Rio 2016 Thursday 18th preview: Jones, Adams and Brownlee brothers target repeat golds in Rio as London tally edges nearer

The 2016 Olympic Games is over halfway with the world’s best athletes battling it out for medals. Here are the most fascinating events happening on Thursday in Rio, Brazil.

ONES TO WATCH:

London 2012 57kg taekwondo champion Jade Jones will be looking to start the defence of her title with a strong showing against Morocco’s Naima Bakkal. Her opponent is not expected to put up too much of a last-16 challenge, however the 23-year-old will need to raise her game for her medal contests. Despite being world No. 1 and European champion, Jones will need to watch out for Spaniard Eva Calvo and Japan’s Mayu Hamada (THURSDAY 14.30 BST).

THE MAIN EVENT:

ATHLETICS - MEN’S 200M FINAL (FRIDAY 02.30 BST)

Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake look sure to contest the second event in Bolt’s quest to complete the Olympic treble of 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay for Jamaica. Bolt looked in imperious form during the heats as he attempts to go under the magical 19 second mark with Canadian Andre De Grasse, who won bronze in the 100m, the other standout performer. British trio Adam Gemili, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Daniel Talbot could also push for a final spot as well as Spaniard Bruno Hortelano and Mexican Jose Carlos Herrera.

THE RIVALRY:

TRIATHLON - MEN (THURSDAY 15.00 BST)

One of sport’s most fascinating Olympic rivalries comes around with British brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee battling it out for gold. With their main rival Javier Gomez of Spain out through injury, they could dominate. The Rio course suits the Brownlees more than London, where Alistair won gold and Jonny bronze, which is a scary proposition unless the likes of Spaniards Mario Mola and Fernando Alarza, along with France’s Pierre LeCorre, can raise their game.

THE UNDERDOG:

BASKETBALL - WOMEN’S SEMI-FINALS (THURSDAY 23.00 BST)

The French women’s basketball team take on USA in the semi-finals looking to clinch a gold medal clash against Spain or Serbia. Even though they are in the world top five, they head into this game as outsiders especially after two bad defeats in the group games. A 68-63 quarter-final win over Canada boosted morale, however Team USA thrashed Japan 110-64 to show how tough their task will be whether Isabelle Yacoubou and Olivia Époupa score heavily or not.

THE REDEMPTION:

BEACH VOLLEYBALL - MEN’S FINAL (FRIDAY 03.59 BST)

Alison Cerutti could only win silver four years ago in London, German pair Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann defeating him and Emanuel Rego 2-1 in the tense final. This time around, the 30-year-old has a new partner in Bruno Schmidt and a noisy home crowd behind him on Copacabana beach as he seeks redemption. They face Italian duo Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo, who have defeated two Russian pairs en route to their fairytale final. Based on the fun atmosphere so far, it should be a great end to one of the more popular events.

Stay tuned for daily previews throughout all the Olympic Games in Rio.

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