text: London 2012 Olympic Games Day 10 - Foxtel Insider - What's On - Foxtel FOXTEL
  News posted 8:38am
  on Tue Aug 7, 2012
  Athletics: Olympic Stadium
  Men's discus: Scott Martin, Julian Wruck (qualifying group A), Benn Harradine (qualifying group B)
  Women's 100m hurdles: Sally Pearson (round 1, heat 5)
  Men's 800m: Jeff Riseley (round 1, heat 2)
  Women's 1500m: Zoe Buckman (round 1, heat 2), Kaila McKnight (round 1, heat 3)
  Women's 400m hurdles: Lauren Boden (semi-finals)
  Women's pole vault: Alana Boyd (final)
  Men's 400m: Steven Solomon (final)
  Basketball: Basketball Arena
  Men's: Australia v Russia (group B preliminary)
  Canoe Sprint: Eton Dorney
  Men's kayak single (K1-1000m): Murray Stewart (heats>semi-finals)
  Men's canoe single (C1-1000m): Jake Donaghey (heats>semi-finals)
  Men's kayak double (K2-1000m): Ken Wallace, David Smith (heats>semi-finals)
  Women's kayak four (K4-500m): Jo Brigden-Jones, Hannah Davis, Lyndsie Fogarty, Rachel Lovell (heats>semifinals)
  Cycling: Track - Velodrome
  Women's sprint: Anna Meares (quarter-finals>race for 5th-8th)
  Men's sprint: Shane Perkins (semi-finals>final)
  Women's omnium: Annette Edmondson (flying lap, 20km points race, elimination race)
  Diving: Aquatics Center
  Men's 3m springboard: Ethan Warren (preliminary)
  Equestrian: Greenwich Park
  Jumping: Julia Hargreaves (Vedor), James Paterson-Robinson (Lanosso), Edwina Tops-Alexander (Itot du Chateau) (3rd individual qualifier)
  Hockey: Riverbank Arena
  Women's: Australia v Argentina (pool B preliminary)
  Sailing: Weymouth and Portland
  Men's Laser: Tom Slingsby (medal race)
  Men's 470: Malcolm Page & Mathew Belcher (Races 7 & 8)
  Men's 49er: Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen (Races 14 & 15)
  Shooting: Royal Artillery Barracks
  Men's 50m rifle 3 positions: Dane Sampson (qualification> final)
  Men's trap: Michael Diamond, Adam Vella (qualification day 2>final)
  Synchronised Swimming: Aquatics Centre
  Duets: Eloise Amberger & Sarah Bombell (free routine)
  Volleyball: Earls Court
  Men's: Australia v Poland (pool A preliminary)
  Water Polo: Water Polo Arena
  Men's: Australia v Greece (group A preliminary)
  SUIT UP SALLY
  We get our first glimpse of Sally Pearson in the morning heats of the 100m hurdles. After silver in this event at Beijing, Pearson is hopeful of becoming the first Australian to win gold. Benn Harradine, Julian Wruck and Scott Martin are also in discus qualifying, while Jeff Riseley (800m) and Zoe Buckman and Kaila McKnight (1500m) are trying to navigate their way through the first round on the track.
  Russia's Elena Isinbaeva dominated women's pole vault for many years, winning Olympic gold (2004 and 2008) and the world championships (2005 and 2007). However the first woman to clear five metres lost her mojo in 2010 and has struggled since then, but she is champion and you can't underestimate one of those. Some of the favourites failed to qualify, but Beijing silver medallist Jenn Suhr (USA), Anna Rogowska (Poland) and local hope Holly Bleasdale appear to be the best of those remaining. Also in the field is Australia's Commonwealth Games gold medallist Alana Boyd and she will be hoping to do her parents proud.
  While we don't have an entry in the women's shot put, there's a chance to cheer for a neighbour from across the ditch, the reigning Olympic champion and three-time world champion Valerie Adams. She will be pressed hard America's Jillian Camarena-Williams and Russia's Nadzeya Ostapchuk.
  The men's 400m hurdles will pit the all conquering Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) against 2000 and 2008 gold medallist Angelo Taylor (USA) and reigning world champion Dai Greene. It will be a race to remember.
  The African women have really come into their own in the women's 3000 steeplechase, especially Kenya's Milcos Chemos Cheywa and Uganda's Dorcus Inzukuru. However the latter failed to qualify, so besides the other five Africans look to Europe as well, including Russia's Yuila Zaripova and Germany's Gesa Krause.
  If Kirani James (Grenada) repeats his world championship triumph in the men's 400m, he will win his country's first Olympic medal in the final event of the evening. Australian interest will be in the phenomenal performance of Steve Solomon – the first Australian reach the men's 400m since Darren Clark who ran 4th in both Los Angeles in 1984 and Seoul in 1988 – who has run two PBs to make the final at just 19.
  Can Michael Diamond reclaim the gold medal he won in the men's trap in Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000? He got his campaign off to a great start yesterday with a perfect 75 and will be looking for gold today. There are two more rounds of qualification in the morning followed by the final in the afternoon.
  Meanwhile, Matthew Emmons (USA) is eager to smash his Olympic jinx in the men's 50m rifle: 3 positions after he blew his chance in Beijing by notching 4.4 on his final shot and ending fourth. He also lost the gold in Athens in 2004 by aiming at the wrong target on his final shot.
  The second day of sailing medal races sees reigning world champion Tom Slingsby, 27, poised to win a gold medal in the men's Laser. Slingsby goes into the medal race in first position, having led through most of the series, but his major concern is that the medal course is his worst-performed so far and the best for his nearest rival, Pavlos Kondides of Cyprus. But with a net points lead of 14 over 10 races, it would take a lot of bad luck to rob Slingsby of gold.
  He will be desperate to put the disappointment of Beijing behind him, where he was the top-ranked sailor in his class but finished 22nd. Slingsby says that his London campaign kicked into gear on Saturday. "I turned the corner…I felt confident going into *Saturday's+ racing. Before that I was feeling the nerves quite a lot, didn't feel the regatta was going my way."
  The second medal race is the women's Laser Radial is set for a thrilling finish as China's Xu Lijia and Marit Bouwmeester (Netherlands) are locked together for the lead on 33 points, with Annalise Murphy (Ireland) and Evi van Acker (Belgium) just a point behind. Krystal Weir did not reach the final.
  Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (men's 49er) have their final two opening series races will be looking to hold onto their lead, while Malcolm Page and Mathew Belcher are also supremely confident, holding the lead going into races 7 and 8.
  UP LAKE DORNEY WITH A PADDLE
  Ken Wallace was the star of Beijing with a gold medal in the K1-500m and a bronze in the K1-1000m; however four years on it's a different story after the Gold Coast lifeguard was beaten at the selection trials by Murray Stewart. Wallace remains in the K2-1000 (with David Smith), but Stewart will carry Australia's hopes in the K1 1000. Like the majority of Australia's sprint paddlers, South African-born Stewart got into the sport from surf lifesaving.
  Jake Donaghey, who is balancing his Olympic campaign with year 12 studies at Brisbane Grammar, is in action in the C1-1000m.
  The women's K4 team includes Naomi Flood, Lyndsie Fogarty (making the jump from surf lifesaving to kayaking) Rachel Lovell who previously represented Great Britain and Jo Brigden-Jones who is returning from a serious shoulder injury to compete in London.
  HAS THE WHEEL TURNED?
  Australia is desperate to claim another gold medal and nowhere is that more apparent than at the velodrome, where the locals have four and we have zip. Our next chance lies in the men's sprint, where Shane Perkins will go up against Frenchman Gregory Bauge for the chance of a likely showdown with Britain's Jason Kenny.
  Anna Meares goes in the quarter-finals of the women's sprint, where arch-rival Victoria Pendleton awaits, while Annette Edmondson commences her omnium journey of the flying lap, 20km points race and elimination race. Her main rivals are world champion Laura Trott (GB), Tara Whitten (Canada) and Sarah Hammer (USA).
  APP-SOLUTELY FANTASTIC
  Day two of gymnastics apparatus finals sees another three gold medals decided. Chen Yibing of China is the favourite in the men's rings, ahead of Jonathan Horton (US) and six-time Olympian Jordan Jovtchev (Bulgaria) who was robbed of gold by the judges in Athens in 2004. The men's vault is wide open after all eight posted qualification scores within half a point of each other, but Italy's Matteo Morandi has a slight edge.
  In the women's uneven bars Beth Tweddle has the opportunity to win Great Britain's first Olympic gymnastics gold in Olympic history, but Russian pair Viktoria Komova and Aliya Mustafina, as well as individual all-around winner Gabby Douglas (USA) are all in the mix.
  The Boomers take on Russia, who have already secured first place in group B (4-0) but a win means Australia (2-2) can move up from fourth place and avoid facing the USA in the quarter-finals
  The rebuilding Hockeyroos face off against world no.2 Argentina in the final round before the quarters. Argentina moved ahead of New Zealand at the top of pool B with a 3-1 win against Germany on Saturday but still have to beat Australia in their final pool match to guarantee a place in the semifinals
  Saudi Arabian are leading the pack in the team jumping final at Greenwich Park and chasing the nation's first Olympic gold medal. Great Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands are hot on their heels
  Eloise Amberger and Sarah Bombell complete their free routine in the synchronised swimming. The duo are lying in 23rd position after yesterday's technical routine and the top 12 advance to tomorrow's final
  The Volleyroos take on Poland in their final men's volleyball preliminary, where an unlikely victory against the world no.3 and top of pool A would propel them to the quarter-finals
  A spot in the quarter-finals also beckons for the Sharks if they can conquer Greece in the final pool match
  The match of the day in the final men's handball preliminaries is Croatia v Spain for top spot in group B
  Old Trafford (Canada v USA) and Wembley (France v Japan) feature the semi-finals of the women's football
  Reigning world champion Khadzhimurat Akkaev and Russian teammate and world championship silver medallist Dmitry Klokov are the medal tips for the men's 105kg weightlifting
  Cuba's five-time world champion Mijain Lopez Nunez is chasing his second consecutive gold in the men's Greco Roman 120kg wrestling, while Nazmi Avluca (Turkey) is the only returning Beijing medallist in the 84kg. Also look out for Ellis Coleman (US) in the men's 60kg where his signature "Flying Squirrel" move could take him all the way to gold
  "Big up to Australian cricket team, Ricky Ponting and all dem boys!"
  Yohan Blake after winning silver in the men's 100m
  "I'm definitely going to relax, eat lots of rubbish food, have a few glasses of wine and enjoy this moment for as long as possible."
  Jessica Ennis puts paid to speculation that she would enter the women's 100m hurdles today.
  "I guess for me, the template was Sydney [host city of the 2000 Olympic Games], both in the delivery of the Games but also what happened afterwards"
  LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe, feeling rather chuffed after Super Saturday.
  "Those guys have been here a lot, they must have done really well in the ballot."
  Athletics commentator David Culbert after spotting Princes William and Harry in the crowd
  More than 5 million spectators attended the Games in its first week, with "Super Saturday" (day 8) attracting over 1 million. The London 2012 website has also become the world's most visited sports site with 25 million hits on Saturday (day 8)
  Horses must be taller than 148cm (just over 14.2hh) without shoes – or 149cm with shoes – to compete in equestrian events at the Olympic Games
  Royal Mail has pledged to issue a stamp for each Team GB gold medal during the Games. The stamps cost the standard first-class price of 60p. They will also paint a post box gold in each of the home towns of gold medal winners.
  China completed a clean sweep of all five badminton gold medals at Wembley Arena yesterday, the first time since the sport was introduced to the Games in Barcelona in 1992.
  Australia's Naomi Fischer-Rasmussen added a feminine touch to women's boxing's Olympic debut yesterday when she wore a skirt in her first-round defeat to Sweden's Anna Laurell in the 75kg.
  Dutch men's hockey player Teun de Nooijer made a world record 450th appearance during their 3-1 victory over Germany in their pool match at the Riverbank Arena yesterday.
  Reigning Olympic and world champion Valerie Adams was missing from the official start list for the women's shot put after officials forgot to register her for the event. To the relief of Adams and the New Zealand Olympic Committee, her name has now been included in the field.
  Jimmy Watkins, who lost to Shane Perkins in yesterday's quarter-finals of the men's sprint, trains on bike rollers while working for the fire station in Bakersfield, California. He only gets to a velodrome once a week.
  1928 – Andrew "Boy" Charlton wins silver in the men's 1500m freestyle in Amsterdam
  1936 – John Metcalf wins bronze in the men's triple jump (then known as the hop, step and jump), our only medal of Berlin Games
  1948 – Fanny Blankers-Koen (Netherlands) wins the third of her four gold medals at the London Games
  1948 – 17-year-old Bob Mathias (USA) becomes the youngest winner of a men's track and field event in Olympic history when he claims the decathlon. When asked what he would do next, he said: "Start shaving, I guess"
  1984 – Carl Lewis wins the long jump in Los Angeles, ahead of silver medallist Gary Honey
  1992 –Mike Marsh (USA), who was a car park attendant at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, wins bronze in the men's 200m in Barcelona
  1992 –Kevin Young breaks fellow American Edwin Moses's nine-year-old world to claim gold in the men's 400m hurdles in Barcelona