That was the Olympic night: the best for last

One day before the end of the Tokyo Olympics, the German team can celebrate its tenth gold medal.

The kayak foursome lives up to its role as favorites, but in the Canadier there is no precious metal that was hoped for.

The debate about the consequences of the riding drama about Annika Schleu continues unabated.

Kayak jubilation:

At the end of the Olympic canoe competitions, the German four-man kayak won gold and ensured a somewhat conciliatory Olympic final for the racing canoeists who are otherwise so spoiled for success. Max Rendschmidt, Ronald Rauhe, Tom Liebscher and Max Lemke triumphed on Saturday and won only the third medal in canoe racing at the Tokyo Games

the target was six to seven medals. For the first time in a long time, women failed to make it onto the podium.

Canadier disappointment:

In the single Canadier, the German racing canoeists at the Olympics were without a medal. In the Olympic victory of the Brazilian Isaquias Queiroz Dos Santos on Saturday, Conrad Scheibner finished sixth, 9.317 seconds back. The three-time Olympic champion Sebastian Brendel did not make it into the medal final in Tokyo.

Marathon sixth:

Melat Kejeta missed the hoped-for German medal win in the marathon at the Olympic Games. The 28-year-old World Championship runner-up in the half marathon from the Kassel running team crossed the finish line in sixth place in Sapporo in 2:29:16 hours on Saturday. Kenya celebrated a double success. Half marathon world champion Peres Jepchirchir won in 2:27:20 hours and won the duel with world record holder Brigid Kosgei, who needed only 16 seconds more for the 42.195 kilometers. Molly Seidel from the USA secured bronze.

Dream Team:

NBA superstar Kevin Durant led the US basketball players to their fourth successive Olympic victory. The gold favorite lived up to its role in the final and beat France on Saturday with 87:82 (44:39). In the Saitama Super Arena, Durant from the Brooklyn Nets was the best thrower of his overall sovereign team with 29 points. After triumphs in Beijing, London and Rio, the Americans also won in Tokyo and celebrated the 16th gold in one of their parade disciplines.

Demand for reform:

After the Olympic drama about Annika Schleu and her horse drawn in the modern pentathlon, the national association sees an “urgent need for action” and calls for the riding regulations to be adjusted. "Corresponding changes have already been worked out and proposed to the World Association (UIPM)," announced the German Association for Modern Pentathlon (DVMF). Beijing Olympic champion Lena Schöneborn also sees possible adjusting screws in the rules. Winning the gold medal was within reach for the pentathlete from Berlin on Friday in Tokyo, but the loan horse Saint Boy who had been awarded her refused several times. Then there was heavy criticism of the athlete and national coach Kim Raisner.

Corona cases:

The Olympic organizers in Tokyo have reported 22 more corona cases around the summer games. According to a message from the organizers on Saturday, no other athlete is affected. The total number of people infected with corona in connection with the Olympic Games increased to 404. Of these, 32 have so far been residents of the Olympic village. Almost 600,000 corona tests have been carried out on those involved in the Olympics since July 1.

Semi-final:

Diver Timo Barthel was eliminated from the tower in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games. The 25-year-old finished 17th on Saturday morning (local time) at the Tokyo Aquatics Center. The twelve best jumpers qualified for the final (8 a.m. CEST in the FAZ live ticker for the Olympics, on ZDF and on Eurosport). Barthel received 364.50 points for his six jumps from ten meters. The athlete from Halle / Saale is taking part in the Olympics for the first time. The second German starter, 16-year-old Jaden Eikermann from Aachen, was eliminated in the preliminary competition. The Chinese Cao Yuan secured victory in the semifinals with 513.70 points.

Trouble for Australia:

A celebration of frustration after the lost Olympic final caused a lot of trouble for Australia's hockey men. The International Olympic Committee announced on Saturday that several players had to go into quarantine in the Olympic village and should leave Tokyo on the next possible flight. The athletes concerned had been to a supermarket outside the athletes' village the night after their defeat in the final against Belgium and had thus violated the Corona rules. Several had bought beer.

No punishment:

The IOC has closed the case of badges with a picture of Mao Tsetung on two Chinese track cycling Olympic champions without harsher sanctions. The team sprint winners Bao Shanju and Zhong Tianshi had been cautioned, said Christian Klaue, spokesman for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Tokyo on Saturday. China's team has given assurances that such an incident will not happen again. Bao Shanju and Zhong Tianshi had worn a pin with the likeness of the communist revolutionary on their tracksuit on the winners' podium. Even after Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter has been modified, athletes are prohibited from political messages on the podium.