Poland’s Anita Włodarczyk makes history with third straight women’s hammer throw gold
From CNN’s Aleks Klosok
Poland’s Anita Włodarczyk became the first woman to win a specific individual athletics event three times in a row at the Olympic Games with gold in the women’s hammer throw on Tuesday.
World and Olympic record holder added to her golds at London 2012 and Rio 2016 with a dominant display on Tuesday, throwing a season’s best 78.48 meters in the fourth round.
The 35-year-old, who has four world championship golds, in 2015 became the first ever woman to send the hammer past the 80-meter mark.
China’s Wang Zheng secured silver with a season’s best throw of 77.03 meters with Poland’s Malwina Kopron taking the bronze medal.
9:26 a.m. ET, August 3, 2021
Athing Mu becomes first American to win women’s 800 meter in more than 50 years
From CNN's Aleks Klosok
19-year-old Athing Mu became the second-youngest Olympic 800 meter champion with a blistering performance at the Tokyo Olympic stadium on Tuesday.
Mu is the first US athlete to win the title in more than half a century, setting a new US national record in the process with a time of 1:55.21.
American Madeline Manning was the last US winner in this event back at the 1968 Games in Mexico City.
Great Britain’s 19-year-old Keely Hodgkinson set a new British record of 1:55.88 to claim silver, with American Raevyn Rogers claiming bronze in a personal best time of 1:56.81.
Mu is the second-youngest of seven siblings and was the first to be born in the United States a year after her family immigrated to the US from Sudan.
9:22 a.m. ET, August 3, 2021
Elaine Thompson-Herah completes historic sprint double-double with women’s 200 meter gold
From CNN’s Aleks Klosok
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah became the first ever woman to win the 100 meter and 200 meter sprint double at two consecutive Olympic Games, with a stunning gold in Tuesday’s women’s 200 meter final.
Thompson-Herah won gold in 21.53 seconds – the second fastest time in women’s 200 meter history.
The Jamaican completed the first of her 100 meter and 200 meter sprint doubles at the 2016 Rio Games – the first woman to achieve this feat in 28 years.
The 29-year-old won her 100 meter gold at Tokyo in an Olympic record time on Saturday before sealing her place in history with an emphatic performance in the women’s 200 meter on Tuesday.
In men’s athletics, only Usain Bolt has surpassed this feat winning the sprint double on three straight occasions – Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Christina Mboma of Nambia secured a stunning silver in a time of 21.81 seconds – a new junior world record.
Gabby Thomas of the United States took bronze.
8:47 a.m. ET, August 3, 2021
World champion Tamás Lőrincz becomes Olympic champion with 77 kilogram Greco-Roman wrestling gold
From CNN’s Aleks Klosok in London
Tamás Lőrincz became the first Hungarian Olympic champion in wrestling in 17 years when he secured gold in the men’s 77 kilogram Greco-Roman wrestling on Tuesday.
Lőrincz emulated Istvan Majoros, who won the men’s 55 kilogram Greco-Roman wrestling title at the 2004 Games in Athens.
The Hungarian, who won the 77 kilogram event at the 2019 world championships, defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Akzhol Makhmudov in Tuesday’s final.
Makhmudov had been hoping to win Kyrgyzstan’s first ever gold medal at an Olympics.
Lőrincz's brother, Viktor, will also bid to become an Olympic champion on Wednesday when he competes in the 87 kilogram Greco-Roman wrestling category.
Shohei Yabiku of Japan and Rafig Huseynov of Azerbaijan claimed the bronze medals.
8:07 a.m. ET, August 3, 2021
Simone Biles is a "trailblazer" in changing gymnastics culture, Olympian Dominique Dawes says
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
Three-time Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes said Biles recognizes she is "very much a trailblazer in helping to change the culture of the sport of gymnastics."
After Biles earned a bronze medal in the women's balance beam finals, Dawes said she "wasn't afraid watching her" during the event, Biles' first competition after withdrawing from other to focus on her mental well-being.
"Even when she earned the bronze medal, it took me back to my 1996 Olympic Games, when I came back after falling in the all-around to come back for my floor individual event finals and I earned a bronze medal, and even to this day, my bronze means so much more to me because of the journey than my gold medal does, as well, and I'm sure she feels the same way," Dawes said.
Dawes commended Biles, as well as Naomi Osaka and Michael Phelps, for being open about mental health issues.
"It's creating this national and global dialogue about it. I think that's very important, and that's where it starts, and many people are going to feel comfortable talking about mental issues they have, and recognizing that they are human," Dawes said.
7:15 a.m. ET, August 3, 2021
Defending champion Brazil reaches men’s football final
From CNN’s Aleks Klosok
Defending champion Brazil reached the men’s Olympic football final with a hard-fought semifinal victory over Mexico on Tuesday.
In a rematch of the London 2012 gold medal final, Brazil won 4-1 in a penalty shootout after a goalless 120 minutes.
Brazilian goalkeeper Santos saved from Mexico’s Eduardo Aguirre before Johan Vasquez hit the post.
Daniel Alves, Gabriel Martinelli and Bruno Guimaraes all scored for Brazil with Reinier converting the decisive penalty.
Brazil will meet the winners of Tuesday’s second men’s semifinal between host Japan and Spain.
Japan has never reached a men’s Olympic football final whilst Spain was the last European men’s team to claim gold in 1992.
China's Guan Chenchenwas in incredible form as she won gold in the women's balance beam final at Tokyo 2020 on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old scored 14.633 while her teammate Tang Xijing finished second on 14.233, ahead of Simone Biles' 14.000 points.
“I actually never expected that I would get a medal," Guan said after the final. "My coach said, 'this is your first time in the Olympics and no one knows you so just go in and do your best.'"
“I actually started gymnastics much later than other people so I think this is a good result for me. "Even though this competition is very tiring, I’m very happy with this result.”
Meanwhile, silver medalist Tang says she eyeing more success at the Paris Games in 2024.
“Today, I tried not to think too much about the result. I just tried my best," she said.
"Even though there were some little errors, I am very satisfied with the fact I was able to win a medal here.”
"I think everything should be able to see me in Paris in three years’ time. That really is my goal.”
7:08 a.m. ET, August 3, 2021
Simone Biles: "I didn’t expect to medal today. I just wanted to go out and do it for me"
Seven-time Olympic gymnastics medalist Simone Biles says she didn't expect to win a medal in Tuesday's balance beam final.
"It’s been a very long week, a very long five years. I didn’t expect to medal today, I just wanted to go out and do it for me, and that’s what I did," Biles said after she won the bronze.
The 24-year-old superstar has been in the spotlight for much of the Games for withdrawing from other gymnastics events citing mental health concerns. She first withdrew after the vault rotation in the women's team finals last week and subsequently pulled out of the individual all-around, uneven bars and vault events as well.
She broke down in tears as she addressed the media following the first withdrawal. “Whenever you get in a high stress situation, you kind of freak out," she said. “I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being."
After winning the bronze in her last opportunity to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Biles said the medal felt more special than her balance beam bronze from the Rio 2016 Games.
“I will cherish it for a long time,” she said.
6:56 a.m. ET, August 3, 2021
Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto secures gold in final artistic gymnastics event of Tokyo 2020
From CNN’s Aleks Klosok
Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto secured gold in the men’s horizontal bar final on Tuesday -- the final artistic gymnastics event at the Tokyo Games.
The 19-year-old Hashimoto, who last week became the youngest men’s all-around Olympic champion in history, stormed to victory with a score of 15.066.
Serbia’s Tin Srbic, who won gold on the horizontal bar at the 2017 world championships, secured silver with a score of 14.900.
Nikita Nagornyy of the Russian Olympic Committee took the bronze medal.