Lauren Price, inspired by Grandma's daily text messages, secures place in boxing final - what you missed overnight from Tokyo
Team GB win one bronze overnight, with Lauren Price guaranteed either gold or silver in boxing
Hockey: Great Britain come from behind to claim bronze against India in thrilling match
Boxing: Price sees off Nouchka Fontijn in women's middleweight semi and will go for gold at 6.45am on Sunday
To come: track cycling, including Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald in the women's madison; plus Laura Muir's 1,500m final and the 4x100m men's and women's relays
From the Valleys of South Wales, Lauren Price’s grandmother has been sending daily inspirational text messages. “Fight with fire in your belly and ice in your heart,” came Linda’s advice, motivating mantras from the woman who raised her pinging Price’s phone throughout these Games as the middleweight boxer chased her dream of an Olympic medal.
Now, after a tight contest against old nemesis Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands, whom she has only ever twice beaten before across six fights in world and European championships, the 27-year-old is in the final to face China’s Li Qian on Sunday.
Price is an extraordinary sporting all-rounder. As well as earning 52 caps for Wales’ football team, she won four world kickboxing titles while still a teenager. Her aim, however, from the moment she saw Kelly Holmes win gold in Athens in 2004 when she was just eight years old, was to make the Olympic Games. Price, whose talent was spotted by the Duke of Cambridge who then invited her to Kensington Palace ahead of her trip to Tokyo arrived in the Kokugikan Arena, looking as if she feared Fontijn’s superior record might just continue. Her face pensive, ignoring the small but noisy knot of her team-mates yelling encouragement from the balcony, it was a stark contract to Fontijn who bounced in, full of smiles.
Their arrivals translated into the performance in the first round. Price said afterwards that she had been surprised by the speed with which her opponent set out; usually Fontijn is a sedate starter. But here, towering over the Welsh star like a playground bully, she immediately unleashed a flurry of quick punches, landing a couple of right handers on the side of the Price’s red headguard, drawing big applause from the Dutch supporters in the balcony. Price took her time to make her mark. But with a calm, effective approach, swaying away from danger, by the end of the round she looked to be in control.
It was something of a surprise then, when the judges marked Fontijn as coming out on top in the first. It was by the narrowest of margins, three to two, but still it seemed an odd reading of the standings. Fontijn’s jinx over the British team, which had included her eliminating Savannah Marshall from the competition in Rio, looked about to be extended.
Not if Price was to have her say though. As she reflected afterwards, “3-2 down isn’t like being 5-0,” she said. And she was right. So it was, despite giving away several inches in reach, she took her opportunity in the second round to impose herself, subjecting her opponent to a brutal succession of blows. Her speed of movement at times left the skilful and dangerous Dutchwomen thrashing at the air. Even after being deducted a point for holding, Price emerged with the second round, albeit by another 3-2 split.
She was now approaching the business end of the bout, the moment she appreciated that her immediate fate would be decided. She had not come to Tokyo to settle for a bronze.
“It’s been a dream of mine to become an Olympian,” she said. “But I’m not stopping just with that, my main aim is to give it my all.”
So it was, quick of feet and hands, able to spot danger long before it became a threat, she dominated the taller woman in the third. Her right hand landed with increasing frequency on Fontijn’s chin. As the three minutes ticked down, the Dutchwoman was using her longer arms largely to hold on to Price’s shoulders. And by the end, as she went into her corner to have her headgear removed by her second, she looked spent, panting and staring into the middle distance. You could see in her expression she had reached the end: she announced her retirement immediately after the verdict was delivered. Price, by contrast, greeted the bell with a long and loud whoop of triumph, pumping her fists in the direction of her supporters.
She was right to be so confident. By an overall split decision, a place in the final was hers. There she will face Li Qian, a boxer she has never fought before. “From what I’ve seen here, I think she’s quite similar to my style,” said Price of her next opponent. “It’s going to be an interesting one.” Her grandmother will no doubt have the appropriate words to encourage her.
Team GB secure bronze in thrilling 4-3 win over India
Britain earned the bronze medal in the women's hockey tournament after a hard-fought 4-3 win over India in hot conditions at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday.
Britain, who had won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, took a two-goal lead in the second quarter through goals by Elena Rayer and Sarah Robertson.
India, who have never won an Olympic medal in women's hockey, pulled level after drag-flick specialist Gurjit Kaur scored twice off penalty corners.
Britain then conceded another goal that gave India a 3-2 lead going into the break, but kept fighting to turn the tables in the final leg of their Tokyo campaign.
Hollie Pearne-Webb equalised in the 35th minute, before Grace Balsdon scored Britain's winning goal from a penalty corner in the last quarter.
"We're a very resilient group and that's what we showed there at the end," Pearne-Webb told reporters.
"Really pleased that we could come here and get it across the line."
Britain was the bigger attacking threat, racking up 23 penetrations of the opposition circle against nine for India, which could not come out on top despite having 54% of ball possession. Both sides were awarded eight penalty corners.
"We were close but sometimes close is not good enough," India captain Rani said. "It hurts a lot because we could win the bronze medal but I think everyone just gave their best."
50km men's race walk won by Poland's Dawid Tomala in 35C heat
Poland's Dawid Tomala cruised to victory in the Olympic men's 50km race walk on a dominant performance over the second half of the race in Sapporo on Friday, finishing in three hours, 50 minutes and eight seconds.
Germany's Jonathan Hilbert took the silver medal and Canada's Evan Dunfee claimed the bronze.
China's Luo Yadong was in front for most of the first third of the race, until the pack including Tomala caught up with him at the 20km mark.
Tomala began distancing himself from the crowd around the 30km stage, progressively increasing his lead to more than three minutes at one stage. He finished 36 seconds in front of Hilbert.
World record holder and 2017 world champion Yohann Diniz of France dropped out of the race before the 30km mark, citing fatigue and back pain and saying it was one competition too many for the 43-year-old.
Sapporo was just as hot as Tokyo on Friday with the mercury hitting 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the country's weather agency.
Where it stands in the medal table
How it played out on the morning of day 14:
05:37 AMPrice's opponent confirmed
Price's opponent confirmed
Qian Li will face Britain's Lauren Price in the women's middleweight final on Sunday morning after winning the other semi-final. It will take place at 6.45am.
05:25 AMThe other semi-final is underway; the winner will face Lauren Price.
The other semi-final is underway; the winner will face Lauren Price.
Qian Li of China faces Zenfira Magomedalieva of ROC. Li wins the first round unanimously, but has just had a point deducted in the second round.
05:15 AMLauren Price books her place in the gold medal bout!
Lauren Price books her place in the gold medal bout!
A brilliant fightback from Price after a second round point deduction.
05:14 AMThird round over
Third round over
Waiting for the judges' decision. Solid round from Price.
05:11 AMPrice wins the second round on a 3-2 split decision by the judges
Price wins the second round on a 3-2 split decision by the judges
But that deduction damages her scorecard. A huge final round now.
05:08 AMA point deduction for Lauren Price in the second round
A point deduction for Lauren Price in the second round
An uphill task now for Price.
05:06 AMFirst round over...
First round over...
A 3-2 split in favour of Fontijn by the judges in the first round.
05:02 AMAnd we're away...
And we're away...
Lauren Price has at least a bronze going into this match.
05:02 AMLauren Price enters the ring to face Nouchka Fontijn
Lauren Price enters the ring to face Nouchka Fontijn
The women's middleweight boxing semi-final is about to get underway.
04:42 AMAshok's birdie cuts Korda's lead to three
Ashok's birdie cuts Korda's lead to three
Korda is stepping up onto the 18th tee now. Looking like a close final round tomorrow.
04:32 AMLydia Ko of New Zealand finishes five-under for the day with a bogey-free 66
Lydia Ko of New Zealand finishes five-under for the day with a bogey-free 66
Just a few left out on the course now. Lydia Ko has finished her round, and what a solid performance from her today. She goes into the final round on -10, just behind Ashok and Inami, and five behind leader Korda.
04:16 AMWomen's golf third round: Korda still leads by four shots with three holes left to play
Women's golf third round: Korda still leads by four shots with three holes left to play
Korda remains on two-under for the round. She hasn't been able to press on and match yesterday's performance, giving space for a tight pack behind which is being led by Inami and Ashok, both on 11-under overall.
03:59 AMTeam GB's next medal is in the crosshairs: Lauren Price in the ring in an hour's time
Team GB's next medal is in the crosshairs: Lauren Price in the ring in an hour's time
Great Britain's Lauren Price is guaranteed a bronze medal but has the potential to go one or two better in the women's middleweight boxing if she can beat Nouchka Fontijn of Holland. We will have coverage of that at around 6am BST.
03:44 AMBack at the third round of the women's golf, Nelly Korda maintains her lead
Back at the third round of the women's golf, Nelly Korda maintains her lead
Lots of drinks being taken on board out there.
Korda is four shots ahead through 13, on -2 for the round so far. Japan's Inami Mone now finds herself in second place, -4 for the round through 13, -11 overall. Pedersen and Ashok sit together on third with -10 overall.
03:36 AMThe US claim another gold with victory in the women's beach volleyball
The US claim another gold with victory in the women's beach volleyball
April Ross and Alix Klineman beat Australia's Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy in straight sets, 21-15, 21-16.
03:25 AMTeam GB win bronze in the women's hockey!
Team GB win bronze in the women's hockey!
What a thrilling game. Team GB were 2-3 down at half time, but fought back and held on to win. Here's the winning goal from Grace Balsdon:
GOAL! 🔥
Grace Balsdon gives @GBHockey the lead with 11 minutes to go in the bronze medal match!
Great Britain 4-3 India
📲 Watch: https://t.co/Ga1wBurZLo
Live on @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer#bbcolympics #tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/l9y4zzQ674— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 6, 2021
03:21 AMAnd that's all from the canoe sprint down at Sea Forest Waterway today
And that's all from the canoe sprint down at Sea Forest Waterway today
The semi-finals and finals will take place tomorrow on the penultimate day of the Games. There will be four sets of medals up for grabs:
The women's canoe double 500m
The men's canoe single 1000m
The women's kayak four 500m
The men's kayak four 500m
03:15 AM...the host nation bow out in the men's kayak four
...the host nation bow out in the men's kayak four
Hungary win, followed by Belarus, China, Portugal, Canada and ROC. Japan are way off the pace and drop out.
03:11 AMBelarus, China, Ukraine, France, Australia, and Denmark through to the women's semi final
Belarus, China, Ukraine, France, Australia, and Denmark through to the women's semi final
Down at the Sea Forest Waterway, the ROC and Canada are out. They will not be progressing to the semis in the women's kayak four. Now onto the men's...
03:05 AMTwo more quarter finals in the canoe sprint this morning.
Two more quarter finals in the canoe sprint this morning.
First up the women's kayak four 500m; then it's the men's turn in the same discipline.
03:03 AMTeam GB 4-3 India in the fourth quarter
Team GB 4-3 India in the fourth quarter
Team GB are back in the lead with a cracking strike from Balsdon! Follow the action here.
02:56 AMAnother Ukrainian, Vandiuk, through to the men's canoe sprint semi; joined by Germany's Brendel
Another Ukrainian, Vandiuk, through to the men's canoe sprint semi; joined by Germany's Brendel
The Spaniard, Martinez, loses out by a whisker.
02:49 AMPoland's Glazunow and Canada's Fitzpatrick through in the second quarter final
Poland's Glazunow and Canada's Fitzpatrick through in the second quarter final
Glazunow leads the whole race and wins by a couple of seconds in 4:07.632; Fitzpatrick finishes two seconds behind.
02:43 AMChina's Zheng and Ukraine's Altukhov through to the semi finals in the men's 1000m canoe sprint
China's Zheng and Ukraine's Altukhov through to the semi finals in the men's 1000m canoe sprint
Two progress from the first quarter final. Only half a second between the top two; Poland's Kaminski two seconds behind them, with the rest of the pack trailing.
02:34 AMWe're into the quarter finals now in the men and women's canoe sprint
We're into the quarter finals now in the men and women's canoe sprint
The first of three quarter finals in the men's single canoe 1000m is about to get underway.
02:27 AMKorda loses a shot with a bogey on the eighth
Korda loses a shot with a bogey on the eighth
Her lead in the third round of the women's golf is cut to three...but Ashok drops her fairway approach into the bunker.
02:15 AM...make that GB 2–3 India
...make that GB 2–3 India
India are on a roll. Team GB's lead is cut in minutes. They're now on the backfoot.
02:13 AMTeam GB 2–2 India in the women's hockey bronze medal match
Team GB 2–2 India in the women's hockey bronze medal match
A quickfire double cuts Team GB's lead! Follow the action in our live blog here.
01:59 AMKorda not letting anyone near her; she's now on -16
Korda not letting anyone near her; she's now on -16
Korda's now three under par for the round, putting her five shots ahead of Aditi Ashok in second place. Take a look at her scorecard from yesterday. It was at this point that she put her foot on the gas.
🖌️🎨 A work of art by @NellyKorda.
9 birdies. 1 eagle. 62.#Olympics #Golf pic.twitter.com/rnPSkcBiA2— Olympic Golf (@OlympicGolf) August 5, 2021
01:51 AMAshok bags herself a birdie to match Inami's
Ashok bags herself a birdie to match Inami's
The top three of Korda (US); Ashok (India); and Inami (Japan) are all under par for the round as they get to the one-third mark on the course.
01:40 AMJapan's Mone Inami birdies to go tied for second
Japan's Mone Inami birdies to go tied for second
She had a chance for an eagle putt to go within four shots of Korda, but the birdie still puts her tied with India's Ashok.
01:27 AMGB and India about to battle it out for bronze in the women's hockey
GB and India about to battle it out for bronze in the women's hockey
After a semi-final defeat to the Netherlands, Team GB face India in the women's hockey bronze medal match. Could this be the first British medal of the day?
Follow the action over on our dedicated blog.
01:19 AMNelly Korda four shots ahead at -14 in the third round of the women's golf
Nelly Korda four shots ahead at -14 in the third round of the women's golf
Korda shot a nine-under 62 yesterday. She continues to lead by four shots through four holes on the third round as temperatures soar to over 40 degrees at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.
12:58 AMWomen and men's canoe sprint heats underway
Women and men's canoe sprint heats underway
Down at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo, the second men's canoe single 1000m heat has just finished. Brazil's Queiroz dos Santos speeds through in first, China's Liu is in second, and the Czech Republic's Fuksa comes in third.
12:44 AMSpain's Garcia finishes his eighth Olympics as he crosses the line in 35th position in the 50km race walk
Spain's Garcia finishes his eighth Olympics as he crosses the line in 35th position in the 50km race walk
Spain's Jesús Ángel García, 51, completes his race at his eighth Olympic Games. He debuted 29 years ago at the 1992 games in Barcelona!
12:40 AMCompetitors still crossing the line in the 50km race walk
Competitors still crossing the line in the 50km race walk
They've been out there for over four hours now, and temperatures are at 31 degrees.
12:31 AMMen's podium in the 50km race walk
Men's podium in the 50km race walk
Poland's Dawid Tomala takes gold, Germany's Jonathan Hilbert takes silver, and Canada's Evan Dunfee snatches bronze in the final few metres to improve on his fourth position at Rio.
12:26 AMIreland's Brendan Boyce comes in tenth
Ireland's Brendan Boyce comes in tenth
He looks delighted with that finish as he comes in 3:32 behind race victor Tomala.
12:23 AMHilbert in second; Dunfee in third; Tur in fourth
Hilbert in second; Dunfee in third; Tur in fourth
Canada's Dunfee makes a final push to grab bronze from Tur.
12:21 AMGold for Dawid Tomala in the men's 50km race walk
Gold for Dawid Tomala in the men's 50km race walk
The first gold of day 14 goes to Poland's Dawid Tomala! Very well-deserved after a spectacular race.
12:19 AMFlag in hand for Tomala as he's got one minute to go; Hilbert makes a break for silver
Flag in hand for Tomala as he's got one minute to go; Hilbert makes a break for silver
Tomala's about to add a fourth gold to Poland's total. Germany's Hilbert makes a break for second place.
12:13 AMThe race for silver and bronze hots up.
The race for silver and bronze hots up.
Tur and Hilbert neck-and-neck as they enter the final lap.
12:11 AM2km to go as Tomala enters his last lap
2km to go as Tomala enters his last lap
He looks exhausted, but he's on the home straight. Not long to go...
12:01 AMDrama to come in the last 5km
Drama to come in the last 5km
Nothing between the five in the chasing pack which consists of Jonathan Hilbert (Germany), Marc Tur (Spain), João Vieira (Portugal), Evan Dunfee (Canada) and Masatora Kawano (Japan).
11:55 PMCan Tomala add to Poland's three golds?
Can Tomala add to Poland's three golds?
We'll know in about 30 minutes time. There's a close pack behind, so we're sure to see some jostling in this final 6km.
11:51 PMFive chasing Tomala, he's now around three minutes ahead
Five chasing Tomala, he's now around three minutes ahead
Tomala is having a magnificent race, but he may be slowing down. His nearest competitors are around 700m away in a five man pack, three minutes behind shortly past the 42km mark.
11:32 PMTomala leads by well over 2 minutes now
Tomala leads by well over 2 minutes now
There's still 12km to go, but Tomala's thrown down the gauntlet to the chasing pack. He finished 32nd in the 20km walk at the World Championships in Doha in 2019.
11:19 PMNelly Korda leads by four shots on the third round of the women's golf
Nelly Korda leads by four shots on the third round of the women's golf
In the women's golf, the third round has begun. Nelly Korda of the US leads on -13 after a sensational burst on the second round. Nanna Madsen Koerstz of Denmark shares second place with compatriot Emily Pedersen on -9 along with Aditi Ashok of India.
11:09 PMJust past the 32km mark in the men's 50km race walk
Just past the 32km mark in the men's 50km race walk
It's gone 8am in Sapporo and Dawid Tomala of Poland leads the way by around 50 seconds. There's still about 80 minutes to go, but the chasing pack will be looking to up the pace.
10:35 PMHello
Hello
And welcome to Day 14 of our coverage for Tokyo 2020. It's been a solid and steady Games for Team GB so far, with medals coming regularly in the opening two weeks. The highlight on Thursday was no doubt Holly Bradshaw's bronze medal in the women's pole vault. After a 6th at London 2012 and 5th in Rio de Janeiro six years ago, Bradshaw finally added an Olympic medal to her collection.
Looking forward to today's early action there are a few more prospects for medals for Great Britain. First up we have the men's 50km walk (already under way at the very early 0530 local time) and the women's 20km walk.
There are a fair few medal events on Friday, including eight in the athletics. Great Britain's Lauren Price is guaranteed a bronze medal but has the potential to go one or two better in the women's middleweight boxing if she can beat Nouchka Fontijn of Holland. We will have coverage of that later in the day, around 6am BST.
Perhaps the biggest Team GB-related event is the women's hockey bronze medal match. Rio 2016 winners Great Britain will not defend their Olympic title this time but can claim bronze if they beat India. That begins at 2.30am.
Elsewhere in the athletics later in the day, Laura Muir will look to claim a medal in the women's 1,500 metres final. And GB will also aim for medals in the men's and women's 4x100m relay finals.
Dina Asher-Smith, whose hamstring problems meant she missed out on the individual 100m final and pulled out of the 200m completely, will hope to end a disappointing Games on a high in the team sprint event.
Following that, Jodie Williams lines up for Team GB in the women's 400m final, while Andrew Butchart is the British representative in the men's 5,000m final. The men also compete in the heats of the 4x400m relay.
In track cycling Jack Carlin is Team GB's last hope in the men's sprint and Great Britain will have teams out in the women's madison, where Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald will be vying for a medal.
Tom Daley begins his campaign for a second medal of the Games with the 10m individual platform event. There is also Kate French in the modern pentathlon. She will hope to build on her fifth-place finish in Rio as the women's event concludes on Friday.