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Olympics 2012: Live Report

That's it from us on AFP's live report tonight. Here's a recap of today's main events. Join us Wednesday for more live coverage. + Cycling legend Chris Hoy became Britain's greatest Olympian with a sixth career gold in the keirin. + Chinese athletics icon Liu Xiang crashed to a second successive Olympic heartbreak when he fell in the 110m hurdles heats. + Usain Bolt began his bid to keep his 200m title by winning his heat in 20.39sec. + Australian Sally Pearson held her nerve to win the women's 100m hurdles while compatriot Anna Meares took the sprint cycling title from Britain's Victoria Pendleton. + Alistair Brownlee won the men's triathlon for Britain and the equestrian squad clinched team dressage gold. LIVE REPORT ENDS. 2213 GMT: A couple more results before we sign off... in men's HOCKEY Germany have drawn with New Zealand 5-5 in the last of the group stage matches. And in BEACH VOLLEYBALL American duo Jennifer Kessy and April Ross overthrew Larissa Franca and Juliana Silva 2-1 , setting up an all-American final with Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. 2207 GMT: And our TWEET OF THE DAY comes from footballer Rio Ferdinand to Usain Bolt: "if you want that trial at Man Utd shout me, I'll speak to the boss!! Well done in 100m, waiting for you to smash the 200m now!" Bolt showed he's got what it takes at both those distances after he strolled through his 200m heat here this morning. 2202 GMT: We'll be wrapping up the live report shortly but will leave you with our PHOTO OF THE DAY: Chris Hoy hugging his coaches after his momentous win in the keirin when he claimed his sixth Olympic gold. It makes him Britain's most successful Olympian. 2155 GMT: Meanwhile Hoy, who was reduced to tears on the podium earlier, tells BBC TV: "I was gone on the podium. It was just the realisation that it had all worked out over the four years between Olympic Games. "Experiencing that crowd and that amazing atmosphere put me in a right state." 2150 GMT: British boxer Anthony Agogo, who has made it into the semi-finals of the Games, tweets a picture of himself with Britain's now most successful Olympic Chris Hoy and posts: "Sir Chris Hoy. What an absolute legend. Inspiration personified...! There's an excitable kid meeting an Olympic hero." Nice. 2144 GMT: Back at the BASKETBALL arena the French women's team are playing Czech Republic who have inched ahead 24-23 with two minutes to go in the second quarter. Whoever wins will play Russia in the semi-final on Thursday. 2133 GMT: ATHLETICS: Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi shrugged off the controversy over his disqualification in the 800m tonight after his 1500m victory, and said: "It was normal. I wasn't worried about anything. I continued my recovery with massage. "I'm very, very happy to win. It's not easy to win with big athletes in athletics, Kiprop and Kenyan athletes." Defending champion Asbel Kiprop and world silver medallist Silas Kiplagat, both of Kenya, finished well off the pace in 12th and seventh respectively in that race. 2127 GMT: In women's WATER POLO Spain has edged out Hungary 10-9 to claim its place in the final along with the US who beat Australia 11-9. 2120 GMT: HANDBALL: Some results of today's women's quarter-finals just in: Montenegro 23-France 22; Russia 23-South Korea 24; Spain 25-Croatia 22; Brazil 19-Norway 21. 2115 GMT: And (seamless link) from the lost to the found... Australian sprinter Andrew McCabe was left red-faced today after British police went on the hunt for his "stolen" running spikes -- only for them to turn up in another of his bags. Mike Tancred, media director for the Australian Olympics team, says the athlete is "a little red-faced", adding: "He got a little bit over-excited". 2110 GMT: A quick appeal now for some missing Cameroonians. Seven athletes from the Cameroon team have disappeared, it transpires. The head of the country's Olympics delegation David Ojong was cited by the Cameroon Tribune as saying that the five boxers, one swimmer and one woman footballer had "defected". 2104 GMT: Final score in that women's BASKETBALL match: Turkey 63-Russia 66. Australia and the United States -- opponents in the past three Olympic women's basketball finals -- meanwhile are through to the semi-finals after their earlier matches. The US Women's NBA (WNBA) stars routed Canada 91-48, while Australia beat China 75-60. 2056 GMT: Meanwhile in men's FOOTBALL Brazil edges eases into a final showdown with Mexico after a comfortable 3-0 victory over South Korea. The Brazilians booked their place in Saturday's big game at Wembley as two goals from Leandro and Romulo ended it for South Koreans. 2051 GMT: That's all the action from the stadium tonight. Jim Slater says it's still going strong on the BASKETBALL court however: "Becky Hammon of Russia, a Women's NBA standout with San Antonio, did a nifty behind the back dribble to elude a Turkish defender then stepped up and drained a 3-pointer to put Russia ahead 56-54 in a quarter-final against Turkey, drawing oohs and aaahs from the crowd. "The winner gets either unbeaten France or the Czech Republic in the semis. The other semi is USA vs Australia." 2042 GMT: ATHLETICS: Sally Pearson, who has borne the weight of Australian expecation more than any at these Games, breathes a sigh of relief after her 100m hurdles win: "It's a dream. Relief was the first thing I felt and then shock. "I'm just going through the emotions. I really wanted this. I've worked so hard for two years. To see my name on the scoreboard, I just can't believe it." 2037 GMT: Some men's HOCKEY results just in... Great Britain are through to the semi-finals for the first time since it won the 1988 Seoul Games with a 1-1 draw against Spain. They join defending champions Germany, World Cup holders Australia and the Netherlands in the last four. 2029 GMT: You may remember that Makhloufi was thrown out of the Olympics on Monday for not trying hard enough in his 800m heat. But he was later reinstated after producing a doctor's note which said he was injured. Didn't look too injured today, commentators are noting, but an outstanding run, that controversy aside. 2024 GMT: Algerian Taoufik Makhloufi blew the field away to finish in 3:34:08, well ahead of Leonel Manzano of the USA (3:34:79) who claims silver and Abdalaati Iguider of Morocco (3:35:13) who gets bronze. 2020 GMT: ALGERIA'S MAKHLOUFI WINS MEN'S 1500M GOLD. 2017 GMT: Next up on the track, the men's 1500m final... 2015 GMT: To up date you on that earlier 200m semi-final, the other two women to qualify were Semoy Hackett of Trinidad and Tobago, and Myriam Soumare of France. Sanya Richards-Ross, after winning her heat, says the weight's off her shoulders having already bagged 400m gold: "I'm just out here having fun and hope to get a medal tomorrow." She tells the BBC it's her dream to be announced as an Olympic champion but "every time I hear it, it makes me cry". 2010 GMT: It was a close finish but Pearson held her cool to produce a powerful finish. It's met with applause from her US rivals and an emotional celebration from the Aussie. 2005 GMT: Reigning world champion Pearson clocked an Olympic record of 12.35sec, edging defending champion Dawn Harper of the United States, who timed a personal best of 12.37sec. American Kellie Wells claimed bronze in 12.48sec. 2000 GMT: AUSTRALIA'S SALLY PEARSON WINS 100M HURDLES GOLD. 1953 GMT: GERMANY'S HARTING WINS MEN'S DISCUS GOLD. Robert Harting, unbeaten in two years, threw a whopping 68.27 metres to edge out Ehsan Hadahi, who won Iran's first ever Olympic medal in athletics with a throw of 68.18m. A pretty good day for Iran all round. Defending champion Gerd Kanter of Estonia was third with a season's best of 68.03m. 1950 GMT: Ukhov takes the men's high jump title after clearing 2.38 metres. Erik Kynard of the United States took silver with a jump of 2.33m with the bronze medal shared between Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, Derek Drouin of Canada and Great Britain's Robbie Grabarz. 1945 GMT: RUSSIA'S IVAN IKHOV WINS MEN'S HIGH JUMP GOLD. 1944 GMT: In the second heat America's Felix Allyson storms to first place with 22.31 ahead of Murielle Ahoure of Côte d'Ivoire (22.49). Then Sanya Richards-Ross leads heat three in 22.30 with Jamaican Shelly-Ann Pryce a close second (22.34). 1938 GMT: Back at the stadium we're on to the semi-finals of the women's 200m... Two-time defending champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica wins hers with a season's best of 22.32, with American Carmelita Jeter in second place with 22.39. 1934 GMT: And it's another medal for Iran... IRAN'S SALIMI WINS MEN'S OVER -105kg WEIGHTLIFTING GOLD. 1928 GMT: RUSSIAN ILYA ZAKHAROV WINS MEN'S 3M SPRINGBOARD DIVING GOLD . Qin Kai of China claimed silver, with He Chong of China taking bronze. 1925 GMT: In case you're bemused by the frequency with which those greco-roman medals appear to be flying, there's seven weight categories in the men's competition with medals to be gained in each. 1922 GMT: IRAN'S REZAEI WINS GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING 96KG GOLD. Iranian Ghasem Gholamreza Rezaei beat Russian Rustam Totrov 3-0 in the final while bronze medals went to Armenian Artur Aleksanyan and Sweden's Jimmy Lidberg. 1917 GMT: Ethiopia's Mohammed Aman wins the next heat in 1:44:34, starting his campaign to be the first Ethiopian to win gold in this distance. Second in that heat is Kenya's Timothy Kitkum (1:44:63). America's Duane Solomon (1:44:93) in third also qualifies for the final along with his compatriot Nick Symmonds (1:44:87), the fastest loser from the first heat. 1910 GMT: "The wall of noise is back in the Olympic Stadium with Britain's Andrew Osagie feeding off the roar to finish second in his 800m heat behind world champion David Rudisha of Kenya," says AFP's John Weaver. 1908 GMT: David Rudisha, Kenya's 800m star and the world record holder, easily wins his heat in 1:44:35, to no one's surprise. But Great Britain's Andrew Osagie also qualifies, finishing second in 1:44:74. 1901 GMT: ATHLETICS: The first of the men's 800m semi-finals now and it's a tight race. But Sudan's Abubaker Kaki finishes in 1:44:51, and just pips Nijel Amos of Botswana over the line. Amos, the world junior champion at just 18, finishes in 1:44:54. 1854 GMT: At the WEIGHTLIFTING tonight is Barnaby Chesterman, who tells us there's a battle going on between Iranian and German fans: "The first are supporting the world champion and the second the Olympic champ. First round to Iran! "Iranians know who their heroes are, I think half of Tehran is in the weightlifting to see if Behdad Salimi-Kordasiabi can add the Olympic crown to his world title from last year. He's level with Russia's Ruslan Albegov after the snatch." 1849 GMT: Meanwhile AFP's John Weaver is covering the field: "We're under way in the men's high jump amid persistent light drizzle in the Olympic Stadium. Home favourite Robbie Grabarz goes for Great Britain." And Grabarz gets off to a decent start, clearing 2.25m to huge cheers from the crowds. 1842 GMT: ATHLETICS: So the two quickest from that 100m hurdles semi-final go through to the final, along with the two fastest losers. That means Canada's Phylicia George (12.65) is also through along with Lolo Jones (12.71) of the USA. But it's disappointment for Britain's Tiffany Porter who finished fourth in her heat (12.79). 1836 GMT: Away from the stadium, more greco-roman gold has fallen... SOUTH KOREAN KIM HYEON-WOO WINS GRECO-ROMAN 66kg GOLD. He beating Hungarian Tamas Lorincz who took silver while France's Steeve Guenot claimed bronze along with Georgian Manuchar Tskhadaia. 1833 GMT: America's Kellie Wells wins her heat in 12.51 -- a season's best but still a way off the leaders -- with Nevin Yanit of Turkey second to qualify with 12.58. 1828 GMT: But it's Australia's Sally Pearson, the current world champion, who really storms it, winning her heat in 12.39secs -- the fastest time run by any athlete in 2012. Also qualifying for the final is Canada's Jessica Zelinka, who finishes second in 12.66secs. 1823 GMT: USA's Dawn Harper has just blitzed her heat of the 100m hurdles semi-final, qualifying for the final in a time of 12.46. She came in well ahead of the second qualifier of the heat, Beate Schrott of Austria who ran it in 12.83. 1818 GMT: ATHLETICS: The evening session of track and field events has just kicked off, with the semi-finals of the women's 100m hurdles, men's hugh jump final and long jump qualifying rounds all under way. Coming up there's also the men's 800m and women's 200m semi-finals as well as finals of the women's 100m hurdles and men's 1500. 1757 GMT: In case you've just joined us, here's a quick recap on today's events so far: + China's star of the track Liu Xiang crashed out of the Games after falling in the 110m hurdles and rupturing an Achilles tendon. + Usain Bolt showed he's also got what it takes in the 200m, easily winning his heat in 20.39sec. + Britain's Alistair Brownlee won gold in the men's triathlon in Hyde Park, while the equestrian squad clinched team dressage gold at Greenwich. + And of course veteran cyclist Chris Hoy smashed the men's keirin to claim his sixth Olympic gold while rising star Laura Trott won gold in the inaugural women's omnium. Australia's Anna Meares meanwhile won women's sprint gold. + China stacked up some more golds too -- from the women's table tennis team and Deng Linlin in the women's balance beam. 1737 GMT: CYCLING: Justin Davis signs off now from the velodrome after that afternoon of high drama: "Britain finish on top with seven of the 10 gold medals, the same tally as Beijing. It could have been eight, but Victoria Pendleton ended her career with defeat to arch rival Anna Meares. "But what a competition, what a crowd and what a great bunch of champions!" 1733 GMT: Talking of British gold medal winners... Alistair Brownlee who won the TRIATHLON earlier says he may switch to the 10,000m track event for the next Commonwealth Games. The 24,-year-old timed 29min 07sec in the triathlon's 10km running section, less than a minute-and-a-half slower fellow Briton Mo Farah's winning 27:30.42 in the 10,000m on the track. 1728 GMT: A tearful Hoy on the podium as the Union Jack goes up with crowds in good voice for the national anthem. And a chorus of praise for Britain's new hero on Twitter... Boris Johnson ‏@MayorofLondon tweets: "Nearly yelled myself hoarse cheering on Chris Hoy to yet another victory. What an Olympian!" 1722 GMT: Chris Hoy told the BBC he felt “incredible” and the 36-year-old Scot said he would ideally like to keep going to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. “If I can keep going to Glasgow that'll be the dream ending for me.” 1713 GMT: On the other placings... Germany's Maximilian Levy finished second to take the silver with, unusually, New Zealand's Simon Van Velthooven and Dutchman Teun Mulder sharing the bronze after a long wait for a photo finish decision. 1708 GMT: "Hoy goes crazy, lifting the Union Jack after winning his record sixth gold medal from the Games," says Justin Davis from the trackside. "He overtakes Steve Redgrave to become GB's most successful Olympic champion." 1705 GMT: CHRIS HOY WINS MEN'S KEIRIN GOLD. 1700 GMT: Team GB's chef de missionAndy Hunt ‏@AndyHunt tweets of Pendleton: "You've achieved so much on the track and a finale with a Silver Medal. Huge congratulations!" There's no respite in the velodrome though... now time for the keirin final with Chris Hoy looking to defend his title... 1652 GMT: "Stunning! Meares in tears as she beats Pendleton 2-0," says Justin Davis. "It's the end of Pendleton's career, and not the best way to finish it. "Bravo to both girls -- their rivalry has been one of the best in the sport for the best part of a decade." China's Guo Shuang took the bronze after beating Kristina Vogel of Germany. 1651 GMT: MEARES BEATS PENDLETON TO SPRINT CYCLING TITLE. 1650 GMT: Back to Justin at the CYCLING: "Right, here we go. It's match two, and Meares has a great chance to become Olympic champion. "She starts by leading, not the best position to be in. Let's see." 1646 GMT: Meanhwhile at the BASKETBALL arena, Jim Slater tells us: "Australian 31-year-old captain Lauren Jackson has just set the women's Olympic career scoring record. "She banked in an inside shot to give her 12 points in the game and 536 points in the Olympics for her career. "The old mark was 535 all-time points by Brazil's Janeth Arcain. Aussie Opals lead 71-58 over China in the semi-final with 2:45 to go." 1642 GMT: High praise on Twitter for Trott as she enjoys her second podium glory moment. Britain's biggest Olympic champion, Bradley Wiggins ‏@bradwiggin, tweets simply: "Dame Laura Trott!!!!!" 1637 GMT: More on that: "Boos ring out arund the velodrome as Pendleton, as expected, is relegated from race one. "Meares wins it, but the Briton gets the chance to pull level in the second race. If she ties the match, it will go to a third race decider." 1633 GMT: There's no time for a breather at the velodrome. We've just had the first salvo in the battle between Pendleton v Meares final. Justin Davis reports: "Almost a tie there between Meares and Pendleton in first match ! A bit of elbow argy-bargy, but Pendleton looked to have come slightly out of her line as well." 1627 GMT: Britain's Laura Trott pelted round the two laps of the time trial race to take her second gold of the Games. OVerall the 20-year-old, who was also part of the gold medal winning team pursuit squad, finished just one point ahead of USA's Sarah Hammer, who took the silver, with Australian Annette Edmondson taking the bronze. 1621 GMT: CYCLING: BRITAIN'S TROTT WINS WOMEN'S OMNIUM CYCLING GOLD. 1618 GMT: USA'S ALEXANDRA RAISMA WINS WOMEN'S FLOOR GOLD MEDAL. Romania's Catalina Ponor took the silver medal, while Aliya Mustafina of Russia came third -- in the last of the artistic gymnastics events. 1613 GMT: CHINA RETAIN WOMEN'S TABLE TENNIS TEAM GOLD. China's women retained their Olympic table tennis team title with a 3-0 win over Japan in what was a pretty one-sided match. The result can't come as much of a shock to China -- which already has both singles gold medals, and will be bidding for men's team gold on Wednesday. 1609 GMT: CYCLING: The final event of the women's omnium is under way at the velodrome now -- the 500m time trial. Britain's Laura Trott -- the world champion and second in the standings -- is in the last of nine heats along with American Sarah Hammer, currently in the lead in the six-discipline event. 1603 GMT: EQUESTRIAN: That dressage event deserves another mention... For Britain it was their first ever dressage medal in Olympic history and it takes their 2012 gold medal haul to 20 -- already one more than in Beijing. Victory for the British trio of Carl Hester, Charlotte Dujardin and Laura Bechtolsheimer also means it's the first time since 1972 that the event hasn't been won by Germany. 1557 GMT: Our Justin says he's not far off the mark with his predictions: "Ley, Van Velthooven and Perkins qualify for the final along with Hoy, Awang and Mulder. "The big shock there was Mickael Bourgain. The Frenchman was stunned into fourth by the late fightback of Van Velothooven. " The final's up in an hour's time... 1552 GMT: In case cycling's not your thing, a quick explanation of that keirin. In a nutshell, it's an eight-lap race and for five-and-a-half of those riders are paced by a motorbike. The pacer starts at 25km per hour and acclerates to 45 km per hour. It leaves the track with two and a half laps to go and riders sprint to the finish. 1547 GMT: "Hoy shows how it's done, the big Scotsman leads from the front to secure a place in the final along with Malaysian Aziz Awang and flying Dutchman Teun Mulder," Justin Davis reports. "Now for heat two. My prediction? Levy, Van Velthooven and Bourgain to finish among the top three." 1542 GMT: Australia's Anna Meares wins her second race against China's Shuang Guo which means its Meares and Pendleton into the sprint final -- a repeat of the 2008 Games where Pendleton prevailed. Now it's the men's keirin second round, which is effectively the semi-final. Big cheers from the home crowd for Sir Chris Hoy, who is aiming for his sixth Olympic gold. 1534 GMT: First though is the second round of the sprint semi-final... and Victoria Pendleton nails it. "Pendleton coasts into sprint final with 2-0 win over Vogel," says Justin. "Even the German is applauding the Briton's ride. What an acceleration." 1532 GMT: Back at the CYCLING, Justin Davis reports: "Australian Annette Edmondson wins the scratch in a tight finish with American Sarah Hammer and GB's Laura Trott. "That leave just the final race of the women's omnium -- the 500m time trial. This is an all-out effort over two laps of the London velodrome. In provisional standings Hammer takes the lead with a two-point lead on Trott with Edmondson in third." 1529 GMT: ...and rolling... GREAT BRITAIN WIN HISTORIC DRESSAGE TEAM GOLD. The Brits took the top spot with 79.979 points ahead of Germany who settled for silver with 78.216. The Netherlands claimed bronze with 77.127. 1524 GMT: And the medals keep rolling... RUSSIAN PAIR WIN DUET SYNCHRONISED SWIMMING GOLD. Natalia Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina handed Russia its fourth consecutive gold in this event, scoring 98.900 in today's free routine, bumping their total to 197.100 pts. Spain's pair, Ona Carbonell and Andrea Fuentes, snatched second with a total of 192.900 to claim silver by just 0.030pts from China's Huang Xuechen and Liu Ou, who got the bronze. 1519 GMT: EPKE ZONDERLAND OF NETHERLANDS WINS MEN'S HIGH BAR FINAL. Zonderland got a standing ovation for his spectacular high bar routine which catapulted him to gold with a massive 16.533 points. Germany's Fabian Hambuchen took silver while defending champion Zou Kai of China settled for bronze. 1515 GMT: Next up it's another big contender, Australia's Anna Meares taking on China's Shuang Guo, Justin reports: "Meares takes the win after the pair almost clash just before the bell for the last lap. "A repeat of the 2008 Olympic final, won by Pendleton, looks on the cards. "Now though the women's omnium field is lining up for the scratch, a simple race to the finish which has proved to be the bane of many medal hopefuls." 1508 GMT: And Pendleton takes it, Justin reports from the velodrome: "Pendleton's acceleration before the final bend is good enough for her to win race one. "If she wins the second a bit later, she's into the final where, with a third Olympic gold, she could become Britain's most decorated female Olympic champion." 1505 GMT: CYCLING: Back on the track the action has begun and it's Britain's Victoria Pendleton v Germany's Kristina Vogel first in the women's sprint semi-final. "Three laps of tactics, speed and a chance to race for gold if either wins the first two of a possible three races," Justin Davis explains. 1503 GMT: GYMNASTICS: More on that balance beam final... Reigning world beam champion Sui opened with a strong score of 15.500 but Deng bettered her by 0.100 points to leave her compatriot in tears on the sidelines. Romania's Catalina PonorPonor initially finished in third with 15.066, despite two wobbles, but USA's Alexandra Raisman appealed against her score and eventually struck bronze. Meanwhile USA's Gabby Douglas, Russia's Viktoria Komova and Ponor's team-mate Larissa Lordache all missed out after taking falls. 1450 GMT: It sounds as if the CYCLING BMX contests will be more open than the track meet, which should make them even more exciting. AFP's Justin Davis says: "Australia's Sam Willoughby and Frenchwoman Magalie Pottier will be among the riders aiming to stop Britain bagging more Olympic cycling gold from the BMX events." BMX -- or bicycle motorcross to give the sport its full name -- made its Olympic debut in Beijing where Latvian Maris Strombergs and Frenchwoman Anne-Caroline Chausson won the men's and women's inaugural golds. Willoughby, a 21-year-old from Adelaide, is BMX's newest world champion, having won gold earlier this year ahead of Frenchman Joris Daudet. As the Australian Olympic team continues to reel from having won only two gold medals, Willoughby brushed off suggestions his squad had been cursed. "I'm not superstitious. There's no curses. I did the work and I have 100 percent faith in what I've done," Willoughby told Davis. 1449 GMT: An update on the EQUESTRIAN dressage from AFP's Ruth Holmes: "Britain’s Laura Bechtolsheimer just outscores Germany rival Kristina Sprehe with 77.873 percent on her horse Mistral Hojris as Princess Anne looks on nervously from the stands. "The two countries vying for gold now have one rider each left to perform, but at the moment Britain still has the edge over the defending champions." 1447 GMT: I should point out that Olympic cycling will be far from finished but merely moves outside the Velodrome tomorrow to the Olympic Park's BMX track. Read tomorrow's Live Report to see how it goes. 1442 GMT: Hope you are settled and ready for the final set of track CYCLING gold medals in the Olympic Velodrome, where racing starts in about 15 minutes. AFP's man Justin Davis is on the spot in the Velodrome press benches: "Here we are for the final session of the track cycling. The seats are filling up fast as Britain prepares to collect a possible three more gold medals from the women's sprint and omnium and men's keirin. Here's hoping it's not too one-sided though!" 1439 GMT: Just going back to the ATHLETICS for a moment, in the excitement about Liu and Bolt I didn't get round to mentioning that defending champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia qualified fastest for the final of the women's 5000m as she chases a second consecutive Olympic long distance double. The Ethiopian, who has already won the 10000m in London, won her 5000m heat in a time of 14min 58.48sec, edging out Athens 2004 gold medallist Meseret Defar (14:58.70) Double 2011 world champion Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya, who finished third in the last week's 10000m, also qualified for Friday's final in 15:01.54. Dibaba was the first woman to complete the 5000-10000 double in Beijing and successfully defended her 10000 title on the opening day of the track and field programme in London. 1433 GMT: Jim Slater at the BASKETBALL reports: "Lindsay Whalen scores 5 points in a run of 16 in a row by the USA late in the third period -- it's 68-31 entering the fourth quarter. "Announcer said a whole new team was coming out for Canada and I thought they might have meant the women's ice hockey team. Nope, just 5 new basketball players off the bench. Drop the puck! Could use a Molson and a Tim Hortons doughnut or 12 right about now." I'm not sure whether Jim means he or the team needs those Canadian products. Personally, I don't recommend either. Now, a beer from Vancouver's Granville Island microbrewery with a plateful of grilled Pacific salmon - that would be a gold medal meal. 1426 GMT: China's Sui Lu won the balance beam silver and Romania's Catalina Ponor the bronze eight years after collecting gold on the beam at the 2004 Athens Games. 1425 GMT: GYMNASTICS: CHINA'S DENG LINLIN WINS WOMEN'S BALANCE BEAM GOLD 1414 GMT: Sadly, Dorian van Rijsselberge won't be able to defend his windsurfing title as the event is being dropped from the SAILING events in the 2016 Rio Games. "This was proper sailing," van Rijsselberge said after today's last race. "I've had a lot of fun. We were having a nice medal race, hearing the crowd and everyone cheering." The RS:X windsurfing class will be replaced by kite surfing and the Dutchman plans to give it a try. "I'll probably go to California and try some of the kite surfing. Maybe we'll see about Rio," he says. 1407 GMT: The prognosis doesn't look great for Liu, who has a longstanding injury problem. Here's what China's athletics team leader in London, Feng Shu Yong, had to say:"The initial diagnosis from the medical staff is that he has a ruptured Achilles tendon." "In the last several years he has had good medical care, but it is still there. An achilles injury is almost impossible to recover from fully." 1403 GMT: An uncertain future faces one of Asia's biggest ATHLETICS stars. Not only is Liu Xiang's Olympic dream over, but his crash this morning has left him with a suspected ruptured Achilles tendon, a team official has confirmed. In case you missed it, the 29-year-old made a shock exit from the Games when he smashed into the first obstacle of his 110m hurdles heat. 1357 GMT: EQUESTRIAN: Meanwhile down at Greenwich Park Team GB look on the brink of winning their 20th gold medal -- surpassing their Beijing haul on just day 11 of the Games. If they succeed it will be the first Games since 1972 where Germany has not won the event. The Brits are currently in the lead after the first rider from each team had performed, with only the Netherlands left to perform so it's looking likely... 1352 GMT: AFP's Jim Slater is over in the BASKETBALL arena where US Women's NBA stars are up 42-21 on Canada at half-time. Candace Parker is on 10 points and 6 rebounds. "Canada has not seriously threatened and the Americans look ready to stretch the Olympic women's basketball win streak to 39 in a row as they try to reach the semi-finals in their bid to capture a fifth gold medal in a row," Jim tells us. "Half-time entertainment are the crazy dunkers, French trampoline basketball troupe that make some amazing baskets bouncing high off trampolines and drew their usual huge applause from the crowd. " Get ready for Australia v China coming up after this. Winner gets USA next. 1344 GMT: Quotes from Alistair Brownlee on that TRIATHLON win: "It's been talked about that GB had not won a medal in the triathlon and that we were favourites to win medals. The pressure was stacked up. There were so many firsts today, so much folklore put to bed. "I woke up this morning. I was really nervous. I was like a kid at Christmas, looking forward to the race." "To get two of us brothers, two British brothers, on the podium: you could not ask for more. But we really were a team of three today (along with teammate Stuart Hayes, 37th). We worked out a great plan for this today and executed it really well." 1337 GMT: From the SAILING in Weymouth, more details of women's windsurfing event, won by Spain's Alabau Neira ahead of Finland's Tuuli Petaja and Poland's Zofia Noceti-Klepacka. Alabau Neira, who topped the standings after the first 10 races of the regatta, capped her performance with a victory in the medal race. 1334 GMT: GYMASTICS: FENG ZHE OF CHINA WINS THE MEN'S PARALLEL BARS, succeeding his countryman Li Xiaopeng as the Olympic champion. Germany's Marcel Nguyen comes second to add another silver medal to the one he won in the men's individual all-around final earlier in the competition, while Hamilton Sabot of France finishes third. 1334 GMT: Sadly, the answer is no. 1331 GMT: Following the success of the Brownlee brothers in TRIATHLON could there be another family double in GYMNASTICS, where Kazuhito and Yusuke Tanaka of Japan are going for gold in the men's parallel bars? 1328 GMT: SAILING: SPAIN'S ALABAU NEIRA WINS WOMEN'S WINDSURFING GOLD 1308 GMT: Singapore win the women's team TABLE TENNIS bronze with a 3-0 straight sets victory over South Korea. 1259 GMT: Sir Chris Hoy tweets: "I often get asked whether a cyclist could beat Bolt over 100m. The top guys in the world for the team sprint 1st lap can go sub 9secs." So now you know.. 1254 GMT: More than we need to know: An insight into how the triathletes felt after the race, from four-time Olympic gold medal-winning rower Matthew Pinsent, now working for the BBC. He tweets: "Jonny horizontal, vomming under the stands. Ali "he's fine. The end of any tri is carnage" ceremony delayed for sure. And then: If you needs the details it looked like water from the serpentine. Hit the GB medics shoes. She was delighted. Just a normal day at tri." 250 GMT: Talek tells me that Alistair Brownlee, 24, was among the leaders from the outset before seizing gold with a blistering run around Hyde Park's Serpentine lake. Other competors led the way during the cycling section, seven laps of a 6km circuit passing Buckingham Palace. The Brownlees were among the first runners through the transition from bikes to the foot race and they set off at a furious pace, followed by Gomez, on the first of four laps around the Serpentine. 1245 GMT: AFP's man in Hyde Park, Talek Harris, estimates that there were 200,000 people in the park to watch the TRIATHLON. A bit different to the empty windswept hills of Yorkshire, where the Brownlee brothers honed their abilities as they grew up with fell running and cycling. 1237 GMT: Back in SAILING, Nick Dempsey of Britain takes the windsurfing silver and Poland's Przemyslaw Miarczynski the bronze. 1227 GMT: Here some the details of that TRIATHLON triumph: Alistair Brownlee timed 1hr 45min 25 secs after the 1.5km swim, 43km bike ride and 10km run in front of crowds eight or nine people deep along the picturesque Hyde Park course, finishing 11 seconds ahead of Javier Gomez Noya of Spain. Jonny Brownlee took bronze despite serving a time penalty for mounting his bike too early. 1227 GMT: SAILING: DORIAN VAN RIJSSELBERGE OF THE NETHERLANDS WINS MEN'S WINDSURFING GOLD 1225 GMT: Alistair Brownlee's TRIATHLON victory is Britain's 19th gold medal of the London Games, matching the country's total from Beijing with every prospect of more successes still to come. 1221 GMT: Beijing silver medallist Phillips Idowu says he was pain free going into his bid for the ATHLETICS triple jump gold in London, but his timing was out of kilter, leading to his failure to qualify. His best mark of 16.53m saw him finish two places outside the qualifiers, some nine centimetres short of the 12th and final finalist Dzmitry Platnitski of Belarus. "It's not good. I was supposed to come out here and qualify and I didn't," Idowu said. Idowu, who was hoping to complete a full house of titles here having won European, world and Commonwealth gold in the past, said he had fulfilled one part of the target he had set himself here. "My main goal was to be here and be pain-free," he said. "If I was pain-free I felt like because of the calibre of athlete I am and being such a big occasion I'd be able to pull something special out of the bag. I got one out of the two - I was pain-free, but my timing was not there." "My home Olympic Games, my fourth Olympic Games, hasn't gone to plan. Now I just have to regroup." 1218 GMT: China is in shock after Liu Xiang crashed out of the ATHLETICS 110m hurdles. Even state television sports commentator Yang Jian could not hold back his tears as he reported the news to a stunned nation. His sobs were heard live during the CCTV broadcast of Liu's elimination. The Internet was instantly flooded with comments on the national hero's performance, with Liu nicknamed "Liu Shuaishuai" (Liu fell-fell) on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter. "I never imagined that you would say goodbye in this way to your third Olympiad," one commentator using the name "Maymaypmp" said in a microblog posted on Sina Weibo. Liu -- who has been troubled by back and foot problems in the past month -- was helped off the track and then taken away from the arena in a wheelchair and then to the medical centre. "A single injury to a man causes suffering to a population of 1.3 billion people," said another user posting as "AAAAA". "How cruel competitive sports are! Liu Xiang is getting old," said "Kouyamin", also on Weibo. But some were more sympathetic to their fallen idol. "Liu Xiang you are still our hero," said "SowahFong". 1216 GMT: ALISTAIR BROWNLEE OF BRITAIN WINS THE MEN'S TRIATHLON GOLD. Javier Gomez of Spain takes the silver and the bronze goes to the other Brownlee brother Jonathan. 1214 GMT: Javier Gomez of Spain is just behind with Jonathan Brownlee third set to give Britain a second medal in the event. 1213 GMT: Alistair Brownlee of Team GB leads the TRIATHLON as they run alongside the Serpentine towards the finish. 1210 GMT: Bolt has paid tribute to tragic Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang, who crashed out in agony during his heat in a rerun of his dramtic exit from the Beijing Games four years ago. "It is really hard for him because I think he is one of the best, hands down," Bolt said.. "He has shown the world he can do great things. For him to push himself and come back last year... for this to happen, this is really sad for any athlete." 1208 GMT: "This was an easy run. I am enjoying it," says Bolt. "This is my favourite event so I am looking forward to it." Blake says it is possible Bolt's three-year-old world record of 19.19sec could be under threat in the later rounds. "The track is fast and Usain is fast so anything is possible," Blake said. 1156 GMT: Usain Bolt's training partner and arch rival Yohan Blake is safely through to the second round of the ATHLETICS men's 200m too. The 100m silver medallist clocks a slightly faster time in the double distance though both men are outpaced by Jamaican number three Warren Weir and Ecuador's Alex Quinonez. That order is likely to be rather different in the final. 1147 GMT: In DIVING, defending champion He Chong goes into the final of the men's 3m springboard as the gold medal favourite after topping the semi-final qualifiers. He trailed after four of the six rounds but came home strongly to finish with 510.15 points, 4.55 clear of Russian Ilya Zakharov (505.60) and 9.80 ahead of Chinese teammate Qin Kai (500.35) to head the 12-man field into tonight's final. 1143 GMT: All right. Here's the Quiz of the Day: There are sportsmen called Grant Dalton and Dalton Grant. What are/were their sports? I'll put the answers at the bottom, ie back at the start of the Live Report. 1138 GMT: An entrant for Blooper of the Day. First all all, TeamGB tweeted: #Athletics: The Men's 200m Malcolm Christian is warming up on track he has a season’s best of 20.46 something like that would do nicely. Closely followed by: #Athletics: It is of course Christian Malcolm and not Malcolm Christian. Good spot everyone! I wonder what Mandela Nelson would think of that. 1131 GMT: AFP's Guy Jackson admits: "Not a great morning for Britain in the Olympic Stadium. Phillips Idowu, one of the billboard faces of the Games, fails to even reach the triple jump final. He had a strange buildup, struggling with a trapped nerve in his back, and today he looked out of sorts. Sad for the man who grew up near to the stadium. "And javelin thrower Goldie Sayers failed to have a single valid throw, just as she has been threatening to break into world class." 1128 GMT: In ATHLETICS or is it FOOTBALL, another tweet from Rio Ferdinand to Usain Bolt: "u are jogging the 200m,this isn't fare! We'll put you upfront, just run behind defences + scholes will find you but #CanYouFinish" 1124 GMT: Don't want to jinx their prospects but there's a possibility Team GB could take all the men's TRIATHLON medals. After four laps of seven on the cycling circuit, with a 10km run still to come, Britain's Stuart Hayes is in the lead, closely followed by Jonathan Brownlee with his brother Alistair Brownlee not far back in sixth place. 1120 GMT: Here's a recap so far today: + No medals yet, which means 21 golds still to be won today. Keep following this live report! + Tragedy for Liu Xiang as China's 2004 Olympic 110m hurdles champion crashes out of his heat in agony in a repeat of his Beijing Olympics nightmare + No problem for Usain Bolt as the 100m gold medallist cruises through his 200m first round heat, pressing on with his bid to become a track "legend". + Beijing triple jump silver medallist Phillips Idowu of Team GB fails to qualify for the final phase of his event + Team GB remains in with a chance of another three CYCLING gold medals tonight 1113 GMT: The elimination of Liu Xiang from the ATHLETICS 100m hurdles is seen as a tragedy in Beijing, where Chinese state television commentator Yang Jian speaks with a sob in his voice as he describes the 2004 Olympic champion's failure to finish the race. 1110 GMT: News from Justin Davis at the CYCLING: "Quite a scare there for Aussie Shane Perkins, who goes through to the 2nd round of men's keirin after a photo finish third place in the repechages. Perkins won bronze in the men's sprint on Monday, so must be feeling the effects of a tough three-day sprint tournament. Keep following the Live Report this afternoon for CYCLING results from the men's keirin second round, the women's omnium's last two races and the women's sprint where Victoria Pendleton is in action in the semi-finals. 1106 GMT: But Bolt won't be getting any trouble from the law. The police look like fans: http://twitpic.com/afxkyr 1101 GMT: Bolt is not popular in all quarters though. There's dissent from another Jamaica team member: @officialasafa 1057 GMT: Back at the ATHLETICS, no problems for Usain Bolt in the first round of the 200m. AFP's Guy Jackson reports: "Bolt runs the bend quite hard, then rolls gently down the home straight though he makes sure he keeps everyone behind him. Imperious... Could his own world record be at threat? 1055 GMT: The cheering spectators in and around London's Hyde Park will get several looks at the competitors as they will do seven laps of the 6km circuit. 1052 GMT: The way that the Olympics have gripped people in Britain is highlighted once again as the streets of London are lined six or seven people deep along the route of the TRIATHLON cycling leg. 1049 GMT: The TRIATHLON competitors will complete their gruelling event with a 10k run. 1047 GMT: The TRIATHLON is underway and Richard Varga of Slovakia leads after the 1,500m swim, with Britain's favourite Jonathan Brownlee in forth place as they start their 43k cycle ride. 1038 GMT: At the ATHLETICS, Phillips Idowu completes his third jump but the distance is not good enough to qualify the Beijing silver medallist for the final round and he is eliminated. 1031 GMT: Troubled Cyprus is basking in Olympic glory today after its first ever medal winner Pavlos Kontides guided his Laser to silver yesterday in the SAILING. The Cyprus economy was hit last year when an explosion of munitions destroyed the power station supplying 60 percent of the Mediterranean holiday island's electricity. The government has recently had to ask its eurozone partners for a bailout and talks are still underway, so Kontides success was doubly welcome. "It's a historic day for Cypriot sport and I'm very happy that I'm the one responsible for it," he said soon after receiving his medal. Up to now Cyprus's biggest sports star has been tennis player Marcos Baghdatis, a former US open finalist who was unceremoniously eliminated from the London Olympics by eventual men's singles winner Andy Murray. 1027 GMT: Liu's ATHLETICS career has been hampered by injuries ever since he took gold and equalled the then world record held by Colin Jackson of 12.91 seconds at Athens in 2004. He was to go on and better it with a time of 12.88 seconds and also win a world title in 2007 but a succession of injuries have taken their toll. However, he showed the old spark in the world championships last year and was flying when he was twice hindered by 2008 Olympic champion Dayron Robles and ended up third only to be promoted to second when the Cuban was disqualified from top spot. Maybe Robles will make amends by taking the London gold, after winning his qualifying heat with ease this morning. 1025 GMT: An update from Justin Davis at the CYCLING: "Well that is the women's first omnium race of the day over. Two more to go and Sarah Hammer of the USA, who topped the 3km pursuit times, leads the provisional standings with 13 pts. GB's Trott is on 14 and Canadian Tara Whitten is third on 21. Next up, the men's keirin second round. I feel the need for speed!" 1022 GMT: AFP's John Weaver sends some quotes from Hungarian hurdler Balazs Baji: "When I was a kid I saw him breaking a world record, winning the Olympic Games in Athens so he's a great idol for me. I'm sorry that he fell. It must be really bad for him." "I don't know what happened." Baji took Liu's hand after he race, saying later: "It was a great feeling but you know since he fell I'm just sorry for him." 1015 GMT: "Astonishing - Olympic lightning does strike twice for China's athletics hero Liu Xiang," says AFP's Guy Jackson, filing from inside the Olympic Stadium. "After failing to start in front of an expectant crowd in Beijing, he clips a hurdles and crashes out in round one in London." 1012 GMT: Phillips Idowu's second jump is a foul, with just one attempt to go. Thank goodness he has registered at least one valid jump, though his medal prospects are receding fast. 1005 GMT: Lui hobbles down the track towards the finishing line and kisses the last hurdle as if to say farewell. Heat winner Andy Turner turns to help Liu Xiang and with Spanish competitor Jackson Quinonez supports the distressed Chinese athlete as he makes his way towards the waiting wheelchair. 0958 GMT: What a nightmare for Liu. Hopes had been high across China that he would redeem his failure of four years ago with success in London, but it wasn't to be. 0951 GMT: Team GB's controversial triple-jumper Phillips Idowu runs up to make his first attempt. Big relief as he completes a valid jump, though the 16.67m distance is hardly earth-shattering. 0948 GMT: Britain's Andy Turner, bronze medallist at last year's world championships in Daegu, wins the heat. 0947 GMT: Liu flies out of the blocks but clatters a hurdle with his leading left leg and rolls on the ground in apparent agony from a recurrence of an achilles injury. 0945 GMT: Liu Xiang falls over and the 2004 Olympic champion is out of the race in a repeat of his Beijing nightmare. 0941 GMT: In-form Aries Merritt of the US wins the next ATHLETICS 110m hurdles heat. Now it's time for Liu Xiang to take to the track. 0937 GMT: AFP's Justin Davis checks in from the CYCLING at the Velodrome: "Sir Chris Hoy has started well by dominating his keirin heat to coast into round two. "Women's omnium individual pursuit is continuing with a near packed out velodrome waiting for Laura Trott to put her gold cred on show." 0935 GMT: One more heat then it's the turn of Chinese star Liu Xiang, bidding to make amends for failure in Beijing four years ago. 0927 GMT: Defending champion Dayron Robles of Cuba is successfully through his heat. 0922 GMT: At the Olympic Stadium, the ATHLETICS 110m hurdles heats are underway. 0913 GMT: Down at Weymouth in rustic Dorset, the Olympic SAILING regatta is in full swing with finals today in what is officially known as the men's and women's RS-X classes. Know what RS-X is? I didn't either. It's actually the windsurfing category, and those races should be thrilling to watch. 0905 GMT: Usain Bolt fancies himself as a Manchester United player, if The Sun newspaper is to be believed. The tabloid quoted Bolt as saying he would leap at the chance of a trial with the Old Trafford club. “I would be the fastest player in the team – but I can play as well,” the Jamaican track legend reportedly said. This morning, Bolt has been chatting on Twitter with Man United star Rio Ferdinand, @rioferdy5. Ferdinand messaged Bolt saying: “If you want that trial at Man Utd shout me, I'll speak to the boss!! Well done in 100m, waiting for you to smash the 200m now!” Bolt then wrote back: “After the Olympics we work on that...lol..thanks man.” Has anyone told the Olympic 100m champion what the weather is like in Manchester? 0859 GMT: My sympathies to anyone in South Korea reading this live report. The result is in from their men's HOCKEY match against Netherlands at the Riverbank Stadium and I'm sorry to report that my prediction was correct and the Dutch team won, eliminating the Koreans. The results was Netherlands 4 South Korea 2. I covered the Olympic hockey tournament at the Seoul Games in 1988 so I know how much commitment and passion the Koreans have for hockey. 0853 GMT: In what could be a true golden day for Team GB, they have another strong chance in the EQUESTRIAN tournament, where the host nation aim to follow up yesterday's team show jumping victory with success in the team dressage event. Britain lead the standings, having never previously won an Olympic dressage medal. Carl Hester, 45-year-old stalwart of British dressage is riding in his fourth Olympics, but will have a career-crowning moment if he lands a team medal alongside Charlotte Dujardin and Laura Bechtolsheimer. 0844 GMT: Live Olympic action will take place across 20 sports today. Don't do any work today or you might miss something! Even at the Aquatics Centre, where the swimming gala has finished, a busy timetable of diving, water polo and synchronised swimming is scheduled. 0835 GMT: South Korea are playing Netherlands at the Riverbank Stadium needing to win to reach the semi-finals of the men's HOCKEY tournament. The Dutch are already through but I still don't give the Koreans much chance. I saw Netherlands play New Zealand last Friday and they fully deserved their 5-1 victory over the Kiwis. 0826 GMT: Brits will also be centre stage in the men's TRIATHLON in London's Hyde Park, where Alistair and Jonny Brownlee have such a fearsome reputation they've been warned not to repeat their trick of trying to dead-heat for gold, which is forbidden. This season younger brother Jonathan, 22, has won races in San Diego and Madrid, before being beaten into second in Kitzbuehel in Australia by world champion Alistair, 24, in June, as he returned from an Achilles injury. Alistair's seventh victory in his past nine International Triathlon Union (ITU) races, by 49 seconds from his brother, firmly re-established him as the favourite for Olympic gold. 0818 GMT: And last but definitely not least, Britain's Laura Trott leads the women's omnium standings by a narrow margin from American Sarah Hammer as they go into the final day of CYCLING's equivalent of the heptathlon. 0814 GMT: Kenny also backs Victoria Pendleton, who is set to meet Kristina Vogel of Germany in the best-of-three sprint semi-finals, potentially followed by another clash with perpetual rival Anna Meares of Australia in the final. "If those two do meet, there's no doubt it's going to be a humdinger, but there's no reason to believe that Vicky doesn't have the legs. She's on fire," Kenny said. 0811 GMT: In CYCLING Sir Chris Hoy will bid for a sixth Olympic gold and seventh in all, both British records. The 36-year-old is world champion in the keirin, an event which to many is something of a lottery but appears almost a formality for the Scot. "He's quite complete when it comes to keirin racing. It will take something pretty special to beat him," says team-mate Jason Kenny, the men's sprint gold medallist. "There's no reason, barring any major incidents, that Chris won't be driving it home." 0807 GMT: The host nation has a great chance today of overhauling the 19 gold medals Team GB won in Beijing. With 18 in the bag already from the London Games, the Britons have high hopes of top prizes today in CYCLING, TRIATHLON, EQUESTRIANISM and SAILING. 0806 GMT: Four gold medals are on offer in today's ATHLETICS action at the Olympic Stadium, where finals are scheduled tonight in men's high jump, discus and 1500 m as well as the women's 100m hurdles. 0805 GMT: Some highlights to look foward to today: + ATHLETICS: Liu Xiang begins his bid to regain his 110 metres hurdles Olympic title and bury the misery of his 2008 Beijing trauma + ATHLETICS Phillips Odowu starts in the triple-jump heats after injury worries ahead of the Games + ATHLETICS Usain Bolt, fresh from successfully defending his 100m title, begins his 200m campaign + ATHLETICS Sally Pearson looks to add the 100m hurdles title to her world championship victory + TRIATHLON Alistair and Jonny Brownlee go for gold and silver in the men's triathlon after finishing first and second at the last world championships + CYCLING Victoria Pendleton, Sir Chris Hoy and Laura Trott ride out as Team GB bid to surpass their Beijing bounty of seven cycling gold medals WELCOME TO AFP'S LIVE REPORT on Olympic "Terrific Tuesday" with 21 gold medals polished and ready for distribution across a gamut of sports on the 11th day of the games High drama is likely from the start of this morning's ATHLETICS session, when Chinese icon Liu Xiang contests the 100m hurdles heats as he bids to erase memories of the Beijing Games, where he left Chinese fans devastated when he turned up for his heat but failed to jump a hurdle. Equal anticipation surrounds the performance of Britain's Phillips Idowu in the triple-jump qualifiers after the enigmatic Beijing silver medallist ended doubts about his participation by turning up at the Olympic Village yesterday to launch his medal bid. So stick with us for all the live action as it happens. Here are the answers to the Quiz: Dalton Grant is a British high jumper. He is a former Commenwealth champion and competed in the Seoul Olympics in 1998. Grant Dalton is a New Zealand professional yachtsman best known for taking part several times in the Round the World race.