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Olympics 2021: 5 unmissable Day 7 events and when to watch

Emma McKeon will race for gold on the 100m freestyle final on day seven of the Tokyo Olympics. (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)
Emma McKeon will race for gold on the 100m freestyle final on day seven of the Tokyo Olympics. (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images) (AFP via Getty Images)

Another day, another gold medal in the pool. That’s what we have to look forward to today, as well as some big matches for a couple of our women’s teams, and the start of the track and field.

Here are five events to watch on Day 7 of the Tokyo Olympics.

Rowing Eight finals, 11.05am AEST (women’s) and 11.25am (men’s)

The Sea Forest Waterway gave Australia its greatest ever rowing day at the Olympics on Wednesday and we turn our attention there again this morning. Can it produce a little more magic this morning?

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We have team in both the men’s and women’s Eight finals, and although they won’t be among the favourites, can they do enough to grab a medal?

Both teams finished fourth in their respective repechage on Wednesday to advance to the A Final.

Women’s 100m freestyle final, 11.50am AEST

Take your lunch break early because you don’t want to miss another golden moment in the pool. Emma McKeon has owned this event this year and it would take an almighty effort to take the gold medal from her grasp this morning.

The 27-year-old has six of the fastest nine swims this year and was a class above in yesterday’s semi-finals, finishing half a second ahead of her nearest rival, world record holder Sarah Sjoestroem.

Cate Campbell, a former world champion in this event, has also qualified for the final after finishing second in her semi.

Australia v Great Britain, Women’s Football, 7pm AEST

It’s sudden death time in the women’s football. The Matildas made it through to this quarter-final against the Brits thanks to being one of two best third-placed teams from the group stage.

Holding the number one ranked team in the world, USA, to a 0-0 draw might have drawn some criticism for its lack of adventure, it got the job done and Australia will take huge confidence out of keeping a clean sheet against the best in the world.

Great Britain finished top of its group with two wins and a draw, but only scored four goals from the its three matches, the same as the Matildas.

Men’s 10,000m, 9.30pm AEST

The athletics program kicks off today with preliminary rounds of the women’s 100m and 800m and men’s high jump to name just a few. There is only one medal on offer but it’s a big one.

The men’s 10k has produced some legends of the sport over the past couple of decades. Haile Gebrselassie won it in ’96 and 2000, Kenenisa Bekele in ’04 and ’08, and Mo Farah in ’12 and ’16.

Who will emerge to take the crown in Tokyo? The top contenders are Ugandans Josh Cheptegei and Jakob Kiplimo, and Ethiopians Yomif Kejelcha and Selemon Barega. Cheptegei is the world champion and broke the world record last year with a time of 26min 11.00sec, while Kiplimo, Barega and Kejelcha have the best three times in the world respectively this year.

Australia v China, Women’s Basketball, 10pm AEST

Let’s finish off the day with a bit of late night basketball. The Opals were very disappointing in their opening match, comfortably beaten by Belgium. It’s not going to get any easier here, the Chinese are among the best teams in the world, so there will need to be a vast improvement.

China ran up a 42-point smashing of Puerto Rico in its opening game, and another big victory over the Opals would be a major dent in the Aussies’ hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals.

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