Paris 2024 Olympics day 12: Noah Lyles through to 200m final, Australia and USA win cycling gold – live | Paris Olympic Games 2024

“I think people think that I train twice a day all year round and it’s hustling and grinding but we’re in such a high impact sport that you can only train a few times a week,” Kennedy revealed.

“Your body just can’t withstand that power and that force that’s going through it.”. And on what they do, I appreciated this – again from Kennedy.

“I think people think that I train twice a day all year round and it’s hustling and grinding, she said, “but we’re in such a high impact sport that you can only train a few times a week. Your body just can’t withstand that power and that force that’s going through it.”

In other words, however hard you think this stuff is, it’s harder.

Australia miss again, but their keeper saves USA’s fourth go so the match is still alive, then they score to make it 3-3; if USA score their final shot they’re into the semis … and they do. They meet Serbia in the last four.

Back to the women’s hockey semi, China still lead Belgium 1-0, with 11 minutes of Q4 gone. In the water polo, meanwhile, there’s a shoot-out following a 9-9 draw – get it on if you can – with USA leading 3-2, Australia having missed

Tobogo comes through and past Lyles in the last 30 to win in 19.96 – Lyles didn’t start especially well either – but as we saw in the 100m, he can win gold without winning either qualifying race, so.

Also in the second race is Letsile Tebogo of Botswana. Real talk, this isn’t the strongest field we’ve ever had, but he might be Lyles’ closest challenger; remember, Lyles hasn’t lost in 26 races, – since the final in Tokyo.

Noah Lyles goes in the second race, and those of you who followed Sunday night’s blog might recall my noting how brilliant his mum, Keisha Cane Bishop, is – the energy they give each other is beautiful. Well, here’s further evidence.

And immediately it’s time for the men’s 200m semis, Kenny Bednarek of USA in the first … and he wins in 20.00, Alexander Ogando os the Dominican Republic coming in second. Andre de Grasse, the defending champ, must wait and see.

Apologies, the Mish went when I took a comfort break, and he beat Mikhail Iakovlev of Israel. So both Brits are into the last four, but I don’t think there’s a bracket to see who each faces next -– or if there ism I can’t find it.

And now it’s time for the Mish…

Carlin has the inside, it’s close, and Paul of T&T is giving it a good go … but Carlin hangs on, just.

Jack Carlin’s sprint quarter is away, and with two laps to go, he goes.

Benjamin goes out in measured manner but comes on strong around the curve to win, easing up, in 47.86. He is good. Roshawn Clarke of Jamaica is second, while the fastest losers are Dos Santos and Samba from race one and two respectively.

Some belters in here.

USA’s Rai Benjamin goes in the final 400m hurdles semi, and he’s my pick for gold. He’s fit and running fast – fastest – so if he can handle the situation, he has the speed and technique to win. “I need to perform when it really matters and that’s at Worlds, at the Olympics,” he said. “And I haven’t done that yet.”

In the second men’s 400m hurdles semi, Kyron McMaster OBE of the British Virgin Islands, slows up well before the line and is almost punished, but he wins in 48.15 with Rasmus Magi of Estonia coming second. Abderrahman Samba of Qatar is third in a slower time than Dos Santos managed, so he’s struggling.

The GB bronze-medal team are delighted. Josie Knight explains that not that long ago, Katie Archibald broke her ankle, and she thought he hopes went with that. But they reconfigured and here they are.

Elinor Barker says it was closer than she expected. This morning, she felt like a spring coil ready to go, which is rare, and she’s glad everything fell into place.

Back at the velodrome, it’s the men’s sprint quarters, and GB have two men in that: Jack Carlin and Hamish Turnbull – known, of course, as “The Mish” or “The Morpeth Mish”.

Wilma Murto of Finland, Alysha Newman of Canada and Stefanidi are over 4.70, Murto leading having not failed any height yet. And, as I type, Italy’s Elisa Molinarolo clears it too to join here at the top of the leaderboard.

Warholm ties up under pressure from Clement Ducos, the new french star, but he kicks again to win in 47.67; he is ard. Dos Santos, though, finishes in 47.92, will have to wait.

Off in the 400m hurdles, Warholm away well while Dos Santos has work to do…

What a photo we have here.

This, of course, is the classic of the genre – Greg Louganis still qualified for the final and won gold.

USA beat NZ to take gold in the women’s team pursuit

USA still lead NZ but they’ve to ease up to come together, and this isn’t quite over yet.

On the track, it’s time for the men’s 400m hurdles semis, Karsten Warholm, the defending champ and world record-holder in the same race as Alison dos Santos, one of the other favorites.

Back to the velodrome, USA lead by 0.845 after 1000, but as we’ve seen, this is not when these races are settled.

In the women’s hockey semis, China lead Belgium 1-0 in Q2, the winners to meet the Netherlands in the final; and in the quarters of the men’s water polo, a Guardian derby, in which Australia lead USA 5-2.

Coming up next: the final of the women’s team pursuit, in which USA take on New Zealand.

While that was going on, Jamaica’s Orlando Bennett won the final 110m hurdle semi in 13.09, Daniel Roberts of USA coming second. Parchment and Shunsuke Izumiya of Japan also qualify for the final as fastest losers.

Elinor Barker, Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Jessica Roberts win bronze for GB in the women’s team pursuit

Oh man this is going ro be close, Josie Knight putting in the pace from the front, and at 3625 it’s dead level! GB are coming and lead at the bell! They look good for bronze!