Norway's Karsten Warholm smashed the world record in the men's Olympic 400 metres hurdles final, breaking the 46-second barrier on the way to gold medal glory.
Warholm finished in 45.94 seconds, well ahead of his own previous record mark of 46.70. USA's Rai Benjamin claimed silver in 46.17, also beating the old world record, with Alison dos Santos taking bronze in 46.72.
"It's by far the biggest moment of my life," Warholm said. "It defines everything, all the hours I put in, everything that my coach has been working for.
"With all the respect for all the athletes, there are athletes that were not good that will get an Olympic gold. Rai running 46.17 would deserve a gold medal. It is crazy, it is just an honour to be a part of it. I never thought in my wildest imagination that this would be possible."
Asked about his dash to the line in the closing metres, Warholm added: "I couldn't even feel my legs. I knew I had a crazy American trying to catch me, so I ran for my life."
Germany's Malaika Mihambo admitted she could not watch the finale to the women's long jump as she won gold.
Mihambo took the lead with a jump of 7.00m with her final attempt before USA's Brittney Reese and Nigeria's Ese Brume had their last jumps.
Neither could better the leading mark, with Reese settling for silver with 6.97 metres on countback ahead of Brume.
"It was really hard to watch, so I tried to just have a sneak peek on the display and see how far it was," Mihambo said.
"I really don't like this position where you cannot do anything about it, and you just have to let the girls do what they're able to do. You have to wait, so it was a horrible moment, but at least it was short.
“I feel overwhelmed. It was, I think, the most exciting women’s long jump competition in history."
DURANT DOMINATES AS USA SURVIVE SCARE
The United States did not have it all their way but triumphed 95-81 over Spain to seal a spot in the men's basketball semi-finals.
Spain led by as much as 10 points in the second quarter before USA drew level by half-time and accelerated in the second half. Spain again closed within four points of the gold medal favourites in the final quarter, inspired by Ricky Rubio's 38 points.
Kevin Durant excelled for Team USA, with 29 points and four assists, while Jrue Holiday contributed 12 points and five assists as they capitalised on a 17-9 turnover differential.
USA lost to Australia and Nigeria in exhibition games prior to Tokyo 2020 before losing their Olympics opener to France but have since steadied.
The winner of Australia-Argentina will play USA in the semi-finals on Thursday.
NBA duo Zoran Dragic (27 points, six rebounds and four assists) and Luka Doncic (20 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists) starred as Slovenia also progressed to the semi-finals with a 94-70 win over Germany.
CARRINGTON'S GOLD KAYAKING DOUBLE
New Zealand's Lisa Carrington had a golden day in the kayaking, remarkably winning two gold medals within an hour.
Carrington won her third straight gold in the women's kayak single 200m with an Olympic best time of 38.12 seconds, ahead of Spain's Teresa Portela and Denmark's Emma Jorgensen.
The New Zealander backed up alongside Caitlin Regal to win the women's kayak double 500m final with a world best time of 1:35.785.
Carrington joined fellow kayakers Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald and equestrian great Sir Mark Todd as the only New Zealanders to have won five medals at the Olympic Games.
The 32-year-old may win more medals too, competing in the K1 500 event which starts on Wednesday.
“Today was about taking just one race at a time," Carrington said. "There's a plan, and it was just about executing it. For me, it was just trying to stay in the moment and doing the best I can. We've worked really hard and knew today was going to be a big day.”
HENDRICKX POWERS BELGIUM INTO HOCKEY FINAL
World champions Belgium qualified for the gold medal match of the men's hockey after a commanding final quarter sealed a 5-2 win over India.
Belgium piled on three fourth-quarter goals to guarantee a medal in the decider where they will face either Australia or Germany.
Alexander Hendrickx scored a hat-trick including two of the Red Lions' goals in the final quarter after India had fought back from an early deficit to lead 2-1 at quarter-time.
Drag flick expert Hendrickx has scored an unrivalled 14 goals during Belgium's Tokyo 2020 campaign, eight clear of the next best, Australia's Blake Govers.
Hendrickx said: "It's really a team job that comes together. It's my name on the scoresheet, but it's a team job."
World number one Australia and sixth-ranked Germany meet later on Tuesday to determine the other gold medal match finalist.
NBA suspends 76ers star Embiid three games
Joel Embiid's shove of a member of the media will cost the Philadelphia 76ers centre three games.
The NBA announced the three-game suspension on Tuesday for Embiid's confrontation with a newspaper columnist.
The ban will begin in the next game he is physically able to play. The 2022-23 league MVP has yet to play this season due to what the team is calling left knee management.
The altercation that led to the suspension occurred Saturday night in the locker room of Philadelphia's home arena after the 76ers' 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Embiid was angry with a piece written by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes in which he questioned Embiid's professionalism and mentioned the seven-time All-Star's late brother and son.
Embiid shoved Hayes and threatened him while spewing profanity.
"Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA," NBA executive Joe Dumars said in a statement announcing the suspension. "While we understand Joel was offended by the personal nature of the original version of the reporter’s column, interactions must remain professional on both sides and can never turn physical."
Without Embiid, the 76ers have started just 1-5.
There was some hope that Embiid would be able to make his debut Wednesday against the Clippers, but now the earliest he would be eligible to play would be next Tuesday against the New York Knicks.
Olympic champion Julien Alfred promotes St. Lucia as Tourism Ambassador during UK visit
Julien Alfred, St. Lucia’s Olympic 100m champion, is currently on an influential tour of the United Kingdom in her new role as Tourism Ambassador for her island nation. The title was bestowed on her in September, following her historic victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she captured gold in the 100m and became the first St. Lucian to do so. Accompanied by a senior delegation led by Minister of Tourism Dr. Ernest Hilaire, Alfred is participating in a series of high-profile events aimed at promoting St. Lucia’s culture, beauty, and hospitality.
Kicking off her week on Saturday, Alfred explored iconic London landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Joining her was fellow athlete Imani-Lara Lansiquot, a British Saint Lucian sprinter who won silver with Team GB in the women’s 4x100m relay in Paris. The two shared moments of camaraderie as they toured the city, embodying the rich connection between St. Lucian talent on the global stage.
One of the highlights of Alfred’s trip was a celebratory event at The Great Hall in Leyton, organized by the Saint Lucia High Commission and the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA). Alfred was the guest of honour at the vibrant gathering, which drew around 350 members of the St. Lucian diaspora and showcased the island’s arts and culture. Performers included Tysiah Edwards, the Lucianites Quadrille dancers, West End star Tanya Edwards, and celebrated musician Sherwinn Dupes Brice, among others. The event was officially hosted by Saint Lucia’s High Commissioner to the UK, H.E. Anthony Severin, with Alfred delivering a heartfelt speech about her journey to Olympic glory and the pride she felt in representing her island on the world stage.
As part of her ambassadorial duties, Alfred participated in a series of media engagements, conducting interviews with major outlets across the BBC. During these interviews, she shared her Olympic story and expressed her excitement about promoting St. Lucia’s unique appeal to the British audience. Highlighting the natural beauty, cultural vibrancy, and warmth of St. Lucia, Alfred’s appearances underscored her passion for her homeland and her eagerness to welcome new visitors to the island.
Later, Alfred and the delegation, including SLTA board chair Thaddeus M. Antoine and CEO Louis Lewis, were given an exclusive tour of the UK Parliament. This was followed by a reception at the House of Commons, where she met key members of Parliament and prominent figures in the travel industry.
Through this week of events, Alfred continues to embody the pride of St. Lucians everywhere, strengthening the bond between her homeland and the international community.
Injured Davis demands consistency from 'two team' Lakers
Anthony Davis is unsure as to the extent of a foot injury he aggravated against the Detroit Pistons, but he knows the Los Angeles Lakers must find some consistency.
Davis scored 37 points on Monday but his efforts were not enough to prevent Los Angeles slipping to a 115-103 loss.
The Lakers are now 4-3 overall after winning their opening three games of the season.
To compound their frustration, Davis – who is averaging 32.6 points per game – aggravated a left foot issue in the final quarter.
"We're just two different teams right now," lamented Davis.
"One game, we're this team who showcased it can be one of the better teams in the league. Then the next, we're this team who -- I don't even know who we are. So, we just got to be better.
"We got to put a full 48 [minutes] together, and we can't continue to do this if we expect to do anything this season."
On his injury, Davis added: "I'll talk to my trainer and just kind of figure out what exactly is going on.
"I've been managing it since this summer, honestly, and my goal for every game is to be on the floor. And I just kind of landed directly on the spot that's been killing me. So, we'll figure it out."
LeBron James finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and was honest in his assessment of a potential lay-off for Davis.
"I don't play the 'if' game," James said.
"We'll go off what AD says and see how he feels over the next couple of days and go from there. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know [the impact] if AD's in or out. C'mon."
Reflecting on the latest defeat, Lakers coach JJ Redick simply said: "We're all disappointed."
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