More medals for Team GB as Olympics enter last lap
There was more joy for British athletes in Tokyo yesterday with Scots stars helping add to the growing haul of gold, silver and bronze.
Scots have now won 14 of Britain’s 63 medals in the Games that end today but after Edinburgh runner Josh Kerr raced to an unexpected bronze in the 1,500m, he said he’ll be back for gold at Paris 2024: “I’m not satisfied.”
British athletes have won a total of 63 medals in the Tokyo Olympics, with just one day of competition remaining.
Although Team GB have failed to attain a hoped-for record haul, the trophy count puts the country in fifth place.
The Scots in the team have played their part, taking 14 medals and beating their previous best-ever tally of 13, achieved at the London and Rio games.
Edinburgh’s Josh Kerr, 23, was the latest to win, taking a bronze in the 1,500 metres yesterday to become the first British man to take a medal in the middle-distance event at the Olympics since Peter Elliot’s silver in 1998.
He crossed the line third behind Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who took gold and produced an Olympic record time.
After yesterday’s race, Kerr said: “I’m blown away. This has been a hard championship for me with the first round not going great.
“When the first medal came back to our GB camp with women’s 800m silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson, I had to take myself away and say I want to create that for myself. I wanted to be the one everyone looks at – I’m that self-centred!”
But that determination carried him through. He said: “It was a fast race, I wanted to win, I said it and everyone laughed at me a little, but I’m here to win it and win medals. I’m not satisfied with a bronze. I’m happy with it being a step in my career.”
Scotland had waited 33 years for a track medal until Laura Muir’s silver in Friday’s women’s 1,500m and now had two within 24 hours after Kerr’s surprise success.
Boxer Galal Yafi took Team GB’S 19th gold of the Games to become Olympic flyweight champion, beating Carlo Paalam of the Philippines.
Two hours after Yafi’s success, diver Tom Daley took bronze to add to his gold, and took the opportunity to hit out at Russia’s description of him as “British homosexual”.
Daley, who famously knits to relax, said: “History shows that everything society is has been dictated from the straight, white male experience.” Pentathlete Joe Choong won Great Britain’s 20th gold medal of the Games becoming the first British man to win
individual modern pentathlon. GB cyclist Matt Walls’ superb Olympic debut continued as he won his second medal, a silver in the men’s madison alongside Ethan Hayter, narrowly beaten by Denmark.
Walls had already taken gold to become the men’s omnium champion.
Jamaica’s women sprinters won the 4x100m relay while the United States’ victory in the 4x400m women’s relay meant Allyson Felix is the nation’s most decorated track and field athlete, an 11th Olympic medal taking her past sprint and long jump great Carl Lewis.
Eilish Mccolgan was unable to emulate the success of her mother Liz and finished ninth in the 10,000m final.
Despite running close to her own personal best, Mccolgan was lapped as Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan headed down the final straight to secure gold.
Stirling-based swimmer Duncan Scott has been one of Tokyo’s biggest success stories, becoming Scotland’s secondmost-decorated Olympian of all time. Scott now has six medals overall – with just cycling trio Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny, and Bradley Wiggins having more.