Tokyo 2020: Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald win gold in madison

History for Kenny as madison duo dominate

Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald blew away the competition to take gold for Great Britain in the first ever Olympic women’s Madison.

It was a fifth career Olympic gold for Kenny, who surpassed Dutchwoman Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel to become the most successful female cyclist in Olympic history as she took gold at a third consecutive Games.

She now also moves clear of Charlotte Dujardin as the British female with the most gold medals.

“It’s unbelievable,” Kenny told the BBC of her achievement. “I am just so glad.

“I have never wanted to win a race so badly in my life. It was giving me fears like never before. But we went and did it.”

Both riders were part of the team pursuit squad that settled for silver on Tuesday, beaten by a Germany team who twice broke the world record during competition.

Archibald said: “I’ve been dreaming about this. I’ve never wanted something so much and I’ve never been so nervous. But we’ve been clinical in our approach.

“I’d like to thank our coach Monica (Greenwood). None of this would have happened without Monica. She overhauled our approach to this event.”

Muir stays strong for silver

Laura Muir ended her wait for a major global outdoor medal after taking a brilliant silver in the 1500m at the Olympics.

The Scot ran three minutes 54.50 – a new British record – in Tokyo on Friday night as Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon claimed gold, defending her title, with Sifan Hassan winning bronze.

It ended Hassan’s remarkable triple bid on the track having already won the 5000m. She will also run in the 10000m on Saturday after missing out on an unprecedented hat-trick of wins.

The 28-year-old hit the front inside the first lap with Kipyegon and Muir responding along with Canada’s Gabriela DeBues-Stafford.

But Kipyegon took the lead early in the final lap and Muir moved into second with 200m to go.

Muir’s medal in Japan ends a run of several near misses at major championships.

She came seventh in the 1500m in Rio after fading despite being in medal contention with 200m to go; the disappointment followed the 2017 World Championships where she finished fourth by 0.07 seconds.

Since then she has become a quadruple European indoor champion, European champion in 2018 and claimed silver at the World Indoor Championships.

Muir also came fifth at the World Championships in Doha in 2019 after seeing her preparation hampered by an Achilles problem but finally reached the podium at the Olympic Stadium.

An emotional Muir told the BBC: “I don’t know what to say. I’ve worked so hard for so long.

“I’ve been fourth, fifth twice, sixth and seventh at global champs every year since 2015. I’ve got a silver and a British record as well.

“It felt like 3:54 because it was hurting – that last 100m I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared that someone was going to pass me and I was going to come fourth.

“I just gave it absolutely everything and I was tying up so bad but I thought keep pushing.”

Muir paid tribute to her coach Andy Young, adding: “I started working with him in 2011 so almost a decade next month and he’s sacrificed basically the last 10 years for that four minutes back there. I just cannot thank him enough.”

Bronze for relay quartet

Dina Asher-Smith completed her Olympic comeback with 4×100 metres relay bronze in Tokyo.

The 200m world champion ran the third leg as the British women clocked 41.88 seconds at the Olympic Stadium behind Jamaica and the USA.

Asha Philip and Daryll Neita add to the relay bronze they won in Rio while Imani-Lara Lansiquot claims her first Olympic medal.

More was expected of the squad but their baton changes let them down and they barely celebrated third.

Asher-Smith’s individual Olympic dreams were wrecked by a hamstring injury she suffered at the British trials in June.

She failed to reach the 100m final after running a time of 11.05secs – well below her 10.83s personal best – and then pulled out of the 200m.

The 25-year-old returned on Thursday to help the squad reach the final, qualifying fastest in a new national record of 41.55s.

Bronze added to Team GB’s athletics medal total after Laura Muir won silver in the 1500m earlier on Friday night following Holly Bradshaw’s pole vault bronze and Keely Hodgkinson’s 800m silver in the week.

Men's squad narrowly denied

The British men’s 4x100m team claimed silver after being beaten on the line by Italy.

CJ Ujah, Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake ran 37.51 seconds to be beaten to gold by 0.01 seconds.

Kilty told the BBC: “After the heat we knew we had to pull it out, we had to give it everything. We were prepared to die and that’s what we said. We’re Olympic silver medallists, what more can we ask for?

“Last Olympics we finished fifth and we knew we were coming out here with no less than a medal.

“We went to win it, we were unlucky but this is unity, this is a team and we were in it together and we absolutely pulled it out as a quartet. In 20 years’ time when we’re old and retired we’ll look back at this night as one of the best of our lives.”

Mitchell-Blake, whose disappointment was obvious as soon as he crossed the line, said: “Apologies if I seemed ungrateful at first, it’s just that we put a lot of work and effort into this and we truly believe that we’re the best quartet in the world and we want to display that when the time comes.”

Kilty then added: “This man ran an amazing leg. He looked a bit disappointed but this is a team. He’s been part of the top three fastest teams that we’ve ever had in British history. This man’s a legend and he brought us home in incredible style.”

Sprint medal for Carlin

Jack Carlin delivered another velodrome medal for Britain as he beat Denis Dmitriev 2-0 to take bronze in the men’s sprint.

The 24-year-old Scot took the inside line to beat Dmitriev in the opening race, and then held off a powerful finish from the 35-year-old former world champion.

Bronze adds to the silver that Carlin, making his Olympic debut, took in the team event alongside Jason Kenny and Ryan Owens.

French fabulous in modern pentathlon

Kate French put together a brilliant series of performances to become Britain’s second Olympic champion in modern pentathlon.

The Rio Games were the first Olympics since the women’s event was introduced in 2000 that Britain had not won a medal but French made up for that in spectacular fashion, keeping her cool superbly in the final run-and-shoot.

French, from Kent, began the last event in fifth but surged into the lead by the end of the first lap and never looked like letting that go, hitting her targets with her laser gun impeccably, missing just two of her 22 shots.

She follows in the footsteps of Stephanie Cook, who was the first female Olympic champion in Sydney, while Kate Allenby, Georgina Harland, Heather Fell and Samantha Murray have all won medals for Britain.