Daily Summary: 7

Day Seven of the Olympic Games: Starting of the Athletics events

In Athletics, Italy’s Ivano BRUGNETTI became the first Olympic Athletics champion - inside the Athens Olympic Stadium - by winning the Men's 20km Race Walk. The result was a surprise, since the 1999 World Championships over 50km, has no previous honors in the 20km distance. In the Men's 10,000m Final, Kenenisa BEKELE was the first to cross the finishing line, thus continuing Ethiopia’s tradition of winning gold in this event. His teammates, Sileshi SIHINE and Haile GEBRSELASSIE who was the Olympic gold winner of the Men's 10,000m event in 2000 Sydney and 1996 Atlanta Games, finished in the second and sixth place respectively.

In the Men's 100m Butterfly Swimming Final, USA’s Michael PHELPS set a new Olympic Record (51.25) and won his fifth gold medal of the 2004 Games.

One world and three Olympic records were broken on the first day of the Olympic Track Cycling programme. In the Women's 500m Time Trial final, reigning world champion Anna MEARES (AUS) was by far the best in the field and proved it by crossing the line in a new World (and Olympic) best time of 33.952. In the Men's 1km Time Trial, the previous Olympic record of Great Britain's Jason QUEALLY (1:01.609) was broken four times in a row as the riders battled for the medals. Great Britain’s Chris HOY was the one to win the gold and set the new record with a time of 1:00.711. In the Men's Individual Pursuit Qualifying Bradley WIGGINS (GBR) set a new Olympic record with a time of 4.15.165.

Tournament favourites Japan took its gold medal total to eight today when the Judo competition finished. Keiji SUZUKI was dominant in the Men’s +100kg and Maki TSUKUDA was able to beat Dayma BELTRAN from Cuba in her final +78kg class.

In Shooting, thirty-one-year-old Lioubov GALKINA (RUS), silver Olympic winner in the Women's 10m Air Rifle on 14 August, (Day 1 of the 2004 Olympic competition), won today the Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions gold medal with a new Final Olympic Record of 688.4.

In Canoe / Kayak Slalom Racing, Slovakian twins Pavol and Peter HOCHSCHORNER won their second consecutive gold medal in the Men's C2 Canoe Double.

Korea’s women archers emphasised their dominance in Archery at the Panathinaiko Stadium, by adding the Team gold medal to the gold and silver medals they picked up in the Individual competition two days earlier (18 August 2004).

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