Rio Olympics 2016: All you need to know - day three

NZ Herald

8 Aug, 2016 06:35 PM3 mins to read

The New Zealand women's sevens team have advanced to the gold medal match where they will face rivals Australia. New Zealand are guaranteed at least a silver but they'll be hunting gold at 10am. Also the New Zealand equestrian team sit in medal contention following the cross country. Sir Mark Todd sits in fourth in the individual eventing and the New Zealand team are second just behind Australia, meaning Todd could pick up two medals tomorrow. In other action it's been a mixed day for the New Zealand rowers while Luuka Jones sits second after the first run in the slalom.

NZ medals today: 0
Coming up: Women's sevens final v Australia, 10am

New Zealand will pick up another medal later today and it could be the nation's first gold of the Rio Olympics.

The women's sevens team advanced to the gold medal match after a convincing win over Great Britain. They will face rivals Australia in the final at 10am.

The equestrian team still also look good for a medal, possibly two, following the cross country today. The team sit in second heading into the showjumping, just one missed rail behind Australia. Sir Mark Todd sits in fourth in the individual competition and could walk away with two medals tomorrow. He already have five at the Olympics.

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New Zealand's rowers produced a mixed bag of results as they dominated the list of Kiwis in action overnight.

Five crews took to the water in improved conditions at the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon with just two producing an impressive result.

The women's pair of Genevieve Behrent and Rebecca Scown were the only crew to win a heat, with the duo advancing straight through to the semifinals. Also making the semis were the women's lightweight double scull of Julia Edward and Sophie MacKenzie who finished second in their heat.

Meanwhile, the men's quadruple scull's belated bid for a Rio Olympic rowing medal is over after they finished sixth and last in their repechage.

Team member John Storey lamented after the race that they were victims of sport's doping problem as their late inclusion only came after a Russian team withdrew due to a doping test failure.

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"It's never good to have those things come out in your sport," he told NZ Newswire.

"Bitterness is there. We did the best with the situation we were given."

Elsewhere on the water, the men's and women's rowing eights will both contest the repechage after failing to win their heats and advance straight to the final.

Luuka Jones has had a flawless opening run on the women's canoe slalom course this morning to be among the early pace setters.

The Tauranga paddler is sitting in second after the first run, completing the course just seven one hundreths of a second slower than Great Britain's Fiona Pennie.

The field will complete a second run later this morning, with the top eight advancing to the semifinal.

New Zealand's only entrant in the pool today was Bradlee Ashby in finished fifth in his 200m butterfly heat, failing to make the semifinals.

Other sporting action saw Kiwi Judoka Darcina Manuel eliminated from the women's under 57kg event after losing her round of 16 bout against former world number one Telma Monteiro.

Earlier this morning Manual beat Russian Irina Zabludina in the first round of competition.

Lastly, the Football Ferns are expected to receive a decision today on their appeal of skipper Abby Erceg's red card in their second Olympic pool match.

Still in progress/upcoming:

Rowing: Men's single scull quarter-finals - Mahe Drysdale, 11.30pm

- with AAP