Olympics Overnight: Masse wins another silver, De Grasse runs fastest 100m qualifying time, Nigerian sprinter suspended for doping

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This article was published 31/07/2021 (1502 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rise and shine, Olympic fans. Here’s what you missed overnight and need to know about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this morning.

For all the Star-related Summer Games content, visit our Olympics page here.

We are halfway through Tokyo 2020, and the women are still carrying the weight for Team Canada.

Kylie Masse won her second silver of the Games to push Canada’s medal count to 12, all of them won by women. It’s an incredible feat, but not an unprecedented one — Canada’s first 12 medals in Rio were also all won by women.

Will sprinter Andre De Grasse step up for the men? The sprinter won three medals in Rio, but is looking for his first taste of Olympic gold in Tokyo. Can the 26-year-old from Markham, Ont. become the fastest man on earth in the post-Usain Bolt era? He got off to an excellent start on Saturday, winning his preliminary heat in the 100-metre with a blistering 9.91 second run.

In other news, Nigerian sprinting star Blessing Okagbare was suspended for doping just hours before the 100-metre semifinals, Simone Biles withdrew from two more events, and an American fencing team wore pink masks to protest their own teammate, who is accused of sexual assault.

Plus, a member of the Refugee Olympic Team finished his 100-metre heat in first after posting a personal best time of 10.33 seconds.

Here’s what else you missed while you were sleeping:

Nigeria’s star sprinter suspended after failing drug test

Tokyo 2020 has its first doping scandal.

Nigerian athlete Blessing Okagbare was provisionally suspended for doping on Saturday, hours before she was due to run in the semifinals of the women’s 100 metres.

The 32-year-old, who won a silver medal in long jump in the 2008 Olympics, tested positive for human growth hormone in an out-of-competition test on July 19, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit said, prompting a mandatory provisional suspension.

It’s another tough blow for Nigeria — just four days ago, the AIU announced that 10 of the country’s track and field athletes were among a group of 20 from various countries who were disqualified from competing at the Olympics because they hadn’t met minimum doping test requirements.

The highly-anticipated event to determine the fastest woman on earth continues in Tokyo on Day 8.

Kylie Masse snags another silver

Another day, another swimming medal for Canada’s women.

Kylie Masse completed the 200-metre backstroke in a Canadian record time of two minutes 5.42 seconds on Saturday, securing her second silver medal in Tokyo. That makes fives medals for the Canadian women’s swim team, just one shy of their total in Rio.

Masse’s impressive swim was no match for 20-year-old Australian phenom Kaylee McKeown, who nabbed her second gold of the Games.

McKeown celebrated her victory with a bit swagger.

Kylie Masse was thrilled with the second-place finish. Read the story from the Star’s Rosie DiManno.

Andre De Grasse runs fastest 100-metre sprint in men’s qualifying

Following two false starts that resulted in the disqualification of Nigeria’s Divine Oduduru, Canada’s De Grasse pummeled the competition in his heat with an impressive 9.91 second run. It was the fastest qualifying time amongst the men.

Heartbreak on the diving board for Ware, Abel moves on

Canadian diver Pamela Ware was sitting pretty in fourth place after the preliminary round of the women’s three-metre springboard, but ran into trouble in the final round of the semifinal on Saturday.

The 28-year-old from Quebec stumbled on her approach and hesitated coming off the board, abandoning her dive before it started and dropping feet-first into the water. The result was a failed dive and a last-place finish.

Ware’s teammate Jennifer Abel finished in third place in the semifinal, and will have a shot at a medal in Sunday’s final.

Simone Biles withdraws from two more events

The gymnastics superstar will not compete in apparatus finals on vault or the uneven bars, her team announced on Saturday. It is not clear if she will compete in the floor exercise and balance beam events.

Earlier in the Games, Biles revealed that she did not feel like she was in a place mentally to compete, and was dealing with a phenomenon known to gymnasts as the “twisties.” Her decision has been met with a tremendous outpouring of support across the world of sports.

Djokovic misses podium

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic lost to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta with bronze on the line on Saturday. Following the loss, Djokovic withdrew from the mixed doubles bronze medal match citing a shoulder injury, which means the world’s top-ranked player will head home without a medal.

American fencers wear pink masks in protest of their teammate, accused of sexual assault

Three members of the U.S. men’s fencing team wore pink masks ahead of their matchup with Japan in an apparent stand against one of their own teammates. Alen Hadzic, who did not wear a pink mask, has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, according to BuzzFeed.

Learn more about the Refugee Olympic Team

In Rio 2016, 10 men and women competed as part of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team, which was created as “a symbol of hope for all refugees in the world.”

In Tokyo, the Refugee Olympic Team has expanded in size, with 29 athletes competing in a dozen different sports. The athletes currently live and train in 13 different countries around the world.

On Saturday, ROT member Dorian Keletela won his prelimintary 100-metre heat in 10.33 – a personal best.

Three members of the team — Paulo Amotun Lokoro, Rose Lokonyen Nathike and James Nyak Chiengjiek, track and field athletes originally from South Sudan — will be headed to Canada after the Games thanks to a new athletic scholarship offered through the World University Service of Canada.

The Olmypics aren’t just for athletes

Sure, lifting weights is hard. Pole vaulting looks tough. Running 800 metres without cramping up is no walk in the park.

But have you ever tried to do camerawork for a live audience at a trampoline competition? Give this man a gold medal, please.

Beware the polyglot

Apparently, the Italian volleyball team had to be extra sneaky to avoid being heard by their Japanese opponent, who spoke Italian. Brilliant.

Italy forced to be sneaky because the Japanese captain speaks Italian.
byu/tdscm inolympics

PHOTO OF THE DAY

More Canadian results

Runner Marco Arop led his 800-metre heat from start to finish to qualify for the semifinal.

Golfers Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners sit in 17th at 7-under par after three rounds, five strokes back of a bronze.

Boxer Tammara Thibeault was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR TEAM CANADA ON DAY 9:

Men’s volleyball, Canada vs Poland. The team must win to advance to next round. 8 p.m. ET

Women’s basketball, Canada vs. Spain, 9 p.m. ET

Women’s 400-metre medley swimming relay, 10:15 p.m. ET

The Star in Tokyo:

Bruce Arthur: Halfway through the Games, it’s happened again. The athletes always save the Olympics. It’s just sad they have to.

Laura Armstrong: Tokyo watchers don’t need to feel sorry for Penny Oleksiak. She’ll go forth after fourth-place finish

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The Star in Toronto

Dave Feschuk: Canada’s Moh Ahmed takes his best shot in the Tokyo 10,000 but can’t hang on to late lead

Doug Smith: Canada’s surest route to the Olympic basketball quarterfinals is with a win over third-ranked Spain

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Joe Callaghan: Canada’s Vincent De Haître is a double threat — ‘Quadzilla’ competes in both Summer, Winter Olympics

Update on COVID-19

Tokyo reported another 4,058 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, surpassing the 4,000 mark for the first time.

Several parts of Japan are under a state of emergency — including Tokyo and Okinawa prefectures — until August 31.

With files from Star wire services.