Ballet practice helps to hammer home a bronze

Great Britain’s Sophie Hitchon has won a bronze medal in the women’s hammer at the Rio Olympics.

Hitchon’s second-round throw of 73.29 meters saw her placed in sixth place going into her final throw, but she was able to add 70 centimetres to her own national record and claim her historic medal.

Indeed, her medal was the country’s first in either the men’s or women’s hammer since Malcolm Noakes came third at the Paris Games 92 years ago.

Sophie slipped to fourth in the fourth round after an effort of 72.28m, and dropped another place to fifth after her next throw of 72.89m.

It was a final to remember with Anita Wlodarczyk’s world record of 82.29m for gold, set in the third round and bettering her previous mark by over a metre.

“Training has been going really really well”. I knew it was there if I pulled together and it is a bit special. When it landed I was a bit like, ‘is it, is it?’ I didn’t want to look stupid because I’d been cheering.

He said: “That’s the fastest time I’ve run since I’ve come back”.

Hitchon celebrates her incredible achievement.

“Anita is unbelievable; I have been throwing against her for a few years now”.

Hitchon was a ballet dancer as a child before first trying hammer throwing aged 14.

“I did ballet from when I was in nursery school to when I was about 10”, she said.

“I don’t think about the history of it [the event] going into it”.

Dina Asher-Smith began her bid for an Olympic medal in the women’s 200m by cruising into the semi-finals.

The Pole won silver at London 2012, but she was never going to be beaten today.

She came home second to Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, but had eased off long before the line. They can always produce their best in the last round. She finished in 8:59.75, winning by more than seven seconds.

Jack Green produced a blistering turn of speed over the final 100m to book his spot in the 400m hurdles semi-finals.