DON’T MISS A MOMENT OF GB’S HUNT FOR GOLD
TODAY, AUGUST 1
DON’T MISS Trayvon Bromell, of the United States, is favourite to claim Usain Bolt’s crown in the men’s 100m, having posted a stunning personal-best this season of 9.77sec. South African Akani Simbine is second-fastest this year with 9.84sec, while Zharnel Hughes is Britain’s strongest hope.
BEST OF BRITISH Laura Kenny, husband to Jason, will hope to add to her four Olympic golds — a record for a British woman. The team pursuit, the first of her two events, begins today with GB defending the title they have won at the past two Games.
STAR QUALITY JuVaughn Harrison will be the first man since 1912 to compete in both the high jump and long jump at the Games. Do not bet against him impressing on both fronts — the 22-year-old from Arkansas won both events at the US Olympic trials.
WHAT TO WATCH 4.05am Sailing, women’s two-person dinghy 470, race seven — Hannah Mills, a Team GB flagbearer, and Saskia Tidey continue their pursuit of success. The medal race is scheduled for Wednesday.
7.54am Cycling, women’s team pursuit qualifying
10.44am Gymnastics, men’s pommel horse final — reigning champion Max Whitlock must improve on his qualifying score of 14.900 to retain the title. 15.966 earned him gold in Rio. 11.10am Athletics, men’s high jump final
TOMORROW, AUGUST 2
DON’T MISS Oliver Townend, the former world No 1, Tom McEwen and Laura Collett will be aiming to revive Britain’s proud recent history in team eventing. Team GB won a medal in it at four successive Games before Rio.
BEST OF BRITISH Cindy Sember is looking to improve upon her fourth-place at Rio in the 100m hurdles. She finished second in the 60m hurdles at the European Indoors, one place ahead of older sister Tiffany Porter, who is also competing in this event.
STAR QUALITY With Simone Biles withdrawing, the women’s gymnastics events are wide open. European champion Jessica Gadirova will hope to build on her bronze in the team event with success in the floor final.
WHAT TO WATCH
3.50am Athletics, women’s 100m hurdles final 7am Cycling (track), women’s team sprint, heats and medal races
9am Equestrian, eventing team final
9.45am Gymnastics, women’s floor final
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3
DON’T MISS Dina Asher-Smith, the world champion, is out of the women’s 200m final, so step forward Shaunae Miller-Uibo — the Bahamian 400m Olympic champion who has switched to the shorter event — and Gabrielle Thomas, the American who ran an electric 21.61sec during national trials in June.
BEST OF BRITISH Keely Hodgkinson and Jemma Reekie have high expectations going into the women’s 800m final. Hodgkinson, 19, announced herself to middle-distance running in March when she became the youngest Briton to win a European indoor title in the 800m. ‘Is it ridiculous of me to win an Olympic medal?’ the teenager says. ‘I don’t think so.’
STAR QUALITY The pole vault has unearthed a legend to rival the great Sergey Bubka in Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis, who broke Bubka’s 26-year-old outdoor world record in September, having already claimed the superior indoor mark.
WHAT TO WATCH 2am Diving, men’s 3m springboard, semi-final and final — Britain’s Jack Laugher will hope to make up for the disappointment of losing his 3m synchro crown.
6.33am Sailing, men’s one-person (heavyweight) Finn final — Britain’s Giles Scott began his defence of this title last week. 7.30am Cycling (track), women’s team pursuit, heats and medal races 8.50am Cycling (track), men’s team sprint, heats and medal races — Jason Kenny will hope his British trio can match gold in Rio. 11.20am Athletics, men’s pole vault final 1.25pm Athletics, women’s 800m final 1.50pm Athletics, women’s 200m final
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4
DON’T MISS The 200m features the most charismatic male athlete since Usain Bolt. Noah Lyles is flamboyant, brilliant and combines supreme confidence with naked vulnerability — he recently admitted to his struggles with depression. As the fourthfastest man ever over this distance, the American world champion will take some beating.
BEST OF BRITISH The men’s 800m is that rare British athletics event with strength in depth, with Elliot Giles — fresh from running the second-fastest indoor 800m in history —
and Daniel Rowden hoping to offer a challenge in today’s final. The race looks wide open with Donavan Brazier, the American world champion, having failed to qualify.
STAR QUALITY At the age of 13, Sky Brown has gone to Tokyo as Britain’s youngest Olympian but the skateboarder has experience beyond her years. Having recovered from an injury in which she suffered multiple fractures to the skull, she won bronze at the 2019 world championships and managed to carve a minor-celebrity career. She will want a medal in the park event. WHAT TO WATCH 1am Skateboarding, women park, heats & final 1.43am Athletics, women’s heptathlon (day one) 3am Athletics, men’s 110m hurdles semi-finals 1.05pm Athletics, men’s 800m final
1.55pm Athletics, men’s 200m final
THURSDAY, AUGUST 5
DON’T MISS The electric Grant ‘Wonder Boy’ Holloway has been threatening to add the 110m hurdles world record to the 60m hurdles mark he claimed this year, breaking Colin Jackson’s landmark. Andrew Pozzi may finally transfer his indoor success to the outdoor track and reach the podium for Britain.
BEST OF BRITISH Britain’s most successful Olympic canoeist Liam Heath followed up his bronze at London 2012 with a gold and silver at Rio. The 36-year-old returned from a year out to win the 2019 sprint K1 world title but suffered a hiccup in preparation for Tokyo, getting pipped to silver at the Euros.
STAR QUALITY The women’s heptathlon had promised to pitch two poster girls of the Games in direct competition, with British world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson expected to challenge Belgium’s Nafi Thiam, the winner in Rio. An Achilles injury disrupted Johnson-Thompson’s preparation but, though recent performances were disappointing, she insists her only issues now are psychological. WHAT TO WATCH 1.16am Athletics, women’s heptathlon, day two 1.30am Canoeing, men’s kayak single K1, heats and final
2am Athletics, women’s 4x100m relay heats 3.30am Athletics, men’s 4x100m relay heats 3.55am Athletics, men’s 110m hurdles final
FRIDAY, AUGUST 6
DON’T MISS Team GB’s women hockey team took gold in stunning style in Rio, thanks to goalkeeper Maddie Hinch’s shootout heroics. Their new-look side have had a rockier start in Tokyo — suffering narrow group-stage losses by Germany and 2016 silver medallists Holland — but will hope to find form in the knckouts to make today’s final and defend their crown.
BEST OF BRITISH For all her success in middle-distance running, Laura Muir has yet to win a medal at a global championship. Her form is good, however, with the Scot having posted the world’s third-best time this season.
STAR QUALITY Track cyclist Jason Kenny is competing in three events and needs only one gold to stand apart from Chris Hoy as Britain’s most successful Olympian. Historically, today’s individual sprint is his best event, with golds at the past two Games.
WHAT TO WATCH 1am Athletics, men’s 5000m final 1.35am Athletics, women’s 400m final 1.50am Athletics, women’s 1500m final 2.30am Athletics, women’s 4x100m final 2.50am Athletics, men’s 4x100m final 3am Football, women’s final
11am Hockey, women’s final
11pm Athletics, women’s marathon
SATURDAY, AUGUST 7
DON’T MISS Tom Daley has already provided Britain with one of its most heart-warming success stories of the Games by winning his first gold in the 10m synchro. The diver, competing in his fourth Games, could trump that achievement with victory in today’s individual version of the event.
BEST OF BRITISH Now 24, Morgan Lake is of an age when she should be expected finally to realise her exceptional youthful promise. Twice a junior world champion, she will contest the high jump.
STAR QUALITY Eliud Kipchoge, having finally broken the two-hour barrier for the marathon distance in 2019, could become only the third man to retain the Olympic title after Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila (1964) and East German Waldemar Cierpinski (1980).
WHAT TO WATCH 2am Diving, men’s 10m platform semi & final 7.48am Cycling, men’s keirin, heats & repechage 11.35am Athletics, women’s high jump final 3.30am Basketball, men’s final
6.30am Athletics, men’s modern pentahlon. Jamie Cooke leads GB’s medal hopes. 8.55am Cycling, men’s madison final
11am Equestrian, jumping team final
12.30pm Football, men’s final
1.30pm Athletics, women’s 4x400m relay final 1.50pm Athletics, men’s 4x400m relay final 11pm Athletics, men’s marathon