It is the third to last day of action at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Friday, a day where another 23 gold medals will be won and lost out in the Japanese capital as this extravaganza of sport continues to thrill us all.
We’ve seen some amazing performances, heroic efforts and stunning moments over the first two weeks of the competition and nothing is likely to change throughout what is a busy day on Friday given how late in the Games it is.
Gold Medal Events
- Athletics
- Beach Volleyball
- Boxing
- Cycling
- Football
- Hockey
- Karate
- Modern Pentathlon
- Sport Climbing
- Table Tennis
- Wrestling
Other Sports
There aren’t too many other sports that are operating on Friday that aren’t giving gold medals out but among those which are is the diving where Tom Daley will be on the platform once again, this time in solo competition, as he looks to add to the gold medal he won in the synchro event earlier in the Games. The basketball, canoe sprint, equestrian, handball, rhythmic gymnastics, volleyball and water polo all continue too.
Women’s Football
Usually we are getting ready to crown the United States as the gold medal winners when the women’s football final comes around but that won’t be the case on Friday as they were surprisingly beaten in the semi-final. That leaves Sweden and the conquerors of the USA, Canada to battle it out for one of the biggest titles on the women’s game.
Sweden have been good to us in these Games so far and I’m not deserting them now. They announced themselves as contenders for the title when they eased past the USA in their opening match and they haven’t really looked back since. They have been solid defensively and there are plenty of goals in them. You have to respect Canada because they have beaten the United States but that was a big psychological thing for them and I wonder if they will have it in them to go again here. Canada have only scored more than one goal in a game once in this tournament – against an average Chile side – so they look like they have it all to do here. I’m with the Swedes.
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Cycling
There is a decent session of action inside the velodrome on Friday where two more gold medals will be handed out with the Women’s Madison making a reappearance in the programme and the Men’s Sprint the other medal to be handed out. The Dutch look to have the stranglehold on the men’s competition and they are the favourites for the women’s race too but I’m not sure they will have it all their own way.
Kirsten Wild and Amy Pieters have won the gold medal at the last two World Championships so they are certainly worthy favourites here but when you are so well known you tend to get marked and that makes them vulnerable. The other thing to note about those world title successes is that Laura Kenny didn’t ride either race because of the schedule. She is an elite rider and should form a formidable pairing with Katie Archibald, who will be out to prove a point after the crash in the Keirin which ended her medal hopes in that. Kenny also won’t be short of motivation after she was part of a team that failed to win the Team Pursuit. The Danes and the Australians have good history in this but I think Kenny and Archibald can win this for Team GB at a huge value price against the favourites.
Athletics
There is only one session of athletics on Friday if you take out the walking races and in that session there are six finals. Great Britain have genuine medal hopes in three of them in terms of the Men’s and Women’s 4x100m relay and the Women’s 1500m but it might be that the big showdown between Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Allyson Felix in the Women’s 400m final is the race which steals the show.
Miller-Uibo denied Felix the title in Rio five years ago when she literally threw herself over the line and since then she was a silver medallist in Doha in the World Championships two years ago. Felix didn’t race in those Championships though because she gave birth the year before but she is back now. We would be foolish to think this is a match between the two though. Felix actually arguably has her work cut out to get a medal here because she’s in the outside lane and Marileidy Paulino is running very well at the minute while Stephenie Ann McPherson is improving all the time. It is her I think can snatch this. Jamaica have already got the 100m and 200m under their belts and should be able to walk round and win the 4x100m relay and I’m expecting McPherson to complete the clean sweep. She is inside the big two of Miller-Uibo and Felix, and there are injury concerns over the defending champion. McPherson ran a personal best in the semi-final and gets the nod over Paulino on experience, Miller-Uibo on fitness grounds and Felix on age.
Tips
Back Sweden to beat Canada in Women’s Football for a 3/10 stake at 1.85 with Betway
Back Great Britain to win Women’s Madison for a 1/10 stake at 6.00 with Boylesports
Back them here:
Back S-A.McPherson to win Women’s 400m for a 2/10 stake at 4.33 with BetVictor
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