Olympics: Day 7 on Nine

Karl Stefanovic hosts Day 7 of the Olympic action for Nine which will welcome the start of the athletics competition.

London will be abuzz with competition in 24 sports and disciplines around the capital. Gold medals will be decided in athletics, swimming, rowing, cycling, gymnastics, badminton, fencing, judo, shooting and weightlifting.

This session may include:

Hockey – 5.30pm*
In their third match the Australians meet ninth-ranked Argentina in their continuing quest for the men’s hockey gold. Coach Ric Charlesworth will be aiming to take his Kookaburras through to the hockey preliminaries undefeated. David Christison and Olympic silver medallist David Wansbrough will be there for Nine.

Athletics – 7pm*
The athletics program begins at the Olympic Stadium in both track and field events. The opening session will feature qualifying events in the men’s hammer throw and shot put and women’s triple jump.

On the track, Australia’s Brendan Cole and Tristan Thomas will take part in the first round of the 400m hurdles while Youcef Abdi takes on the elite Kenyans in the 3000m steeplechase. Dale Stevenson begins qualifying in the shot put. Other Aussies may also be in action.
At the microphone for Nine will be Peter Donegan, Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, David Culbert, Mike McCann and Kerryn Pratt.

Swimming – 7.30pm*
– Men’s 4 x 100m medley relay: The USA has never lost this event since it was introduced at the Rome 1960 Olympic Games and few imagine they will be challenged in London. Australia, who took silver behind the USA at the world championship in 2011, will be looking to knock the current world and Olympic record holders off top spot in the heats today.

– Women’s 4 x 100m medley relay: Australia has dominated this relay at the last two Olympics and won silver at Sydney 2000 and Atlanta 1996, showing a rare depth of talent. With a new-look team at the 2011 world championships, the Aussies finished third to the Americans.

– Women’s 50m freestyle: Australian sisters Bronte and Cate Campbell line up for the quick sprint. Cate won bronze in this event in Beijing while younger sister Bronte took out the title in this event at the World Junior Championships in 2011.

– Men’s 1500m freestyle: Wollongong teenager Jarrod Poort was a late inclusion in Australia’s swim team. Current world record holder and world champion, Sun Yang from China, is the hot favourite to take out the gold in this event after a stellar performance in the men’s 400m freestyle.

Rowing
Four gold medals are up for grabs during this session with Australia involved in all but the men’s single scull.

The first final will feature the men’s quad scull. On the water for Australia will be Dan Noonan, Karsten Fosterling, James McRae and Chris Morgan.

Nine’s expert commentator James Tomkins knows all about the men’s pair final. He won gold at Athens in 2004 with Drew Ginn. Tonight he’ll be hoping to call Brodie Buckland and James Marburg across the finish line first Great Britain and current world and Olympic best time holders, New Zealand, will be the ones to beat.

Kim Crow and Brooke Pratley have been in sensational form. Can they top it off with gold in the women’s double scull final? Their main competition will be from Great Britain’s Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins who are undefeated since pairing up two years ago and have won the last two world championships.

Basketball
The Opals and the Russians meet in one of the biggest preliminary matches at London 2012. The Australian women have won silver behind the USA at the last three Olympics. At Athens 1996 and Beijing 2008 the Russians were the bronze medallists. The Opals have won two of their three preliminary matches while Russia are undefeated.

Diving
The women take to the 3m springboard. Jaele Patrick and Sharleen Stratton, who placed fifth with her partner in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard event earlier in the week, will be hoping to proceed through to the semi-finals on Saturday.

Gymnastics: Trampoline
Australia’s Blake Gaudry is Australia’s competitor. Each gymnast will perform two routines, with the medals decided on those results.

Equestrian
Day two of the individual dressage competition continues at Greenwich Park.

Shooting
Two more gold medals to be decided. Australia will have two shooters in the men’s 50m rifle prone. Multiple world record holder and Beijing 2008 bronze medallist Warren Potent returns for his fourth Olympic campaign. He is joined by Olympic rookie Dane Sampson. David Chapman returns to continue qualifying for the final of the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol.

Boxing
Competition resumes with the second round bouts in the men’s flyweight and welterweight divisions from the ExCeL Arena. Australia’s Cameron Hammond will face Canadian Custio Clayton in the men’s welter (69kg) for a place in the quarter finals.

Judo
The big boys of world judo begin their qualifying in the +100kg division. Australia has 22-year-old Jake Andrewartha up against Canadian Christopher Sherrington.

12.00am London Live continues
Another huge night of gold medal action from London. Ken Sutcliffe is your host.

This session may include:

Cycling
Of all the races at London 2012 few have grabbed the local imagination like the possibility of a cycling clash between Great Britain and Australia in the men’s team pursuit. Great Britain is the defending Olympic champion and defeated Australia in April to become the world champions.

The women will ride for a qualifying position in the team pursuit and jockey for position in the lead-up to the keirin final, making its first appearance in the refurbished cycling program. Be prepared for a likely showdown when Australia’s Anna Meares, bronze medallist in the women’s team sprint overnight, meets Great Britain’s cycling queen Victoria Pendleton.

Swimming – 4.30am*
Four more gold medals to be decided and semi-finals in the women’s 50m freestyle. Ray Warren, Grant Hackett and Giaan Rooney are poolside.

Finals:
– Women’s 200 backstroke: Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry won this event at Athens and Beijing. At the world champs in 2011 America’s Missy Franklin took gold. Australia will cheer on Maegan Nay.　　

– Men’s 100m butterfly: After winning the 200m individual medley last night to become the most heralded Olympian in history, with 16 gold medals and 20 medals overall, could Michael Phelps make it 17 gold medals?

– Women’s 800m freestyle: World record holder Rebecca Adlington defends her Beijing Olympic title, with Great Britain desperate for a gold in the pool.

– Men’s 50m freestyle: It will be over in a heartbeat, actually 21-odd seconds. Eamon Sullivan races in the final.

– Women’s 50m freestyle semis: A 25-second dash with Australia’s Campbell sisters, Cate and Bronte, hoping for a place in the final.

Athletics – 4am*
The first two gold medals will be decided in track and field: the men’s shot put and the women’s 10,000m, which is expected to be dominated by the Ethiopians. Australia will be represented by Eloise Wellings.

In qualifying, Australian long jumper Mitchell Watt is a huge chance for medal. He’ll be joined by team-mate Henry Frayne when qualifying begins. Dave Culbert will call the action for Nine.

Australia’s Dani Samuels opens her campaign in the women’s discus. She became the youngest ever world champion in discus in 2009 and was an Olympic finalist at Beijing.

It is also first round action in the women’s 100m and the men’s 1500m with Ryan Gregson.

Water Polo
The Australian women have already qualified for the quarter-finals of the water polo after defeating Italy and Great Britain. In their final preliminary match they meet Russia. The Stingers are one of eight teams to qualify for the tournament.

6.00am-9.00am on Nine and GEM
As Day 7 of competition continues, Cameron Williams and Leila McKinnon host the morning shift. It will include live action and a review of major events.

9.00am-11.00am London Gold on Nine and GEM
Mark Nicholas looks back on the highlights of another great day at London 2012. All the best gold medal action and a wrap of the Aussies at the Olympics.

3.30pm-5.30pm London Gold (replay) on Nine and GEM
Mark Nicholas looks back on the highlights of another great day at London 2012. All the best gold medal action and a wrap of the Aussies at the Olympics.

*All times states are for the East Coast

*As with all major sporting events there can be unforeseen changes to the schedule and times are subject to change.