Star striker Neymar is poised to light up Rio’s famed Maracana as Brazil seek to avenge their 7-1 World Cup semi-final humiliation at Germany’s hands two years ago © AFP/File / Martin Bernetti
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Aug 20 – Thirty golds are up for grabs on Saturday, the penultimate day of the Rio Games, with Brazil looking to crown their party with a first Olympic football gold.
Star striker Neymar is poised to light up Rio’s famed Maracana Stadium as Brazil seek to avenge their traumatic 7-1 World Cup semi-final humiliation at Germany’s hands two years ago.
The Barcelona forward missed that infamous clash in Belo Horizonte through injury and coach Rogerio Micale insists the two games have nothing in common.
“That was the World Cup team. This is the Olympic team. Neymar never played that match,” said Micale.
“The final has nothing to do with that match. It is a different time, different game, different players.”
The track and field programme ends with seven golds.
With a successful defence of his 10,000m gold secure, Britain’s Mo Farah (R) seeks to retain his 5,000m title Saturday and become the first man since Finland’s Lasse Viren in 1976 to defend two Olympic distance titles © AFP/File / Fabrice Coffrini
With a successful defence of his 10,000m gold already secure, Mo Farah seeks to retain his 5,000m title and become the first man since Finland’s Lasse Viren in 1976 to defend two Olympic distance titles.
– Malaysia hopes –
Kenyan Asbel Kiprop has a battle royale in prospect with Algeria’s defending champion Taoufik Makhloufi in the 1500m final.
South Africa’s Caster Semenya goes for gold in the women’s 800m final.
The 25-year-old continues to divide opinion in the athletics world because of her condition, hyperandrogenism, which causes elevated testosterone levels.
Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop (L) and Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman (C) pictured after completing their Rio Olympics 1500m first round race at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 16, 2016 © AFP/File / Olivier Morin
Some rivals have called for authorities to revisit rules aimed at setting limits for testosterone, claiming Semenya’s rare physiology gives her an unfair advantage.
Golds are also up for grabs in the women’s high jump, men’s javelin as well as men and women’s 4x400m relay.
Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei could win his country’s first ever gold medal when he faces China’s Chen Long in the men’s badminton final.
Lee downed old rival Lin Dan in the semi-finals as he looks to break his world and Olympic duck.
The United States women’s basketball team play for a sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal and its eighth in the past nine Games against Spain.
The Americans, last beaten at the Olympics in a 1992 semi-final, are 88-1 over the past 20 years in global tournaments and own a 48-game Olympic win streak.
Germany players Niklas Suele (L) and Matthias Ginter celebrate their 2-0 victory over Nigeria in their Rio Olympics semi-final at the Arena Corinthians Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil on August 17, 2016 © AFP/File / Nelson Almeida
South Korea’s Park In-Bee has a two-shot lead heading into the final round of the women’s golf tournament where she will aim to be the first gold medallist in the event in 116 years.
World number one Lydia Ko and Gerina Piller are two shots off the pace with China’s Feng Shanshan a further shot off the pace.
There are three finals in the boxing with the highlight the bantamweight showdown between US rising star Shakur Stevenson and Cuban gold medallist Robeisy Ramirez.
The 19-year-old Stevenson is set to come under the wing of Floyd Mayweather after Rio and will turn professional, irrespective of the result.
South Africa’s Caster Semenya (C) and Britain’s Lynsey Sharp compete in the 800m semi-final during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on August 18, 2016 © AFP/File / Jewel Samad
Britain’s Nicola Adams, the first woman to win Olympic gold four years ago, defends her flyweight title in a final against France’s Sarah Ourahmoune.
In the men’s middleweight Cuba’s Arlen Lopez goes up against the Uzbek Bektemir Melikuziev.
In women’s volleyball, China seek to save a disappointing Olympics by winning a first gold since 2004 when they face Serbia.
Further titles are in mountain biking, women’s handball, wrestling, diving and taekwondo.
