1535 GMT: At the women's TAEKWONDO Britain's Jade Jones makes it through to the semi-finals of the under-57kg featherwieght category with a convincing 13-3 win over Mayi Hamada of Japan.
1530 GMT: Meanwhile in track cycling Gijs Van Hoecke has been sent home after pictures in British tabloids showed him drunk after a night out, Belgian media reports say.
It seems the 20-year-old went to drown his sorrows after coming 15th in the Omnium race on Tuesday night.
1525 GMT: Breaking news from the BMX track: The last two races went off without a crash or a tumble!
1522 GMT: "Suzy Batkovic and two of her Australian Opals women's basketball teammates are on the court now to start pre-game shootaround," adds Jim.
"Only one problem -- there are no basketballs. They've arrived an hour before the game and ahead of the people supposed to bring the balls. Here come half a dozen USA players... And after a short wait, the basketball, to a smattering of applause from the crowd."
1515 GMT: BASKETBALL: At the North Greenwhich arena, where a painful dance reverb Bruce Sprinsteen mix is reverberating through the loud speakers, USA and Australia are gearing up for the women's hoop semis, says AFP's Jim Slater.
"US beat the Aussies for gold in past three Olympics and can stretch their Olympic winning streak to 40 games with a win today that will put them one triumph shy of a fifth gold medal in a row."
1507 GMT: CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN WINS INDIVIDUAL DRESSAGE GOLD.
The Briton, riding Valegro, scored 90.089% to win gold ahead of Adelinde Cornelissen of The Netherlands (88.196%) who claimed silver on her horse Parzival. Bronze also goes to team GB for Laura Bechtolsheimer on Mistral Hojris (84.339%)
1502 GMT: At the BMX track riders seem to be struggling to stay on two wheels: "Another bad crash there as New Zealand's Kurt Pickard and Falla of Ecuador land awkwardly after the third jump," Justin Davis tells us. "The injuries look to be piling up here. Let's see how it affects them for the next rounds."
1458 GMT: In the men's under-68kg taekwondo competition, Britain's Martin Stamper has just booked his place in the semi-final with a 8-3 win over Damir Fejzic of Serbia.
1447 GMT: TAEKWONDO: At the women's under-57kg quarter finals Britain'sJade Jones makes a good start with a 3-1 lead over Mayu Hamada in the first round.
But the atmosphere is lacking, reports Barnaby Chesterman: "The shape of the taekwondo arena, with two long sides and no ends, is affecting the atmosphere, allowing noise to escape down the ends. There is nothing like the noise the judo arena had with it's traditional four sides enclosing the sound."
1441 GMT: This from Justin Davis, back at the BMX track: "Another two crashes in heats ! The bunch races in BMX are spectacular, but must be difficult for the racers."
1433 GMT: Diana Matheson, the Canadian FOOTBALL player who scored the winning goal in that bronze medal match against France, says: It feels amazing. It feels unreal, it feels like a dream.
"We felt as a group that we were going to earn this and we did, in the last minute."
1426 GMT: In other OLYMPICS NEWS, German authorities say they have opened a probe against the boyfriend of German Olympic rower Nadja Drygalla on suspicion he was part of a far-right group that attacked a police officer.
The prosecutor's office in the northern city of Rostock said it was investigating Michael Fischer, who until recently was an official with the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), a neo-Nazi political party.
1420 GMT: Yet more carnage at the BMX, Justin Davis reports: " Colombian Zabala Oquendo comes down on the second last berm, Aussie Brian Kirkham crashes on top of him and both riders trail home.
"They will have at least another two races to try and get the top two places for the semis."
1415 GMT: Meanwhile, AFP's Julian Guyer, has spotted Britain's Princess Anne at the WOMEN'S WRESTLING with her husband, Commander Tim Laurence. A bit of a change from her usual equestrian haunts.
Here Saori Yoshida has started her quest for a third Olympic gold in commanding fashion. Yoshida was too strong and quick for Kelsey Campbell, defeating the American 3-0 in their last 16 clash.
1410 GMT: And there's worse to come says Justin: "What a disaster! On the first bend a mass crash takes down everyone except Kiwi Marc Willers! He couldn't believe he was racing on his own! Just goes to show the importance of pulling ahead of the field before that first berm."
1404 GMT: BMX is not for the faint-hearted... The action has just begun and Justin tells us there's already one man down: "The first crash in the first heat as Australian Khalen Young comes tumbling down before the last bend. He will live to fight another day."
1359 GMT: CYCLING: Justin Davis, down at the BMX track for the men's quarter-finals, says: "It's baking hot, the stands are full and we're about to see four heats of eight riders battle over several races in a bid to make the semis. "
Watch this space for some high-adrenalin action...
1352 GMT: FOOTBALL: CANADA take the BRONZE MEDAL in the women's competition after defeating France 1-0 with a goal in stoppage time.
1345 GMT: Hungary's Riszto, having finished the race in 1:57:38.2, says her victory will only really hit home after recovering from the exhaution: "It is really hard to understand but in a few hours I will be much more happy because I'm really, really, really tired now."
1340 GMT: For Hungary its their 25th swimming gold at a summer Olympics -- though this is the first in open water.
The United States and Italy are also first-time medal winners in this event. The US have now won 31 swimming medals at London 2012, equalling its total from Beijing 2008.
1329 GMT: Gold medallist Risztov, 26, competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics before retiring in 2005, only to return to the sport as a marathon specialist in 2009.
Home favourite Keri-Anne Payne was fourth, with the top four separated by just four seconds.
1313 GMT: One Brazilian swimmer, Pliana Okimoto, actually had to drop out of that gruelling race due to hypothermia.
Brazil?s press attach? Eliana Alves explains why: ?After the fourth lap, she dropped back to 20th place.
"She put her hand up to be taken out of the water because she was suffering from hypothermia. She fainted when she was taken out of the water and she is receiving medical treatment. She has had previous bouts of hypothermia but never one as serious as this.?
South Africa's Jessica Roux also withdrew.
1305 GMT: So it's gold for Risztov, silver for Haley Anderson of the United States and bronze for Martina Grimaldi of Italy.
1302 GMT: GOLD FOR EVA RISZTOV OF HUNGARY IN THE WOMEN'S 10KM OPEN-WATER SWIMMING
1301 GMT: RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS: Some stunning images of human flexibility coming through from the individual all-round qualification ahead of Saturday's final.
Russia are looking like the country to watch here but other countries from the former Soviet Union are also likely to put in a strong showing.
1252 GMT: SWIMMING: AFP's Tom Williams at the 10km open-water says that Hungary's Eva Risztov has made "an early kick for home with around 10 minutes to go, but (Britain's Keri-anne) Payne is in a chasing pack of four swimmers."
1241 GMT: And now Jamaica are out of the 4x400m relay after failing to finish their heat.
Usain Bolt had left it open as to whether he would run in the final -- but now the decision is out of his hands.
Jermaine Gonzalez pulled up lame halfway round the third leg.
1236 GMT: World track and field governing body the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said in a statement: "The Jury of Appeal met and agreed to advance the South African team to the final, even though they did not finish the race, considering that they had been severely damaged in the incident with Kenya.
"South Africa will run as an additional team in lane 9."
1230 GMT: Pistorius tweets: "Thank you Lord! Emotional roller coaster!"
He also wrote: "IT'S ON!! We in the FINAL. Team management Protested as Ofense was taken out and we have been given Lane 9!!"
1226 GMT: SOUTH AFRICA BACK IN 4X400M RELAY AFTER APPEAL
1222 GMT: We are just hearing that South Africa are appealing to be reinstated in the 4x400m relay.
That comes after their disappointing failure to finish their heat earlier, which spelt an end to Oscar Pistorius's Olympic hopes.
1206 GMT: Message to Venus Williams -- if you are reading this, please call your sister.
Serena, who took gold with Venus in the women's tennis doubles, tweets: "Dear @Venuseswilliams please call me. Retweet everyone!!!!"
I wonder where Venus has got to?
1200 GMT: London Olympics chief Sebastian Coe is tipping Kenya's David Rudisha for gold in the 800m final tonight, reports AFP's Guy Jackson.
"But more surprisingly, Coe ? who won silver medals in the event at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics ? believes Britain?s Andrew Osagie can win a medal," Guy adds.
"Osagie is also a black belt in karate so should be able to handle himself if the race gets rough."
1153 GMT: SWIMMING: AFP's Tom Williams is still down at that gruelling women's 10km open water swim at Hyde Park.
He writes: "One of the most peculiar sights in the 10km swim arrives when the swimmers reach what is known as ?the feeding pontoon?, where the competitors? coaches dangle poles into the water with drinks precariously balanced in little baskets on the end.
"It is an exercise that requires precision and not a little care, for if a coach should topple into the water, his swimmer would face automatic disqualification."
Nice to know the swimmers get some sustenance during that long slog, though.
1148 GMT: ATHLETICS: Pistorius says he is "pretty gutted" after that disappointing end to his Olympic dream in the 4x400m relay.
"I took my eyes off the screen when he (Mogwane) rounded the bend so I didn't see what happened. I was just waiting for the baton," said Pistorius, who returns for the Paralympics later this month.
"I don't know if he got spiked or caught up. He's a phenomenal athlete.
"I feel sorry for my team-mates. Things do happen in relays."
1140 GMT: TAEKWONDO: Afghanistan's Nikpai has won that bout, Barnaby reports.
"Nikpai was a very popular winner there and the flag-waving hasn't stopped yet," he tells us.
Euphoria too in Kabul where the bout was shown live on television. "We got it, Nikpai won the match, hhhooooooooooooooooooooo," writes AFP's Usman Sharifi. "Scenes of joy and cheering."
1125 GMT: SWIMMING: AFP's Tom Williams was watching as the women's 10km open-water swimming got started.
?Hats and sun block were the order of the day as the women?s 10km swimming marathon got under way beneath scorching sunshine in the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park," he tells us.
"Supporters lined the lake on both sides, reserving the loudest reception for Britain?s Kerri-Anne Payne, who finished second when the event made its Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008.
"Payne is bidding to win a first swimming gold medal of the London Games for the host nation."
1121 GMT: Barnaby adds this from the arena: "There are a lot of Afghan flags in the crowd and even more suporters cheering on Rohullah Nikpah in the taekwondo.
"In fact his opponent Michael Loniewski's Polish followers are heavily out-numbered!"
1115 GMT: TAEKWONDO: Afghanistan's Rohullah Nikpai is fighting next, our correspondent Barnaby Chesterman reports.
And the excitement is mounting in Afghanistan. AFP's Usman Sharifi in Kabul writes on Twitter: "Pressure on Nikpai, social media buzz with Afghans praying for the victory... a failure would be a great disappointment."
1110 GMT: ATHLETICS: More on that heartbreaking 4x400m relay failure for South Africa.
It seems that South Africa's Mogwane fell on the final bend of the second leg as Pistorius waited to take the baton.
On rounding the bend into the final stretch, Mogwane made contact with Kenya's Vincent Kiilu and both came to grief.
"Somebody spiked me," said Kiilu, who unlike Mogwane was able to get up and continue.
Pistorius put his hands to his head, walked to the side of the track and sank to his knees staring down the straight when he saw what had happened.
Mogwane received medical attention and left clutching his shoulder.
1105 GMT: Let's have a quick recap of the morning's events so far.
+ The South African 4x400m relay team did not complete their 4x400m relay heat after one of their runners fell -- meaning double amputee Oscar Pistorius is out of the Olympic Games.
+ There were gold medals for Australia, Germany and Hungary in canoe-kayak events at Eton Dorney;
+ The decathlon is continuing ahead of tonight's climax, with the US's world record holder Ashton Eaton still in the lead but countryman Trey Hardee closing in on him.
1047 GMT: ATHLETICS: South Africa have failed to complete their 4x400m relay heat, meaning they and Oscar Pistorius are out.
Ofentse Mogwane fell on the final bend of the second leg as Pistorius, the first double amputee to compete in Olympic athletics, waited to take the baton.
1045 GMT: SOUTH AFRICA AND OSCAR PISTORIUS OUT OF 4X400M RELAY
1026 GMT: Talk about a golden couple -- British cyclist Laura Trott has just confirmed on Twitter that she is dating fellow British rider Jason Kenny.
"Been a little while now just didnt want the distraction before the games x" she adds.
Trott, 20, took golds in the omnium and team pursuit while Kenny, 24, won sprint and team sprint golds.
1004 GMT: CANOE-KAYAK: The full result now of that kayak K2 500m final which saw gold for the German duo Franziska Weber and Tina Dietze.
Hungary's Katalin Kovacs and Natasa Douchev-Janics, the double Olympic champions, took silver with Poland's Beata Mikolajczyk and Karolina Naja winning bronze.
0958 GMT: With all their events over, Olympic swimmers now have the chance for some rest and recuperation.
The US's Missy Franklin, who took four golds at the Games, has gone to explore one of England's finest castles, Leeds Castle, which dates back to 1119.
She tweeted a picture of it this morning, saying: "My view from breakfast! Not bad huh?:)"
Let's hope she doesn't feel an urge to go swimming in the moat.
0948 GMT: GERMANY'S WEBER AND DIETZE WIN GOLD IN WOMEN'S KAYAK K2 500M
0944 GMT: Hard to believe that the Olympics ends on Sunday -- but details have started leaking out of the closing ceremony.
Its musical director David Arnold, best known for composing scores for Bond films, has told the Daily Telegraph it will be a "beautiful, cheeky, cheesy, camp, silly and thrilling" journey through British pop history.
George Michael has already confirmed he is performing, while Arnold said predictions Paul McCartney and Adele would take part were "scarily accurate."
There are also unconfirmed rumours of an extremely rare live performance by Kate Bush.
0938 GMT: ATHLETICS: It's another electric atmosphere today down at the Olympic Stadium, says AFP's Luke Phillips.
"The Olympic Stadium was packed at nine o'clock this morning for a session traditionally considered the least 'interesting' in an athletics programme," he tells us.
"An amazing atmosphere, the likes of which I've never experienced when covering athletics before."
0933 GMT: So that is gold for Hungary's Danuta Kozak in the kayak K1 500m sprint, silver for Ukraine's Inna Osypenko-Radomska and bronze for Bridgitte Hartley of South Africa.
0918 GMT: HUNGARY'S KOZAK WINS GOLD IN WOMEN'S K1 500M KAYAK
0911 GMT: CANOE-KAYAK: Some further details on those two medal races just now, won by Germany and Australia.
Germans Peter Kretschmer and Kurt Kuschela won the canoe C2 sprint title, while Andrei and Aliaksandr Bahdanovich of Belarus took silver and Alexey Korovashkov and Ilya Pervukhin of Russia bronze.
Australia's Tate Smith, Dave Smith, Murray Stewart and Jacob Clear took gold in the kayak K4 sprint, with Hungary taking silver and the Czech Republic bronze.
0906 GMT: ATHLETICS: Back at the decathlon, which wraps up tonight, they are into the discus.
But the US's Bryan Clay, the 2008 gold medallist who did not qualify this time round, is unimpressed so far.
"I don't think there has been a throw over 43m yet!?!? C'mon guys!" he writes on Twitter.
0902 GMT: That is a sixth gold medal for Australia at this Olympics, taking their overall total to 27.
Australia's relatively poor performance at the London Olympics has this week prompted its most senior member of the International Olympic Committee, Kevan Gosper, to point the finger at cuts in government funding.
0856 GMT: AUSTRALIA WIN GOLD IN MEN'S KAYAK K4 1000M
0848 GMT: GERMANY WIN CANOE C2 1000M GOLD
0844 GMT: TAEKWONDO: Afghanistan's Rohullah Nikpai, a huge sporting hero in the war-torn nation, is up in the men's 68kg later today.
Nikpai won bronze at Beijing in 2008, the country's first-ever Olympic medal.
He became a national hero, with President Hamid Karzai giving him a house and the government paying for him and other Afghan Olympians to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.
There will be huge celebrations in Kabul if he manages to match or improve on that this time around.
0835 GMT: Today's pleasant weather could help Bolt's chances of setting a new world record in tonight's 200m final, says AFP's Guy Jackson.
"Warm, sunny and windless... If stays warm tonight I smell a new world record 200. First man under 19 seconds???" Guy writes on Twitter.
Bolt himself said after cruising through the semis that a new world record is possible on a fast London track.
0827 GMT: ATHLETICS: It's a beautiful sunny day in London and the decathlon action has already resumed in the Olympic stadium.
First event today is the 110m hurdles.
Overnight leader and world record holder Ashton Eaton of the US is narrowly beaten in the final heat by his second-placed teammate Trey Hardee, who posted 13.54.
Hardee looks pumped by that win, screaming with delight afterwards.
0818 GMT: Pistorius, the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics, was on Twitter last night looking forward to today's race.
"Thank you all for the support ahead of tomorrow, it made my day!" he wrote. "The boys are Ready to light it up! I'm off to sleep, God Bless".
But it is the US who are likely to start as favourites.
0813 GMT: Here are some of the main events coming up today at the Games, with timings:
+ Jamaica's Bolt bids to become the first man to win 100m and 200m gold in successive Olympics in the 200m final at 1955 GMT;
+ Kenya's world champion David Rudisha goes for gold in the men's 800m final at 1900 GMT;
+ After making history and reaching the semi-finals of the individual event, Pistorius joins the rest of the South African team in the 4x400m heats at 1035 GMT;
+ The US women's football team bids to make it three Olympic titles in a row when they take on Japan in the final at 1845 GMT.
WELCOME TO AFP'S OLYMPICS LIVE REPORT for August 9.
The action will be coming thick and fast today with highlights including Usain Bolt in the men's 200m final, South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius in the 4x400m relay heats and the women's football final between the US and Japan.
Stay with us to follow all the action as it happens.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/olympics-2012-live-report-075545221--oly.html
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