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Tokyo Olympics LIVE updates Beach volleyballers into gold medal game with convincing win

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    • They’ve done it.

    Australia’s Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar are through to the gold medal match, beating unheralded Latvian pair Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka 23-21 21-13 to give the country its first chance at beach volleyball gold since Sydney 2000.

    Taliqua Clancy celebrates during Australia’s semi-final win.

    Taliqua Clancy celebrates during Australia’s semi-final win.Credit:AP

    Clancy and Artacho del Solar trailed early in the second set and 11-10 at the technical timeout, but peeled off 11 of the next 13 points to ensure they will finish the Olympics with at least a silver medal. And how about the celebration from Clancy and Artacho del Solar - how much does that mean to them?

    They will take on the American pair, no.2 seeds April Ross and Alix Klineman in the gold medal match on Friday.

    Keegan Palmer has landed a score which is going to be mighty hard to toss as the Australian firms for a medal in the skateboarding men’s park final.

    The 18-year-old Gold Coaster, who was only fifth best into the final, has wowed the judges with a 94.04, an incredible result to lead the eight skaters after the first of three runs.

    Keegan Palmer during skateboarding’s men’s park final.

    Keegan Palmer during skateboarding’s men’s park final.Credit:AP

    Kiama’s Kieran Woolley had an incomplete first run and scored 17.03, but he still has two chances to atone.

    Palmer is leading Brazil’s Pedro Barros (86.14) after the first round.

    Is there another gold medal coming Australia’s away?

    Asked what Australia’s female beach volleyballers need to win their gold medal match against the United States, Taliqua Clancy looked at her partner Mariafe Artacho del Solar, paused to think for a moment, and said: “Just each other.”

    Clancy’s three words probably said all that needed to be said about the surprise packages of the tournament, who had just beaten Latvia convincingly in two sets, 23-21 and 21-13, to progress to the final where they are guaranteed at least a silver medal.

    Mariafe Artacho del Solar, left, and Taliqua Clancy celebrate their win against Latvia on Thursday.

    Mariafe Artacho del Solar, left, and Taliqua Clancy celebrate their win against Latvia on Thursday.Credit:Getty

    In their previous match the Australians had beaten top-ranked Canada, and go into Friday’s final fully equipped and brimming with confidence.

    Read Malcolm Knox’s review of Australia’s beach volleyball semi-final win here.

    There are 19 NBA stars on the Australian and United States men’s basketball rosters. The two teams clash in today’s semi final (2.15pm AEST). We take a look at the annual salary of the players in action.

    Hannah Green and Minjee Lee are starting to make a move during the second round of the women’s golf tournament at Kasumigaseki Country Club as temperatures force players to be supplied with almost a bottle of water per hole.

    Green (-4) is four-under through 13 holes and Lee (-2) has finally started to gain some momentum with back-to-back birdies with three holes left in her round.

    France’s Celine Boutier tries to avoid the heat.

    France’s Celine Boutier tries to avoid the heat.Credit:AP

    Both the major winners are still a decent way off the pace, set by Denmark’s Nanna Madsen and Emily Kristine Pedersen, as well as India’s Aditi Ashok. All three are at nine-under with Madsen and Ashok in the clubhouse and Pedersen on her last hole after a scintillating eight-under so far today.

    Well, this is one of those I-see-it-but-I-don’t-believe-it scripts: both the United States and South Africa have been run out of the 4x100m relay in the heats. Who saw that coming?

    The South Africans made a mess of the first baton change and didn’t finish their heat, won by Jamaica in 37.82s, while the Americans only managed sixth in their qualifier, won by China (37.92s). Just 0.24s separated the seven countries across the line in China’s heat which saw Turkey disqualified.

    Cravon Gillespie looks on after the United States were stunned in the heats of the 4x100m relay.

    Cravon Gillespie looks on after the United States were stunned in the heats of the 4x100m relay.Credit:Getty

    Greek authorities have ordered villages near the site of the ancient Olympic Games in the western Peloponnese to be evacuated as bushfires raged across the country.

    Temperatures of more than 40 degrees and strong winds have fanned more than 150 fires in recent days, adding to fires in Turkey and other areas of the Mediterranean.

    A dozen villages were cleared near the archaeological site in the western Peloponnese region where the ancient Olympic Games were held, and around 160 firefighters, with water bombing aircraft battled to save the ancient treasures.

    “We’re doing our best to save this sacred place,” local mayor Panagiotis Antonakopoulos, told television station Open TV. “After human lives our priority is to save our history.”

    The site, where the Olympic flame begins its journey to the city hosting the modern Olympics, is one of Greece’s most popular tourist attractions. It was threatened by a fire in 2007.

    Reuters

    Olympics organisers have announced 31 new coronavirus cases related to the Tokyo Games on Thursday, another daily record.

    Wednesday had seen a high of 29 cases reported.

    One athlete was among those announced on Thursday, another Greek artistic swimmer. Greece withdrew from artistic swimming at the Games earlier in the week after its team tested positive for the virus.

    The latest numbers bring the total number of positive tests linked to the Olympics to 353 since July 1.

    AAP

    Melissa Wu has qualified for the 10m platform diving final after finishing in fifth place with a combined score of 334.50.

    She’ll be up against Quan Hongchan, the 14-year-old powerhouse from China who qualified first at the end of today’s semi-final. Quan finished on 415.65 and has consistently performed in every round of this event so far.

    Melissa Wu in action during the women’s 10m platform diving semi-final.

    Melissa Wu in action during the women’s 10m platform diving semi-final.Credit:Getty

    Quan’s 15-year-old teammate Chen Yuxi finished in second place with a combined score of 407.75 while the US’s Delaney Schnell took third position after finishing on 342.75.

    Only a short time after Kieran Woolley crashed his way into the men’s park final - and then barrelled over a TV cameraman - Gold Coast’s Keegan Palmer is also through to the last eight skate-off after posting a 77.00 on his second run.

    Woolley heads into the final as the second best qualifier with a 82.69, beating all bar Brazil’s Luiz Francisco (84.31). Palmer was in fifth.

    Skateboarder Keegan Palmer has qualified for the men’s park final.

    Skateboarder Keegan Palmer has qualified for the men’s park final.Credit:Getty

    The final will begin at 1.30pm AEST.

    Australia’s women high jumpers have breezed through qualifying and are now through to the finals on Saturday night.

    Nicola McDermott, the national record holder, and Eleanor Patterson, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist whom she took the record from, both qualified without a mistake, hitting each height at their first attempt.

    Nicola McDermott is through to the final of the women’s high jump.

    Nicola McDermott is through to the final of the women’s high jump.Credit:Getty

    Both looked untroubled sailing over the 1.95m qualifying mark.

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