‘Running on heart’: Aussie needs wheelchair after collapsing on track, still finishes 10k final

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Staff Writers from Fox Sports

Patrick Tiernan collapsed on the track just 50 metres away from the finish after an incredible performance in the 10,000-metre final.

The Australian kept up with the favourites for almost the entire 27-minute race, remaining in the lead group for over nine kilometres until the Ethiopians and Ugandans turned it up a notch.

Tiernan fell out of frame quickly, as Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega went on to claim gold, then staggering towards the finish line having clearly given everything he had.

“You can see Pat, he is absolutely done and dusted. He is running on heart only here. Running on heart only,” Bruce McAvaney said on Seven.

“He has absolutely collapsed with 50m to go. He picks himself up. He is staggering here. He was there with a lap and a half to go.”

Patrick Tiernan was left exhausted during and after the 10,000 metre final.Source: FOX SPORTS

After falling with 50 metres left, Tiernan picked himself up and finished 19th with a time of 28:35.06.

Tiernan was helped off the track and needed a wheelchair as he could not walk under his own power.

Earlier, Brandon Starc cleared 2.28m in high jump heat at his first attempt in the day session.

The result puts the brother of Aussie cricket star, Mitchell, into the final for the event.

Starc was equal second in his heat, while there were 13 people across two groups who made the height.

The final is at 8.10pm (AEST) on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Hana Basic didn’t progess through to the womens’ 100m semi finals. She posted a time of 11.32 seconds in the first round which was good enough for fifth in the heat.

KERR DOUBLE, SAVED PEN AND TEEN’S STUNNER SEAL EXTRA-TIME EPIC

The Matildas have reached a first-ever Olympic semi-final after pipping Great Britain 4-3 in an extra-time epic, after Sam Kerr rescued the Australians from the brink of defeat before sealing a famous victory.

The Matildas were on the verge of being dumped out of the Olympics at the quarterfinal stage for the third time before captain Kerr levelled the scores at 2-2 with just one minute of regulation time remaining.

Australia goalkeeper Teagan Micah then kept the Matildas’ hopes alive when she made a sensational penalty save – and less than a minute later teen substitute Mary Fowler scored a long-range bullet (albeit with the help of a deflection) to hand Australia the lead.

Kerr doubled the margin with a brilliant header one minute into the second half of extra time – her fourth headed goal of the tournament – before Great Britain superstar striker Ellen White scored her third goal of the game to take things down to the wire.

But the Australians clung on for a famous victory to move within one win of a first-ever Olympic medal, having also never reached the semi-finals of a World Cup.

They will face Sweden in the semi-finals.

FULL STORY HERE

PERFECT TEN! WEARN CLAIMS GOLD IN LASER SAILING CLASS

Australia has claimed its 10th gold medal of the Tokyo Games after Matt Wearn took an unassailable lead in the one-man Laser class before Sunday’s final race.

A perfect Thursday set up Wearn’s charge for gold, after he edged out Olympic champion Tom Burton to even qualify for the Games.

He won both heats on Thursday having started the day behind Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides, pushing ahead in the standings when his rival didn’t finish the seventh race.

In Friday’s two races finished 12th and eighth but crucially Kontides finished 24th in the latter, meaning he cannot be caught in the double-point 10-man medal race, because he already leads the now second-placed Herman Tomasgaard of Norway by 22 points.

It’s believed the decisive heat was not covered by the host broadcaster which is why it was not televised.

To decide the medal the finishing position in every race is added to each sailor’s score, with their worst discarded.

Wearn started the event terribly, finishing 17th and 28th in the first two heats, but finished second, fourth, second, second, first and first across the next six.

He must simply complete the course on Sunday without disqualification to win gold.

Australia won gold in Laser in both Rio (Burton) and London (Tom Slingsby).

Matt Wearn of Team Australia competes in the Men's Laser class. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

BARTY AND PEERS SET UP LAST HOPE FOR TENNIS MEDAL

Ashleigh Barty and John Peers will fight for an Australian bronze medal in mixed doubles tennis after losing their semi-final match against ROC 5-7, 6-4, 13-11.

After narrowly beating Greece in a tie-breaker thriller last night, Barty and Peers were back on the court today to face Russian duo Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev.

The ROC clearly had more impact with their first serve, but a constant trail of 18 unforced errors spelled danger for the Russians.

Australia were finally able to get a break in ROC’s final service game, preventing a tie-breaker and winning the first set 7-5.

Playing in high humidity weather, Rublev was certainly feeling the heat in the second set after he was seen smashing the racquet into his foot in frustration.

That extra bit of adrenaline clearly paid off, to Australia’s misfortune, with the Russians earning a break.

The momentum of the game shifted from that point towards ROC allowing them to claim another break.

Although Barty and Peers managed to narrow the gap, the Russians took the second set 6-4.

Down to a decider tie-breaker, it was simply down to whoever could nail two straight points as both teams were deadlocked above the minimum 10.

Rublev and Pavlyuchenkova managed to send Barty and Peers spiralling towards the third place decider, winning the tie-breaker 13-11.

Ashleigh Barty and John Peers are out. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

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TALLY LIVE: Brits eat dust Aussies mix it with Olympic heavyweights

AUSSIE SEVENS CHAMPS OUT

Christy Doran in Tokyo

Charlotte Caslick lay on the turf midway through the first half. Rocked to the core from a massive Fiji hit after playing on from a penalty. She looked up in disbelief to the referee asking for something. Anything.

Fiji, having knocked the men out at the quarter-finals three evenings earlier, repeated the dose and dumped the defending Olympic women’s rugby seven champions out at the same point by winning 14-12.

Caslick bravely fronted the media and held back tears as she spoke about the devastation of falling so painfully short.

“It was really hard,” the 2016 women’s sevens player of the year said as she grasped for air, struggling to contain the emotion.

“It was probably one of the hardest games of sevens I’ve ever played.

“Credit to the Fijian girls for coming out there as strong as they did. They were really, really awesome.

“I guess we shifted that momentum but we didn’t have enough time.”

It always felt like an upset was brewing.

Rumbles came from the sky and lightning followed suit delaying Australia’s quarter-final by 30 minutes as they readied to run out.

In humid conditions, with the ball greasy after light rain, conditions perfect for the Island Nation, Fiji dominated the first half with Australia unable to get their hands on the ball.

Fijiana raced out to a 14-0 lead with the Australians shell-shocked as Alowesi Nakoci and Ana Maria Naimasi scored two quick tries. They would have been further behind were it not for the brilliant defensive efforts from Demi Hayes, who was Australia’s best player on a difficult Friday.

Australia eventually got their hands on the ball, but it took until the final play of the first half to score as Faith Nathan took advantage of a numerical advantage on the field after a yellow card for a high shot from Vasiti Solikoviti.

But, just as was the case during their final Pool C loss against USA when a Sharni Williams missed penalty proved the difference in their 14-12 loss and put them on a more difficult path to the gold medal match, another two points were left out there as the co-captain missed.

With just 40 seconds left in the match, having made a meal of the second half as they were smashed at the breakdown, Caslick raced away down field to score and the conversion narrowed the margin to two points.

Yet, as so often throughout the Games, Australia could not win the kick restart and Fiji held on.

For Fiji, who like the men have been away from their families for the best part of five months because of Covid, it was reward for their toil behind the scenes to prepare for the Olympics.

“Our thoughts are back at home for our families, not saying goodbye to them, training for five months and not even seeing them,” Fijiana captain Rusila Nagasau said.

“It was a big task. Our main aim is to go back home and meet them and give them the gold medal.

“It’s all about the nation. The nation sent us here to come and do a job, not just for us and our families, but for the country.

“It is a big thing for us to be the first women in Fiji to win a gold medal - that is our aim right now. To make history.”

Fiji will now take on gold medal favourites New Zealand for a place in the final, with Great Britain set to take on France in the second semi-final.

Five-years-ago the Australian sevens team created a sporting movement Down Under.

For Fiji, the women’s triumph, just two nights after the men’s side defended their Olympic gold medal, will inspire the Island Nation.

AUSSIE MEDAL CHANCE MISSES OUT IN CANOE SLALOM

A touch of the knuckle on gate six and a rueful shake of the head at the bottom of the course. That was how Australia’s Lucien Delfour watched his Olympic medal hopes go up in smoke in the final of the kayak (K-1) event of the canoe slalom.

His run of 102.33 seconds – including a two-second penalty for his knuckles grazing gate six – was enough to put him in third with five paddlers to come in the 10-man final.

But judging by the look on Delfour’s face, he knew immediately that his scratchy run – which included coming within centimetres of missing a gate – wouldn’t be enough to earn a medal.

It didn’t take long for his slim hopes of a bronze medal to disappear.

The next five paddlers all pipped the Aussie, dropping him to an eighth-placed finish.

Jiri Prskavec of the Czech Republic started last, and blew the competition out of the water with a 91.63 second total. Slovakia’s Jakub Grigar won silver with 94.85 ahead of Hannes Aigner of Germany with 97.11.

It was a disappointing result for Delfour, who had booked his place in the final with a time of 97.52 in the semi-final - almost five seconds faster than his time in the final.

Australia's Cameron Smith in round 2.Source: AFP

ORTIZ FOUR-GOAL HAUL HALTS STINGERS UNBEATEN STREAK

The Aussie Stingers have failed to maintain their unbeaten streak at the Tokyo Olympics after suffering a 15-9 loss to Spain.

Bronte Halligan opened up the scoring for Australia in the first quarter after sending the ball with speed directly at the keeper, who parried it into the net.

The two sides went goal for goal in the first quarter which ended 3-3.

There was a goal-fest to kick off the second quarter with three goals scored in the first 90 seconds, including one from 20-year-old hot-shot Abby Andrews.

A Rowie Webster double prevented an increasing Spain lead as Australia finished the second quarter only one goal down.

Spain’s hot form continued into the third and fourth quarter with three goals in rapid succession, preventing another potential Stingers comeback win.

Back-to-back goals by Judith Forca sealed Australia’s fate, with the Stingers losing the match 15-9.

Despite Aussie goalkeeper Lea Yanitsas making crucial saves, she couldn’t stop the rockets sent by Bea Ortiz and Maica Godoy Garcia, who scored four and three goals respectively.

Spain fielded a handful of left-handed players unlike most teams this tournament, also playing 16-year-old Elena Ruiz Barril.

Spain’s Roser Tarragó also spent the 2019 season in Australia with the Drummoyne Devils.

SMITH SURGES INTO GOLD MEDAL CONTENTION

A brutal double-bogey on the 18th has seen Aussie cult hero Cameron Smith drop back to four under after two rounds in the golf.

Smith could only manage an even par round on Thursday but made back to back birdies on the opening two holes to sound a warning to his competition.

He sat six under par through 14 holes to be in a tie for fifth behind Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz (-9), but a six on the last puts him tied for 18th heading into the club house.

Ortiz was sitting at -10 through 11, ahead of three including Rory McIlroy.

Smith’s Aussie teammate Marc Leishman, meanwhile, has endured a frustrating round and sat tied for 49th at even through nine holes.

AUSTRALIA’S UNDEFEATED RUN RUINED BY ROC

The Australian women’s beach volleyball team will head into the round of 16 carrying a loss after their 2-1 preliminary match defeat to ROC.

Both teams were undefeated and had already secured a ticket in the round of 16 heading into Friday’s match. A win would guarantee either team a top of the table spot.

The Australian women got off to a less-than-ideal start to the match with ROC quickly gaining a five point lead.

Increasing to a lead of 6, 7, then 8, the first set turned into a write-off for Australia as Russian duo Nadezda Makroguzova and Svetlana Kholomina cruised to a 21-8 victory.

Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar were forced to dig their heels in the sand on set 2.

The Australians kicked off a hot streak winning almost all their serves, eventually winning the second set 21-15.

The ROC got an early 4-0 advantage in third decider set putting Australia under hot pressure.

Despite saving two match points, Australia was defeated 12-15 in the third set.

AUSSIE BMX STAR IN HORRIFIC CRASH

Australian medal hopeful has Saya Sakakibara is out of the BMX finals after being caught up in a day of carnage at the BMX semi-finals.

First, American BMX rider Connor Fields suffered a “brutal” crash in the men‘s event, taking a hard fall in the second of three semi-final runs.

He had to be carried off the course on a stretcher as onlookers held their breath.

Just moments later, Australia’s Sakakibara was leading in her semi final of the women’s event before America’s Alise Willoughby appeared to make contact with her back wheel.

Sakakibara fell hard and was eliminated, but that was the least of concerns as she stayed on the ground and needing on-course treatment.

It is understood she is conscious and communicating.

Teammate Lauren Reynolds, meanwhile secured her placed in the final.

She’s finished in 45.317 seconds to be the fourth qualifier.

FULL STORY HERE

Tokyo Daily: James Magnussen and Yvonne Sampson celebrate our most underrated athlete Emma McKeon as she bags Australia’s latest gold medal.

Australia's Saya Sakakibara has been stretchered off after a nasty crash.Source: AFP

MASSIVE BOOMERS BLOW AFTER FREAK INJURY

Gadiel Notelovitz in Tokyo

Australian big man Aron Baynes has been ruled out of the rest of the Olympic Games with a neck injury in a cruel blow to the Boomers’ Tokyo medal hopes.

AOC Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Hughes confirmed Baynes suffered an injury on-court against Italy, before slipping in the locker room in a freak accident that has seen his Games campaign come to an end.

“It was a complicated series of events,” Hughes told reporters on Friday. “He did suffer an injury during the match on the court, and then he had a slip in the bathroom and suffered further injury.

“It became apparent to the medical staff that this was a bit more serious than just an average injury.”

Baynes was taken to hospital, where he has undergone further testing.

FULL STORY >

Baynes is out of the Tokyo Olympics due to a neck injury.Source: Getty Images

RUGBY SEVENS SUFFER SHOCK LOSS

Australia’s women’s sevens side will have to do it the hard way after a shock loss to the USA on Friday morning in their final pool match at Tokyo Stadium.

John Manenti’s side “bombed” a 12-0 lead, as the big, powerful Americans starved Australia of possession in the second half.

The sight of seeing Charlotte Caslick – the queen of sevens rugby and one of the faces of women’s sport in Australia – drop the ball that led to the USA’s match-winning try summed up the horror second half.

Australia will now face Fiji – who knocked the men out of the competition three days earlier at the same point – in a difficult quarter-final.

While Australia are the favourites, even if they progress a date with gold medal favourites New Zealand, who they beat five years ago in Rio to win the competition, looms in the semi-finals.

“We’re obviously disappointed,” Manenti said.

“We had opportunities to ice that game fairly early, we probably bombed two tries in the first-half.

Australia suffered a shock defeat in the rugby sevens.Source: Getty Images

“They’re a good side, they’re a big physical side and they kept coming at us and ultimately that probably wore us down a bit. We played without the football for too long.

“There’s nothing from that game that we didn’t know was already coming.

“They’ve got their heads down at the moment, but they’ll bounce back.

“We’re in a quarter-final against a good opposition. It doesn’t change anything if we want to proceed, we’ve got to win a quarter-final.”

The uncomfortable reality, however, is that everything has changed.

Had Australia won they would have played Great Britain and then probably France in a semi-final.

Instead, they will come up against Fiji, who they recently won one and lost another in their Oceania Sevens tournament in late June.

By Christy Doran

AUSSIE ROWERS MISS OUT ON THE MEDALS

Australia has come fifth in the women’s eights, narrowly missing out on the medals.

Australia started strong and was in second-place at the halfway mark.

But China and the US finished strong to edge out Australia, while Canada won the event and New Zealand came second.

The men’s eight then brought the rowing regatta to a close, with Australia finishing in a distant sixth.

GREEN LIGHT AFTER COVID SCARE

Australia’s athletics team has been allowed to return to normal routine after a Covid scare sent them into a shock lockdown and isolation on the eve of competition.

The Aussies were forced into lockdown after American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks tested positive for Covid.

The 63-strong contingent were confined to their hotel rooms and underwent tests as required under strict Covid-19 protocols in place at the Tokyo Olympics.

It is understood that Australian pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall was the only close contact with Kenricks.

The Australian Olympic Commitee issued a short statement on Thursday afternoon.

“Members of Australia’s track and field team at the Tokyo Olympic Games are isolating in their rooms as a precautionary measure following news of a COVID positive finding with a member of the US track and field team,” it said.

“Members of the Australian track and field team are now undergoing testing procedures in line with Australian Olympic team protocols.”

It was later revealed all Aussies had tested negative and were permitted to resume duties.

GOLDEN GIRL ‘ABSOLUTELY BUGGERED’

An “absolutely buggered” Ariarne Titmus has qualified for the women’s 800m freestyle final, despite her great rival Katie Ledecky claiming bragging rights after posting the quickest time of the heats.

Double Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Titmus finished second in her heat behind Anastasiia Kirpichnikova, clocking in at 8:18.99, 0.22secs behind the Russian.

Ledecky, who managed to claim a little bit of revenge on Titmus for losing out on two golds already by pipping the Aussies to silver in the 4x200m earlier today, posted the quickest time of the heats with 8:15.67.

The American swimming great has already claimed gold in the inaugural women’s 1500m freestyle to break her duck in Tokyo.

Titmus admitted she was “absolutely buggered” after finishing second in her heat, after racing earlier in the day to help Australia win a bronze in the 4x200m freestyle.

“I knew I wanted to be under the 8:20 mark to be safe,” she said. “It’s a big day today. I had 1 and a half hours in my room today. I’m absolutely buggered.

“I will swim down quickly and get home. This is probably my toughest backup and it’s not an easy 800 in the morning. This is a really deep field. I knew I had to be tough and swim a solid swim to get through. I think should be fine with that time.

“Honestly I’m exhausted. I keep thinking back to Beijing, it was the same as this morning’s heats. Phelps won eight golds. I have done two and I’m wrecked. It puts into perspective for me how amazing he was. I’m going to rest up as much as I can and get ready for my last race at the Olympics.

“I love racing Katie. It is nice to be on my own a little bit. It’s been really good this week. We’ve been getting along really well. We’ve really enjoyed racing each other. I mean, we don’t get to do it often. It’s so fun for us to be able to race. So, I am looking forward to two days’ time.”

MATILDA CONTINUE MEDAL TILT

Joe Barton, News Corp

At just 21 years old, Ellie Carpenter is among the youngest members of the Matildas – but looms as their biggest weapon in the hunt for the Olympic medal rounds in Tokyo.

Carpenter was barely 16 years old when she made her Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro, and over the past five years – which have included a move to powerhouse Lyon – she’s become, alongside captain Sam Kerr, Australia’s most indispensable player.

She was best on ground as Australia secured a draw with world No.1 the USA to book their quarter-final berth with Great Britain on Friday night (7pm AEST) and will again be the key to shutting down the old rival’s fearsome attack at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium.

Despite her youth, Carpenter – who has been a rock in defence and a pivotal cog in sparking counter-attacks – is very much a senior player in this team.

“I actually do, a little bit, to be honest. It feels weird. I don’t feel like I’m 21. I do, but then I don’t,” she told News Corp.

“Definitely in these past five years I’ve grown so much as a player and off the field as well. For me, I feel like I can bring so much to this team and help them and I just want to keep doing that and be the best I can be.

“Now I have a lot of contribution and I want to keep helping them. I do feel like I’m a bit of a senior player, and helping the younger players come in even though they’re not that much younger than me”.

The match will also feature a showdown between Chelsea teammates Kerr and Great Britain’s Fran Kirby. The pair formed a dangerous partnership that delivered Chelsea a second successive Women’s Super League title this year.

AUSSIE KICKS OFF 100M

Scott Gullan, News Corp

There may be uncertainty around the post-Bolt era for the men but there are a couple of certainties about the race to be the fastest woman in the world.

And they both centre around double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

The 34-year-old is the hot favourite to win the women‘s 100m and match compatriot Usain Bolt with a third Olympic gold in the blue-riband event.

Thirteen years after her triumph in Beijing, and after taking time out to have a bag, Fraser-Pryce arrives in Tokyo on the back of an astonishing 10.63sec run.

It is the fastest time in more than three decades - topped only by the late Florence Griffith Joyner - with the performance in June even surprising Fraser-Pryce.

“I never expected I would run 10.6,” she said. “Because 10.6 has been a dream, a goal, I’ve been working so hard, being so patient to see it finally unfold. I’m so ecstatic.”

Britain‘s 200m world champion Dina Asher-Smith is a major threat after finishing second at the 2019 world championships behind Fraser-Pryce.

Australia will be represented by Olympic debutant Hanna Basic who burst onto the scene this season clocking 11.18sec, the fourth fastest time by an Australian.

AUSSIES IN ACTION ON DAY 7

GOLF:

8.30am – Men’s stroke play (Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith)

SHOOTING

10am - 25m Pistol Women’s qualifying (Elena Galiabovitch)

ATHLETICS:

10.15am – Men’s high jump qualifying (Brandon Starc)

10.45am – Men’s discus qualifying

10.47am – Men’s steeplechase heats (Matt Clarke)

11.25am – Women’s 800m heats

1.15pm – Women’s 100m heats (Hana Basic)

8.00pm – Women’s 5000m heats

9.30pm – Men’s 10,000m final (Patrick Tiernan)

HOCKEY:

11.00am – Australia vs Spain

BMX:

11.15 – BMX Racing semi-finals (Saya Sakakibara, Lauren Reynolds)

RUGBY 7s:

11.30am – Australia vs USA

SWIMMING:

11.30am – Men’s 100m butterfly semi-finals

11.59am – Women’s 100m freestyle final (Emma McKeon, Cate Campbell)

12.35pm – Women’s backstroke semi-finals

8.20pm – Men’s 50m freestyle heats

8.41pm – Women’s 50m freestyle heats

9.06pm – Men’s 1500m freestyle heats

9.57pm – Women’s 4x100m medley relay heats

10.10pm – Men’s 4x100m medley relay heats

SAILING:

1.05pm – Laser radial women Race 9

2.20pm – Laser radial women Race 10

3.35pm – Laser men Race 9

4.50pm – Laser men Race 10

TRAMPOLINE GYMNASTICS:

2.00pm – Women’s qualification

CANOE SLALOM:

3.00pm – Men’s kayak semi-final

DIVING:

4.00pm – Women’s 3m Springboard Preliminary

BEACH VOLLEYBALL:

4.00pm – Australia vs Russian Olympic Committee

TENNIS:

4.00pm – Mixed doubles semi-final, Australia vs Russian Olympic Committee

FOOTBALL:

7.00pm – Australia vs Great Britain

WATER POLO:

8.50pm – Spain vs Australia

BASKETBALL:

10.00pm – China vs Australia