Australia wins gold in a thrilling canoe sprint to hold off Germany by a nose and overtake Britain on the medal tally
- Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen triumphant in men’s K2 1000 final
- Finished just ahead of Germany in an epic final from start to finish in Tokyo
- Current haul of 17 gold medals is the best return for Australia at any Olympics
Australia has overtaken Britain on the Olympic medal tally following a gold medal in a thrilling canoe sprint final where they held off Germany by a nose.
Paddlers Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen emerged triumphant in the K2 1000 metre final, by the narrowest of margins.
The 22-year-olds had never competed internationally together before and stunned the Tokyo Games final field, including German world champions Max Hoff and Jacob Schopf.
Jean van der Westhuyzen of Australia and Thomas Green celebrate after winning gold in the K2 1000m final in Tokyo
It is Australia’s first gold in the event, topping the Rio bronze won by triple medallist Ken Wallace and Lachlan Tame.
It was also the 16th gold medal for Australia in Tokyo, with only China, the US and hosts Japan faring better.
In a huge few minutes for Australia, Keegan Palmer became the inaugural men’s park skateboarding Olympic champion.
The skater scored a huge 95.83 in his final run to secure gold.
The current haul of 17 gold medals is the best return for Australia at an Olympic Games.
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