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Live coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games - Friday, August 3

07:00, 03 August 2012

updated: 12:50, 05 June 2024

10pm - Sadly GB women are out of the football competition, losing 2-0 to Canada in the quarter-final at Coventry this evening.

Even sadder is that Orpington's Claire Rafferty didn't get any playing time in the four matches. She seems a great character and popular member of the squad, but at least she's young enough that she'll have another crack at Rio in four years time.

Ashley Jackson
Ashley Jackson

That's about it for tonight. What a day. Hopefully tomorrow is even more memorable.

7.15pm -Got any plans for tomorrow? Now you do.

Adam Gemili makes his Olympic debut in the 100m first round at lunchtime.

The lovely Kat Driscoll then goes in the trampoline at the North Greenwich Arena shortly after and Jack Green has his Olympic semi-final in the 400m hurdles at 7pm.

There's also Bryony Shaw trying to close on the medal places in the RS-X windsurfing competition at Weymouth in the afternoon, and Ellen Gandy could return to the pool in the 4x100m medley relay tomorrow evening.

Oh, and Ryan Bertrand will play a quarter-final against South Korea at 7.45pm.

It promises to be a very memorable day. Hope you can join me here, and @kentonline2012

7pm - Well. Great time for a techno implosion. Sorry about that.

It finished 4-1, and our man AJ got the fourth, another bullet.

Don't forget Claire Rafferty's GB women will be in action against Canada in the women's football QF in the next hour too.

5.21pm - But for now it's 3-0 with 4mins to play.

5.20pm - As always here, I have to dash straight downstairs at the final whistle, so for final score confirmation check my twitter @kentonline 2012, or give me half an hour on here!

5.10pm - Far more comfortable than Wednesday, this. 10mins remaining and GB would like a fourth.

5.05pm - Ashley Jackson has made it 3-0 to GB with a delicious drag flick, superbly placed into the bottom corner. That SHOULD do it for GB.

You know there's this thing in sport called 'the zone' where everything you do just works perfectly!? Jackson has been living there since 4pm.

4.45pm - Ok, nearly ready for another 35mins here. Just a note though to say there's a rumour Ellen Gandy might swim in the final of the 4x100m medley relay tomorrow night.

If I hear any more I'll let you know!

4.37pm: Half-time and GB 2-0 to the good. Don't let it go this time, eh lads?

4.26pm - You're welcome. 2-0 GB. Jackson again dancing in from the right and sending a beautiful reverse pass inside the defence, with the subsequent cross being turned in by Jonty Clarke. Seven minutes until half-time. Needed that.

4.25pm - I've seen this movie, and it doesn't end well. GB 1-0 ahead and cruising. Opponents threatening on the break.

GB need a second, quicker the better.

4.15pm - Jackson really is good. He's doing the dirty work at the back as well as making things tick going forward. Vital interception in his own D to prevent a chance for Pakistan there.

4.09pm - Nice start for GB. Jackson jinks in from the right and superbly splits the Pakistan defence with a reverse-stick pass, with the subsequent cross powerfully despatched by James Tindall at the second attempt.

Just what the doctor ordered. The buoyant crowd are ecstatic too.

3.55pm - Teams coming out. Canterbury and ex-GB legend Mel Clewlow, working as a commentator here for the BBC, predicts Jackson will 'set the Riverbank alight' this afternoon. Fingers crossed eh!?

3.30pm - So I'm here to see Ashley Jackson and GB face Pakistan. It's probably too soon to call this a must-win game, but it's a must-not-fail-to-win game, that's for sure.

The draw with South Africa two nights ago was effectively two points dropped, and with the awesome Aussies to follow on Sunday, it's important that Britain get back to the scintillating form of their opening game win over Argentina as soon as possible.

3.20pm - Afternoon. How's it going? I'm at the Riverbank Arena now. I know, I do get around.

Fantastic to be in the OS this morning, not just to see Green do his thing and make the Olympic semi-finals, but also to be there to see Jess Ennis and Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon.

I've mentioned a few times this week 'the roar' which greets any British performer at these Games. They get it free, just for being here, like their 15 T-shirts and a headband. But sometimes you get a bit extra on those roars due to the standard of the performance, and the huge wave of noise which greeted Ennis' World-leading heptathlon hurdles performance, and teenager KJT's personal best to take the joint lead in the high jump, were very special to witness. You're allowed to be jealous, my friends and family certainly are!

12.39pm - The heavens opened. I wrote it under a plastic bag, but Jack's reaction to qualifying is now online.

Can't wait for tomorrow night to see if he can do it again. Great entertainment.

As a side-note, he prefers the rain, he'd have loved to have run 10 minutes later!!

12.05pm - Jack said the experience was amazing and the track was the fastest he's run on. His time of 49.45 was not his best but he's pledged to clean up some things before tomorrow night.

11.50am - Jack is through in second

Now for my own 400m run to try and speak to him. More to follow soon.

11.41am - Javier Culson, from Puerto Rico, who trained in Canterbury before these Games, absolutely blitzed round in 48.33 in his heat.

One more race before Jack Green is out. They're using the ninth lane for some reason today so he'll be in lane eight, not seven. There's no lane one. I don't know....

He will however be wearing the British vest, has blonde hair, wears long socks and has the confidence only a really good 20-year-old can have!

11.31am - Greene cruises it. So quick too. 48.98. Jack's old PB.

11.30am - Jack's training partnr, Daie Greene, World Champion and medal hope, is off in the third heat. Massive cheers ring around the Stadium.

11.05am - 400mH heats about to start, while not long til Ennis is back in the heptathlon high jump! It's all go here.

If you're not following me on twitter (@kentonline2012) then you'll have missed the Afghan woman who just smashed her PB in the 100m prelims - from 15.0secs to 14.42. THAT is as much a part of the Olympics as watching Ennis set records y'know!

Jack Green
Jack Green

10.40am - Very special start to this athletics competition as Jess Ennis sets a new world best on her way to winning the 100m hurdles.

The crowd went absolutely crazy and she couldn't stop smiling. Great feel-good way to kick-off the day!

On a Green-related note, the first five athletes in Ennis' heat set new personal best times. Now whether that was the crowd noise or the fast track, who knows, but bodes well for Jack improving on his best of 48.60secs in the 400mH.

He generally prefers running in wet conditions but hopefully the heat and sun will not hamper him this morning.

10.30am - We've got men's shot put and women's triple-jump going on at the same time as the heptathlon hurdles here.

Polite applause from the crowd for every competitor but Louise Hazel got a massive roar from the home crowd before finishing fourth in her heat and Katarina Johnson-Thompson gets a similar welcome ahead of her fourth-placed finish.

Considering it is half-10 in the morning, the fact that it is full and everyone is in good voice is really encouraging. Who said we can't embrace the game.

10.15am - Still an hour and a half until Jack Green goes, but plenty of support for him already.

Seen a few GreenMachine wristbands knocking around on the concourse and there's a great Green Union Jack in the crowd opposite me, held by his super proud mum Niki.

I can call it a Union Jack because his name's Jack, before you 'Union Flag' pedants say anything!

10am - This place is hotting up, literally. It's boiling here. The crowd are being told about the events they're about to witness. Everyone's ready to explode for Jess Ennis.

9.30am - Oh wow. This place is a spectacle. Filling up nicely and a huge buzz when the heptathletes emerged from the tunnel to warm-up ahead of the opening competition of the day, the 100m hurdles. There's a lass called Jessica something taking part in that, not sure if that means anything to anyone!?

Friday - 8am - Well here we go. The athletics starts today.

No matter what your preference of sport, nobody can deny that the track and field events are the most universally popular at any Games and have provided some of the most spectacular and abiding memories down the years.

This morning will see Kent's Jack Green make some memories of his own. Good ones I hope. He is off in the final heat of the 400m hurdles at around 11.50am.

The 20-year-old will be one of the first Brits in action in the Olympic Stadium and so can expect to get a pretty warm welcome, it's fair to say.

He's in lane seven, which he likes, up against hurdles veteran Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic, the 2004 Olympic champion and a double world champion to boot.

However those two are the standouts in the heat and should both qualify automatically for tomorrow's semi-finals with a top-three finish.

Also in action today we have Ashley Jackson, trying to help GB's hockey men to victory over Pakistan at the Riverbank Arena at 4pm, while there is also Claire Rafferty and the GB women seeking to overcome Canada at Coventry this evening to secure a place in the Olympic semi-finals.

It's going to be quite a day. Live updates on here and on twitter - @kentonline2012

Alex Hoad at the Games - Twitter button
Alex Hoad at the Games - Twitter button
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