New Zealander Mahe Drysdale rowed to the point of exhaustion and had to be helped to the podium for his bronze medal after fading fast with gold in his sights in the Olympic men's single scull race yesterday.
Drysdale, who had led the race until the last 100 metres, collapsed in his boat after the race on Lake Shunyi. He had to be carried away on a stretcher for doctors to examine him.
Officials, one under each shoulder, supported him for the long walk to collect his bronze after defeat by Norway's Olaf Tufte and Czech Ondrej Synek.
Smiling weakly on the podium as he received his medal, the three times world champion was given a huge cheer by the crowd for his determined display.
He then gamely helped to haul Tufte on his and Synek's shoulders for the traditional victory celebrations although all the energy had drained from his face.
American teen wins skeet
American teenager Vincent Hancock won a thrilling shoot-out in men's skeet yesterday to give the United States their second Olympic gold medal in shooting.
Hancock, 19, kept his nerve in a gripping sudden-death duel at the Beijing shooting range against Tore Brovold, of Norway, after the two sharpshooters had finished even on 145 points from two days of qualifying and finals.
Anthony Terras, of France, won a shoot-out against Antonis Nikolai, of Cyprus, to claim the bronze medal.
Hancock, a soldier in the US Army Marksmanship Unit, had led Brovold by one point going into the 25-shot final and was on course for gold with a perfect 20-for-20. But he missed a target, sending a gasp through the big crowd of US supporters.
Andrea Benelli of Italy, who won the gold medal in skeet in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, failed to reach the six-man finals in Beijing, finishing back in 24th place.
Camouflage suits for Australians
Australia's Olympic triathletes will wear river-green bodysuits at this week's race to keep them camouflaged in the water and stop rival swimmers from shoving them out of the way.
Coach Bill Davoren said dressing his five triathletes to blend in with the greenish water in Beijing's picturesque Ming Tomb reservoir was safer than having them stand out in the bright yellow national colour of Australia.
"We wanted an all-green suit so that we weren't visible. We were very conscious of being visible in the water," he told reporters.
"The open water swim is very rough and people tend to converge on each other because there are no lanes. There can be physical interaction and the perception is that at times it can be deliberate."
Age before 'Beauty' in badminton
China's Zhang Ning (picture) thought she was pushing the age limit for an Olympic badminton player when she went to Athens at 29 and walked away with gold.
Yesterday, the 33-year-old proved that age comes before Beauty.
The 2004 singles champion defended her title in Beijing against world number one Xie Xingfang, 27.
Xie, nicknamed "Beauty," is one half of China's most famous sporting couple with top ranked men's player Lin Dan.
"I was already 29 (at Athens) and in badminton it's considered extraordinary, so I didn't think I would actually get the gold," Zhang said.
So will the Grand Dame of badminton try for a third gold in London?
"Definitely impossible," Zhang said. "I'll be too old."
Frustrated Ainslie lets off steam
A frustrated Ben Ainslie criticised Games organisers for choosing Qingdao to host the Olympic regatta after the Briton's quest for a third successive gold was delayed by another day of light wind yesterday.
Ainslie was on course for victory until the Finn class medal race was abandoned just past halfway after the breeze disappeared in Fushan Bay.
"It's annoying for sailing as a sport, it does not look good when you can't race because there is no wind," Ainslie told reporters.
"It's not the sport's fault, it's not the sailors' fault, it's the fact that we have been put in this venue where we do not get any wind."
The Yngling medal race was also cancelled, with both now set to be raced today when winds are forecast to pick up.
Abrahamian stripped of bronze
Swedish greco-roman wrestler Ara Abrahamian has been stripped of his 84kg-category bronze medal after he threw it down in protest at the refereeing, the IOC said yesterday.
It said his action went against the spirit of fair play, insulted his fellow competitors and constituted a demonstration, which is banned inside Olympic venues.
During the medal ceremony, Abrahamian took the bronze from around his neck stepped from the podium, dropped it in the middle of the wrestling mat and walked off.
The IOC said the athlete, who retired after his bronze medal bout, was disqualified, stripped of his medal as well as his Olympic accreditation. No athlete would be upgraded to take his bronze medal.