Laura Kenny has the best cure for those post-wedding blues –  but she insists there’ll be no room for complacency as she resets her sights on Tokyo. 392w5c

Kenny’s husband Jason has yet to commit to adding to his tally of six Olympic titles – and suring Sir Chris Hoy –  at the 2020 Olympics.

But his four-time gold medallist wife, who’ll be 28 at the next Games, is already back on the bike and plotting her journey on the long road to Japan.

“I want to go to Tokyo, I want to be there, but I’ve got to be re-selected first and I’m going to take it one year at a time,” said Kenny, who will be competing alongside fellow Olympic gold medallist Elinor Barker as well as Emily Kay.

“With the younger girls coming through now, it’s going to be tough to get selected because British cycling is so good.

“We’ve got the World Championships in Hong Kong but just because I’m world and Olympic champion doesn’t mean that I’m guaranteed a spot.

“It’s only a good thing that my place in the team isn’t set in stone, because it keeps you on your toes.

“Every training session that you go out and do means that you are focused on it, rather than thinking that you’re already selected. You can never take anything for granted.”

Kenny will race for the first time since her Rio 2016 double gold at the high-octane Revolution Cycling Champions League at Lee Valley VeloPark on 2 and 3 December – the London event is the conclusion of the 14^th season of the Revolution Series.

After a six-week break to get married, relax and promote her t autobiography, Kenny itted getting back on the bike was hard – but not as hard as ing to sign autographs with her new name.

“I’m getting used to being Mrs Kenny, though I signed an autograph Laura Trott the other day!” she added.

“After Rio I wanted to keep riding and before the wedding I was struggling to let cycling go. However, it was important for me to completely step away from it.

“Doing loads of things, like the book and the wedding, gave us a distraction, so it was actually really good for me.

“I’m into the flow of training and it feels like its pre-Rio again, so I can’t wait to race at the Revolution Series.

“I’m just going to go out there and enjoy it. I don’t feel like I’m going to be anywhere near the front of the race, but for me, it’s not about that, it’s about getting out there and showing my face.

“It’s so important to me that my first race is back on home soil and London is where this all started for me in 2012.

“I’ve always had people like Sir Brad [Wiggins] and Victoria [Pendleton] to look up to, and so for me, it’s about giving back to all those people who shouted at their TV screens this summer.”

But Kenny its the celebrity that comes with success and being half of Britain’s most successful sporting couple, who between them have won more Olympic medals than Ireland, comes at a cost.

“We don’t mind being in the spotlight and in the public eye when it comes to riding our bikes but when it comes to our personal lives, it’s ours and that is the way we want to keep it,” added Kenny, who will be part of the first season of the Elite Women’s Championship.

“It was so important for us to keep the wedding away from the spotlight. It was one special day for us, and we had been planning it for such a long time.

“We got engaged two-and-a-half years ago, and I knew exactly how I wanted it to run and Jase was the same.

“We wanted our family and friends to feel comfortable; we didn’t want them to feel like they couldn’t let their hair down because they were going to be in a magazine.

“It’s been a really busy few months for us, and I feel like I’m feeling the effects of that a little bit but I think the book really gave us a chance to look back on Rio and the stories we had.

“Rio was so long ago now, and yet people are still talking about it, but I don’t even know how to start explaining Rio.

“I can’t believe it happened, but then again, I said that after London to Jase. Before, you speak about it and we were talking about how we could both do the double before London, but then going into Rio, we were talking how we could both become the most successful male and female British Olympians.

“But you don’t want to believe it, because you don’t want anything bad to happen, but then when it does happen, you’re like ‘wow’.”

Tickets for Revolution Cycling Champions League are available to purchase from Sky Tickets with full ticket information on www.cyclingrevolution.com

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Having secured a silver medal at the recent Paralympic Games in Rio, wheelchair racer Toby Gold could be forgiven for already letting his mind drift to upgrading that to gold on home soil at next summer’s IPC World Championships. 1d6q3s

But the St Mary’s University graduate insists his first priority will be laying the foundations for those Championships with a solid’s winter of hard training.

The 22-year-old has had a 2016 to savour, winning European 100m T33 gold this summer as well as silver in the same event on the greatest stage of all at the Paralympic Games in Rio.

And while a few days rest inevitably followed, Gold knows he can’t afford to get complacent, particularly with the World Championships in London less than a year away.

Gold already has a world bronze to his name from Doha last year and adding to that tally is high on the agenda.

“Obviously London is in the background with the World Championships in 2017 and that’s going to be amazing,” said Gold, who trains in Richmond.

“But I would say in the lead up to that the main focus is to get a good winter’s training in ready for next season.

“Having just come back from Rio I would say that’s the next goal.

“Hopefully I can do really well and medal in London, you never know what’s going to happen but it’s great to have that opportunity and something to aim for.”

Gold was speaking at an event to celebrate the work of SportsAid, the national charity which helps the next generation of British sporting superstars, providing them with financial and recognition during the early stages of their careers.

At the recent Rio Olympic Games, SportsAid alumni won 46 of Team GB’s 67 medals, with 65% of the team having received from the charity.

SportsAid alumnus Gold was also among the Paralympic stars to medal and he itted the charity had been invaluable for helping him on his journey.

“SportsAid is integral to athletes’ success because it fills the gap between grassroots and the elite British UK Lottery funding, particularly in my sport,” he added.

“It funds up and coming athletes who without SportsAid’s wouldn’t be able to afford things like equipment, warm weather training, international competitions.

“They allow up and coming athletes to make the jump between where they are and senior sport.

“SportsAid week is incredible, it’s a great thing to be a part of. It’s a chance to give something back but also be a part of other athletes’ journeys. It’s about building the charity’s journey and making sure people are aware of the athletes being ed.”

You can make a real difference to the next generation of British athletes heading for Tokyo 2020 and beyond by getting involved in SportsAid Week. Please visit http://www.sportsaid.org.uk/sportsaidweek/ to find out more.

Featured image courtesy of Paralympics GB via YouTube, with thanks

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Mitcham’s Corinne Hall piloted Lora Turnham to gold in the Rio velodrome yesterday as south west London athletes won their first medals of the Paralympic Games. 623b1i

Hall and Turnham impressively won the tandem pursuit B final by nearly three seconds from silver medalists New Zealand, clocking three minutes, 28.050 seconds.

Hall, from Mitcham, dedicated the gold to her father who died two years ago, and will team up with Turnham again in the time trail on Wednesday and road race on Saturday.

PARALYMPIC CHAMPIONS! Thank you @loraturnham for letting me share this moment with you! #wedidit pic.twitter.com/IUNYLiDeEl

— Corrine Hall (@Corrinehall) September 11, 2016

There was also a silver medal for Toby Gold in the T33 100m on Saturday.

The Kingston AC and Polytechnic Harriers wheelchair athlete, who trains in Richmond, clocked 17.84 seconds on his Paralympic debut to claim the medal.

He said: “Seeing my family on the victory lap was pretty special.

“Everything has come together perfectly, I’m really happy with how I executed that race, to do it at my first Paralympics is really special.”

Richmond’s Abbie Hunnisett just missed out on the medals in the F32 club throw as she finished fourth, Mickey Bushell came seventh in the T53 100m final, Mo Jomni eighth in the T53 400m final and Aaron McKibbin lost in the quarter-finals of the table tennis class 8 event.

Hammersmith’s Andy Lapthorne plays David Wagner in the wheelchair tennis quad singles semi-finals today after beating Alberto Corradi 6-2 6-3 in the first round and Heath Davidson 6-1 6-2 in the quarter-finals.

He and partner Jamie Burdekin lost in the semi-finals of the quad doubles though, 6-1 6-2 to Davidson and his partner Dylan Alcott.

Lapthorne and Burdekin will play Israeli pair Itai Erenlib and Shraga Weinberg for bronze.

Wallington’s David Weir goes for his first gold of the Paralympics at 2.16pm today in the T54 400m final having qualified third fastest from the heats.

He will have extra reason to celebrate if he claims a seventh Paralympic gold, after his fourth child Lenny was born over the weekend.

Welcome to the world Lenny Weir sorry I wasn’t there to see you born love you with all heart

— David Weir CBE (@davidweir2012) September 11, 2016

Feature image courtesy of Channel 4, via Youtube, with thanks

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We recently caught up with Nissan ambassador David Weir CBE to find out how the wheelchair athlete is faring with the Paralympic Games in Rio just around the corner. 3t442z

“Rio 2016 will be my fifth Paralympic Games, but I still get really excited every time, I get that same buzz every time I pull on a ParalympicsGB vest.

That’s no different from 20 years ago when I first represented ParalympicsGB in Atlanta, I just want to go out there and perform at my best ability, and try to win medals for my country.

Since I first competed at the Games, wheelchair racing has changed a lot. The technology has improved a lot and people are getting faster and faster, we can hit crazy speeds on the track.

A lot of nations are now competing professionally with world-class athletes, so the sport really has moved forward very quickly in just 20 years.

London 2012 was so good that I think it destroyed every other Paralympic Games in the past. I think a lot of people came along to see disability sport, but then when they came along, they realised they were watching fantastic sport that totally blew them away.

It was a massive event for this country and I think it changed people’s minds on how hard we train and how much we want to be the very best in our sport.

We are the same as Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill, and everyone else, we train at the same level and I think people realise that now, thanks to London 2012.

I can’t wait to get out to Rio, I just want to get started now. After seeing Team GB do so well at the Olympic Games, I just want to get out there and compete on that world stage again.

Watching all the phenomenal success at the Olympics has really whet my appetite. I just went crazy – every time I came home from training, I was watching all the repeats and watching them all do so well, it just blew me away. Now it’s our turn.

I’m feeling really good in myself, all the signs show that I’m in good shape, but while I have improved since 2012, so has the rest of the world.

I’ve got to make sure I can deliver on the day. I definitely feel ready for it, but in our sport, it all depends on being in the right position and being the first over the line, but I’m ready for the challenge.

I felt a lot of pressure going into London 2012 as I was one of the faces of the Games, but I don’t feel that this time because the whole athletics team has been doing so well.

Now, it’s not all down to me to hit the medal targets as it maybe was four years ago, but of course, I’m going to try and win as many medals as I can, that’s what I train for.”

Nissan Ancaster are proud to David Weir on his road to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. To find out more about Nissan’s partnership with ParalympicsGB, visit nissan.co.uk/uniteandexcite

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Driven on by watching her club mates create Olympic hockey history for Great Britain in Rio, Richmond’s Holly Munro its she is more determined than ever to in the fun next time around. 6sf24

Last month, Great Britain women etched their name into the record books as they won a tense shootout against the Netherlands to clinch a first ever Olympic women’s hockey title.

For Munro, watching on eagerly back home, it was proof that hard work pays dividends having seen firsthand the dedication of the likes of Hollie Webb, Giselle Ansley and Georgie Twigg.

All three are on the centralized national training programmes at Bisham Abbey although they ply their club trade at Surbiton Hockey Club in the women’s Premier Division.

And Munro – who also turned out for the same team, but is now switching her attentions to making the grade with the University of Birmingham where she is shortly about to begin a degree in psychology – is keen to make the step up to senior international level herself and help Great Britain defend their gold at Tokyo 2020.

“It was fantastic to watch the girls win gold, I watched it with my family and my mum was cycling,” said Munro, who benefits from being a part of the SSE Next Generation Programme.

“It’s going to be great to raise the profile of hockey in this country. I played with Hollie Webb – who scored the winning penalty – and Giselle Ansley and Georgie Twigg last season.

“Watching them go on to win gold is so inspirational and makes me more determined to want to get to that level.

“I think Tokyo is a realistic target for me, we’ll see how this first year at university goes as it’s going to be a balancing act between my new studies and playing hockey.

“But it’s something on the horizon I can aim for.

“I think it’s just about gaining experience, which being on the centralized programme helps with. You can also work on your fitness and stamina more and improve all round.”

Munro’s immediate focus however will be on first settling in at university as well as trying to earn a place on the team for the Women’s Junior World Cup in Chile which starts in late November.

“We’ve got a training session coming up in a couple of weeks where there will be really stiff competition,” added Munro, who was speaking after attending an SSE Roadshow in Reading.

“If that goes well then hopefully I’ll be in contention for the Junior World Cup which is very exciting.

“I’m pleased with how things are going for me at the minute. I actually started playing football but my mum was a hockey player and I gave it a try.

“I know it sounds funny but I just loved it straight away, I played for Richmond first and then Surbiton and it’s gone from there really.”

SSE’s Next Generation programme partners with SportsAid to provide financial and training to the sports stars of the future. Keep up to date with the latest @SSENextGen

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Already a double Paralympic champion, Natasha Baker claims the pride in representing your nation on the biggest stage is not diminished by former glories. 6fn3h

Baker, 26, won individual and freestyle dressage gold at London 2012 atop Cabral and she will return to the Paralympic Games arena next month to try and emulate her achievements of four years ago, on the same mount.

Having won double silver at last year’s European Championships Baker comes into the Games confident of success, and safe in the knowledge that her horse has done it all before.

“It’s such a massive honour to be representing my country against at my second Paralympic games and to be on the same horse is really special for me,” said the Uxbridge resident.

“If he was a school boy he would be the one that hands his homework early, he’s a bit of a goody two-shoes but he’s the most genuine person in the world.

“He’s the sweetest and he just wants to try his best with everything he does which is fantastic for me and it’s a pleasure to ride him and he loves winning.

“He struts around the yard like ‘I’m a gold medallist, I’m the best, everybody look at me’.

“He’s a little bit of a diva but that can play into my hands because I can go into an arena and know he’s going to be like ‘wow, everyone check me out’ and to the judges ‘yes you can give me a ten’.”

Baker, who has severe nerve damage in her legs after contracting transverse myelitis at just 14 months old, is being sent to Rio by the British Paralympic Association, which is a ed charity responsible for funding, selecting and managing the ParalympicsGB team.

Rio is expected to be the most competitive Paralympic Games ever but Baker is confident she is equipped to deal with the pressure.

“I love pressure, I think I do well under pressure so that’s a definite advantage for me,” she added.

“I have a bit of rivalry with a Dutch rider, she’s current World and European champion so I think it will be between us two but you never know with horses, something could spook them, literally anything can happen but it’s definitely expectation and I’m going in double Paralympic gold medallist and I want to retain that crown.

“I will be, for quite a lot of people, the one to beat. I like that that’s always what I’ve dreamt of, you have to take that pressure on board.”

Rio will present a greater challenge than a home games for ParalympicsGB’s equestrian team with the prospect of horse having to fly to the competition, but Baker is confident Cabral will cope.

“Luckily he’s flown before – only two of the five that have been selected have flown,” she said.

“They’ll leave here, they’ll group together in one place, they go out to Belgium they’ll fly with all the other European horses out to Rio, they’ll get off the plane then it’s only an hour.

“They’ll have a day resting then it’ll be straight into work.”

You can help #Supercharge ParalympicsGB to Rio 2016 and beyond. Show your for the team and find out more at www.paralympics.org.uk/supercharge 

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Mo Farah’s unprecedented ‘double double’ on the track led the south west London success stories at the Rio Olympics. i6a54

There were 54 athletes from our area competing across 14 sports in Rio – and between them they won eight gold medals, three silvers and  two bronzes.

That would be enough to put south west London 13^th in the medal table, above hosts Brazil.

Farah, who grew up in Teddington, triumphed in both the 10,000m and 5,000m events for the second consecutive Games.

Britain’s most successful track and field athlete won’t be going for the triple double in Tokyo in four years’ time though after saying he will end his track career after the World Championships in London next year to focus on the marathon.

Farah’s two golds were the only medals won by south west Londoners on the track.

Jo Pavey, 42, was in a 10,000m final that saw Ethiopian Almaz Ayana smash the world record, while Charlie Grice was in the final of the 1,500m.

Sprinters James Ellington and James Dasaolu failed to reach the 100m final while Croydon’s Martyn Rooney went out in the heats of the 400m and then saw GB harshly disqualified in the semi-finals of the 400m relay.

Golf’s inclusion in the Games sparked controversy among the world’s leading players but Justin Rose’s stunning victory and fervent celebrations cemented its inclusion in future Olympiads.

The Putney resident beat his Ryder cup team mate, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, on the final hole to claim victory.

Three of Surbiton’s hockey players were part of the victorious women’s hockey team.

Giselle Ansley, Georgie Twigg and Hollie Webb all played a part in winning a thrilling gold, decided dramatically on penalties in the final against the Netherlands, with Webb sealing the win.

Sutton’s Joanna Rowsell-Shand won gold as a member of the record-breaking women’s team pursuit squad.

She triumphed in the velodrome in a British cycling squad where every member of the team won a medal.

Epsom’s Chris Langridge and his partner Marcus Ellis won a surprise bronze in the men’s doubles bton competition, defeated by the eventual winners at the semi-final stage.

Four of south west London’s rugby sevens players earned themselves a silver medal in the sport’s first outing at the Olympics, and they were coached by another south west Londoner, Simor Amor.

The sport was well-received with champions Fiji winning their first ever Olympic medal.

Team GB’s traditional strengths lie in boxing, rowing and cycling and our Londoners did not fail to deliver.

Joe Joyce and Josh Buatsi earned silver and bronze respectively in the boxing competition whilst four rowers from our area produced performances worthy of standing atop the podium.

Moe Sbihi and George Nash triumphed in the men’s coxless four and Andrew Triggs-Hodge with coxswain Phelan Hill in the men’s eight.

Jessica Eadie and Karen Bennett were part of the women’s eight team who claimed silver.

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray became the most decorated male tennis player in Olympic history and the first man to successfully defend a singles title.

Murray’s Olympic defence followed his second victory at the All England Club in July.

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There was to be no golden goodbye to these most storied of Olympic Games, when mining medals seemed, at times, almost ridiculously easy. 6a181k

Super heavyweight Joe Joyce is nicknamed the Steam Train but he settled for boxing silver as the gold rush finally ran out of puff on the final day of competitions in Rio.

Joyce was looking to emulate his former team-mate Anthony Joshua, the London 2012 champion who was watching at ringside.

But he was beaten on a split decision by French rival Tony Yoka, who took an early lead in the scoring and left Joyce chasing the fight.

Elsewhere, Callum Hawkins recorded a top ten finish in the men’s marathon, coming home ninth in 2:11:52, the best British performance in the event since Jon Brown’s fourth in Athens 12 years ago.

And Grant Ferguson, the last British athlete to arrive in Brazil, ranked 17th in the men’s mountain biking.

In winning 67 medals, Team GB has won more podium places than ever before at a Games on foreign soil and becomes the first nation to win more medals in the Games immediately after hosting, with 65 won four years ago at London 2012.

By finishing second on the medal table with 27 gold, 23 silver and 17 bronze, Team GB has recorded its best finish in 108 years after topping the list at London 1908. And it’s also improved its medal performance for five straight Olympics, an unprecedented statistic.

“For a country the size of Britain to finish second to the USA in the medals table – our highest ever position – and above China was, he added, ‘nothing short of extraordinary. We are now a powerhouse of world sport,” said chef de mission Mark England.

“I have no doubt this is our greatest ever Games. The collective team effort has been outstanding – we have had so many firsts, so many greatest ever performances.

“It is better than it has ever been before and it is more successful than it has ever been before. It has been a more challenging environment than it has ever been before.

“It is unprecedented and extraordinary. We have been excited to watch athletes compete and we have been thrilled with the outcome.”

Kate Richardson-Walsh, the captain of the gold medal winning women’s hockey team, was selected to be Team GB’s closing ceremony flag bearer for a spectacular and emotionally charged farewell at the Maracana.

The 36-year-old first made her Olympic debut at Sydney 2000 before going on to compete at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, helping the team win bronze four years ago.

“I’m very aware of the magnitude of this honour having been part of this magnificent team who have just excelled in so many ways and in so many sports,” she said.

“There are so many fantastic multi-Olympians and multi-medallists here I feel it’s such a huge honour for me and for hockey as a sport.

“I’ve had such a fantastic Games. If you could write a movie script with a fairy tale ending then this would be it. However much you talk about working hard and believing that your dreams will come true, when it actually happens you still have to pinch yourself. It’s just been an amazing few weeks here.”

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Team GB are already guaranteed at least one medal on the final day of competition at Rio 2016 when Joe Joyce goes in the super-heavyweight boxing final. 2e1k3s

Four years ago Anthony Joshua claimed gold in the same category at London 2012, and with the 26-year-old watching on in Rio, Joyce is just one win away from repeating that feat.

Joyce beat second seed Ivan Dychko from Kazakhstan by unanimous decision to guarantee himself at least a silver.

But the 30-year-old will be hoping for so much more as he takes on top seed Tony Yoka from in the gold-medal match.

Yoka is no slouch, having won bronze and gold at last year’s European Games and World Championships respectively.

But Joyce won European Games gold and World bronze himself and will be keen to add the Olympic title to his already impressive CV.

The men’s mountain bike race has British interest on Sunday as well with Grant Ferguson making his Olympics debut .

It has been another Games to for Team GB’s cyclists, particularly in the velodrome where 11 medals were won, including six golds.

And as Ferguson bids to win a two-wheeled gold out in the open air, he arrives in confidence following a stellar 2015.

Last year saw Ferguson win silver at the Under-23 European Mountain Bike Cross Country Championships before taking his first ever win at the World Cup in Italy, and he will be hoping for more of the same in Rio.

And on the road the marathon takes place with brothers Callum and Derek Hawkins hoping to emulate Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee’s historic achievement as siblings.

The Brownlee brothers won gold and silver in the men’s triathlon, and now it is the turn of the Hawkins.

Callum, 23, finished an impressive eighth at this year’s London Marathon, while his older brother Derek was the third Brit home with Tsegai Tewedle splitting the duo in 12th.

Running just over 26 miles in what is likely to be sweltering Rio weather is far from easy, but Tewelde has faced adversity before.

His Olympic bow will mark a sensational journey for Tewelde, 18 years previously was filled with shrapnel following a bomb explosion that killed his friend.

Tewedle fled war-torn Eritrea and sought asylum in Glasgow after the 2008 World Cross Country Championships.

And baring the scars of his previous life Tewelde will make his Olympic Games debut on the final day of Rio 2016.

The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will then conclude with a glittering closing ceremony at the Maracana in the evening.

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The Rio 2016 Olympics might be winding down but Team GB showed they are not taking their foot off the pedal as they were able to celebrate their most successful away Games ever following the conclusion of the penultimate day of action. 665s5f

It all kicked off early in the morning as Liam Heath, having already won K2 200m silver alongside Jon Schofield at these Games, went one better in the individual equivalent.

Having powered through his heat and semi-final 24 hours earlier the 32-year-old was back out in the Lagoa Stadium for the final, taking gold in 35.197 seconds.

The men’s K1 200m was only added to the Olympic schedule four years ago, with Team GB’s Ed McKeever claiming the first title at London 2012.

And having ensured Team GB kept hold of the crown Heath is now tied with Tim Brabants and David Florence as the most decorated British Olympic canoeist of all time with three medals, although he is the quickest of the trio to achieve the feat with Rio 2016 just his second Games.

Meanwhile, the quartet of Rachel Cawthorn, Jess Walker, Louisa Gurksi and Rebaka Simon were seventh in the women’s K4 500m.

Later that afternoon Nicola Adams became the first British boxer to retain their Olympic Games title since 1924 after she beat ’s Sarah Ourahmoune in the women’s flyweight final.

The 33-year-old from Leeds won by unanimous decision, cruising through the first two rounds before defending her advantage in the final two.

Adams, who won the inaugural women’s flyweight title in London, matches middleweight Harry Mallin’s feat of 1920 and 1924 in defending her title and took Team GB’s 26^th gold of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

But Team GB weren’t done there as Mo Farah added the 5000m title to his earlier 10,000m crown, successfully completing the double-double.

What’s more, Farah’s success meant Team GB were on 65 medals, the same amount they claimed at London 2012.

But they didn’t have to wait long to sur that tally as later in the evening Eilidh Doyle, Anyika Onuora, Emily Diamond and Christine Ohuruogu won women’s 4x400m bronze, bringing up Team GB’s most successful away Games medal total in the process and also becoming the first host nation to better their tally at the next summer Games.

Elsewhere at the Olympic Stadium, Lynsey Sharp set a new personal best of 1:57.69 minutes to finish sixth in the women’s 800m final, while Andy Butchart also lowered his lifetime best to 13:08.61 in the 5000m final.

While Farah stormed to gold Butchart had crossed in seventh but was elevated to fourth following disqualifications, while teenager Morgan Lake was tenth in the women’s high jump final.

Earlier in the evening Bianca Walkden claimed taekwondo bronze in the women’s +67kg event, but teammate Mahama Cho fell just short of the podium as he lost his bronze-medal match in the men’s +80kg division.

The medals didn’t stop there though with Vicky Holland became the first British woman ever to claim an Olympic triathlon medal after winning a sprint finish for Rio 2016 bronze at Copacabana with teammate Non Stanford.

Holland and Stanford were in medal contention throughout, cycling among the pack after the swim before running side by side as Gwen Jorgensen and Nicola Spirig broke away.

It was Holland who had more at the death sprinting away from Stanford in the last 100m to complete the podium after American Jorgensen had surged ahead of Spirig herself, while Helen Jenkins came home 19^th.

However, there was disappointment for Tom Daley who, despite topping the 10m platform preliminaries, finished last in the semi-final and failed to advance to that evening’s showpiece.

Joe Choong looked to be on course to win a medal in the men’s modern pentathlon as he sat second ahead of the final event – the run-shoot.

But he couldn’t hold on to the silver medal and finished in tenth, while teammate Jamie Cooke ended up in 14^th.

And as the women’s golf tournament came to a close, Charley Hull shot a final round three-under 68 to finish tied seventh, eight shots off winner Inbee Park of South Korea.

Catriona Matthew meanwhile ended with a one-under round to finish in 29^th place.

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