form of her life. Well, she is known as the

headhunter, because she goes for the head shots. Defending champion, all

the pressure is on her. Naima Bakkal from Morocco has the height

advantage, by three centimetres, over Jade. Jade 1.6 five macro,

Naima Bakkal is 170 centimetres, 5'7". Carioca Arena 3 has been

waiting for this, the reappearance of Jade Jones at Olympic level, the

last time she was here she was accepting a gold medal in London

2012, now in Rio 2016 we begin with Jones from Great Britain in blue and

Naima Bakkal of Morocco in ten. Ten tournament wins at -- out of the

last 13 culminating in a first European title in May. Here she is,

in Rio. A cracking first shot, or one attempts to score a point is all

she needs, a push kick to the body. Her footwork is exceptional, just

moving out of the way. Nicely blocking.

As Jade went for the back kick, Naima Bakkal came in and made

contacts. One apiece. Mixing it up, there's another push kick, but not

making sufficient contacts. An attempt at the head, nicely

blocked by Naima Bakkal. Not allowing Jade in.

A pin-up girl all over Wales when she won in London and of course

Tarah Welsh people all over the world at the moment watching this --

there are Welsh people all over the world watching this with great

expectations of Jade, that is the thing, she maybe would have been

concerning herself. I know she hates losing and sometimes holds back when

she should come forward and these sorts of situations. Maybe this will

change that attitude. She has gone a point down now, 2-1 to Morocco.

Naima Bakkal not being faced by the fact that Jade is an Olympic

champion. There is the kick to the head, three points. Jade is up, 4-2.

Here is the headhunter in action. Just needed an opportunity and she

took it. Her kicks are so snappy, so fast. Naima Bakkal didn't even see

that one coming. As we go to the break, she knows she trails 4-2.

Jade Jones not in control, but with the advantage. How does she look?

Shop. I have to remain impartial here, but great to see a fellow

Welsh woman fighting at the highest levels -- she is looking sharp. A

lovely block there, using the arm. Straight into a back kick, didn't

make contact, that was also blocks. It was a bit low.

Anxious times as a fighter, look at that, right around the chops, take

that one. Thank you very much. I think Naima Bakkal 40 had finished

book one more go, the head was there and Jade Jones took it. We resume

now with the second round, Great Britain and Jade Jones in the lead,

4-2. So fast, lightning quick with those

feet. She gets a point, first kick to the body. She is aggressive but

so many fighters are. The difference is the speed that she shows. By far

the quickest we have seen, I am sure. Undergoing. And the power as

well, this is real conviction with every kick. Naima Bakkal going a

little low, not registering on the pads. The sensors on the feat Mertz

contact the body armour of your opponent, there are sensors as well

in the headgear. The replay can be used.

Jade almost breaks with the turning kick to the body and then goes for

the head. She is so strong in her call, she seems to be able to stay

on one leg for longer and the opponents struggle, even though they

know her record and how good she is and what she is capable of.

Naima Bakkal has picked up another point, just picking them off, one at

a time. The cleanest fight we have seen, no penalties awarded yet. A

fraction low, maybe. Just getting the measure of each

other, the footwork is exceptional. Another one for Jade, 7-4. These two

are Devoto. 8-4, the margin is starting to climb but don't rule out

Naima Bakkal, she is really in for this. Change stands now and you can

hear the end of the second round, so the margin is now four. Jade Jones

with the lead, with the coach I'm sure plenty to say.

Your reaction to the second round? Nobody shots, it's just one point at

a time, that's fine. -- body shots. Jade's opponents are going to be

stunned by the speed these kicks are coming in.

Attacking and counterattacking each other. One round to go.

People ask me, how come I'm not confident when I have one so much,

but it's the pressure she says, deep down I know I am the best in the

world at my weight. Now is the time to prove it for Jade Jones, she

leads 8-4 as we are into the third and final round defending the

Olympic gold medal she won in London, four years ago, in 2012.

Nice footwork from Jade, just moving backwards to avoid the kick and then

coming back in. I think that was for a low kick.

It's awarded against Jade. It won't faze her.

She is poised on the back leg. You see Jade ready to attack. Naima

Bakkal is defending well, blocking what is coming at her at the moment.

You can hear Jade's coach Paul Green saying, come on, get back in there.

You've got to work for this. She is being forced to work the whole way,

that is for sure. Naima Bakkal is a dangerous opponent. The Union Jack

there are joining the left leg. Ready to strike any minute, another

point for Jones now extending the margin up to five. She goes up high,

talk through that, brilliant. Talk us through it, not much to say,

really. A lovely chop kick to the head, three points. Great speed

again, she got up high, she brought it around to the right. It's a

different way she is coming, Naima Bakkal, she was vulnerable, she

nailed her and she really extends, she is really pushing now. It's

likely to go all the way, so close to the end of the third round.

Perhaps career-best form, this could be Jade Jones' best we are looking

at. The back kick is coming in at speed,

being able to get the head round. Commanding this fight, Jade Jones

for Great Britain. She's going through.

Safely through, we might even see the smile in a minute. 12-4, her

opponent beaten badly on the scoreboard but make no mistake,

Naima Bakkal from Morocco did not fight that in a bad way at all. It

was just about how good that lady was, Jade Jones of Great Britain.

The quality of the kicks, the speed and the power, combined with the

accuracy, as she cruises through this first round. We will see her

later today in the quarterfinals. The headhunter takes another school.

-- skull. Let's see her in action. The push kick. There it is. Chop

kick to the head, thank you very much, three points.

Just seems able to pick out the head when it matters.

HAZEL IRVINE: Well played to Jade Jones. I know

there have been a few scoring changes with the electronic scoring

system, some say it has toned the sport down a bit but I would not

like to be on the receiving end of Jade Jones. She is through to the

next round. She will fight one of the members of the refugee team, who

came in second last in the Opening Ceremony a couple of weeks ago,

Rosol Arne Marney, an Iranian refugee, she earned her place in Rio

and she has sought political asylum from Iran and now lives and works in

Belgium, 27 and is now a postwoman, Jade Jones' next opponent -- Kimi as

I is unloading. It's time to talk triathlon. It's time to see a large

part of the most successful triathlon family there has ever

been. We are a pair. We both know we won't do well without each other.

You heard the name Brownlee in junior school and thought he is a

star. There are exceptional in their enjoyment of hard work. Were always

the best, trying to win. They are ruthless competitors, top-class

sport is ruthless. We do a lot together, I enjoyed. Almost every

race we start, we are in it together.

COMMENTATOR: Alistair Brownlee is the Olympic

triathlon champion. Were not just talking about a couple of brothers

from next door, we're talking about the best triathletes there have ever

been in the history of the sport. Brothers in Arms and a lot of

sibling rivalry, it remains to be seen if Jonny will finally get the

better of his brother. A-lister is the defending champion. Time to go

to Fort Copacabana, Jonathan Edwards and Annie Emerson, a three-time

champion. In very good hands, Jonathan. I certainly am, we are

very excited. The triathletes are just about ten metres away, getting

ready for the swim. You know all about getting ready, what is going

through their minds, what are the emotions for the biggest day of

their lives? It is different all bound, some of the guys will be very

nervous, some of them will be champing at the bit to get started,

the key is to stay calm, but not too harm, you want your heart rate up

and ready to go. Let's talk about the weather. I've had a chat with

the British performance director, he is excited for both of their chances

but he says it is a little bit too hot. They come from Yorkshire and

they've had problems with the heat in the past. They've prepared well

but you are right, it is really hot, not what the British team wanted.

Looking at the swim, it is a little bit too harm, we wanted more swell

because the brothers are good swimmers. It doesn't work in their

favour but they have raced in all conditions. We will talk about the

course in a moment. Gold Coast, Joli had heat exhaustion and Alistair has

struggled in the past as well -- Jonny. It is as they get ready,

mentally it starts to play on their minds a little bit. I think they

have it under control. Of course they would have preferred for it to

be cooler, but looking at the Gold Coast, they had come from a very

cool winter and they weren't totally prepared but they've done their

preparation, a lot of heat training so they will be better prepared.

Four years ago, gold for A-lister and bronze for Jonny. Interesting

four years leading up to hear -- A-lister. -- Alistair Brownlee.

A-lister getting the better of Dolly the last two times. It has been

difficult, especially for Alistair Brownlee. We had his ankle operated

on and nothing went right for him in the Gold Coast -- getting the better

of Joli. It is too hot for them but we have two be positive that they

are in good shape. -- for Jonny. This dynamic of the two brothers

competing and training together, it is seen aiding for us to look at and

wonder it works. It is incredible, there are no two other brothers like

it, especially in a sport like triathlon when things can go wrong.

When they are racing together they are stronger as a duet rather than

going out on their own. It is almost like for two thirds of the race, the

swim and the bike, they will work together and try and make it as

tough as possible but when you get into the run, every man for its

self. A free full, you are right, they will help each other on the

swim and the bike but when it comes down to the run, they can't help so

they must run their own ten K race. In terms of the opposition they are

facing, they need to have a race plan that will give them the best

possible chance. The race plan is an interesting one, Mario Mola is the

toughest. He has dominated the running. We haven't seen the

Brownlee brothers, certainly Alistair and Mario Mola going

head-to-head, Marian Mohler is running out of this world and he is

the one to watch. Let's hear from the Brownlees. I wanted to win the

Yorkshire Championships as much when I was 12 just as much as the

Olympics when I was in my 20s. COMMENTATOR: Alistair Brownlee is

the Olympic champion and Jonathan coming home for bronze. The

brilliant Brownlee brothers. I've had some great experiences when I

thought that was fantastic, I got everything out of myself but the

Olympics wasn't like that for me. A sprint finish between the brothers,

it is going to be tight, but Jonathan is going to win. I've been

asked a few times, my first reaction is that Rawal, I have one, and the

second is that it was a bit weird -- I had won. -- well. I may not expect

to beat Alistair, but I shouldn't think of it as completely crazy if I

do. I would like to think I am still the better racer but I don't know if

it has been proved or tested. You've got to tell yourself that. If I can

be in the shape I was in in London I can be in a position to win any kind

of triathlon and I would like to think I can be better than that.

You've got to keep telling yourself and train towards it. A-lister says

that he likes to think he's the best off racer and there was a time when

we thought that Jonny was going to come through and be the number one.

It hasn't happened. It hasn't, I have my views on that. If you

measure them physiologically, I think that it would be very similar

but I think that psychologically, Alistair has the edge which is where

it is at. They are different characters, Joli is very

happy-go-lucky, he's into different sports but there is the intensity to

Alistair -- Jonny. You can see that Jonathan wobbles a bit more.

Alistair has one thing in mind, to get to the finish line first. I

spoke to Jonny after he finished second to Alistair in Stockholm and

I said, what was it like, could he have done anything differently. What

he said was interesting, he said if it was anybody else apart from

Alistair he would have won it. I know, exactly, that last run-in

Stockholm, I think Alistair had in his mind that it might be Rio, he

might have been running with Mola. I think he was unbeatable that day.

Tactics, we talked about the swimming, it isn't too rough, not

too much current. They want to make the swim and the fight hard to try

and distance them from Mario Mola, who is running is so strong.

Unfortunately... The triathletes are getting ready to go for the swim.

Vincent Luis from France, he was second here. This is the moment they

have been working for for so long. For all of the importance of the

World Triathlon Series this is completely different. Yes, you can

feel it, the nervousness and the energy, you can touch it. I wonder

what will be going through their minds. It is unusual to have the

swim, running through sand, to the water. Normally they died in off a

pontoon. Very different. The same for everyone but some are going to

prefer it -- dive off. Good luck, Jonny, Alistair as well. Alistair is

potentially the first man to ever retain an Olympic triathlon title,

history is there for him. He is the man to watch, along with Mola and

Jonny. Triathlon is a tricky game, a lot that can go wrong. I don't want

to tempt fate, it isn't as simple as running around the track. You talk

about the water and running into the sea, the very technical bike course,

there is a lot to get through. Coming back to the psychology of

Alistair, I don't think there is anybody who is going to be more

focused on winning and possibly want to win more than anybody else. I

think that's a fair comment, some of the other athletes may argue it but

we have seen what he will put himself through to try and win. He

doesn't always do it but when he's on form, he gets it right and he is

unbeatable. The third member of the team, Gordon Benson is there to help

them and give them support. Yes, he will play an important part, he must

stay with them on the swim, which will be tough but if something goes

wrong, if they have a puncture, Gordon is going to hopefully be

there to help them, to be the team-mate. Tough course and swim and

bike ride and then the run along the Copacabana. This is what the course

looks like. The 2016 Olympic triathlon is set in

a stunning location. Don't be fooled by the sandy beaches and palm trees

because the athletes are going to be made to work extremely hard. The

race starts here on Copacabana Beach with a sprint into the waves. It is

an ocean swim of 1500 metres with a water temperature that is pretty

mild and we aren't expected to see wet suits.

The athletes exit transition one and moved south down this road towards a

big fork separating Copacabana and Ipanema. They will cover 40

kilometres on the bike but after 100 metres, they will reach the first

tricky junction on the course, 180 degrees turn which will see the

athletes heading back down Copacabana Beach. The athletes will

turn off onto a road where the course starts to get really tough.

Incredibly steep and intense and the athletes will have two negotiate it

eight times during the cycling leg. Before they have a chance to

recover, they are faced with a fast ascent, and this spot is a reminder

of how tricky the course is. At last year's test event, Ryan Bailie

overshot the corner and flew into the crowd. Thankfully he escaped

unscathed. Having left their bikes in transition, the final event is a

scenic ten kilometre run a made up of four laps over the Copacabana

Beach. Normally this would be an idyllic location for a bit of

jogging but their legs are going to feel like jelly after the bike and

in warm weather this is going to be a real test of strength. Alistair

Brownlee has called it a good course that promotes exciting racing but

one thing is for sure, the gold medal winner will have certainly

earned it. So, the athletes are being introduced to the crowd here,

tremendous atmosphere. Ten metres away, the biggest threat to gold for

the Brownlee Brothers, Mario Mola, who leads the world rankings and has

a fantastic ten kilometre run. As we were discussing, the key to the race

is how Alistair and Jonny can get away on the swim and on the bike

course, they used to the Yorkshire hills, they will want support from

the likes of Gordon Benson and perhaps Richard Murray from South

Africa. It will be tough, belying the difficult conditions here,

perhaps not ideal for the Brownlees, but it is really a stunning location

for this Olympic triathlon, the most important race, every four years. In

the most breathtaking of situations. Annie Anderson has gone up to

commentary. She is width Sheldon. -- she is with Matt Chilton.

COMMENTATOR: Triathlon was introduced to the live pigs in 2000

and since then, no athlete has won twice although Samuel Whitfield came

close, getting gold and silver. -- was introduced to the Olympics.

Today's weather forecast, overcast with a chance of rain, which the

team were hoping for, has failed to materialise. Hot and sunny with a

gentle sea breeze. Alistair and his younger brother Jonny, the top two

medallists in London, lining up alongside the pilot athlete, Gordon

Benson who is going to help the brothers come home with medals. All

three are primed and ready to win the race. 1500 metres in the salty

water. A single lap. Often in the World Triathlon Series which starts

in March they will swim two laps. But this is once out and back and

then they will run up the blue carpet covering the sand into

transition to pick up their bike. 40 kilometres of cycling will follow,

consisting of eight laps of 4.8 kilometres each and each of those

laps will contain that brutal climb to the West, up from Copacabana

Beach and into the hills alongside the municipal park. It is the leafy

area of this part of the City. After 40 kilometres in the hot weather on

two wheels they will park their bikes in the transition area and put

on their running shoes and go for a 10,000 metre run. It requires a

little bit of Phelps, a bit of Kenny and quite a lot of Mo Farah to find

the best triathletes in the world. That's Henry Goodman of South

Africa, grew up in Durban, a big life-saving man, that's where he

learned how to swim. The Portuguese will get a lot of support, there are

no Brazilian men in the race, but Joe Pereira from Portugal is a man

they will all be watching. Thomas Springer of Austria to his left,

just back recently from three years out with a broken bone, but all eyes

on the brothers at the moment. Alistair on the left, a big smile

from the defending champion, wearing the orange swim cap, and also the

number on his arm. Race number 54 Alistair, race number six for

Jonathan. Gordon Benson has raced number four. A total of 55 men lined

up on the beach. It's the most spectacular Olympic triathlon

setting so far. They are being warned that we are just potentially

15 seconds away from the start. Alistair looks confident, puffing

out his chest. We will pan along the line, Fisher of Australia. The

Polyanskiy brothers, racing for Russia, the Russian triathlon

Federation allowed to compete. Gonzales of Mexico, there's Gordon

Benson, the pilot athlete for the brothers this afternoon. He went in

at tussle with Tom Bishop to be selected. His job is to stay with

Alistair and Jonny on the swim, and if they need it, to help them on the

bike, maybe to provide a slipstream for them on the bike and allow them

to drafting behind. Alarza, Hernandez of Spain, he came in

because Javier Gomez broke his arm training. Gomez was the

silver-medallist four years ago. Here is the man that everybody will

be watching aside from the brothers, Mario Mola. The 10,000 beta

specialist. He will be happy to see that the forecast of cool and

overcast didn't materialise. It's very much Rio weather, not Roundhay

Park weather that the brothers were hoping for. And the 2016 Olympic

men's triathlon here at Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro is about to get

under way. Final countdown. Red flags raised. Now they are

called forward, and they are away. What a spectacle. Extraordinary

scenes from the helicopter, as the Brownlee brothers hit the waves and

get to work. A butterfly from Alistair there. We will look out for

the fastest swimmers for this first stage, which include the South

African that we just saw, Henri Shoeman, but Richard Wagner who

trains a lot with the Brownlees with -- in Leeds could be one to watch.

Haec certainly could become a important for the Brownlee brothers

and they do train together. The fact they are familiar with one another

will help them on the swim. What has been interesting, Mola was at the

other end of the beach, far, far away from the Brownlee brothers as

we can see there is four distinct groups there with the Brownlee is on

the left-hand side. Alistair not getting the best of starts, a bit

slow going into the water. This is something the athletes are not used

to doing in the World Triathlon Series, so I would have imagined

they would have practised it very hard and it is the same for

everyone, but it will probably be easier for some of the guys who have

come down from Australia and places like that, that I used to doing

beach starts. The Games has come under a bit of criticism for a lack

of spectators at some of the venues but they have come out in force on

this stunning morning in Copacabana, tens of thousands of spectators

along the beach. It can cope with large numbers. They estimate 2

million party here at Copacabana on New Year's Eve every year. We may

not see such numbers out on the bike, but down at the beach where

the transition area is located, they have come out in force to watch this

spectacle unfold, three distinct groups as we look from a helicopter,

the Brownlee group is on the left. The Mola group is just in front of

that yellow kayak on the right of your screen. We will see how they

come together at the various turns, which are located off the beach.

Yes, the swim is a tough one. I think some of the guys out there,

the stronger swimmers, would liked -- would have liked more of a swell.

It's calmer than we have seen in previous days. It's different in the

sense the athletes are used to the two lap format coming out of the

water but here on the Copacabana the athletes are racing one lap, of 1500

metres, so they will not see where other athletes are mid-race. I had a

chance to chat with Brendan Purcell, the British team performance

director earlier in the week, and he told us about their training camp,

which was aside from the rest of the British athletes here, a couple of

hours outside of Sao Paulo. They had found this Brazilian air force base.

It was just my luck that it came their way, a friend of a friend of a

friend knew about this place, they made enquiries, were able to get

accommodation there, it had a good running track and a pool and they

were able to acclimatise with the heat, get plenty of swimming,

running and cycling done to keep themselves removed from the rest of

the Olympics, although they washed -- watched obsessively on the TV,

Alistair in particularly, he watched everything unfold. Jonny spent more

time on his Xbox. But they have been glued to what is happening with the

magnificent performance from the British team so far. Let's have

another look at the start. Vincent Luis, extreme left, he has been

largely absent from the World Triathlon Series this year, with

some emotional problems, but he is back, he is focused on the Olympics.

He could be one to watch. He was second in the Olympic test event

last year which was won by Javier Gomez, who is not here, a broken

arm. Luis was second in that race. It will be interesting to see how he

does. Out of the World Triathlon Series, but in for the big one, the

Olympics, and Richard Varga, who we mentioned as a potential front

runner in the water is as usual leading them through and is that one

of the Brownlees on his tail? It might be. Possibly the Russians, I

think it's a Russian athlete coming through, three of them racing here

in Rio. Expect to see them up at the front. Richard Varga leading the

way, I'm hoping the Brownlee brothers are somewhere in the

middle. I think Alistair had a tricky start. A wave came in just as

the gun went and some of them caught it, some of them didn't. There's a

scramble going on and someone has been docked and held under! This is

an issue on the world triathlon series, sometimes safety can be

ignored. I'm not sure if they have any authority to sanction any of the

athletes, but there was some -- something really nasty going on at

that first turn. Let's hope it didn't involve any of the British

trio, the Brownlee brothers and Benson. Richard Varga was well

removed from it, he's the Pathfinder on the swim. You hope you don't get

caught up around those buoys. I would not call it unsportsmanlike

behaviour because it is very difficult, but some guys are more

brutal than others. Richard Varga trains with Alistair and Jonny, part

of the Leeds centre of triathlon excellence full stop he has a

cracking Yorkshire accent, Richard Varga, A comedy turned. He leads the

Arrowhead which has now formed, the three groups have come together.

They are approaching the next yellow buoys, where they will make not a

sudden turn, one of them clips it with his left arm and then they head

off to their left. So now they are heading north, in front of the beach

at Copacabana which is in the background. A bit of a swell there,

but nothing to note. The athletes are all sticking quite closely

together at the moment. Certainly no significant breaks, we are only six

minutes into the race. We will expect them to come out of the water

at about 17.5 - 18 minutes. Last year we saw Javier Gomez, who won

the race, in 18 minutes. He is not here today. It's slower because of

the conditions, slightly tougher than swimming in a lake or a river

style swim. Javier Gomez's winning time a year ago, one .48 .26, pretty

quick when you take into consideration the tough climbs they

have to deal with. The field is well spread now, up to 30 seconds between

first and last, coming round that yellow turning buoy. The camera boat

is nowhere near the athletes at this stage, hence we are able to pick out

Richard Varga, but nobody else at the moment. Hopefully, when they

emerge from the water in about ten minutes from now, we will get a full

list of who is where and when after stage one. The 1500 metres swim will

be followed by a 40 kilometre cycle, eight laps, eight big climbs, and

it's the Slovakian Richard Varga, with Igor Polyanskiy, his brother

Dmitriy in the race field at the moment, they are first and second at

the moment, that is the only news we have from the front of the field.

Hopefully more will follow. I might have expected to see more of a

break. It's an interesting course because fighting is vital, it's 1500

metres, not two laps, so you have to be looking where you are going, --

sighting. It crosses back over itself, an interesting triangle,

trickier than some of the other swims we see. Richard Varga, Igor

Polyanskiy, and further back down the field, 46 is Alessandro Fabian

of Italy. Richard Varga will often come out of the water first. He

likes, even if he is overtaken, Varga likes to be the first man out

of the water. He can ride with the rest of them for 40 Ks. When it

comes to the 10,000-metre run to conclude this triathlon, Varga will

usually go backwards and end up finishing if he is lucky in about

15. A top ten would be a good result for Richard Varga today, as he makes

the next turn after eight minutes and about 35 seconds, and the rest

of them following. The field is well spread now. We will hopefully avoid

any further ducking and diving at the turn, although one or two are

getting closer, a little too close for comfort, at that next turn.

That's the scene, looking back towards Copacabana with the loop --

the lagoon behind and the endless high-rise apartment buildings, which

lit is part of the city. When you see it from up that aerial view, it

certainly looks a long way, but the athletes now well over half way into

the swim. Richard Varga did race in London and finished 22nd there. I

would not be surprised to see him going a bit better today. I think

his training in Leeds with the Brownlee brothers has helped his run

no end but at the moment certainly showing the rest of the field away

on the swim. I am hopeful that one of the Brownlee brothers might be in

third at the moment. I caught sight of something resembling, no, I think

maybe force, maybe fourth and about six. I think that is Varga,

Polyanskiy, Fabian, one of the brothers alongside one of the South

Africans, we assume Henri Shoeman because he's a quick swim, than the

other Brownlee between one of the Aussies and potentially one of the

French, my judgment from the camera looking down from on high, but we

will get a full list of their swimming achievements once they exit

the water. The no sighting yet of the red and yellow of the Spaniards.

They will be somewhere in the mix, Fernando Alarza, is strong, strong

swimmer. Moeller interestingly was not known for his swim but over the

last 12 months he has it certainly improved that swim -- Mario Mola. We

have seen him improving in the swims. The Beach Volleyball Arena

venue at the opposite end of Copacabana Beach, it's become a

focal point for these Olympics, not the safest -- safest place to be

between 6pm and 6am, but during the day endless not just the Olympic

Beach Volleyball Arena but endless beach wallet or courts lined the

sand. Beach football being played everywhere look. Very much the

tourist centre of Rio de Janeiro. Richard Varga continues to lead them

through. 11 minutes now, in what will be we expect about a one minute

and 52nd full distance, full Olympic distance -- one minute and 52nd full

distance, full Olympic distance -- 1.50 full Olympic distance triathlon

today. We think Alistair Brownlee is in about fourth, Jonathan Brownlee

in about six at this stage, although it could be that Gordon Benson has

forced his way to the front. We knew it was the British colours, the

British suit there, perhaps Gordon Benson is having the swim of his

life and maybe he is up there, doubly determined to emerge from the

waters of Copacabana onto the beach near the front of the field. The

Gordon Benson did start right at the other end of the beach, but we saw

the athletes all basically coming together into one big group. It

would be great to see Gordon Benson up there, Brendan Purcell the

performance director said he has worked incredibly hard on his swim

and his bike and it's important he is appearing the swim because if he

is to be of any use to the Brownlee brothers he needs to be up there in

the front of the swim. Alessandro Fabian, the Italian holding third

position at this stage. A huge part of the beach has been

cut off to allow the race to proceed unhindered. When the swim is done,

that part of the beat will be opened up and the fans can watch the bike

and the run unfold from the comfort of the sand -- of the beach. Making

their last turn towards home. Five minutes away from exiting the water

and completing Stage 1 of the 2016 Olympic men's triathlon. Looking at

the pictures, not really picking out any of the Spaniards. No big breaks.

The athletes are very separated in the water. We can see that Varga is

pushing the pace, when they are stretched out like that, you know

that the race is on at the front. All eyes will be on the performance

of Mola. We know about his running ability but he needs to be somewhere

near the front of the field to give himself a serious chance of

potentially going toe to toe with Alistair Brownlee over the 10,000

metre conclusion to the triathlon. The only three people we are sure

of, Varga, Polyanskiy and Fabian, the Slovakian, Russian and Italian.

Just before Polyanskiy, perhaps finding it hard to stay on his feet.

Richard Varga, I sense he has picked up the pace as they move into the

last couple of hundred metres of the 1500 metres swim. I think we can

safely say that is two British athletes at the front alongside

Henri Schoeman. Richard Murray, the other South African athlete, not

known for his swimming strength but he is very strong on the bike and he

can be a danger. I would say that his Henri Schoeman alongside the

Brownlee brothers. We think it is at least one of the Brownlee brothers,

possibly Gordon Benson as well but all will be revealed as the first

stage reaches its conclusion. Spectacular backdrop that Rio de

Janeiro is providing, the first day of two for the triathlon, the

women's race is on Saturday morning and the forecast is similar, hot and

sunny. The British trio of Non Stanford, Helen Jenkins and Vicky

Holland are spreading themselves around. Non Stanford has been with

the British men at the Air Force Base. Vicky Holland has been in

Leeds and Helen Jenkins has been in Portugal. Coming from three

different directions. I think they will be at the Olympic village by

now, at least at the British Olympic Association accommodation at

Copacabana where the men have been staying, avoiding going into the

village but post race they will be going there. The women's race starts

at 11 on Saturday. Varga, as he usually does on the season long

World Triathlon Series has dominated the swim, joined by a Polyanskiy and

Fabian. One of the brothers is in fourth place, we assume the other

isn't too far away. Confirmation that the two Brownlee brothers are

in the top ten, Jonathan is in fourth and Alistair is in sixth

place. The first part of this Olympic triathlon is going well for

them but there is a lot still to come. Right on the finish line, I

can see over my monitor and I can see the white line. Alistair

Brownlee's bike is parked behind the finishing line on the other side of

the barrier. We saw him going through a full transition rehearsal

before he arrived at his bike, visualising it in his mind, what he

was going to do on his arrival at the blue carpeted area that you can

see from that shot, where the bikes are parked. The bikes are placed in

their stand, the bike comets are held on by thin bits of cotton

attached to the handlebars. The shoes are already attached to the

puddles, there is no wet suit to remove today with the water

temperature at 21 degrees. They must get rid of their swim caps and

bubbles. Put them in the plastic boxes. The officials are quite tight

on these rules and will be punishing anybody who doesn't put their

equipment correctly in the box after the run and after the swim and after

the cycling. The swim is almost done, Richard Varga has led from the

start. He has set a cracking pace. As we expected, at around 17 minutes

when they come, surfing through the final strokes of the swim with feet

on the sand and then running up the stretch of Copacabana Beach before

they find the blue carpet. Varga coming out of the water, Polyanskiy

hot on his heels, swim cap and bubbles on. Fabian follows. Varga,

Polyanskiy, the transponders are working now, then Fabian, then a gap

of six seconds to Alistair, Jonny next alongside the other

Polyanskiy, no sign of Gordon Benson yet. He will hope to be within 20

seconds or so of the brothers. The first men into the transition have

found their bikes and are moving onto the next stage, Alistair

Brownlee getting his hat on, Jonny beating him out of the transition.

Marriott Mola we have heard, 19 seconds off the pace. A string of

triathletes heading out with their bikes. Moeller is just going past us

in transition, he was sprinting out, desperate to hold on. Gordon Benson

is through -- Mola. Early mechanical problem here, Dorian can't get his

foot out of the pedal. He has lost 15, 20 seconds with a foot issue on

his bike pedal. Gordon Brown as well... Sorry, Gordon Benson

exiting, 52 seconds down. Marriott Mola will be in the front pack. --

Mariel Mola. I don't know what happened in that transition back

there and smack Richard Murray who is a really good

runner and was highly fancied in the South African contingent, back with

Gordon Benson, so he has a lot to do. The first lap of the bike, they

will make the circuit eight times and there is a tough climb coming

their way. This reminds me of Hyde Park and the outskirts, Buckingham

Palace four years ago, a lot of eager sports fans watching today's

multidiscipline race unfold. What is really vital over the first few

calamitous on the bike, if they have any chance of getting a gap over

Mario Mola, who looked a bit off the pace, they must work incredibly

hard. Jonny Brownlee, great to see him leading the Olympic triathlon.

The Brownlees are right up there. Now following the motorcycle with

the camera behind. You can see that the guys are working hard to

negotiate this first climb. Jonathan Brownlee is joined by his older

brother, Alistair. This is their bread and butter, they ride the

hills of West Yorkshire every day, they love a nice climb. The world

triathlon series races, with steep bike sense and descends, suiting

them publicly and they were delighted to see when the course was

announced. Normally these courses are flat, they like it when it is

going up and down. The descent is particularly worrying. It is fairly

brutal, I had my heart in my mouth. But these guys will have practised

it. Technically it is important that you are good so you can handle the

descent well. Let's keep our fingers crossed for all of the athletes.

Richard Varga is the fastest man. Henri Schoeman, not as quick as he

would normally expect to be, in 15th place. Dorian Coninx had that

problem in the transition. Richard Murray, a long way off, nearly a

minute behind. He is a great runner but he has lost in -- left himself a

lot to do. Mario Mola was about 30 seconds off the pace. Some of the

athletes are struggling to hang on after that first climb. They will

have to do it eight times. They don't come much more tough than this

on the World Triathlon Series. Starting well for the Brownlee

brothers, solid swimming, keeping close to Richard Varga, their

training partner and now they are shoulder to shoulder, leading the

triathlon with the Italian, Fabian, not far behind. We have a front

group of about a dozen. A bit of an injection of pace at the front from

Alistair. Now he barks instructions to Jonathan. A group of ten and the

front and another one attempting to join them, a couple attempting to

join them. Typically Alistair will be the boss in this situation,

shouting instructions and being very vocal. Half the time his brother

Jonathan wishes he would shut up but he won't, he will keep the vocal

encouragement to Jonathan and the rest of the field. They know that

they need to get away from the rest of them. They need to open a decent

gap over the good runners who aren't in the front group. Therefore they

will give themselves half a chance heading into the 10,000 metre run

which will bring the race to a conclusion. It is so crucial in the

early stages of the race that they work really hard and that's where

the slight frustration may come from some athletes, especially the

Brownlees, they've got to work hard because this is where most of the

time can be gained. They are not going to cruise, they are going to

work hard but on this course it is crucial to be in a tight, small and

effective pack. Salvisberg taking it up for Switzerland. Looking back at

the event in Leeds, Royle was in third position, his best finish in

the Series. Official timings for Mario Mola, 19 seconds down. Another

of the Spanish trio, 40 seconds back, Gordon Benson, 51 seconds

back. What's interesting about the Olympics, some athletes will handle

the pressure better. That is strange swimming by him. Maybe the nerves

have got the better of him. The first lap of eight. Crossing the

finishing line just in front of our commentary position. We will keep

watching the time difference between the leading group of ten, including

Salvisberg, on the right-hand side. 18 seconds ahead of the Polyanskiy

group which also includes Kristian Blummenfelt, the Norwegian, a man to

watch. Mario Mola is in that group. In fact he is further back, he is

now 24 seconds behind. We can see the -- expect to see them lapping in

about 20 minutes. Gomez had the fastest split here in 2015. Bearing

in mind it is so tough and technical, it wasn't a bad time. I

would expect a similar time here today. Every stage of the track is

packed with spectators. They are leaning over their balconies from

the high-rise apartment blocks, getting a good view of lap two of

this race. The second stage of the Olympic triathlon, back to the

streets of Copacabana and about to make the client for a second time

with the Brownlee brothers forcing the pace at the front, Alistair's

turn to take it up, Jonny is behind. Time to get to work. Up and away

from Copacabana Beach. This is where the athletes really need to keep the

pace up but slightly settle down. The first lap is very frantic but

the athletes should be comfortable about where they are going and how

to handle the corners. Having a look at Mario Mola, this must be the

chase pack. Yes, about 15 with Mario Mola trying to encourage some pace

from that group. They are going to have to move it up because the

Brownlees are once again climbing and they might end up dropping one

or two of this group if they keep it up like this. Into some welcome

shade and then the bright and shine. The temperature at the start of the

race was 28 degrees, rising all the time. Midwinter in Rio but we expect

temperatures in the early 30s by the middle of the afternoon.

It's difficult to appreciate just how tough the climb is. When I

walked up it, I was out of breath. To imagine they have to tackle it

eight times is amazing. That is the bend where Ryan Bailie lost it and

rode into the clouds last year, they put questions are so hopefully if

there are any crashes it will be a soft landing -- he rode into the

crowds. Down they come, the second time of eight they will complete

that up and down stage and now they are back on the flat, heading back

towards transition. Jonathan Brownlee, the Olympic

bronze-medallist, in 2012, in amongst unforgettable scenes when

they swam in the waters of the Serpentine, hugely different to the

conditions they have dealt with in the waterborne stage of this

triathlon today. This is the chase group, that's the lead group, I beg

your pardon, Vincent Luis has made his way to join the brothers at the

front, Vincent Luis could be a man to watch. Second in the Olympic test

event on this very course about a year ago. Vincent Luis has stayed

away from the majority of the World Triathlon Series for 2016, choosing

to focus his attention purely on today's race, and so far he has got

his job done. He wasn't the quickest man in the water, but he has closed

the gap and now rides with the Brownlee brothers. He's a bit of an

unknown quantity this year. He came second last year, so of course we

know he writes very well on this course, but this year as yet we

haven't seen him race in the World Triathlon Series. He did take the

gold medal what the Europeans were print championships a few weeks ago

and while that is commendable I don't think you can compare it with

the Olympic race. Over the Olympic distance we haven't seen him race

this year, obviously going so well so far but it will be interesting to

see how he fares over the ten kilometres. The pace is now taken up

by Martin Van Riel from Belgium, number 15. Making his fair share of

-- taking his fair share of the workload. But only the Brownlees

have moved up to the front on the hill. On the flat, they are content

to share it out but the Brownlees are forcing it when it is uphill.

Lots of Kanute supporters in and around the transition area when I

arrived at the race this morning, confident that he could do well. The

best American chance for a medal comes on Saturday of course, with

Gwen Jorgensen the dominant triathletes in the women's ranks and

she will go in as favourite on Saturday at 11am, when the British

trio of Holland, Stanford and Jenkins do battle with the Americans

and the rest of the field. Alistair Brownlee's turn out the front. He is

working hard in this blistering heat of midday in Rio de Janeiro. They

are four or five deep in places the fans here. About the most well

attended Olympic event I have seen so far, and that's very encouraging

for the sport of triathlon. This is a great little pack here, all the

athletes looked like they are prepared to work and every single

one of them in their own right has worked well on the bike during some

race in the World Triathlon Series. You mention Van Riel, he finished

13th here last year, only 23 years of age but a really strong biker and

want to look out for in the future. Approaching the end of the second

lap of eight. Vincent Luis at the back, able to just freewheel for a

moment as he reaches back to find some energy gel. Alistair Brownlee

on the left, number five, Jonathan Brownlee tucked in behind him,

number six. And now we are with Ben Kanute, this must be a camera

mounted on the bike of one of his opponents. They are coming into the

transition area. They will pass just in front of our commentary position

right now. The leading group of ten. At the end of the previous lap they

were 18 seconds clear of the second group. The clock has started running

and that margin has now been extended. It's a great advantage

that the first group of ten have opened up over the next group of

around 12-15 -- a greater advantage. They are still not on their way. I

can see them now to my left and they have lost a huge chunk of time. It

will be a massive advantage at the end of the second lap as this first

group of ten as the second group come through now. That is the Mario

Mola group. I just saw Mola lean over to one of his opponents and

bark some instructions and try and lift the pace of that group, because

they are long way off at the moment. Yes, they certainly are. Mola in

fairly decent company, no sighting of Richard Murray, his training

partner, they both raised incredibly well so far this season. We have

seen them coming through transition, Richard Murray there and Hernandez

and Alava way back on the front of that third pack but way down on this

group here, our front group, that is being led right now by Alistair

Brownlee and Jonathan Brownlee from Great Britain -- Fernando Alarza.

They are about to climb for the third time. The pace is unrelenting

so far. Dictated every step of the way by the brothers from Yorkshire.

41 seconds is the time between the leaders and the chasers. 18 seconds

at the end of the first lap. They have more than doubled their

advantage. That is an extraordinary second lap from the Brownlee group.

Well, it really is and the frustration Mola macro had -- the

frustration Mola had is no one seemed to be prepared to work.

Kristian Blummenfelt not showing the form he has shown previously when he

has finished on the podium in the World Triathlon Series, as they make

their way up the climb for the third time. They will be taking that laps

off, negotiating more times, the laps cocking down as they go up for

the third time. 34 minutes since the triathlon started, so far so good

for the British plan with the Brownlees up near the front. The

only slight blip from the British contingent is that Gordon Benson was

unable to stay with the brothers for the swim. He would be hoping to

begin this group and helping them share the workload at the front, but

he is miles back at the moment as they negotiate this tricky descent.

Gentle breaking from the Brownlee brothers at the front. Staying out

of trouble. Thank goodness it is dry, I think they were hoping for a

bit of rain and overcast conditions but as they come down on descent I

think they will be relieved it is actually drive. So Mario Mola, news

of him, he is potentially we thought the Brownlees' biggest rival today,

lost 17 seconds during that second lap. Mola is having a torrid time on

his bike this afternoon. He certainly is, going into this race

we thought he has been so strong, he has really improved on his swing and

his bike and I expected him, being a light athlete, to really enjoy this

course but it seems to me that he is finding it harder. Mola descending

quite cautiously down the hill, as he swings round on the right-hand

bend. I said this afternoon, but it still this morning, in 11:36am in

Rio, a relatively early start for this triathlon to avoid the worst of

the midday sun. That was the theory, anyway, and to get in line with the

European and American broadcast preferences as well. So far from the

BBC point of view it couldn't be going better. With Alistair Brownlee

and Jonathan Brownlee, the gold and bronze-medallists from 2012 in

London, in the front group. Ben Kanute of the United States of

America is right up there as well. Ben Kanute, the National US

champion, finished a little bit down here last year, but a nice story for

the is watching out there, he was the age group sprint champion in

champion in 2008 in the 16-19 age group, so a nice story to see that

an age-group athlete can come up and find himself in the Olympics eight

years later. Ben Kanute, 23 years old, from Tucson, Arizona, so he

won't mind the heat, not one little bit. A bit of chat between Kanute

and Alistair Brownlee. I hope the brothers have their factor 50 on

today as well, to try to protect themselves from the heat. I know

that the training camp led by Brendan Purcell and the rest of the

British team up at the Sao Paulo Air Force Base, every element was

covered in terms of keeping the athletes clear of Ellie -- any

illnesses. All the door handles were wiped every day, a lot of surfaces

were wiped every day with antibacterial and anti-viral

substances to keep them clear of any potential bugs that might get into

the system. They took their own nutritionist with them who cooked

for them every day, washing everything carefully, they took

absolutely no chances because at the test event here last year, Alistair

got sick, didn't he, coming out of the water, he wasn't himself and was

unable to perform at his best. So at the training camp they decided that

they would have a belt and bridges approach to keeping everybody

healthy. We can see the athletes effectively through an off method

where the athletes it's for a couple of seconds at the front and then the

athlete comes through, savvy and having a hard time coming in front

of Alistair, Alistair saying come and take your turn. -- Fabian Delph

Fabienne In-Albon the front, Kanute coming through, Van Riel from

Belgian coming through to take his turn. We are with the leaders, who

are approaching the end of their third lap, at the end of their first

lap they were 18 seconds in full. By lap two's completion it was 41.

Coming to the end of lap three, Alistair doing a lot of work, they

are on the blue carpet which means the clock. And we will get a check

on the time difference between this group of ten and the Mario Mola

group, which is large in number but so far ineffective in progress. 20

seconds already and it could be out towards a minute, who knows, and if

it's a minute I don't think there is any way that Mola can win it. Well,

he can't. We've seen him do amazing things from behind times but I think

against the Brownlee brothers he will have a very, very tough time

and indeed if he is over a minute behind and Aaron Royle who we saw in

the picture from Australia, a very strong athlete and run as well, so

he would be able -- he wouldn't be able to catch him. Mola will find it

difficult to get on the podium. I can see them coming, the chase

group, but they are probably another ten or 12 seconds from crossing the

finishing line, which means it will be well over a minute. It has gone

from 18 seconds at the end of lap one, 40 seconds at the end of lap

two, and the clock. Now, at the end of lap three, 63 seconds, a minute

and three, to the chase group. A huge margin. In favour of the

Brownlee brothers. And the rest of their lead group. Within that group,

they do have Vincent Luis, we know that Vincent Luis is a fine runner,

and he could give the Brownlees a run for their money over -- over

10,000 metres. He is the unknown quantity, having been absent from

the World Triathlon Series this summer. Very difficult to know

unless you have been on the training camp or spoken to the courage to

know what Luis has been and how he is staring over ten kilometres. It

is was known he has done well over the sprint distance previously and

he was second here last year, so he ran well over ten K but I think the

Brownlee brothers will be interesting to see what he has in

his legs at the end of his bike and how he will fare, having not seen

him race this year. Mario Mola is going backwards very quickly. He

lost another 23 seconds during that last bike lap. As they climb for the

fourth time. That's where you get a good picture of just out of this

climb is. I'm not sure of the gradient, but it's like trying to

climb a brick, it is short but it's very intense. It flattens out a

little here, then there's another rise before they make the top and

the fast descent back towards the beach.

Well, at this stage, the medals have to come from this group of ten and

you would suspect that the three men on the podium, if they avoid any

accidents and don't blow up in the heat on the run, will be the

Brownlee brothers and Vincent Luis. That would be an early prediction,

and it is still very early. Yes, let's not tempt fate! We have four

laps to go yet but certainly at the moment all these athletes need to do

in this front pack now is right strong and ride safe. They will be

getting some time references from the coaches out on the course.

Whether they will get a chance to hear at this speed. Our second and

third pack have joined together, impossible to work effectively in a

pack like this, on a course like this. And under climb like this,

Maloy on the right. The Chinese are slight, then the Russian group, one

of the Polyanskiy just ahead of him, Toth from Hungary, this is the tail

end of the chase group which is spread out almost from the bottom of

the climb to the top. Henri Shoeman is in the group as well and Richard

Murray is, in fact Henri Shoeman is with the leaders. Richard Murray

isn't the chase group and Gordon Benson, we have spotted Benson, he's

in the chase group. They are a minute and three seconds behind the

Brownlee group. At the moment this Olympic Games is

not going the way of Mario Mola and Richard Murray. Riding alongside the

lead group. The lead time, 63 seconds. Huge margin for the

Alistair Brownlee and Jonathan Brownlee group. Kanute is on the end

from Arizona. Taking some water on, important, you can see Alistair

throwing it over his head, it is important to keep cool. They must

think about the ten kilometre run coming up after this fairly brutal

bike course. Taking an gel and water is important. They will have some

kind of isotonic gel to make sure they are as fresh as they can be

going to the run. Getting towards halfway on the bike. Look at the

crowds, this is fantastic. So many out with the flags of the competing

nations held by the watchers here this afternoon. They are getting

towards halfway on the bikes. 20 kilometres down and 20 to go. The

opposite end of coca back on a beach at -- Copacabana Beach and Sugarloaf

Mountain in the background. You can see the cable car climbing up

Sugarloaf Mountain with the trams passing midway. Huge support for

this group of ten. They've been working together as a pack since

they came out of the water. Vincent Luis of France is at the front,

school and South Africa, the Brownlees, while Mac of Australia.

-- Royle. Fabian from Italy hanging onto the back I think he's having a