Team GB’s sailors kick-started a medal-fuelled Tuesday in Tokyo, with two golds and a silver on the water being followed by multiple gongs in the velodrome, on the track, in the pool and in the ring to take the medal count up to 43. Here’s what happened as a Tokyo-high eight medals were won on day 11:
Giles Scott successfully defends his Olympic Finn class title after Stuart Bithell and Dylan Fletcher win men's 49er gold, while John Gimson and Anna Burnet claim silver in in the mixed multihull
Jason Kenny becomes Team GB's most decorated Olympian of all time with team sprint silver, while wife Laura Kenny and the women’s team pursuit quartet also record a second-place finish
Keely Hodgkinson breaks the national record on her way to a stunning silver in the women’s 800m
In diving, Jack Laugher wins bronze in the 3m springboard final - completing his Olympic medal set
Pat McCormack wins boxing silver after defeat in the men’s welterweight final
Strong British performances in canoeing, gymnastics and equestrian
More to come on day 12
Triple-medal haul for Team GB’s scintillating sailors
John Gimson and Anna Burnet struck mixed Nacra 17 silver to complete one of the most remarkable days in British sailing history.
In the space of less than two hours, Stuart Bithell and Dylan Fletcher won 49er gold and Giles Scott defended his Finn title, both in epic races that went right to wire.
Bithell and Fletcher spearheaded the success by snatching gold by just centimetres, in one of the most dramatic Olympic regatta races of all time.
The British crew held off their German rivals by just fractions, the lead continually changing hands in a drag race to the finish line.
New Zealand's defending champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke were leading the regatta heading into the final double points race.
A complex formula of results meant the British crew had to finish two places ahead of the six-time world champions to win, with the Kiwis’ third place meaning they settled for silver as Team GB won gold.
“I dreamt this would happen," said 33-year-old Fletcher.
“It was last week a few days before racing. I was like, 'don’t engage, don’t tell anyone that', but it was amazing to feel that dream come true. The last race wasn’t quite that close in my dream.”
Scott’s fate similarly went down to the wire, with the Brit having won six races out of ten in the qualifying regatta and needing to finish in the top five of the medal race to secure gold.
Around the final mark his closest rival, Hungary's Zsombor Bereca, was surging clear and Scott had work to do seventh.
Third sailing medal of the day for #TeamGB@TEAMGBNACRA have had a brilliant week at #Tokyo2020
— Team GB (@TeamGB) August 3, 2021
🎥 @BBCSport pic.twitter.com/UQJPsizC3X
However, he managed to inch himself through the fleet, crossing the line in fourth by a fraction to follow up his Olympic gold medal from Rio 2016.
British success in the heavyweight title now stretches six straight Games back to 2000, with Iain Percy's Sydney success followed up by a hat-trick of titles for Sir Ben Ainslie in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
Scott, 34, from Huntingdon, said: “I made it by the skin of my teeth, it was properly to the wire, it was really tight. I tried to stay relaxed but I've never been involved in a boat race as close as that.”
Drama to the finish as Team GB soar to sailing stardom
Kennys back on the podium as GB seal double silver in the velodrome
Jason Kenny became Team GB's most decorated Olympian of all time after winning his eighth medal with team sprint silver at the Izu Velodrome.
The four-time Olympian moves level with Sir Bradley Wiggins for the most Olympic medals, while he and Sir Chris Hoy have the record for golds with six.
Alongside Jack Carlin and Ryan Owens, Kenny came through qualifying and the first round to set up a mouth-watering clash with the Netherlands in the final.
But in the end, it was the Dutch who proved too quick, extending a streak of wins that goes all the way back to 2017, to claim the gold medal, with GB taking home a valiant silver.
Kenny said: “It's really special. Every time you come back, it gets harder. You do your first Olympics and you're caught up in the momentum.
“We rolled the dice and just went for it, we knew we had a bit of ground to make up. I had nothing left in the final.”
The silver medal came just 20 minutes after Kenny’s wife Laura had won her fifth Olympic medal, also a silver, in the women’s team pursuit, alongside Katie Archibald, Neah Evans and Josie Knight.
Triple Olympic champion Ed Clancy announced his retirement from cycling after the recurrence of a persistent back injury, before the men’s team pursuit quartet were beaten by Denmark in their heat.
Kenny becomes Team GB’s most decorated Olympian of all time
Clancy calls time on storied cycling career
Hodgkinson romps to stunning athletics silver
Teenager Keely Hodgkinson took stunning silver to win Team GB’s first women's 800m medal since 2004 and break Dame Kelly Holmes' British record.
The 19-year-old unleashed her potent kick finish to come from fourth to second and finish in 1:55.88.
She came home 0.67s behind USA’s Athing Mu, also 19, who won in a national record of 1:55.21.
“That was such a good race from every single person in that race, it was so open and I wanted to leave it all out there," said Hodgkinson.
“It's going to take a couple of days to sink in but I'm so happy.
“I'm pretty speechless right now. Kelly Holmes is a legend, she's going to be a legend for British Athletics for a long time.”
Meanwhile, Jazmin Sawyers and Abigail Irozuru finished eighth and 11th respectively in the women’s long jump final, and Harry Coppell produced a season’s best 5.80m to take seventh in the men’s pole vault final.
Hodgkinson breaks national record to win 800m silver
Laugher completes medal set with diving bronze
Jack Laugher claimed the third Olympic medal of his career after an enthralling 3m springboard diving competition in Tokyo - completing his set with a hard-fought bronze.
Laugher had already won silver in the event in Rio five years ago, adding to his 2016 gold in the 3m synchro with Chris Mears.
He qualified third from the morning’s semi-final at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, behind only Chinese duo Xie Siyi and Wang Zongyuan - who combined to take 3m synchro gold earlier in the Games - but stepped things up in the afternoon’s final. James Heatly finished ninth.
“This means everything to me, it's been the worst two years of my life," said 26-year-old Laugher.
“After 2019 World Championships and failing to make myself a world champion, embarrassing myself with my final dive and the mistakes and failure I had there, it crushed me, it really crushed me.
“It might not be a gold medal but a medal around my neck today is just the sense that I'm back, I'm here and I am ready to keep going.”
Laugher back on the Olympic podium after ‘worst two years of my life’
McCormack adds to silver count with brave display in boxing final
Pat McCormack’s quest for gold came up just short but he still leaves Tokyo with a medal after securing silver in the men’s welterweight division.
Having beaten Aliaksandr Radzionau (BLR) and Bobo-Usmon Baturov (UZB), before getting a walkover against Ireland’s Aidan Walsh in the semi-finals, McCormack faced Roniel Iglesias in the gold medal bout.
The boxer from Tyneside fought valiantly but his experienced Cuban opponent, who won bronze at Beijing 2008 and gold at London 2012 - both in the light welterweight category - used his veteran instincts to control the bout and keep the Brit at arm’s length.
Silver for @PatMcCormack14 🥈
— Team GB (@TeamGB) August 3, 2021
McCormack fights hard but loses out to Cuba's Roniel Iglesias in the gold medal match.#TeamGB pic.twitter.com/9681NT9Zfm
McCormack, 26, said: “I was just up against a top fighter from Cuba, he’s a double Olympic champion now.
“I thought I took the first round and he edged the second two, so I’ve got no complaints - I lost to a very, very good fighter. It is what it is.”
Elsewhere, Galal Yafai guaranteed himself at least a bronze medal in the men's flyweight division, after beating Cuba's Yosbany Veitia in his flyweight quarter-final.
Pat McCormack takes home welterweight silver for Team GB
Kerr and Fraser show their worth and more to come from equestrian team
Canoeing’s Deborah Kerr finished second in her semi-final of the women’s K-1 200m to mark her Games debut with an appearance in the showpiece.
The 23-year-old from Motherwell went on to finish eighth in the final, 2.289s behind the victorious Lisa Carrington of New Zealand - but that didn’t dampen the experience and she will go again in the K-1 500m.
She said: “I’m absolutely delighted. It was always going to be tough to get into the final, so I’m really proud to have done it.
“This time last year, I wasn’t even expecting to be here, so to have ticked off one goal by reaching one final this week, it’s more than what I wanted.”
In gymnastics, Joe Fraser finished eighth in the parallel bars final after losing balance halfway through his routine.
His score of 14.500 points was only 0.500 off his winning 2019 World Championship effort, but in a high-quality field he finished 1.133 off a medal.
“It was exciting and very high-quality, so to be in that final in the first place is a great achievement in itself,” he said.
“Today wasn’t my day and I’m okay with that, I’ll be back in the gym trying to go better in the future.”
After Monday’s equestrian heroics there could be more medals in store after Ben Maher qualified top for the individual show jumping final.
Maher and horse Explosion W produced a clear round in 81.34 seconds, almost a second quicker than anyone else, while Scott Brash and Harry Charles join him in the showpiece.
More fun on the way on Wednesday
Ben Whittaker goes up against Cuba’s Arlen Lopez in the light heavyweight final at 7:35am BST, bidding to become Britain’s first boxing champion of Tokyo 2020 on another day packed with British medal chances.
Whittaker is the second British boxer in action on Wednesday morning, with Frazer Clarke looking to reach the super heavyweight final at just after 7:03am BST.
After Tuesday’s sailing success, Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre - who have already secured at least bronze - will go for glory in the women’s two-person dinghy, heading into the medal race (7:33am BST) with a 14-point lead. Luke Patience and Chris Grube go in the men’s medal race an hour earlier.
Sky Brown competes in skateboarding’s park contest from 1:00am BST, looking to earn herself a place in the final that is scheduled for 4:30am BST.
There could also be more success in equestrian with Ben Maher, Scott Brash and Harry Charles all involved in the individual show jumping final from 11:00am BST.
Elsewhere, Shauna Coxsey begins her highly-anticipated sport climbing campaign at 9:00am BST, while on the track Laura Muir goes in the 1500m semi-finals at the same time.
Two Brits - Ama Pipi and Jodie Williams - go in the 400m semi-finals, Lizzie Bird is the first British woman to make a 3000m steeplechase final at 12:00pm BST, Nick Miller goes in the hammer final at 12:15pm BST and Katarina Johnson-Thompson’s heptathlon campaign begins in the early hours.
The action also comes thick and fast at the velodrome, where Jason Kenny and Jack Carlin go in the men’s sprint at 7:30am BST, while Katy Marchant goes in the women’s keirin first round at 8:10am BST.
Team GB’s women’s hockey team will be looking to earn a spot in the final for the second successive Games when they face Rio 2016 runners-up the Netherlands in the last four at 2:30am, and Alice Dearing lines up in the women’s 10km marathon swim at 10:30pm on Tuesday night.