Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Gymnastics sensation Simone Biles lost her balance and the chance for a record five gold medals on Monday as David Rudisha and Allyson Felix prepared to light up Rio’s Olympic Stadium.
Italian cyclist Elia Viviani recovered from a mid-race crash to win the men’s omnium but there was a major safety scare when a giant suspended camera hurtled to the ground at Olympic Park, injuring seven.
Russia won gold medals in boxing and wrestling to reach a total of 11, despite losing nearly a third of their team after a doping scandal.
In gymnastics, Biles was confident of claiming her fourth Rio win and move into position for an unprecedented fifth on the last day of the competition on Tuesday.
But the tiny Texan wobbled badly on the balance beam when landing a forward somersault and had to put both hands down for support.
It was a bewildering upset for Biles, 19, who hadn’t lost a final since 2013 but wound up with bronze as the Netherlands’ Sanne Wevers topped the podium.
“Everyone would love to have a bronze at an Olympics. I’m just disappointed with my routine. I don’t really know what happened,” said Biles.
Viviani beat celebrated British sprinter Mark Cavendish in a dramatic omnium despite falling in a crash which left South Korea’s Park Sang-Hoon in hospital with friction burns and bruises.
“I’m not angry, it’s a bike race,” said the 27-year-old Italian.
“We’re on the track, single speed (bikes with) no brakes, so when one guy changes direction in front of you and another one doesn’t read the change of direction, he crashes.”
– Lochte apology –
Gymnast Eleftherios Petrounias, who is 5ft 5ins (1.64m) and was bullied a child for his lack of height, stood tall for Greece when he won the rings event.
And North Korea’s Ri Se-Gwang had tears in his eyes and saluted military-style as he accepted his gold medal in the men’s vault, paying customary tribute to the communist country’s leader Kim Jong-Un.
“I was filled with a lot of emotions and joy because I feel I was able to bring a sense of victory and courage to our leader,” said Ri.
Off-field hiccups have dogged the Rio Games but there could have been tragic consequences when a suspended TV camera the size of a small motorbike crashed to earth at the Olympic Park precinct.
Seven people suffered minor injuries when two ropes securing the ‘spidercam’ snapped simultaneously and the camera plummeted 20 metres (65 feet) to the ground.
The incident came as organisers apologised to US swimmer Ryan Lochte and three team-mates who were robbed at gunpoint after they left a party.
“We obviously regret that the violence has got so close to athletes,” said Games spokesman Mario Andrada.
On a wet evening in Rio, Rudisha will defend the 800m title he won in record-breaking style in London, while Felix will look to add to her gold medal collection in the unaccustomed 400m race.
It comes a night after Usain Bolt beat Justin Gatlin to win his third straight 100m gold, and Wayde van Niekerk sensationally broke Michael Johnson’s long-standing 400m record with a time of 43.03sec.
Earlier, Kenyan-born Ruth Jebet won Bahrain’s first ever Olympic gold when she claimed the women’s 3000m steeplechase.
Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk smashed her own world record on her way to victory in the women’s hammer throw with a monumental heave of 82.29m.
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