GB win three more medals to take Olympic total over 1,000

Team GB won their 1,000th Olympic medal as they took podium places in the velodrome and on the athletics track on day 12 at the Paris Games.

Great Britain’s team pursuit cyclists won silver in a dramatic men’s final before the women’s quartet followed up with bronze.

Matthew Hudson-Smith was pipped on the line as he took silver in the men’s 400m.

Britain’s George Mills was involved in a dramatic collision and fiery confrontation as the men’s 5,000m heats boiled over.

Meanwhile, 51-year-old Andy Macdonald stood out amid a youthful field in the men’s park skateboarding final and Charley Hull endured a nightmare start to the women’s golf.

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Great Britain’s Hudson-Smith beat his own European record but still missed out on Olympic 400m gold by four-hundredths of a second.

The 29-year-old finished in 43.44 seconds but was pipped on the line by American Quincy Hall, who surged from third to first in a thrilling conclusion.

It was another painful near miss on the global stage for Hudson-Smith, who went within 0.09secs of the world title 12 months ago.

Hudson-Smith, who was favourite for gold as the fastest man in the world in 2024, becomes the first Briton to make the Olympic men’s 400m podium in 28 years.

Supporters had hoped for gold in Paris to mark the hundredth anniversary of Eric Liddell, subject of Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, winning the 400m in the same city.

The velodrome has been a happy hunting ground for Team GB in recent Games and their pursuit teams put in superb displays to clinch two more cycling medals.

Ethan Hayter, Dan Bigham, Charlie Tanfield and Ethan Vernon were pipped to gold in the men’s event by Australia, who triumphed in it for the first time since the 2004 Games.

Elinor Barker, Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Jess Roberts then beat Italy in the women’s bronze medal race to continue GB’s run of reaching the event’s podium at every Olympics since it was introduced in 2012.

The men’s four, alongside Ollie Wood who rode in the earlier rounds, had the honour of winning Great Britain’s 1,000th Olympic medal – combining summer and winter Games.

Few would have forecast the men’s heats to be the most chaotic event of Paris 2024 so far – but it is a strong contender after Wednesday’s drama.

As the runners in heat one battled for a top-eight qualifying spot, European silver medallist Mills – son of former England footballer Danny – attempted to force his way through the field from near the back on the final straight.

In doing so he bumped shoulders with French runner Hugo Hay, then collided with Eritrea’s Aron Kifle, causing both to fall into Mohammed Ahmed of Canada while also collecting Dutch runner Mike Foppen.

Mills then angrily confronted Hay after crossing the finish line, before asserting to the BBC that he had been stepped on.

He finished 18th, but tournament organisers ruled that Mills had been impeded and sent him through along with Hay and the other fallers – meaning 20 men will compete in the 5,000m final on Saturday.

Elsewhere in the morning session, Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi went to the aid of Mutaz Essa Barshim, with whom he shared the event’s gold medal in Tokyo, after the Qatari athlete appeared to pull his calf during a run-up.

Barshim was able to resume and qualify for Saturday’s final alongside Tamberi, an eccentric character who wears odd socks and half a beard, who was hospitalised with kidney stones four days ago.

Wind is crucial for sailing, and the event in Marseille has been blighted by a lack of it.

Throughout the course of the Games races have been postponed, with programmes now being shortened as organisers seek to end the event on time.

GB’s Micky Beckett entered the medal race of the men’s dinghy in fourth position and hoping for a podium finish.

He saw the first go at the medal event cancelled as the wind dissipated, and would ultimately miss out on a place on the podium when the second attempt at the race went ahead, finishing last to end the competition sixth overall.

Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands had a better day, becoming the most decorated female Olympic sailor by claiming dinghy gold.

Bouwmeester, 36, has overtaken Britain’s Hannah Mills, who won three Olympic medals between 2012 and 2020, and now has two golds, one silver and one bronze.

In a skateboarding event featuring some athletes not even in their teens, Macdonald – who has been competing since 1994 – comes in at the other end of the scale.

The first man to skate at an Olympics for Team GB, the 51-year-old was roared on in Paris by sizable British support and skating royalty including Tony Hawk.

But while Macdonald did himself justice with three clean rounds, his best score of 77.66 was only enough for 18th place – the top eight qualifying for the final.

Not that it mattered to the yellow-helmeted Macdonald, who saluted the adoring crowd following his final run at La Concorde.

But if Macdonald still enjoyed his day, that likely is not true for GB golfer Charley Hull, who endured a nightmare first round in the women’s individual strokeplay.

Hull carded a nine-over 81 to sit 58th of 60 competitors, while team-mate Georgia Hall’s 74 left her tied for 30th at two over par.