Paris Olympics day 14: Australia claims three more medals, Algeria's Khelif wins gold

The Olympic day also saw breaking — or breakdancing — make its debut, with Australian Rachael Gunn, aka Raygun, becoming one of the country's first Olympic breakers.

Maddison Keeney and Imane Khelif posing with their medals.

Australian Maddison Keeney won silver at the women's 3m springboard diving competition, while Algerian boxer Imane Khelif in the final of the women's welterweight division. Source: AP, SIPA USA / Lee Jin-man / Bildbyran

Australia has added two silvers and a bronze to its tally at the Paris Olympics, contributing to this year's record-breaking performance.

Matthew Richardson earned a silver medal in the velodrome and Maddison Keeney secured another one in the diving pool. Canoe sprinters Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen got bronze.

This brings Australia to a total of 48 medals so far: 18 gold, 16 silver and 14 bronze.
The Australian medal tally.

Matt Richardson speeds into silver

Matt Richardson has finished runner-up to Dutch star Harrie Lavreysen in the track cycling sprint.

It was Richardson's first individual Olympic medal, after he won bronze earlier this week in the team sprint.

"I put my best foot forward, I didn't leave anything out on the track. He's (Lavreysen) one of the greatest sprinters we've ever seen on this planet," Richardson said.
Harrie Lavreysen of Netherlands and Matthew Richardson of Australia during the sprint finals competitions.
Richardson came second after Harrie Lavreysen, who has won the last five sprint world championships. Source: EPA / Martin Divisek
"I'm extremely proud of the silver. I have bronze and silver - there's one more to collect and that's what we'll try to do in the keirin."

He and Matt Glaetzer will ride the opening keirin heats on Saturday.

Maddison Keeney shines at the springboard

Maddison Keeney has become the first Australian diver ever to win an individual Olympic 3m springboard medal - a glorious silver - in Paris.

The 28-year-old from Perth received her biggest medal yet on the podium from one her heroes, Oscar-winning actress and IOC member Michelle Yeoh.

Winner of a springboard synchro bronze in 2016, she had delivered her best ever performance under the utmost pressure on Friday, beaten only by another of the seemingly invincible Chinese divers, Chen Yiwen.

She scored 343.10 from her five-dive program as Chen proved a runaway winner with 376.00.
Maddison Keeney diving into the water.
Needing to nail her final, most fiendish dive - a forward two-and-a-half somersaults with two twists - Keeney did just that, producing barely a splash on entry. Source: SIPA USA / Bildbyran/Jon Olav Nesvold
"I was very nervous today," she revealed. "But I've been working really close with my psych for the last 10 years."

"Many times my legs have buckled from under me, but going through all those experiences, falling off the board, it's kind of made me who I am today. I feel like I've been forged in fire."

Champion sprint paddlers Green and Van der Westhuyzen get bronze this time

Australian paddlers Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen will leave Paris with a bronze, unable to repeat their Olympic heroics in the men's K2 event.

Despite smashing a 20-year-old Olympic record in the semi-final earlier on Friday at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, Green and van der Westhuyzen couldn't catch Germany's Max Lemke and Jacob Schopf in the medal race and crossed the line third.

Hungary's Sandor Totka and Bence Nadas won silver.
Australia's Thomas Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen competing in the men's kayak double 500-meter finals.
If the Australians were able to repeat their semi-final time of one minute 26.85 seconds in the medal race, they would have taken gold. Source: AP / Ebrahim Noroozi
The pair won the title in Tokyo, however the 1000m event was replaced by a 500m race for the 2024 Games.

"We would have loved to come here and get the gold again but we'll live to fight another day and coming back home with the dirty gold isn't too bad," said 25-year-old van der Westhuyzen.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif wins gold medal bout

Khelif has claimed gold at the Paris Olympics, emerging as a champion from a tumultuous run which included huge

Khelif beat Yang Liu of China 5-0 in the final of the women's welterweight division, wrapping up the best series of fights of her boxing career.

France's huge Algerian community embraced Khelif, but outside of the competition venues she faced extraordinary levels of criticism, which thrust her into a larger divide over changing attitudes toward gender identity and regulations in sports.

Khelif said the level of abuse "harms human dignity," calling for an end to bullying athletes. She also said a gold medal would be "the best response" to the backlash against her.

Khelif's gold medal is Algeria's first in women's boxing. She is only the nation's second boxing gold medalist, joining Hocine Soltani (1996).

Breaking's Olympic debut

The first Olympic breakers took the stage this Friday at Place de la Concorde, where even rapper Snoop Dogg showed off a few of his own moves before opening the event.

Australian Rachael Gunn, aka Raygun, made history as one of the country's first Olympic breakers, but she bowed out without firing a shot.

Gunn's first battle was against American Logistx, but the Australian was unable to win a point in any three contests including against 16-year-old French B-girl Syssy.
Australian breaker Rachael Gunn looks on as French breaker Sya Dembélé competes
Rachael Gunn couldn't make the athleticism of teenage French breaker Sya Dembele, known as Syssy. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
The athletes were judged on creativity, personality, technique, variety, musicality and vocabulary, which is the variation and quantity of moves.

Australia's 16-year-old B-boy Jeff Dunne, known as 'J Attack', will line up in the male competition on Saturday.

Afghan refugee athlete disqualified for political slogan

Manizha Talash, a member of the refugee Olympic team at the Paris Games, was disqualified after displaying the words "Free Afghan Women" on her cape during her breaking routine in the competition's pre-qualifiers on Friday.
Manizha Talash wearing a cape.
Talash, who lives in Spain, wore a light blue cape that had the phrase written on it during her pre-qualifier loss to India Sardjoe of Netherlands. Source: AAP / Dan Himbrechts
Political slogans and statement are banned on the field of play and on podiums at the Olympics, and breaking's governing body later said the 21-year-old had been disqualified.

The Paris Games are the third Olympics where a team of refugees is taking part. Afghanistan is represented by a contingent of three women and three men, in a largely symbolic move by the International Olympic Committee as a message to the country, which under Taliban rule has restricted women's and girls' access to sports and gyms.

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5 min read
Published 10 August 2024 8:56am
Updated 10 August 2024 2:27pm
Source: AAP, Reuters


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