With Joe Joyce’s super heavyweight silver, Team GB’s competitive action at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games has come to a close with record-breaking results. In winning 67 medals, Team GB has won more podium places than ever before at a Games on foreign soil and becomes the first nation to win more medals in the Games immediately after hosting, with 65 won four years ago at London 2012. By finishing second on the medal table with 27 gold, 23 silver and 17 bronze, Team GB has recorded its best finish in 108 years after topping the list at London 1908.
Of the 23 sports entered, the team won medals in 18 of those with 14 producing golds – an increase from London 2012 which saw 16 sports win medals and 11 of those with gold.
At Rio 2016, Team GB enjoyed its most successful ever Games in aquatics, gymnastics, taekwondo and triathlon while topping the medal table outright in cycling rowing, triathlon and sailing.
As part of those 27 golds, 17 were retained from London 2012 with 14 won by athletes who initially took the titles four years ago.
For a full list of Team GB’s medallists, click here.
Nottingham’s Becky Downie could not have been prouder of her gymnastics teammates after a fifth place finish in the team event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.Becky, older sister to 16-year-old Ellie, helped the team end on 174.362 after their four apparatus in the Arena Olimpica de Rio – a repeat of their position four years ago at London 2012.
The quintet of the Downie sisters, Ruby Harrold, Amy Tinkler and Claudia Fragapane sat third after a strong uneven bars but dropped to fifth following a slip by Ellie on beam. They were unable to make the ground up as the USA stormed to gold with Russia and China taking silver and bronze.
The team took a historic first ever Wold Championship team medal in Glasgow last year but Becky believes the standard of the other nations continues to push the boundaries of the sport.
“I couldn’t have done too much more. I was fighting towards the end of that today but overall I’m really happy. It’s the team final so there is quite a lot of pressure going up there,” said Downie.
“I think Glasgow did set the expectation and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy here. We’ve all upgraded our routines since Glasgow but the level of gymnastics has gone up again and we couldn’t have done anymore.
“It wasn’t quite what we did at the Worlds but I’m still really proud of everybody. The team has done an amazing job and I’m just really proud of the girls.”
Sister Ellie admitted to feeling the pressure after shouldering the responsibility of all four apparatus but the four-time European medallist was upbeat following her debut Olympic final.
“I knew that I was up on all four pieces so I did feel the pressure a little bit today,” said Downie.
“But it was definitely an amazing experience. I had a slight mistake on the beam but, looking back at the total, even if we add that score we still wouldn’t be in the medals.
“It’s always disappointing when you make a mistake but I knew I had to get up there and fight for every tenth and I think I managed to do that and my score was fairly decent even after the fall.”
The brilliant City of Caves has teamed up with Nottingham-based author Rob Hann to create The GrumbleGroar Explorers Tour as an exciting new addition of what you can get up to underneath Broadmarsh this summer!
It’s the first time the City of Caves has worked with an author, like Rob, to deliver a tour but when they read Rob’s book, The GrumbleGroar, which is about a dinosaur-like creature which lives in the many caves beneath Nottingham, it was a perfect fit!
The tour is journey through the historic sandstone caves beneath Nottingham led by an intrepid explorer, which extensive GrumbleGroar experience – so no need to be scared, you’ll be in safe hands as you go in search of the mysterious creature!
Author Rob Hann said: ‘’I’m thrilled that my book has been chosen as the basis for one of the summer tours at the City of Caves this year. It’s a unique family-friendly tale and it will make for a fun tour that includes my GrumbleGroar character, but also incorporates the history that makes the caves so special. I don’t think the City of Caves has ever done this sort of thing before and it’s both a great honour and a fantastic opportunity to adapt my book and bring it to life in this way.’’
The GrumbleGroar Explorers Tour will run at the City of Caves every morning between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm from 23 July – 4 September 2016. For more info and to book, click here.
