Follow all the action on the Rio 2016 live blog

Beach volleyball comes home to Copacabana

The men's final is set to be a classic, with the hosts playing on Copacabana beach – the sport’s spiritual home. Brazilian world champions Bruno Schmidt and Alison Cerutti will be able to count on vocal support from the home crowd, but the Italian underdogs, Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo, will hope their unexpected run to the final can see them spring one final surprise.

Cerutti and Schmidt only have Italy to beat to take the gold (Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)

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Bolt and Spotakova go for third gold apiece

A tremendous day of athletics action will feature 11 events and no fewer than six finals. Look out for Usain Bolt going for his third 200m gold, while the Czech Republic’s Barbora Spotakova will also be looking to win her third straight title in the javelin.

Thursday will also be the final day of the decathlon, and American Ashton Eaton could be on for second gold after winning at London 2012.

Tom raises the Barr in 400m hurdles

The surprise package in the men’s 400m hurdles so far has been Ireland’s Thomas Barr, who set a new national record qualifying behind American Kerron Clement and Jamaica’s Annsert White.

Dalilah Muhammad of the USA was the fastest qualifier amongst the women, ahead of Denmark’s Sara Petersen and the Czech Republic’s Zuzana Hejnova.

Both 400m hurdles finals are on Thursday.

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En guarde for the most traditional of modern multi-sport events

At the past three Olympic Games, the athlete who has won the fencing event in the men’s modern pentathlon has ended up taking gold: the Czech Republic’s David Svoboda at London 2012 and Russian Andrey Moiseev at Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004. The pattern holds to a lesser extent amongst female pentathletes: Germany’s Lena Schoneborn finished first in fencing when she took gold at Beijing 2008, while Laura Asadauskaite of Lithuania was third on the piste on her way to becoming champion at London 2012.

A new format at Rio 2016 puts even more emphasis on the fencing competition, ensuring intense action from the very start.

David Svoboda at a Rio 2016 warm-up event at Deodoro (Photo: Getty Images/Alexandre Loureiro)

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Brownlee brothers hoping to blitz the beach

The Rio 2016 triathlon will take place in Copacabana, starting with a sea swim section, followed by eight laps of a steep cycle route, finishing with a four-lap run along the iconic sweep of Avenida Atlantica.

The absence of Spaniard Javier Gomez due to injury gives Great Britain’s Brownlee brothers Jonathan and Alistair a great opportunity to occupy two steps on the podium in the men's competition. Gomez’s compatriot Mario Mola will be looking to fly the flag for Spain, however.

Alistair Brownlee at a 2015 ITU event on Copacabana Beach (Photo: Getty Images/Buda Mendes)

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Unlikely finalists one match away from hockey gold

In some respects an unexpected match-up, the men's final should nonetheless be a hotly contested and entertaining spectacle. Argentina had finished behind Germany in the group phase, only to beat them in the semi-final, while Belgium went into their last-four game against the Netherlands as underdogs, emerging as surprise Olympic finalists.

Argentina's players celebrate reaching the final of Rio 2016 (Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers)

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A world first as gold awaits non-Chinese medallists in badminton doubles

China’s women have won every gold medal in the badminton doubles since Atlanta 1996; this year, however, Tang Yuanting and Yu Yang will be battling the Republic of Korea’s Kyung Eun Jung and Seung Chan Shin for the bronze following a defeat to Danes Christinna Pedesen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl in the semi-final.

Pedersen and Rytter Juhl will instead take on Japan’s Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi in the final.

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Adekuoroye won't be dancing to Yoshida's record

Japan’s Saori Yoshida will seek to emulate the achievement of her compatriot Kaori Icho in securing a fourth consecutive gold medal in 53kg freestyle wrestling. Another competitor to watch in that category is Nigeria’s Odunayo Adekuoroye, who took gold at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and bronze at last year’s world championships – she’s known for her victory dances as well as her skills on the mat.

Finals will also take place in the 63kg and 75kg categories.

Odunayo Adekuoroye at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (Photo: Getty Images/Julian Finney)

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