Britain had a sensational day in Tokyo today on what has been dubbed ‘Mega Monday’ as Team GB claimed a string of Olympic medals – including three golds in just five hours.
Adam Peaty became the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic title with a dominant display in the men’s 100m breaststroke, while Tom Pidcock stormed to gold with a dominant ride in the mountain bike race.
And Tom Daley finally won his first Olympic gold alongside Matty Lee in the men’s synchronised 10m platform – which was Daley’s third Olympic medal after he won bronze at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Another silver or gold is guaranteed later today after Lauren Williams booked her place in the women’s -67kg taekwondo final against Matea Jelic at 1.30pm UK time after a pulsating win over Rio bronze winner Ruth Gbagbi.
The British medal flurry began earlier in the day when Alex Yee continued Team GB’s run of success in Olympic triathlon events with a silver medal on his debut, behind Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt.
Swimmer Adam Peaty (left) and mountain bike competitor Tom Pidcock (right) win gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics today
Tom Daley (left) and Matty Lee celebrate winning gold in the men’s synchronised 10m platform final at Tokyo 2020 today
The gold in Tokyo today was Tom Daley’s third Olympic medal after he won bronze at London 2012 and Rio 2016
Tom Pidcock of Team GB poses with his gold medal after the men’s cross-country race on day three of the Olympics today
Tom Pidcock of Great Britain is hugged after winning the gold medal during the men’s cross country mountain bike today
Gold medalist Adam Peaty of Great Britain during the medals ceremony of the 100m breaststroke final on day three today
In the diving, nerveless duo Daley and Lee finished with 471.81 points having never dropped out of the top two and took the Olympic title 1.23 points ahead of China, with the Russian Olympic Committee third.
The pair started well after an inward one-and-a-half somersault pike in the first round and continued their form to lead with two rounds left.
London breakthrough and Tokyo triumph: Tom Daley’s diving career
Tom Daley has previously been the 10m platform world champion two times, and claimed bronzes at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
But hopes were high for Daley coming into today’s events after the form he showed in winning two golds at a recent World Cup in Tokyo — the second being in the synchro with new partner Lee.
Speaking last week Daley, who is a father to three-year-old son Robbie, born via surrogacy in the US in June 2018, said that being in lockdown with his family has changed his perspective on life.
Plymouth-born Tom Daley is pictured aged ten in 2005, with his mother Debbie and father Rob Daley, who died ten years ago
The Plymouth-born sportsman said that the Olympics being postponed has re-ordered his priorities and he now sees himself as a husband and a father instead of simply a diver.
‘I think it’s changed my perspective on what matters most,’ he told the Radio Times. ‘Especially the things that you have in your life every single day and often take for granted. I got to spend so much bonding time with my family.
‘Before getting married and having a kid, I used to define myself by how well I do in a competition. Not anymore. I’m a father, I’m a husband, so many more things than just a diver.’
Daley is among more than 160 LGBT+ athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympics, which is more than three times the number at the previous Olympics in Brazil which hosted a then-record 49 openly LGBT+ athletes.
He recently revealed he discovered a passion for knitting during lockdown, and spent the 12-hour flight to Tokyo practising the craft.
At London 2012, Daley was an 18-year-old poster boy and he eventually delivered in the 10m platform. A poor performance in the preliminary rounds ranked him 15th out of 18 qualifiers for the semi-final.
Tom Daley poses with his bronze medal after competing for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games
He improved to reach the final and was dramatically granted a re-dive following his first attempt after camera flashes distracted him. But he still finished third behind the USA’s David Boudia and China’s Qiu Bo to claim only the seventh medal Britain has ever won in Olympic diving.
‘To be honest, I was very nervous. I went in to it with a do-or-die mentality,’ he said at the time.
Daley’s bronze came after disappointment at the Aquatics Centre in Stratford. Along with Pete Waterfield he missed out on an Olympic medal in the synchronised 10m platform event after coming fourth.
They had led the competition after three of their six dives but a poor fourth round effort cost them. Their attempt at a three-and-a-half somersault, when Waterfield over-rotated and suffered a poor entry, dropped them out of gold medal contention and they could not recover.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Daley won a silver medal in the men’s synchronised 10m platform with partner James Denny. He also collected gold in the men’s 10m platform, defending the title he won at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010.
At the World Championships in Russia later that year, Daley won gold with Rebecca Gallantree in the inaugural team event competition.
He then won bronze in the individual 10m platform. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia he won the 10m synchronised platform with Daniel Goodfellow.
Daley is a father to three-year-old son Robbie, born via surrogacy in the US in June 2018
At the 2016 Games in Brazil, Daley and Goodfellow won bronze in the synchronized 10m platform. ‘Going into the last round there’s an intense pressure in any competition, but when it’s the Olympics it multiplies by a million,’ said Daley.
Despite his synchro success, Daley suffered disappointment individually after failing to reach the individual 10m platform final, despite initially setting an Olympic record score of 571.85 points in the preliminaries.
Then today, Daley and Lee held their nerve with a flawless performance at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre to claim Olympic gold in the synchronised 10m platform. The pair never dropped out of the top two to beat China to the title by just 1.23 points.
It was the crowning glory of an Olympic career which started in Beijing in 2008 as a 14-year-old. A near perfect final dive – a four-and-a-half somersaults tuck – when the pressure was on in the last round proved the pair’s star quality.
China’s poor dive – a score of 73.44 points was ranked sixth in the fourth round – left the route to gold open for Daley and Lee. They scored 93.96 in the fourth round with an impressive backwards three-and-a-half somersaults pike to take charge.
A fifth dive – a reverse three-and-a-half somersaults tuck – earned 89.76 points to put the pressure on China ahead of the final round.
The British pair were 1.74 points ahead and an impressive forward four-and-half somersault tuck earned them 101.01 points and China could not catch them with their final effort.
Daley said he could not believe it after securing his first Olympic gold medal at his fourth games.
‘I mean to finally have this gold medal around my neck after so many – I mean I’ve been diving now for 20 years and this is my fourth Olympic Games and lots of people probably would have counted me out of this Olympics being the older person but I’m in the best shape physically and mentally,’ Daley told the BBC.
‘With the support of Matty coming into this competition and the way that we’ve been preparing, I think we’ve just had that unstoppable mentality this year and this is the first year that I’ve ever been able to think like that – that we are the ones to beat.
‘I still honestly can’t believe what’s happening and I honestly didn’t think I would get there in the first place, but here we are.’
Daley also said: ‘You want to win an Olympic gold medal but never think you actually will. I will carry on but I will definitely take a break. There are some beverages with my name on it to celebrate with my husband and family.
‘This means an incredible amount. All athletes put in such hard work and dedication into our performances. To be an Olympic champion after four attempts at it feels extremely special.’
Lee added: ‘In 2018 I moved my whole life to London from Leeds, I had nothing really in London. Our aim was to get an Olympic medal and for it to go the way we wanted it to is awesome.
‘I owe a lot to Tom because he has taught me a lot.’
Lee’s parents Helen and Tim were interviewed on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this morning, with Helen saying it was ‘very emotional’ and Tim adding that it was ‘unbelievable’.
Tim said: ‘It was very tense, obviously it was extremely close, the lads did fantastic but the Chinese are the Chinese but they could potentially have… it was pretty tense watching the Chinese but there was a feeling we might just do it.
‘It is hard to think that he was watching him from the stands when Tom was competing, never dreaming that he might be stood on the world stage of the Olympics as his synchro partner.’
Elsewhere, relief poured out of Peaty after he became the first British swimmer to retain an Olympic title in the final of the men’s 100m breaststroke.
While he was unable to break his own world record of 56.88 seconds, the 26-year-old from Uttoxeter stormed to Team GB’s first gold of Tokyo 2020 by clocking 57.37secs, the fifth fastest time in the event’s history.
His supremacy therefore remains unchallenged with closest challenger Arno Kamminga, the only swimmer other than Peaty to breach the 58-second barrier, finishing a distant 0.63s behind.
Peaty’s coronation has seemed inevitable as not only is his personal best almost a second quicker than anyone else who has ever competed over the distance but he is unbeaten in major competitions in seven years.
But Peaty, who swore twice on the BBC in an emotional poolside interview in the moments after writing his name into the history books, admitted the past year, which has included becoming a first-time father, has had its upheavals.
He said: ‘It’s been a heavy investment. A lot has changed this last year, more than the last five. Becoming a father, buying my first house and some days when I woke up and was like ‘this is hard, this is really hard’.
‘There’s been so many challenges, so many challenges and f****** some breakdowns as well. It’s like ‘what am I doing every single day? Why am I training three times a day, giving it everything for this swim?’.
‘I’ve hidden a lot of emotion from my own family, I’ve hidden a lot of stress and a lot of those moments where I was like ‘this is very, very hard’.
‘It’s like going for a promotion and trying to prove yourself every five years in 56-57 seconds, it’s like to trying to prove what you’re worth.
‘I don’t think people back home would understand the amount of investment which has been put into this swim. For a lot of people they could lose it just in that last moment. For me that amount of investment has paid off.
‘There’s a lot of emotion, I’m probably not going to sleep for a while now, I’m so buzzed because that was the first British swimmer to ever defend a title. You can do what you want all year round; in your own arena, in your own backyard, it doesn’t mean anything, it means everything here.
‘The 99.9 per cent of time that we spend in the dark is for the 0.01 per cent we spend in light.
‘That’s something me and (coach) Mel (Marshall) have always believed in. That’s why I don’t think anyone deserves it more than me and that’s not an arrogant thing.’
Nicolo Martinenghi collected bronze in a time of 58.33s as Britain’s James Wilby missed out on a podium position, settling for fifth as he clocked 58.96s, in a race where Peaty showed his enduring class from the off.
Asked whether he was disappointed he did not lower the benchmark over the discipline he has mastered for much of the last decade, Peaty responded: ‘No, I don’t give a s*** about the time! No one thinks about times.
‘Yes, it would have been amazing to finish on a world record but it’s not about that and Mel said this morning ‘it isn’t about the time, it’s about the race’ and no one races better than me.’
Peaty – who brought a gold medallion with him to the Japanese capital which reminds him of his son, George, who was born last September – read a letter his partner, Eiri, wrote the night before his historic gold medal.
Peaty, who could win a second medal in the 4x100m medley relay later this week, added: ‘The letter goes ‘this is what it’s about’. I’ve had some messages from home but I only choose to read a few because that’s all I need.
‘There’s that film, The Last Samurai: too much mind, too much mind. All you’ve got to do is be present, be in the moment and enjoy it.
‘You don’t even have to think about the stroke, that takes care of itself, so I’m glad I can go home with at least one gold medal.’
Peaty’s partner, Eiri Munro, also spoke on ITV’s Good Morning Britain today, saying: ‘It means a lot, there have been a lot of sacrifices that we have had to make seeing him win, just seeing him at the Olympics makes him all worth it.
Tom Daley of Britain and Matty Lee Team GB wipe away tears on the podium after winning the gold medal at Tokyo 2020 today
Tom Daley (front) and Matty Lee (back) produced a near-perfect display to take a gold medal
Gold medallists Britain’s Tom Daley and Matty Lee pose with their medals after wining the men’s synchronised 10m platform
The British pairing were reduced to tears after the judges’ scores came through to confirm they had won the syncronised title
Daley (seen right) has waited 13 years to claim a gold medal having landed bronzes at the previous two Olympic Games
The 27-year-old was left lost for words when it was confirmed that his Olympic dream was complete in winning a gold medal
The two British divers placed the medals around each other’s necks as they stood top of the podium in the diving centre
Lee, making his Olympic debut in Tokyo, showed no fear as they fought back in the final few rounds to defeat China
Daley (left) made his Olympic debut back in 2008 in Beijing but had never before managed to win more than a bronze medal
Team GB’s high score of 471.81 was untouchable even with a thrilling finish by China as they watched on having dived first
The British pair faced an agonising wait after the Chinese pair were last to dive but it was not enough to go and beat Team GB
It was one of the most emotional scenes for Team GB of the Games so far as Lee and Daley added to the Mega Monday haul
Daley with his husband Dustin Lance Black and their son Robbie. The couple do not share pictures with their son’s face online
Lee’s parents Helen and Tim were interviewed on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this morning, with Helen saying it was ‘very emotional’ and Tim adding that it was ‘unbelievable’
‘We had a FaceTime that lasted about 5 minutes, we didn’t say much to each other because we are both in shock still. We were kind of smiling at each other, pretending that we were together because we are a long way away from each other.’
Adam Peaty: A man who made British Olympic history in the pool
Adam Peaty is part of a select band of athletes in Olympic history where the burning question is not so much about whether he will win but by how much and if another world record will tumble.
For Peaty, who as a child developed a fear of water and being put in a bath after his older brothers mischievously told him sharks could get in via the plughole, is redefining what appears possible in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke.
Swimmer Adam Peaty after he was awarded an MBE by the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace in October 2017
Being unbeaten in seven years in major events is remarkable but to be almost one second clear of anyone in history is scarcely credible. It seemed only coronavirus or a slip on a wet board could have denied him glory at Tokyo 2020.
On the horizon with a time of 57.8 seconds in Friday’s heats was Arno Kamminga, but, to put that into context, Peaty breached the 58-second barrier for the 20th time after retaining his Olympic title.
No British swimmer had ever done so but Peaty’s path to gold in Japan has seemed inevitable. He duly delivered in Monday’s final in a time of 57.37secs – half a second slower than his personal best, but that was a mere footnote.
Peaty’s status as one of Britain’s best swimmers is well established and some would argue he already tops the list. He could remove any doubt in the minds of some by claiming a hat-trick of golds at Paris 2024, before he turns 30.
It is a far cry from his early relationship with the pool, where aged 14 his front crawl underwhelmed the coach who would become his guru so much that she packed him off in one of the slower lanes with younger girls.
Peaty has spoken much about diversity, having last year become a father to a mixed-race baby boy with girlfriend Eiri Munro, who is of Nigerian descent
However, Mel Marshall spotted his natural ability in the style he has come to master, helping to hone a chiselled 6ft 3in frame that is able to power adroitly through the water and leave all his rivals struggling to keep up.
It was at the City of Derby Swimming Club where the pair first met and it was his mother Caroline who woke up at 4.30am every morning to take the youngest of her four children from their home in Uttoxeter to training.
Peaty has credited his father Mark for instilling a relentless work ethic that only surfaced in a sliding doors moment while watching London 2012, which put the then unfocused 17-year-old on the right path.
He has not looked back, rising to prominence at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow by pipping his idol Cameron van der Burgh to gold. Peaty and the South African would go toe-to-toe many times with the Briton often prevailing.
Peaty with his mother Caroline, who said today: ‘We felt the pressure that Adam was under’
European and world honours swiftly followed – as he dominated both in the 100m and 50m, which to Peaty’s chagrin is not an event included in the Olympics – before making his presence felt as he won Team GB’s first gold in Brazil.
A time of 57.13s – a jaw-dropping 1.56s clear of the field – shattered the world record he had set days earlier as he became the first British male to become Olympic champion since Adrian Moorhouse in the same event at Seoul 1988.
The great Michael Phelps was left astonished in his final race later on in the Games as Peaty clocked 56.59s in his split of the 4x100m medley relay. The United States won but Peaty had a fan in the 23-time Olympic champion.
Peaty had a lion and the Olympic rings tattooed on to his left arm as a reminder of his success but pride did not come before a fall on this occasion, as his achievements in Rio only spurred him on further.
Thus ‘Project 56’ was born and conquered as he clocked 56.88s en route to yet another gold medal at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, to continue a hegemony few have enjoyed in any sport.
Peaty talks well about offbeat topics such as his beloved grime to more serious issues such as diversity, having last year become a father to a mixed-race baby boy with girlfriend Eiri Munro, who is of Nigerian descent.
He has credited the arrival of son George with giving him a fresh perspective on life and while many questioned whether the burden of expectation would get to him, Peaty spoke with authority about how he embraces pressure.
Peaty certainly showed no sign of being overwhelmed on his way to making history. He may not finish with the medal counts of the likes of Phelps or Usain Bolt, but what he is achieving is no less extraordinary.
Peaty’s mother Caroline added: ‘Unreal at the minute. I just said congrats we are super proud of you, I could really feel the pressure on him, last time I couldn’t. You can’t take it for granted.’
She continued: ‘It took me a while to fully realise after Rio, I think it is going to be the same this time too. ‘
Peaty’s father Mark told the BBC: “It’s fantastic what he’s achieved in his short career at the moment, he’s done very wel;.’
And Caroline added: “We felt the pressure that Adam was under.”
She said: “I think normally it’s all screams and everything in the Peaty household but last night I think both of us – we knew it was going to be close – but both of us were really quiet.
“I don’t know why we were so quiet but I was sort of pushing myself back into the sofa because I was a bit petrified, and I thought ‘come on Adam in my head’ but it was so quiet.”
On whether she would have gone to the event itself, rather than an early morning get up to watch it on the TV, she said: “Most probably we might have been – I wasn’t too keen on going, but just for Adam, because Adam did say he wanted us out there with Eiri (Eirianedd Munro, Peaty’s girlfriend) and baby George, but we’ve just made the best of it.
“In fact, you can see more at home, you can actually see where he is in the pool, because when we were in Rio we didn’t know who had won until the results came up.”
Also today, Tom Pidcock underlined his status as the most exciting young cyclist in Britain as he stormed to victory in the men’s Olympic mountain bike race in Izu.
Having already collected junior or under-23 world titles in cyclo-cross, mountain biking and on the road, the 21-year-old Yorkshireman took things to another level with an Olympic crown on Monday as he rode clear of the field, having time to grab a Union flag and hold it aloft as he crossed the line.
Even with the celebrations, his margin of victory was 20 seconds over world number one Mathias Flueckiger – the only man who had looked capable of staying in touching distance once Pidcock had made his move midway through the 28.25km race.
The watching crowd – not subject to the same restrictions as those in Tokyo – were denied the hotly anticipated battle with Mathieu van der Poel, who crashed heavily in front of Pidcock early in the race before withdrawing on the fifth lap, but they were still treated to a phenomenal performance.
Pidcock, whose qualification for the event was only confirmed late on because of his commitments in other disciplines, started on the fourth row but wasted no time in getting himself into a leading group.
Tucked in behind Flueckiger and the other Swiss rider Nino Schurter, Pidcock made his move with 17km to go as he charged to the front, then kept the power down as his rivals one-by-one slipped back.
Racing less than two months after breaking his collarbone in a training crash on the road, Pidcock looked in supreme form as others tired in the hot and humid conditions.
Flueckiger stayed just behind Pidcock as long as he could but a slip on the fifth lap opened up a gap from which he never recovered.
As Pidcock rounded the bend on to the finishing line he grabbed a Union flag from a spectator to begin his celebrations, then embraced coach Kurt Bogaerts after crossing the line.
Pidcock said: ‘It’s nothing like any other race. The Olympics just transcends any sport. You compete and represent your country and everyone in your country is behind you, no matter in what sports they like. It’s just national pride, it’s unbelievable.’
Asked why he had attacked early, he added: ‘I’m always better when I take control myself. I take my own lines, my own speed. Once we started I was fine, all the nerves kind of went and I concentrated on the race. I’m happy this s**t’s (the Olympic Games) only every four years because it’s f***ing stressful.’
‘I know that my mum and girlfriend are crying at home. It’s sad that they can’t be here but I see them when I get home.’
When asked how it felt to win gold, Pidcock told Eurosport: ‘Not real really. It’s pretty crazy that I became an Olympian and I was trying to tell myself at the start of the race it’s special just to be here.’
Racing less than two months after breaking his collarbone in a training crash on the road, Pidcock looked in supreme form as others tired in the hot and humid conditions.
Flueckiger stayed just behind Pidcock as long as he could but a slip on the fifth lap opened up a gap from which he never recovered.
As Pidcock rounded the bend on to the finishing line he grabbed a Union flag from a spectator to begin his celebrations, then embraced coach Kurt Bogaerts after crossing the line.
Pidcock said: ‘It’s nothing like any other race. The Olympics just transcends any sport. You compete and represent your country and everyone in your country is behind you, no matter in what sports they like. It’s just national pride, it’s unbelievable.’
Asked why he had attacked early, he added: ‘I’m always better when I take control myself. I take my own lines, my own speed. Once we started I was fine, all the nerves kind of went and I concentrated on the race. I’m happy this s**t’s (the Olympic Games) only every four years because it’s f***ing stressful.’
‘I know that my mum and girlfriend are crying at home. It’s sad that they can’t be here but I see them when I get home.’
When asked how it felt to win gold, Pidcock told Eurosport: ‘Not real really. It’s pretty crazy that I became an Olympian and I was trying to tell myself at the start of the race it’s special just to be here.’
Yee began the medal flurry as he began his first ever Olympic medal, claiming silver in the men’s triathlon.
Yee came agonisingly close to Britain’s first gold medal of these Olympics in the early hours of this morning, only to be beaten by Kristian Blummenfelt.
The Norwegian passed with just two kilometres remaining of the brutal test, running away to take the elusive prize.
Yee said: ‘I’m just a normal guy from south-east London. Dreams really do come true.
‘It hasn’t sunk in quite yet, it doesn’t feel quite real that it’s me. I hope I can just serve as an inspiration to many people that this is possible and I’m not anything special.’
He added: ‘I think I probably timed it (the run) a little bit wrong, leaving it a little bit late to close the gap to Kristian. Once I got halfway across it I was pretty cooked, I was starting to feel the heat and stuff.’
Jonny Brownlee finished fifth to add to his brilliant collection of one bronze and one silver.
Also today, Lauren Williams surged into the Olympic taekwondo final with a thrilling 24-18 win over Rio bronze medallist Ruth Gbagbi in Tokyo.
The Blackwood 22-year-old, whose season has been hit by injury, established an early 10-0 lead that she never surrendered to book a gold medal showdown in the -67kg category with top seed Matea Jelic of Croatia.
It capped a fine series of performances from Williams, coming just 24 hours after her compatriot Jade Jones missed her chance to claim an unprecedented third straight title.
Former kick-boxing star Williams stopped her first opponent Malia Paseka of Tonga in the opening round, then withstood a ferocious last-round fightback to beat experienced Egyptian Hedaya Wahba 13-12.
Team GB’s Adam Peaty made Olympic history in Tokyo by winning the men’s 100 breaststroke
Briton Peaty held his medal aloft and beamed during the medal ceremony after his triumph
Peaty dominated the field again to remain king of the pool and take Team GB’s first gold medal
Peaty poses with his gold medal after he wins the Men’s 100m Breaststroke and retains his Olympic title in Tokyo today
Peaty’s partner, Eiri Munro, spoke on ITV’s Good Morning Britain today, saying: ‘It means a lot, there have been a lot of sacrifices that we have had to make seeing him win, just seeing him at the Olympics makes him all worth it’
Williams, a two-time European champion who is making her Olympic debut, was up against it in her semi-final against her experienced opponent from the Ivory Coast.
But a blistered start surely settled her nerves and a thoroughly composed performance ensured she would guarantee Great Britain’s second taekwondo medal – and a shot at gold – later today.
In the hockey, Great Britain’s men’s hockey team continued their impressive opening to the Tokyo Olympics by recording a second successive win.
After defeating South Africa in their first pool game, Britain saw off Canada 3-1 at the Oi Hockey Stadium. Sam Ward and Liam Ansell, scorers in the South Africa encounter, were once again on target.
Ansell gave his team the lead before Ward struck, then Ansell’s second – it came after Canada had cut the deficit – eased any late nerves.
Ansell and company are next in action on Tuesday, with the much tougher proposition of tackling Germany. Ireland’s women conceded three times during the final quarter as they suffered a 4-0 defeat against Holland.
Meanwhile Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski’s hopes of a medal in the men’s doubles were ended by a second-round defeat against Japanese pair Ben McLachlan and Kei Nishikori.
Murray and Skupski survived a nail-biter in the first round but were unable to produce another comeback, going down 6-3 6-4 at Ariake Tennis Park.
It has been a difficult season for Murray and his lack of confidence was clear at times, while Skupski also missed some key shots, and one break in each set was enough for the impressive Japanese duo to progress to the quarter-finals.
Murray said: ‘We’re disappointed to lose, obviously. The Olympic Games comes round once every four years and everyone wants to do well, everyone dreams of coming in and winning a medal.
Tom Pidcock underlines his status as the most exciting young cyclist in Britain as he storms to victory in the men’s Olympic mountain bike race in Izu
Tom Pidcock of Great Britain in action during the men’s cross-country race in Izu today
Pidcock, whose qualification for the event was only confirmed late on because of his commitments in other disciplines, started on the fourth row but wasted no time in getting himself into a leading group
Tom Pidcock then capped off a marvellous Monday by winning gold in men’s mountain bike cross-country cycling
Having already collected junior or under-23 world titles in cyclo-cross, mountain biking and on the road, the 21-year-old Yorkshireman took things to another level with an Olympic crown today as he rode clear of the field, having time to grab a Union flag and hold it aloft as he crossed the line
‘It was a tough match for us today. I think the other guys played very well, especially at the start to put us under the pump a bit. Just a tough day.’
This was Murray’s fourth appearance at the Olympics and he had to digest another early loss after only one win in three Games alongside his brother Andy.
It is not unusual for doubles players to compete into their 40s and, asked if he could have another shot in Paris in 2024, Murray said: ‘Maybe.
‘I’ll be 38 then. There’s plenty of guys here still going strong at that age so we’ll see. If I am there, I guess it’s testament to the longevity of my career to play at that level for however many years.’
Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury will play their second-round match against German duo Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz on Tuesday, while Liam Broady takes on Hubert Hurkacz in the second round of the singles.
Silver medalist Alex Yee of Great Britain during the medal ceremony for the Men’s Triathlon race of the Tokyo 2020 Games
Alex Yee (back) bagged a silver medal on his Olympic debut in an impressive men’s triathlon
Yee (right) was making his Olympic debut and he showed he will be a big player in the future
Elsewhere, Momiji Nishiya made history at the age of just 13 today as she became the first women’s Olympic street skateboarding champion.
A day after Yuto Horigome won the men’s competition for the host nation, Nishiya doubled up for Japan as she triumphed ahead of Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, also 13.
The sport, making its Olympic debut, has already taken these Games by storm and the sight of these two youngster battling it out for gold only added to the drama at the Ariake Urban Sports Park.
Nishiya finished with a score of 15.26 compared to 14.64 for Leal, who was looking to become the youngest ever Olympic champion but instead had to settle for being the youngest medallist in 85 years.
Japan’s Funa Nakayama, 16, completed an all-teenage podium with a score of 14.64.