Olympic

Heartbreak for Samoa as Australia clinch last automatic Paris 2024 men's rugby berth

They confirmed their qualification by beating Great Britain 34-5 in the London Sevens seventh-place playoff at Twickenham to secure fifth place in the 2022/2023 series standings.

Australia join Fiji, Argentina, and series champions New Zealand as the four automatic qualifiers from this season's world series, with France also guaranteed a spot at Paris 2024 as hosts.

Samoa missed out on Olympic qualification by the narrowest of margins at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. They could still qualify for Paris via regional qualifying or the final repechage tournament.

Australian sevens men make Olympics after rocky ride

Captain Nick Malouf’s team had quickly got knocked out by Fiji in the quarter-finals on Sunday morning as they sought to defend their season-ending London Sevens title.

Yet that was only the prelude to a nerve-shredding afternoon as they then got involved in a desperate struggle to nail down the final automatic place for Paris 2024.

Players keen to join Fijiana 7s following Olympic success

The Fijiana defeated Great Britain on Saturday night to win the team's first ever Olympic medal.

Coach Saiasi Fuli said women's rugby is not played at primary or secondary school level in Fiji and some of his players have only took up the sport two years ago.

But their success in Tokyo is proving to be the perfect recruitment tool.

"Straight after that bronze medal win I had hundreds of calls from girls in Fiji and Fijians overseas wanting to come and join the Fijiana," he said from Tokyo.

Headline-making trans weightlifter Laurel Hubbard fails to medal at the Olympics

Hubbard's three failed attempts in the snatch -- one at 120kg and two at 125kg -- saw her exit the competition at Tokyo's International Forum. After her final attempt, she waved to crowd and bowed before making her way off the stage.

China's world record holder Li Wenwen set three Olympic records as she won the gold medal, first lifting 140kg in the snatch, then 180kg in the clean and jerk to finish on a total of 320kg.

A close battle for silver went the way of Great Britain's Emily Campbell with a score of 283kg. USA's Sarah Robles won bronze with 282kg.

     

Australian sports programme boosts Pacific athletes preparation for Olympic and Paralympics

This unites over 170 Olympic and Paralympic athletes from 11 Pacific nations to prepare for Tokyo 2020. Pita Taufatofua was invited to represent Tonga at the event.

With support from the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports programme, Pacific teams and athletes will be able to train and compete in qualification events, giving them the greatest opportunity to realise their Olympic and Paralympic dreams.

Samoan sailor says cost of participation a barrier for Pasifika

Eroni Leilua, from Vaivasa-Uta in Upolu, will become the first sailor to represent Samoa at the Summer Games after qualifying at the world championships in Melbourne earlier this month, but he hopes he is not the last.

He said it was disappointing to think the potential of Pacific sailors was being restricted by financial obstacles.

"Money is difficult as it is but to get into a sport like sailing, it's pretty tough," he said.

"It's definitely been the biggest obstacle [for me] and especially being from a Pacific Island background."

Santiago Lange beats cancer -- then wins Olympic sailing gold

The Argentine, along with sailing partner Cecilia Carranza Saroli, took top spot in the Nacra 17 Mixed Multihull after a dramatic final medal race Tuesday.

The victory caps a difficult year for the oldest sailing competitor at the Games, whose two sons are also representing their country in the 49er skiff class.

Yago and Klaus both swam out to meet Lange, clambering onto the boat to celebrate with their father -- who was clearly touched by the emotion.

Thirteen ways to think like an Olympic champion

The outcome of years of training will come down to just a few days, or even moments, in these next few weeks -- all of it watched closely by billions of people worldwide.

As well as being in absolute peak physical condition, every athlete will need to be in just as good condition mentally -- or psychologically -- in order to handle the multitude of pressures awaiting them. CNN asked top sports psychology experts to reveal just what it takes to perform well under pressure -- and, more important, win.

Ignore the competition