WONDER WALLS: Matt bags our 50th medal
BRITAIN’S Olympic heroes zipped past their medal target after rookie track cyclist Matt Walls clinched the bench march 50th with gold in the Velodrome.
Matt, 23, had a gutsy win to take Britain’s 16th gold, while Holly Bradshaw and Liam Heath secured bronze in the pole vault and kayak.
The trio served up the highlights as Team GB reached 51 medals on day 13 of the Games, equalling the number won at Beijing 2008 with three days of competition still to go.
Sitting sixth in the overall medal table, Great Britain is assured of passing that mark after boxer Galal Yafai won a thrilling semi-final to reach the gold-medal match in the 52kg flyweight division.
Sprint star Dina Asher-Smith made a return to the track as Britain’s 4x100m relay team secured a place in today’s final.
Matt, who had Covid in March, shed tears of joy as he received his medal.
It was Team GB’s first track cycling gold in Tokyo – and the first time Britain has taken gold in the multi-event ominium.
Matt, from Oldham, said: “Thank you to all my family and friends. I wouldn’t be here without them, especially my parents.”
In the athletics stadium Holly, from Preston, soared to bronze in the women’s pole vault – Team GB’s first Olympic medal in the event and her first international outdoor medal.
The 29-year-old, who came sixth at London 2012 and fifth at Rio 2016, cleared 4.85m to finish behind Russian athlete Anzhelika Sidorova.
She said: “This is what I have wanted my whole career. I knew I could get it one day and I can’t express how grateful I am to be involved in this sport.”
On the water Liam secured third place in the 200m kayak final, not quite matching his winning exploits of 2016. He said: “It has been a rollercoaster. So many highs and lows, so many tests and lessons.”
Boxer Galal found himself lost for words after progressing to the final, where he will walk away with at least silver. The Birmingham fighter enjoyed a narrow victory over Kazakhstan’s Saken Bibossinov and now faces Carlo Paalam of the Philippines in Saturday’s final.
Galal, 28, said of his old job in a car factory: “I was...just a skivvy. But now I’m on the verge of becoming Olympic champion. I can’t believe it. It’s ridiculous, it’s a dream.”
Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, 16, daughter of First Dates star Fred, cried as she spoke to him after finishing seventh for Team GB in the 10m platform diving final.