Team GB's golden start amid controversies along the way

The Independent’s sport newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( July 30, 2021 [The Independent]( A golden start for Team GB and they’re not finished yet Top stories [Adam Peaty]( Great Britain make their best-ever Olympic start Hello and welcome to our Olympics special newsletter to mark the Tokyo 2020 games being in full swing. This is a step away from your usual newsletter offering but we hope you will enjoy this bonus email, which is bringing all the very latest from a Games like no other. Not only it is unique as organisers have battled the ongoing pandemic restrictions, to ensure it could go ahead, but Team GB have also made a start like no other they have had before. More on that to come very shortly. So without further ado let's crack on with a rundown of the action that has taken place in Japan's capital over the past week. Magic Monday and what has followed It was 26 July that kickstarted the gold rush for Team GB and was quickly dubbed 'Magic Monday' as a result. It started as everyone expected it would, in a storm of waves and spray and a world in [Adam Peaty]('s wake. The greatest breastroker the world has ever seen did what he does better than anyone on the planet on day three of the [Tokyo Olympics](, exploding away from his competition [to defend the 100m breaststroke title he won five years ago in Rio with the utmost of ease.]( It was the first of a golden start to these delayed Games with [Team GB]( bolting out of the blocks almost as fast as Peaty so routinely does. Though Peaty's was the first gold it was actually a bronze medal which kicked it all off, Chelsie Giles claiming it in the women’s -52kg judo on just the second day. There was to be more combat sport silverware too with Bradly Sinden taking silver in the men’s -68kg taekwondo and coming mere seconds from gold himself. Last-second drama has been the theme for GB and not always of the right sort. Both Lauren Williams and Bianca Walkden tasted defeat after being moments from victory. They both claimed medals, however. [Double Olympic champion Jade Jones wasn't so lucky]( as her hopes of a record third consecutive title were dashed at the very first hurdle. On a magic Monday morning, Tom Pidcock followed Peaty's performance with one almost as impressive, [storming away from the mountain bike field to claim gold]( just mere months after breaking his collarbone. And there was more emotion, this time back at the pool, as [Tom Daley]( finally ended his wait for an Olympic gold medal. And that was all just on Monday. Since then we have had success in a number of disciplines across the board, with Bethany Shriever winning gold in the women's BMX racing debut while Tom Pidcock produced [a remarkable performance to win Olympic gold](in the men’s mountain bike race. Not to mention [Charlotte Dujardin who has become the most-decorated British female Olympian](after she won a dressage bronze. It hasn't all be plain sailing for Team GB with attention being brought to the [rowing performance]( during the tail end of the week. For the full story recapping Team GB's victories over the past seven days [click here]( Full list of gold medals won by Team GB at this year’s Olympics [click here]( and for the full medals table [click here.]( [Simon Biles]( ‘I didn’t quit’: Simone Biles responds to critics [Simone Biles]( has dominated headlines since Tuesday after pulling out of the women's gymnastics team final. Now she has hit back at critics who claimed she quit after the first rotation. The four-time defending Olympic champion subsequently pulled out of Thursday’s all-around final which was won by her team-mate Sunisa Lee, and appears doubtful to take part in the four individual finals for which she has qualified next week. Biles posted a now-deleted video on her Instagram Story on Friday of her making a mistake in training for the uneven bars, along with a message in which she sought to further explain the notion of ‘twisting’ – when a gymnast essentially loses their spatial awareness during a routine. There were initial intimations that Biles may still compete in the beam and uneven bars finals, given it is on vault and floor that ‘twisting’ is considered most common. However, Biles appeared to suggest her Games may be over, writing: “It has never transferred to bars and beam for me. This time it’s literally in every event which sucks. For the full coverage of what has happened to Simone Biles at the Olympics [click here](. [Evgeny Rylov was caught in a war of words]( Russian Olympic Committee hits back at doping talk The [Russian Olympic Committee]( has hit back at talk of their athletes doping at the Olympics with a statement declaring it is “absolutely right” they participate in the Games. Russia was banned from Tokyo 2020 after the country’s sophisticated state-sponsored doping programme was uncovered, and they were further found guilty by the [Court of Arbitration for Sport]( of failing to comply with a [World Anti-Doping Agency]( investigation. However, athletes were allowed to represent the national Olympic Committee rather than the Russian flag itself, a controversial decision which has seen more Russian athletes compete at Tokyo, 335, than in Rio five years ago, as well as given Russia a place on the medal table in all but name. The [Russian Olympic Committee]( has hit back at talk of their athletes doping at the Olympics with a statement declaring it is “absolutely right” they participate in the Games. Russia was banned from Tokyo 2020 after the country’s sophisticated state-sponsored doping programme was uncovered, and they were further found guilty by the [Court of Arbitration for Sport]( of failing to comply with a [World Anti-Doping Agency]( investigation. However, athletes were allowed to represent the national Olympic Committee rather than the Russian flag itself, a controversial decision which has seen more Russian athletes compete at Tokyo, 335, than in Rio five years ago, as well as given Russia a place on the medal table in all but name. For the full story [click here](and to find out more about why Russia are banned from the Olympics and what the ROC is[click here](. Video of the week [Bethany Shriever winning gold ]( Video Bethany Shriever won gold in the women’s BMX racing final in her [Olympic Games]( debut on Friday morning. She is the first [Brit](to become an Olympic champion in BMX racing, with teammate Kye Whyte earning silver in the men’s event shortly before. The [Team GB]( star held off Colombia’s two-time champion Mariana Pajon to cross the line in first, with Merel Smulders of the Netherlands taking bronze in a thrilling race. Shriever’s effort sent BBC commentators wild, with Shanaze Reade screaming “all the way” as she approached the line, before celebrating as the result was confirmed. To watch the video [click here](. For the full story on Team GB's success in the BMX racing [click here](. Essential reading [Great Britain’s Victoria Thornley ]( [Great Britain’s rowing domination comes to an end amid war of words]( [Novak Djokovic reacts during his defeat by Alex Zverev]( [Novak Djokovic beaten in men’s tennis semi-final]( [Olympic track and field events schedule and start times]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's football newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Football_CDP). 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