Jamaica completed a one-two-three clean sweep in the women's 100m sprint race in Tokyo, with gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah setting an Olympic record.
Thompson-Herah defended the title she won in Rio and became the second-fastest woman in history in the process, recording a time of 10.61 seconds.
Reigning world champion and compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce claimed silver, just .02 seconds ahead of Shericka Jackson as Jamaica completed a clean sweep which was celebrated on Twitter by Usain Bolt.
Legendary sprinter Bolt – an eight-time gold medallist – retired in 2017, and the men's preliminary rounds struggled for big names in his absence.
Jamaica will have another chance of a medal in athletics, with 2019 world champion long jumper Tajay Gayle overcoming injury to make Monday's final with a leap of 8.14m.
Sweden sealed a one-two in the men's discus – Daniel Stahl taking gold and Simon Pettersson silver – while Poland won their second Olympic gold medal in a relay event in athletics, their mixed team succeeding in the same city in which their women had tasted victory in 1964.
NO LUCK FOR NOVAK
Djokovic's Golden Slam hopes were ended on Friday, and on Saturday, his medal hopes crumbled.
The world number one lost to Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta, who won 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 in the bronze medal match in the men's singles.
For Djokovic, it was a defeat which represented the end of his campaign.
He would have had another shot at bronze in the mixed doubles alongside Nina Stojanovic, but withdrew from that match, handing the medal to Ash Barty and John Peers of Australia in the process.
"The exhaustion, both physical and mental, got to me and it's unfortunate that in the most important matches I just didn't deliver, but I gave it all," said Djokovic, whose attention will now turn to winning the US Open to complete a calendar Grand Slam.
BLACK FERNS RIGHT RIO WRONGS
New Zealand's women clinched gold in the rugby sevens on Saturday, overcoming France 26-12.
The Black Ferns cruised to the final in 2016, but slumped to a defeat to rivals Australia. Co-captain Portia Woodman was pictured in tears on the field in Brazil, yet her team made no such mistake this time around.
"Crying underneath the posts was one that I looked back on, but now it's gone," Woodman said. "Not when I look at this," she added, gesturing to the gold medal around her neck.
"Yeah, we've got titles and we've won things, but I want our group to be good people and show the world that you can be a good, genuine person and still have success," Woodman's fellow co-captain Sarah Hirini said.
"Our programme allowed that. Things like this happen because you're able to be who you are."
In the bronze medal match, Fiji defeated Great Britain 21-12.
"We are totally gutted. We really thought we could come here and get a medal, but we just weren't good enough," conceded Team GB's Hannah Smith. "Fiji really brought it to us today, so fair play to them."
DEBUT BRONZE FOR WILSON, CHINA TAKE WINDSURFING GOLD
There was joy for Britain out on the water, however, as Emma Wilson – an Olympic debutant – won bronze in the women's windsurfing.
Wilson was already guaranteed a medal due to winning four races in the lead up to the final. The 22-year-old missed out on silver as Lu Yunxiu of China kept within a boat's length to claim the gold.
Charline Picon took silver to follow up her win in Rio five years ago.
"It's amazing. I tried so hard in that race - I just kept going and going," said Wilson. "I just want to win, but any medal is amazing. I'm super happy and I just gave it everything I had."
CHINESE TAIPEI WIN MAIDEN BADMINTON GOLD
Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin took home Chinese Taipei's first badminton gold on Saturday with a victory over Liu Yu Chen and Li Jun Hui of two-time reigning champions China in the men's doubles final.
Their victory brought up the seventh Olympic gold for Chinese Taipei – the previous six having been split across weightlifting (four) and taekwondo (two).
Malaysia claimed their first medal in Tokyo thanks to Wooi Yik Soh and Aaron Chia triumphing in the bronze medal match.
In total, Malaysia have claimed 12 medals in their Olympic history, but are yet to clinch gold in any event.
Smith not pinning blame on Ford for England loss
Marcus Smith does not blame England's narrow defeat to New Zealand on Saturday on George Ford, despite his late missed kicks.
Ford replaced Smith, who had scored 17 points and set up England's only try in their 24-22 loss, hitting a potential match-winning penalty against the post before narrowly missing a drop goal.
England had held an eight-point advantage when Smith left the field, but Mark Tele'a's 76th-minute try before Damian McKenzie added five late points proved enough to get the All Blacks over the line.
The hosts' autumn series got off to a losing start as Ford struggled to find his clinical edge in the dying moments, but Smith does not lay any blame at his team-mate's feet.
"Sometimes that's the life of a kicker, we've all experienced that. It's part and parcel of the job," said Smith.
"I've learned so much off George. He's an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and out of hand. It was one of those days.
"It's nothing to do with him why we didn't win the game. It's a team effort. Every kicker in the world has experienced that.
"We practise [drop-goals] as kickers every single day, but sometimes it doesn't go for you. We're all human and people miss."
Saturday marked a third consecutive narrow loss to New Zealand for England, with their last win an emphatic victory over Japan in June.
Despite that run, Smith remains confident that England can take lessons from these defeats to set themselves up for success in the future.
"International rugby is very different to the Premiership and the experiences we're experiencing now are very painful, but we'll be better for them," Smith added.
"Keep the faith. We've fallen again on the wrong side of the result, but we'll learn from it 100%.
"These experiences will tighten us as a group, and it will be worth it in the long run. We will be better for it."
Jamaican hurdler Damion Thomas reveals career-saving surgery, eyes return to top form
Jamaican hurdler Damion Thomas, a promising talent who has seen his career hampered by injuries, on Sunday revealed that he underwent surgery on October 21 to address a persistent foot issue. The procedure, known as an osteophytectomy, involved the removal of a bone spur that had been causing severe discomfort and pain in his Achilles tendon and lower heel, limiting his ability to train and perform at his best.
Thomas, who has made significant strides in his athletic career despite facing recurring injuries, expressed gratitude for the medical support he’s received. Under the guidance of Dr. John Thompson, a specialist who has overseen his rehabilitation since March, Thomas has worked through rigorous physical therapy and orthopedic care to manage his injury. However, as the pain continued to affect his performance, surgery became necessary to give him the best chance at a full recovery.
“This past year working with Dr. Thompson has been monumental,” Thomas shared on social media. “Since March, Dr. Thompson’s overseeing of my injury through physical therapy, orthopedic care, and lastly surgical procedure has been a driving force in allowing me to finish the previous season and set myself up for a new future. I am thankful.”
The 24-year-old hurdler, who specializes in the 110m and 60m hurdles, has a decorated history in athletics. A former Louisiana State University (LSU) standout, Thomas won the 2021 NCAA Indoor 60m hurdle title, setting a school record and becoming the fifth-fastest hurdler in NCAA history. In 2018, he equaled the junior world record of 12.99 seconds in the 110m hurdles, a feat that positioned him as one of the most promising young hurdlers globally. Thomas also represented Jamaica at the Tokyo Olympics, advancing to the semi-finals with a time of 13.39 seconds in the 110m hurdles.
In early 2024, Thomas was selected to represent Jamaica at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Despite his impressive achievements, ongoing injuries have held him back from reaching his full potential on the international stage.
With the surgery now behind him, Thomas is focused on recovery and a strong comeback. His determination to overcome setbacks highlights his commitment to his sport, and fans are hopeful that the procedure will enable him to return to peak form in the coming season.
WTA Finals: Sabalenka digs deep to reach semi-finals
Aryna Sabalenka became the first player to book her place in the WTA Finals semi-finals after her straight-sets win over Jasmine Paolini on Monday.
The Belarusian had to dig deep in the second set but prevailed in 91 minutes, beating the Italian 6-3 7-5 in Riyadh to secure top spot in the Purple Group after two games.
While Sabalenka cruised through the first set, she was almost forced to a decider, but saved two set points in the 10th game of the second to level the score at 5-5 before going on to claim the victory.
In doing so, she became the first player to reach back-to-back semi-finals at the tournament as world number one since Serena Williams in 2013-14.
Having won three of her previous four tournaments and won 22 of her 23 matches in that time, Sabalenka is now just one win away from securing the year-end world number one spot for the first time, a feat she can achieve if she beats Elena Rybakina on Wednesday in the final round-robin match.
And she can go into it with confidence after improving her record against top-five opponents in 2024, with this her fifth such triumph.
"I'm proud of myself. Not only myself, my team," Sabalenka said.
"We were able to overcome a lot of things. To be able to show such great tennis and become World No. 1. It's teamwork. It's not only me. The behind-the-scenes work nobody sees.
"But they do a lot for me. I really appreciate them for everything they do for me. This is motivation for me to keep winning on this court. Those guys deserve to be called the best team ever."
In Monday's other match, Zheng Qinwen kept her hopes of reaching the final four alive with her win over Rybakina.
The Olympic champion was forced to go the distance though, despite getting the first break in the first and second sets, but eventually came out on top 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-1 in just under two-and-a-half hours.
Since the event's inauguration in 1972, Zheng is just the second Chinese player to win a match at the WTA Finals after Li Na.
It was a milestone victory for the 22-year-old as well as she earned her 50th win of 2024, improving her record to 50-17, making her the first Chinese player in the Open Era to hit that mark in a calendar year, though she acknowledged she could have made things easier for herself.
"I was the one to make the first break, and then I let her back in the first," Zheng said.
"Then it happened again in the second. But in the third set, I talked to myself. I broke her first and I stayed focused.
"Finally, in the third set, I start to play my tennis again. So, I'm really happy to win the match."
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