Australia has a guaranteed medal coming up in sailing, the men’s basketball team is one match away from a semi-final, there are other hot prospects in action as BMX competition begins and women’s golf gets underway.
ATHLETICS
Rio Time 09:30, 22:30 AEST (morning session)
Cedric Dubler will start the two-day decathlon on Wednesday morning in Rio. The 21-year-old was the revelation at trials and will be a highlight at these Games. Also in action will be Brett Robinson, Patrick Tiernan and Sam McEntee in the 5000m heats and Selma Kajan will run in the women's 800m heats.
Women’s long jump final
Rio time: 21:15, AEST: 10:15 Thursday
Australian record holder Brooke Stratton has nothing to lose at her first Olympic Games. She improved with each jump in qualifying and snuck in to the final with 6.56m. She needs to find her 7.05m form from the domestic season to get on the podium.
Other Aussies in action in the night session at the Olympic stadium are Hamish Peacock and Josh Robinson in the javelin qualifying and Cedric Dubler continues the decathlon.
BASKETBALL - Men’s quarter-final - AUS vs Lithuania
Rio time: 11:00, AEST: 24:00
The Australians have lost only one match so far, to superpower USA, as they attempt to become their nation’s first men’s team to win a medal. A victory over Lithuania would put them through to the semi-finals for a fourth time. The Australians so far are the second highest scoring team in Rio, averaging over 88 points per game, with Patty Mills second individually on over 20 points per match and Matt Dellavedova averaging 8.6 assists.
CANOE SPRINT
Men’s K2 1000m heats and semi-finals
Rio time: 09:00 and 10:12, AEST 22:00 and 23:12
Men’s K2 200m heats and semi-finals
Rio time: 9:37 and 10:34, AEST 22:37 and 23:34
Women’s K1 500m heats and semi-finals
Rio time: 9:51 and 10:48, AEST 22:51 and 23:48
Ken Wallace and Lachlan Tame begin their K2 1000m campaign, Jordan Wood and Daniel Bowker paddle in the 200m version and Naomi Flood, at her second Olympics, starts out in the women’s 500 metres.
CYCLING BMX
Women’s seeding run
Rio time: 13:30, AEST: 02:30 Thursday
Caroline Buchanan, fifth at the 2012 London Olympics, will again start as a highly fancied rider as the cycling program switches from the velodrome to the the big dirt jumps at Deodoro, along with teammate Lauren Reynolds.
Men’s seeding run
Rio time: 14:34, AEST 03:34 Thursday
Sam Willoughby will be looking to go one better than his London 2012 silver medal. He will receive strong support from teammates Bodi Turner and 10th-ranked Anthony Dean, who had to sit London out as a reserve but gets his chance this time.
DIVING - Women’s 10m platform preliminary
Rio time: 15:00, AEST 04:00 Thursday
Melissa Wu and Brittany O'Brien will take to the platform prelims at different ends of their careers. Wu, a three-time Olympian who came second in Beijing, is now something of a veteran at 24, and O'Brien who was a late replacement for the injured Brittany Broben. The 18-year-olf Sydney-sider is inexperienced in major competition but has nothing to lose.
GOLF - Women’s individual stroke play – round one
Rio time: 07:30, AEST: 20:30
If world 17th-ranked Minjee Lee and 44-ranked Su Oh needed any inspiration, they certainly got it from fellow Australian Marcus Fraser, who finished fifth in the men’s tournament as golf returned to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years. The two 20-year-olds watched Fraser’s final two rounds from close quarters and will look to emulate his strong showing when they tee off in the women’s tournament, Oh at 10:14 (23:14 AEST) and Lee at 10:36 (23:36 AEST).
SAILING - Men’s 470 two person dinghy – medal race
Rio time: 14:05, AEST 03:05 Thursday
Matthew Belcher and crew Will Ryan are guaranteed of at least a bronze medal after 7th, 1st and 7th finishes yesterday. But they are just two points behind Greece in silver medal position and 13 behind first-placed Croatia.
TAEKWONDO
Rio time: 11:45, AEST 00:45 Thursday
Safwan Khalil will be the first Aussie in action. The 30-year-old, who was fifth in London, will take on world number 2 Belgian Si Mohamed Ketbi. Khali is not daunted by his opponent in the -58kg event.
Doug Conway
olympics.com.au
