Today at the Games: Britain bag hockey bronze as Lauren Price wins semi-final

Jack Carlin faces Holland’s Harrie Lavreysen in the semi-finals of the men’s sprint while Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald are also in action.

Pa Sport Staff
Friday 06 August 2021 06:58 BST
Britain bagged bronze in the women’s hockey at Tokyo 2020 (Adam Davy/PA)
Britain bagged bronze in the women’s hockey at Tokyo 2020 (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)

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Grace Balsdon bagged the winner as Great Britain clinched Olympic bronze in the women’s hockey after edging out India in a seven-goal thriller.

Welsh boxer Lauren Price is into the women’s middleweight final – guaranteeing herself a minimum of a silver medal – after a paper-thin split decision victory over Dutch adversary Nouchka Fontijn.

Jack Carlin goes up against Holland’s Harrie Lavreysen in the semi-finals of the men’s sprint while Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald are also in action.

Here, the PA news agency breaks down everything you need to know about Friday’s events.

What’s happened?

Britain’s hopes of retaining their women’s hockey team were emphatically ended by Holland last time out but Maddie Hinch and company still had the consolation of the bronze medal match against India.

It looked set to be an elementary win as they eased to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Ellie Rayer and Sarah Robertson, but India rallied and, in a frantic four-minute period in the second quarter, they went ahead.

Gurjit Kaur scored twice and Vandana Katariya also netted, but Hollie Pearne-Webb equalised before Balsdon’s strike from a penalty corner clinched a third successive Games podium finish.

Price, meanwhile, finds herself one win away from being crowned Olympic champion after recovering from having a point taken off to overcome great rival Fontijn.

Price, who controversially beat Fontijn in the 2019 world final after an appeal, looked to be heading for a loss after she was deducted a point in round two for excessive holding.

Despite trailing on four of the five cards heading into the last round, Price turned it around to book her place in Sunday’s final, where she will take on China’s Li Qian.

Finally, Poland’s Dawid Tomala won the men’s 50km race walk final, with Germany’s Jonathan Hilbert and Canada’s Evan Dunfee second and third respectively.

What’s still to come?

On the track, Jodie Williams will be in action in the women’s 400 metres final at 1335 while Laura Muir goes in the women’s 1500m showpiece around a quarter of an hour later.

Britain, meanwhile, are in action in both the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays, with all eyes on Dina Asher-Smith following her dramatic return to the track on Thursday.

Carlin has a tall order to reach the final of the men’s sprint as he takes on the reigning world champion in Lavreysen at 0810, while Kenny and Archibald go up in the women’s madison from 0915.

Tom Daley begins his bid for a second gold at Tokyo 2020 in the men’s 10m individual platform, from 0700.

Sweden, runners-up at Rio 2016 in the women’s football competition, take on Canada, who knocked out the United States last time out, in Friday’s final, kicking off at 1300.

Social media moment

  • Olympics Live - BBC1 0400, 0900, 1200, 1245, 2235.
  • Olympics Breakfast - BBC1 0600.
  • Athletics - Eurosport 1 1220, 2250.
  • Beach volleyball - Eurosport 2 0530.
  • Boxing - Eurosport 1 0555.
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  • Climbing - Eurosport 2 0915, 1305.
  • Cycling - Eurosport 1 0720.
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  • Football - Eurosport 2 0255.
  • Hockey - Eurosport 2 1200.
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  • Volleyball - Eurosport 1 0500.

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