By the time the Games reach a conclusion, a total of 339 events across 33 different sports will have taken place, with world records, shock victories and heartbreaking defeats all being encompassed into the 16 days of action.
Team GB Delivering Plenty of Success in Tokyo
Great Britain have enjoyed record-breaking hauls in terms of medals won at each of the last two Summer Olympics, and although they may fall slightly short this time around, it has still been a largely successful Games.
Track cyclist Jason Kenny became the most successful British Olympian of all time when helping Team GB to silver in the men’s team sprint and he could add further medals over the coming days, as he will also go for gold in the men’s individual sprint and the keirin.
There has also been plenty of success in swimming, sailing and equestrian, with 11 of Team GB’s 15 golds to date coming across those three sports.
Team GB also won four medals in BMX, including a gold apiece for Bethany Shriever and Charlotte Worthington, while 13-year-old Sky Brown became Britain’s youngest ever medallist when she picked up bronze in the women’s skateboarding final.
However, it has not been all plain sailing for Team GB, as they produced their worst performance in 49 years in rowing, failing to pick up a single gold medal, while in athletics, Dina Asher-Smith, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Adam Gemili all missed out on medals after suffering injuries on the track.
World Records Tumble on the Track
There may be no Usain Bolt or Mo Farah at the Games, but there has still been plenty of drama on the athletics track, with Karsten Warholm and Sydney McLaughlin setting world record times on their way to winning gold in the men’s and women’s 400m hurdles respectively.
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah made it an unprecedented double-double on the track, following up her 100m and 200m golds in Rio by doing the same in Tokyo, while Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs won the men’s 100m and Andre De Grasse of Canada triumphed in the 200m.
The United States dominated in the pool, as they won 30 swimming medals, including 11 golds, with Caeleb Dressel seemingly picking up the baton from Michael Phelps by winning five of his own.
In gymnastics, Simone Biles withdrew from the all-around, vault, floor and uneven bars in order to protect her mental health after helping the USA to a silver medal in the team all-around, before she then came back to courageously claim balance beam bronze – her seventh Olympic medal overall.
Plenty of Medals Still to Be Won
There are still plenty of medals to be won across a variety of sports. On the track Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands will be looking to complete an unprecedented treble after winning the 5,000m earlier in the week, as she is also one of the favourites for gold in both the 1,500m and 10,000m.
The withdrawal of Johnson-Thompson has left the women’s heptathlon wide open, with Anouk Vetter leading the way after four events and she is priced at 11/4 to win gold.
The women’s football final will be contested on Friday between Sweden and Canada, while the men’s showpiece involving Brazil and Spain will come 24 hours later.
Brazil are priced at 7/4 to win the final in 90 minutes, while Spain are available at 9/5 and the draw is on offer at 7/4.
There is also lots still to be decided in cycling, boxing, beach volleyball and many more sports, so whatever you are into, put your feet up and enjoy what promises to be a thrilling finale to this summer’s Olympic programme.
*All odds correct at time of writing
