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1623 Ethiopia's Sileshi Sihini claimed silver with Kenya's Micah Kogo taking the bronze ahead of Gebrselassie. That's it from us today. There's 'only' 18 medals to be decided tomorrow, with the likes of the men's long jump and women's 800m to be decided in the Bird's Nest with Team GB having another great medal prospect in the men's team pursuit cycling. What a day it's been! Can we consolidate our lofty position in the medal table? Tune in around 2am (BST) to find out...
1613GOLDThe Ethiopians have done it again - Bekele takes gold - again - in a new Olympic record time of 27:01.17 seconds.
1608 After 8000 m Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea leads from Gebrselassie. Bekele is still lurking in fourth. Anyone remember Miruts Yifter AKA 'Yifter the Shifter' in Moscow back in 1980? I do. Ouch.
1604 Long-distance legend turned construction magnate (apparently) Haile Gebrselassie hits the front for a while.
1601 Tadesse leads at the halfway point in a time of 14:24-ish - somewhat outside world record pace. That's held by Bekele if you didn't know already, his time of 26:17.53s set almost three years ago.
1557 After 3600m Eritreans Kidane Tadesse and Teklemariam Medhin lead the way with Olympic and World Champion Kenenisa Bekele tucked in behind in third place.
1546 The men's 10,000 metres final is underway - the last event of a marathon (sorry) Sunday.
1545 Fraser's winning time was 10.78 seconds, with Simpson and Stewart both stopping the clock in 10.98s. Former world champ Lauryn Williams of the United States finished fourth.
1538GOLDWell Jamaica have done it again - different day, same result: Shelly-Ann Fraser has taken gold in the women's 100 metres. Furthermore it was a Jamaican clean-sweep with Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart both taking silver after a photo finish. "A lot of yam and banana dumplings for the top three," says the winner....so that's their secret!
1508 Wendy Miles from Sussex questions the virtue of focusing on the 2012 Olympics when there is such an opportunity as the Beijing Games for Team GB to scoop more track and field medals: "They do seem to be satisfied with reaching the Olympics this time and say their emphasis is London 2012. If that's the case why were they in Beijing this time. If they're competing they should be trying to win medals, not making up the numbers." Perhaps the talent simply won't be there until then? Let us know you views by e-mailing will.wood@bskyb.com.
1445GOLDBadminton & Diving - China extended their record-breaking tally as they secured golds in the men's singles badminton and the women's 3m springboard diving. Lin Dan, the world number one, comfortably beat Malaysia's second-seed Lee Chong 21-12, 21-8, while Guo Jingjing emerged with a score of 415.35 to take gold in the diving, the fourth of her career.
1443GOLDSteeplechase - Russia's Gulnara Galkina-Samitova took gold and broke her own world record by more than three seconds in the women's 3000m steeplechase final. Eunice Jepkorir of Kenya took silver, while Russia also took home bronze courtesy of Ekaterina Volkova's third-place finish.
1435 Lord Moynihan, British Olympic Association chairman, has hailed the efforts of Team GB following the record-breaking haul of this weekend. He said: "This is the greatest weekend in British Olympic history. We haven't delivered at this level of consistency across some of the sports which I would call the formula one sports for many, many generations."/Line>
1422 With that gold China have taken their total to 33, eclipsing their previous best-ever haul of 32 which was achieved four years ago in Athens.
1418GOLDTable Tennis - In one of the most predictable of victories, China secured gold in the women's team table tennis. In an entirely one-sided contest, the favourites dismantled Singapore 3-0, with the efforts led by the world number one, Zhang Yining. Interestingly, their opponents' team was made up of former Chinese athletes who switched their allegiances in search of more regular playing opportunities, demonstrating the strength of China's table tennis.
1402GOLDGymnastics - Romania's Sandra Izbasa took gold in the women's gymnastics floor podium, fighting off United States duo Shawn Johnson, who reigning world champion, and Nastia Liukin.
1352 Athletics - Natasha Danvers has confortably progressed to the women's 400m hurdles semi-final, winning her heat with a time of 55.19 and furthering her comeback from injury. She said: "I'm so happy because it has been horrendous this season, there's no other way to put it."
1347 It's been another fantastic day for Team GB thus far, with medals in rowing, sailing, cycling and now gymnastics. Let us know your views on the team's achievements by e-mailing will.wood@bskyb.com.
1334GOLDWeightlifting - Kazakhstan are celebrating another medal as llya IIin took the men's 94kg weightlifting gold, beating Poland's Szymon Kolecki into silver.
1332GOLDBadminton - Lee Hyojung and Lee Yongdae handed South Korea a mixed doubles gold, with the unseeded pair seeing off Indonesia's world champion duo Liliyana Natsir and Nova Widianto in straight sets.
1326GOLDHammer - Slovenia's Primoz Kozmus took gold in the men's hammer with a throw of 82.02m, disposing of the reigning Olympic champion, Japan's Koji Murofushi, who finished fifth. Belarusian duo Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan finished in the silver and bronze medal positions respectively.
1315BRONZEGymnastics - Louis Smith grabbed a surprise bronze for Team GB in the men's pummel horse, the first time a British gymnast has scooped an individual medal. China's Xiao Qin took gold, while Croatia's Filip Ude secured silver ahead of the 19-year old from Peterborough in what was a tremendous achievement.
1306 While much of the hype has surrounding the men's 100m final, the women's equivalent event promises to be a keenly-contested affair. The two fastest women in the world this year, the United States' Torri Edwards and Jamaica's Kerron Stewart, both secured their passage into the final later today. Team GB has one representative in the final as Jeanette Kwakye finished third in her heat. Who needs Usain Bolt?
1259BRONZEBadminton - Hosts China fought back to take bronze in the mixed doubles, with He Hanbin and Yu Yang seeing off Flandy Limpele and Vita Marissa of Indonesia in three sets.
1253 Tennis - Rafael Nadal has continued his remarkable ascent this year, securing the gold medal with a comprehensive 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 victory over Chile's Fernando Gonzalez. With it he becomes the first Spanish player, and also the first top-five competitor, to take the top prize. Tomorrow he will replace Roger Federer as world number one, so all in all a successful couple of days for the 22-year old.
1249GOLDAnother gold and this time it's for France, whose men's team have beaten the United States 45-37 in the final of the men's fencing team sabre. Meanwhile, back in the Bird's Nest, Shelly Ann Fraser demonstrates that Jamaican women can also sprint 100 metres and look somewhat phlegmatic after winning her semi-final at a canter from Americans Muna Lee and Lauryn Williams.
1238 The result has been deemed "stunning" in that Hong only managed fourth at last year's world championships. Oksana Chusovitina, formerly of Uzbekistan and now a German citizen, won silver. China's Cheng Fei, the pre-event favourite given that she had not lost in three years, had to settle for the bronze after landing on her knees on her second vault.
1231GOLDGood news for those tuning in from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - that's the one north of the 38th parallel - because gymnast Hong Un Jong has taken gold in the women's vault competition.
1135 Paul Roser has thrown the cat among the pigeons and suggested the debate moves away from Michael Phelps and on to the use of performance enhancing substances at the games. A safer option legally may be Kevin Pears' suggestion of golf as an Olympic contest, saying: "Golf should be there ahead of some stuff like basketball and tennis. Easy, four rounds of medal play, amateur champions from each country being elligible. They could even do long drive, putting or target pitching. These are more skilled that some of the current sports." Let us know your views by e-mailing will.wood@bskyb.com.
1128GOLDGymnastics - Zou Kai has taken the gold in the men's floor exercise final for China, with Gervasio Deferr of Spain and Russia's Anton Golotsutskov taking silver and bronze respectively.
1124 A philosophical Rebecca Romero reflected on her women's individual pursuit gold, saying: "I was thinking in the Olympic village - when you're one of the best athletes in the country, it feels like you're good at something. But then you go and mix it up with 6000 of the best athletes in the world and you're nothing unless you become Olympic champion."
1120 Some members of the Sky Sports team are calling Team GB's success in Beijing 'The Great Haul of China'. Let's hope the run continues to give everybody the chance to use such an ingenious tag. Chris Poole reckons the International Olympic Committee should broaden their horizons, saying: "Twenty20 cricket would be a good addition to to the games, as would darts. We could show the world the athletictiscism and sporting nature of the best darts players!"
1115 Could there be a mass movement to get Twenty20 cricket included as an Olympic sport? Caspar Deman says: "Here in Oz Adam Gilchrist has been proposing this, with the very valid point that this would generate interest in the olympics in the Asian subcontinent - countries which currently have minimal representation at the Olympics. Given that money speaks, I reckon we could see this by 2020 - now that would be a nice coincidence!" Could year and sport combine?
1108 Cycling - Team GB favourite Victoria Pendleton looked comfortable as she qualified for the quarter-finals of the women's track sprint with a time of 11.736.
1106 On the topic of sports that could be included in the Olympic programme, Nick Watson asks: "Do you think we will ever see the introduction of 20-20 cricket? Maybe the whole world would then take a liking to the sport." The floor is all yours to whoever e-mails will.wood@bskyb.com.
1101GOLDWrestling - Wang Jiao, China's world junior wrestling champion, beat the two-time senior world champion, Stanka Zlateva of Bulagria, to secure Olympic gold in the women's 72kg wrestling.
1051 Eleanor Zwanepoel is giving me a run for my money in terms of input in this commentary, calling for an end to the Michael Phelps debate: "I can't believe the debate is still going. Yes, Phelps is great. Yes he's won a tonne of medals. But I still don't get how people can completely dismiss the likes of Steve Redgrave who won gold at five consecutive Olympic Games. How can you beat a lifetime of devotion like that? I think Phelps has been to three Olympics so far. An amazing accomplishment, yes! But can we maybe hold off this debate until 2016 and see where he's at then?" Well, ladies and gentleman...? E-mail your thoughts to will.wood@bskyb.com.
1041 Cycling - Chris Hoy has comfortably progressed through the last-16 of the men's sprint and respectively. On the mention of tiddlywinks, Fred Rogers in Munich says: "How extraordinary this subject has come up. Since they made Tennis an Olympic sport I have alway felt that Tiddlywinks should now be included. There are plenty of so-called "sports" in the Olympics which require much less skill than Tiddlywinks.
1041 Cycling - Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton have comfortably progressed through the last-16 of the men's sprint and respectively.
1035GOLDRowing - A sensational start for Canada saw them secure gold in the men's eight final, doing enough to fight off Great Britain who finished with a silver. It was a valiant effort from Team GB, while the United States finished third to take bronze. That brings to a close the Olympic regatta, and with Sir Steve Redgrave targeting five and a half medals in Beijing, Team GB have secured six - two gold, two silver and two bronze - to cement their place as the world's most successful regatta side. What are your views on the team's success? Let us know by e-mailing will.wood@bskyb.com.
1028 Tennis - Rafael Nadal has walked out on to court as he goes in search of the Olympic title against Chile's Fernando Gonzalez to compliment a hugely successful year, seeing him secure the French Open and Wimbledon crowns and with it replacing Roger Federer as the world number one.
1024GOLDRowing - The United States took gold in the women's eight final, with Netherlands taking silver and Romania bronze. Great Britain finished down in fifth, but the men's event is up next with high hopes for Team GB.
1023 Martyn Murray has waded in to the Ben Ainslie debate, saying: "Ben Ainslie has now achieved a gold medal in the last three Olympics and he is still only in his early 30's! Would definitely equal Sir Steve if he sails in 2012. What a games Team GB are having!" Glad you're enjoying the coverage which is possibly better than Rose France is getting in New Zealand: "Here in New Zealand we are being shown handball while all these medals in other sports are being decided - bet you wish you were here! Thank god for your coverage." Actually Rose, i do, as it's still fairly cold outside. Let us know you thoughts on the games thus far, Ben Ainslie's legendary status and Michael Phelp's eight-gold haul by e-mailing will.wood@bskyb.com.
1016GOLDCycling - Rebecca Romero has taken gold in the women's individual 3km pursuit, beating fellow Brit Wendy Houvenaghel who ended up with silver. The two medals secures Team GB's third-place in the medals table, and caps off a remarkable series of performance by the team in cycling.
1011GOLDWrestling - Kaori Icho has retained her Olympic title in the women's 63kg event, with the five-time world champion beating European champion Alena Kartashova of Russia in the final.
1008 The anti-Phelps brigade hit back, with Bert and Jane Black adding: "Anyone deluded enough to believe that Michael Phelps is the finest sportsman of all time should consider the accomplishments of Larry Khan, world champion no less than 19 times in his chosen sport of tiddlywinks. Phelps has a long way to go." Do you think swimming is on a par with that giant of world sport, Tiddlywinks? Let us know by e-mailing will.wood@bskyb.com.
0956GOLDRowing - Three-times world champions Poland have taken the ultimate prize in the men's quadruple sculls, holding off Italy who took silver and France who wound up with Bronze. David Staff in Dubai says that he is waiting to show his German colleagues the updated medals table as Team GB close the gap on them. Well David, you can also tell them that Germany finished sixth in the above final, the first time since the country's unification that the nation will leave an Olympics without a gold medal.
0951GOLDTennis - It's all go in the tennis as Venus and Serena Williams take gold in the women's doubles. The pair, who were tipped to take the singles title before their elimination, saw off Spains's Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascal 6-2, 6-0 to take their second Olympic gold.
0948GOLDTennis - Russia have two medals to add to their own collection, and it was Elena Dementieva who walked away with gold in the women's final. Her 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over compatriot Dinara Safina ended the latters 15-match unbeaten run, and also bettered her own silver medal from Syndey four years ago.
0944 Sailing - Team GB are continuing their medal march, sailing (pun fully intended!) on the wave of yesterday's successes. Paul, a Mancunian living in New Zealand, says: "They're on fire! I'm loving going into the living room and telling my kiwi mates we've got another!" Let's hope they keep it up for the rest of the day to continue to answer their critics.
0936GOLDRowing - China have secured gold in the women's quadruple sculls, while Great Britain have to settle for silver. Team GB, comprising of Annie Vernon, Debbie Flood, Frances Houghton and Katherine Grainger, did lead at the 1500m point, but the Chinese crew timed their race to perfection to earn the Olympic crown. Steve Morley from Berlin says: "If Ben Ainslie wins the sailing gold, and Phelps was injured for these games, we would be officially 2nd in the medals table behind China." Ainslie did take gold, and here's another medal for you to add to the tally!
0927 Swimming - Earlier, Christopher was chairing a debate on the virtues of swimming and the great number of events a single competitor, such as Michael Phelps, can enter. Kevin Pears has returned with another point, saying: "Why don't we introduce weight divisions here too? We could have 7 - 10x more swimming medals!" Khalid Jhugroo agrees, saying: "If those people having a pop at him got in the pool and swam freestyle, then got in and swam butterfly they would see the difference between the two. They are totally different. So with all the people moaning saying its because there are so many swimming events and saying its all the same, they are wrong.There is no point argueing whether he is the greatest Olympian of all time because it is a FACT he is from his gold tally."
0919GOLDSailing - And there it is; Ben Ainslie has sealed gold in the men's Finn class, drawing to a close a seemingly never-ending bid for a consecutive Olympic Finn title and his third overall. Surely he'll go down as one of the finest British Olympians of all time? Let us know your thoughts by e-mailing will.wood@bskyb.com. As i type, Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter receive their medals for what was an incredible performance in the double sculls.
0916GOLDRowing - Denmark have retained their men's lightweight four Olympic title, powering their way to the ultimate prize as Great Britain finished fifth. The world champions faded towards the end and never looked like mounting a challenge for medals, disappointing given they have beaten all of their opponents in recent times. Eleanor Zwanepoel from Dubai says: "I would be completely lost without your coverage. I'm so proud of the GB team and all their efforts. I get goosebumps every time a new medal is announced. Can't wait to go home for the 2012 games and cheer on the team!" We'll be there too (though if you want to swap locations for the summer i'd have no complaints), and the team have certainly set themselves a benchmark for 2012.
0857GOLDRowing - I could get used to all of these golds! Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter have taken gold in the in the men's lightweight double sculls, the second rowing event of the day. A terrific performance from the pair, continuing a fine run that saw them win all three World Cup regattas this year, and it's Team GB's second rowing gold of the games. Elsewhere, Ben Ainslie is leading in the sailing and we could be watching a landmark achievement unfolding before our very eyes.
0851BRONZETennis - Hosts China have added to their impressive medal haul in the women's doubles, Yan Zi and Zheng Jie securing bronze by defeating sisters Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-2 6-2. There was disappointing news for China in the women's singles, though, as Russia's Vera Zvonareva saw off Li Na to take the bronze medal.
0845GOLDRowing - Slight pre-race favourites, the Netherlands' Kirsten van der Kolk and Marit van Eupen, have scooped gold in the women's double sculls, charging ahead of Finland to secure the top-prize. All this action must be making Ben Ainslie turn green with envy.
0825 Athletics - I'm still recovering from the incredible performances from Team GB in the cycling yesterday, along with Usain Bolt's unbelievable run in the 100m final as he scooped gold, and let's hope for another gripping day of drama in day nine of the Beijing Olympics. I'll be guiding you through all the action as medals are decided in the women's cycling, tennis and out on the track among others, with Ben Ainsley going for gold in the sailing when it finally recommences today. In less positive news, Greece's defending Olympic 400m champion, Fania Halkia, has failed a drugs test. Having come from nowhere in the sport to gold four years ago, and amid questions over her dramatic improvement, Halkia said: "Why do people want to give a negative impression of sports?" Well, i think we have found our answer. That's the 15th Greek athlete to fail a drugs test in the last three months! Let me know your views on anything ranging from Bolt's pre-emptive celebrations to Halkia's not-so-surprising disqualification by e-mailing will.wood@bskyb.com.
0815 Volleyball - In the normal volleyball competition the American women have claimed a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Poles in a group game.
0812 Sailing - Bryony Shaw has just completed another race in the women's windsurfining ahd she still remains sixth overall. Meanwhile Penny Clark lies eighth in the women's Laser class after race six.
0810 A frustrated Sarah Bhat says: "I am watching the Olympic coverage in India and the only event they have shown in full is the men's 100m final. I have waited in eager anticipation as they have shown the starting line-up of events only to have them switch to other events or go to a commercial break!! After telling friends and family for the past two years that there is nothing I miss about England, I now know that there is one thing. Think I'll have to head back to the UK for 2012 and book a seat on someone's sofa for 2 weeks."
0807 Darren Herschell has emailed in to say: "I'm an ex-pat from Kingston-Upon-Thames who is now living in Country Victoria down under and I'm absolutely loving the Olympic coverage you are providing. Due to the disgraceful bias of the coverage here towards the Australian competitors it seems to be the best way of keeping up with our guys progress. We seem to be doing exactly what is expected of us and in my opinion we are on track for one of our best overall team performances! As for the Aussies, well i guess now the swimming is over they may as well put home and away back on as they dont have too much else to come! Keep up the good work and I hope we can at least finish above the Aussies so i can have some bragging rights for a few months!" Until the Ashes?!
0805 Kevin Pears is angry about everyone having a pop at Michael Phelps. He says: "To complain about swimming is crazy. What about having too many weight divisions in judo/weights/boxing. You only have small, medium and large people after all. Same with shooting - there's too many sub divisions. You can argue this about many sports. However, it's just that one guy isn't winning the majority with the others. Phelps is better at swimming than athletes are at athletics!"
0755 Tennis - At the Olympic Green Tennis Centre, it's the women's singles final between Russia duo Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva. Safina is very much one of the stars of the seasons having recently claimed back-to-back tour titles so I'd back her to win this one. She's already one set to the good.
0750 Paul Roser's email has warmed my heart. He says: "Christopher thanks for the great updates, no TV coverage here in Melbourne on sunday afternoon as they show Aussie rules! But great news we are now gviving the Aussies a good run for the gold booty. Re Phelps, a fantastic swimmer and great viewing, but so many events available - how many golds would Chris Hoy win if there were endless available distances in track cycling?" It's safe to say that Chris Hoy would win absolutely everything inside the velodrome given the opportunity!
0747 Table Tennis - Now this really is one of those sports which can be so exciting during the Olympics so I'm sure you'll be all on the edge of your seats when I give you the results of the men's team bronze play-off round two matches! Well Korea beat Hong Kong 301 while Austria also earned a 3-1 triumph over Japan.
0745 Softball - I'm not sure if anyone at all is interested but it's no harm to mention that Japan beat Venezuela 5-2 in the softball.
0740 We have some reaction from the triumphant Yngling crew and Sarah Webb is predicting more success in years to come. She said: "I'm lost for words, it is such a relief. Our experience was everything, we stayed sure and we got better."Ayton added: "It's been brilliant, this campaign has been about pure perfection and we're just an awesome team." Wilson also had her say, adding: "This has been the dream and it hasn't really sunk in."
0736 Sailing - This update is nothing to do with Ben Ainslie! Paul Goodison has finished seventh in the latest Laser Dinghy race to lie top of the standings but Nick Dempsey has slipped back to fourth overall in the windsurfing.
0730 Simon Forde has got in touch to say he agrees with other readers Shane Lewis Brown and Sam Crewe regarding Michael Phelps. He says: "The number of events available for someone in the pool is disrespectful and completely distorts the overall picture. Other ways of pruning the numbers of events and grotesqueness of the whole Olympics might simply be to limit any one individual to two individual events and one team event per Olympics. On that basis the US might have 12-13 golds at present against Australia and GB's 8. That equation might put a better light on the respective sporting achievements of small countries like Australia and Britain. As an endurance runner myself, the achievement of Emil Zatopek to win the 5000m, 10000m and the marathon in the same Olympics seems to me a far greater achievement than someone who can win two golds within one hour. To be honest, to raise the question whether Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time betrays either puerile press hype or a wanton lack of historical knowledge or perspective on someone's part. I assume the former."
0722 Sailing - This is getting ridiculous. Just as we were about to start, the Finn medal race has again been delayed! How long will Ben Ainslie have to wait for his shot at gold?
0715 Sailing - The estimated start of the Finn medal race is around 0725 BSt so not long to wait now for potentially another gold medal for Great Britain!
0700 Roger Andrew, an ex-pat in Western Australia, is delighted with Team GB's gold rush. He says: "Many thanks for the running commentary and it's great to see the Poms doing so well. I'm hoping that we win more Gold than Oz so that I can gives friends and colleagues over here some very serious Hurry Up!"
0658GOLDShooting - It will come as no surprise to hear China have won another gold in shooting, this time in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions. Jian Qiu is the champion with Jury Sukhorukov of Ukraine taking silver and Rajmond Debevec clinching the bronze.
0655 Sailing - Ben Ainslie's bid for gold has been delayed due to a change in wind direction so we're still waiting for his final race to begin.
0645 Sailing - British windsurfer Nick Dempsey remains third overall after finishing seventh in race six this morning while Bryony Shaw lies sixth in the women's competition.
0640 It may not be the best spectator sport in the world but we'll take any gold that comes our way as we move on to eight gold medals - the same as Michael Phelps!
0632GOLDSailing - Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson have braved the elements and stormed home to win gold out on the waters at Qingdao! They only needed to finish ahead of the Dutch and that's exactly what they did - a great moment for the blonde British Yngling team!
0625 Are you all ready for another golden day for Great Britain? It looks as though we're going to snap up another two golds at sea while we're guaranteed the top two positions in the women's individual pursuit in the velodrome. And of course there's plenty more rowing finals later this morning. Let me know all your Olympic views by emailing christopher.hammer@bskyb.com
0620 Sailing - The Brits are looking good for gold in the Yngling class as they comfortably lead the way in their final race. We don't want to tempt fate quite yet, but it would be a disaster if they messed it up from here.
0610 Shooting - Great Britain's Jonathan Hammond has failed to reach the final of the 50m free rifle 3 positions having finished down in 42nd place out of 49. Not so good.
0605 Sailing - The British Yngling crew of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson are under way in their medal match but the conditions are awful at sea. The wind is blowing, the rain is teeming down hard and the visibility is poor but this is what it's all about!
0600 Basketball, Softball, Handball and Hockey - Another women's basketball match has been completed with Australia beating Russia 75-55 while in the softball competition Chinese Taipei overcame hosts China 2-1. In a women's handball group game, Angola and Kazakhstan drew 24-24 and in men's hockey, Korea eased past Belgium 3-1.
0555 Beach Volleyball - The home crowd are delighted by the sand of Chaoyang Park as Chinese pair Jie Wang and Jia Tian beat Stefanie Schwaiger and Doris Schwaiger of Austria in the quarter-finals.
0550 Fencing - We've had the semi-finals of the Team Sabre competition with France beating Italy 45-41 and USA just about getting the better of Russia 45-44. What a final that will be!
0540 Here are some more quotes from Paula Radcliffe, who cried at the end of the marathon having finished well down the field. She said: "If I felt I was doing some serious damage I would have stopped. It's horrible when you have to drop out, especially when it's the Olympic Games. So many people have worked so hard to get me here. In some ways it's almost quicker to keep going because if you stop you're just left out there on your own."
0535 Shane Lewis Brown says: "To say Phelps is the greatest Olympian ever would be grossly unfair to those competing in the Olympics who don't have the opportunity to have so many attempts at getting gold. It's obvious if you can swim as well as he can and you have so many events to compete in, as you do with swimming, that you can rack up a huge medal count. This fact is proven by the fact Spitz held the current best of seven in an Olympics. So no you cant really say he is the best ever. I also feel that the fact so many golds can be picked up by one athlete lets the Olympics down. The US would only have nine gold medals if it wasn't for one man swimming. There should be a cap on how many events an athlete can actually enter or cut down on there being so many. For example if they started doing the 100m, 105m, 115m, 120m or the run sideways down the track 100m I am sure it would be the same people winning and you would have sprinters taking home eight medals. It is disrespectful to the other athletes who have achieved gold to say that one person is the best ever because they have had a chance to win a huge haul at one Olympics when many athletes only get a chance to win one or two. You can't really compare the athletes in different fields. It's all about winning consistently over different Olympics. The truly great Olympians keep coming back and winning."
0525 Sailing - Great Britain could well collect two golds at Qingdao this morning if Ben Ainslie and the Yngling crew can deliver the goods. The British trio of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson are certain of a silver but will hope to go one better when their race begins in about 30 minutes. Finn star Ainslie is in a similar situation and he'll take to the waves at 0700 BST.
0515 Swimming - Phelps is receiving his gold medal right now and it's a very emotional moment as he hears the American anthem played out one more time at these Games.
0505 Sam Crewe has sent in his thought-provoking take on the Phelps debate. He says: "As much as I think Phelps is an amazing athlete and Olympian I still think it is too early to call him the greatest Olympian. The fact that he has more gold medals than any other Olympian, over the space of two Olympics simply suggests to me that there are way too many swimming events at the Olympics. I do not think he can be put in the same league as Carl Lewis, Emile Zatopek, Jesse Owens etc as they achieved their feats in different times, where being an Olympian had much more of an impact on your life. In this day and age an elite athlete can focus soley on their sport and not have to worry about the pressures of paying the rent and bills etc. On top of this, Lewis achieved his feat over the space of 4 Olympics and achieved the highest standard over two completely different disciplines; running and jumping, if Phelps had turned his hand to diving and got gold, then I think it would be a valid argument. Also, Lewis was probably robbed of possible further success by the US boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. If Phelps continues his dominance for the next 2 or 3 Olympic games then maybe we can regard him in the same league. Here's a left of centre thought. Rebecca Romero, going for gold today in the cycling has already won a world championship gold in rowing. Does this qualify her?" Well I'd like to through that last question out to all our readers. To swap rowing for cycling is an incredible feat and I'd like to see Phelps swap the pool for something else! It's not as if he has anything left to prove in water! On a serious note Phelps is undoubtedly the best swimmer that has ever lived but it is too hard to compare him to idols from other sports.
0455 Cycling - I think it's got to the point where Team GB's exploits in the velodrome are as predictable as Michael Phelps' achievements in the pool. In the men's sprint qualifying Britain's Jason Kenny broke the Olympic record but just moments ago the phenomenal Chris Hoy, world champion in this event, improved it further with a time of 9.815. Awesome stuff.
0445 Reaction to Phelps is starting to flood in, with Mark Monkhouse, an ex-pat in Dubai, saying: "Wonderful by Mr Phelps and I am glad I have witnessed both Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps do their medal feats. I do hope his team mates in the relays do not get forgotten though. And the Thunder Bolt WOW! Nothing else needed there I believe. But rowing, cycling and swimming for Team GB what a fantastic performance by Rebecca Adlington, the coxless four lads and all the cyclists who are just the best. What a wonderful Olympic games and shared with my 13-year-old daughter who now appreciates great performances, I hope I can inspire her to keep up her swimming for London 2012 if not 2016."
0440 Fencing - There have been men's Team Sabre quarter-finals this morning and it's France, Italy, Russia and the USA who have all progressed to the semis.
0435 Round-Up - Now let me bring you some news on other sports which have been taking place in Beijing this morning. American duo Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor have defeated Brazil in their beach volleyball quarter-final by two sets to nil, Span thrashed Mali 79-47 in in a women's basketball group match while in female handball, Sweden have edged out Brazil 25-22.
0425 Cycling - Great Britain's Victoria Pendleton is the fastest qualifier through to the next round of the women's sprint after setting an Olympic record time of 10.963! Is there anyone who can stop our cyclists?
0415 I know we've talked about him a lot over this past week but please continue to send in your emails about Phelps' achievements and if you think we can now regard him as the world's greatest Olympian. Email me at christopher.hammer@bskyb.com
0410GOLDSwimming - Michael Phelps has done it! He's won his eighth gold of the Olympic Games in Beijing after the American 4x100m medley relay team powered to victory in world record time ahead of Australia and Japan. Everyone inside the Water Cube are on their feet and they've witnessed a historic Olympic moment. Phelps really is one in a billion. What a truly sensational athlete.
0400 Cycling - Team GB's quartet have easily qualified fastest for the next round of the team pursuit in 3:57.01 and it would be a huge shock if they didn't take gold. The other qualifiers are New Zealand, Australia, Denamrk, France, Holland, Spain and Russia.
0356 Clive Burke says: "So glad Paula actually got to the finish! Mechanical problems are the constant risk in such a pounding sport, she is the fastest ever, lets hope her engine is ok for 2012. A huge congratulations to all of the runners for even being good enough to make it to the games, never mind the finish line!"
0351GOLDSwimming - Australia have smashed the world record to win the women's 4x100m medley relay ahead of the USA while the home crowd go wild as China get the bronze. Great Britain produced a valiant effort to finish fourth.
0343 John Flynn has got in touch to say: "I'm living in Huelva in Spain and fortunately here the coverage of the Games, though centred on Spain, is quite good and I've been able to see most of the British medals. Obviously I can't see everything but it's pretty decent here. I'm going for a very short holiday to Brighton in five hours time and here I am watching these incredible athletes giving it their all. Go you Brits!"
0338 Cycling - At the moment the men's team pursuit qualifying rounds are taking place inside the velodrome and I'll make sure you find out who makes it through to the next stage.
0328GOLDSwimming - Grant Hackett's dream of three straight golds is over as he finishes second behind Tunisia's Oussama Mellouli. It's his country's first Olympic medal in the pool. In third place is Ryan Cochrane.
0322 On our debate on the medal table, Trever, an ex-pat in Las Vegas, says: "I did the math on Dave's point-scoring idea, and there's not much difference compared to ranking by Gold, Silver, Bronze. China is still tops, with the US second. GB would be ranked 9th."
0318 Swimming - It's the men's 1500m final where David Davies is competing for Great Britain. The Welshman qualified as fifth fastest and he'll face stiff opposition from defending champion Grant Hackett of Australia, who is looking to win his third title over this distance, and Canadian Ryan Cochrane.
0314GOLDSwimming - Now over to the Water Cube where Britta Steffen has won gold in the women's 50m freestyle ahead of Dara Torres and Cate Campbell.
0312 Ian Oldham says: "I don't care where Paula finished, she is there doing it whilst we are all sat on our computers, much kudos to her."
0308 Marathon - "I was trying to achieve the impossible" admits Paula Radcliffe at track side. She's crying and words can't explain just how upset she is. However Paula insists she will continue towards London 2012 so that's good news to hear.
0304 Marathon - Paula finally finishes the race and it's been such a shame to see her struggle so much. She looks in agony but we must all take off our hats to her for giving it her best shot under the circumstances. The tears are pouring out as she's consoled by team-mate Liz Yelling. Please send all your tributes and thoughts by emailing me at christopher.hammer@bskyb.com
0301 Hockey - The full-time whistle has sounded in the men's hockey where Great Britain have drawn 1-1 with Canada.
0300GOLDMarathon - It's gold for Tomescu-Dita and the Romanian is absolutely shattered following that brave run from the front while silver goes to Catherine Ndereba and bronze to Chunxiu Zhou. Mara Yamauchi finished in sixth place, equalling the best performance ever by a British woman in the Olympic marathon. Paula Radcliffe's challenge didn't go according to plan and she's well down the field.
0255 Marathon - Tomescu-Dita has surely got this gold medal wrapped up as she enters the stadium but there's four athletes going for silver and bronze.
0250 Hockey - Great Britain have equalised against Canada thanks to a goal from Matt Daly! But can they now find a winner with just two minutes left on the clock?
0247 Marathon - The packed Bird's Nest will be delighted to see two Chinese athletes - Chunxiu Zhou and Xiaolin Zhu - battling for silver and bronze while Mara Yamauchi has dropped back to sixth place, which is still a fine effort.
0245 Marathon - Oh dear, this is very sad indeed. Paula is in tears again and has stopped. It really is so sad. She will fight to finish this race but it's Athens all over again. Our first emailer of the night, Paul, predicted that.
0242 I was on the treadmill the other day, doing quite a good speed but got tired after about 15 minutes. These marathon runners go the equivalent of a top speed on a treadmill, but for 26 miles! It's absolutely staggering! Anyway, Paul Luxton is gutted his optimism of Paula was unfounded. He also fears the press conference she has called for later today will announce her retirement.
0240 Marathon - How disappointing to see the runaway leader Tomescu-Dita remain unchallenged for gold? Time is running out and I get the impression the chasing group are just battling it out for the two remaining medals.
0235 Hockey - Bad news for British hockey fans because they've fallen 1-0 down against Canada. There's only a little over 17 minutes to turn it around.
0232 Chas Wakeman is still proud of Paula despite her not being able to get a medal in Beijing. He says: "All credit to Paula she will give her best but I'm afraid her lack of training will show. Mara for a medal." Keep all your feedback coming in to christopher.hammer@bskyb.com
0230 Marathon - Tomescu-Dita's lead is slowly coming down but not quickly enough if someone else is to win this marathon. Paula Radcliffe is pretty much out of contention so I'm afraid that particular dream is over but Mara Yamauchi is now trying to inspire the chasing pack.
0226 Dave Sergeant from Manchester has a pretty good solution to the medal table problem. He says: "Maybe they could use a points system? At first i thought 3, 2 or 1 points for gold, silver or bronze respectively, but then i though that one gold is worth more than three bronzes, so maybe 5, 3, 1 could be used?"
0225 Sam Crewe, in Brisbane, says: "I also miss British media coverage. I am in Australia where the coverage really only focuses on Australian swimming only. The coverage is awful and commentary the most biaised there is. I never got to see the GB team win over France in the cycling because the media here were too busy showing theirfourth repeat of the Grant Hacket 1500m heat (yes, heat) swim! At least the Americans have the time zone excuse. The Aussies don't have that!" Goodness knows how many times they will repeat the 1500m final if Hacket wins!
0220 Marathon - This race is starting to get really interesting now but Constantina Tomescu-Dita is still around 55 seconds ahead of the pack with just 12k to go. The Romanian is not looking quite as strong as she did before but it will take a lot to cut her advantage down. Paula Radcliffe is still just about involved but to be honest I can't see her getting a medal now as she begins to tire. Watch out for Great Britain's Mara Yamauchi though, she's in with a great chance!
0215 Hockey - It's goalless at half-time between Great Britain and Canada in their Pool B clash. Alan Gobey has emailed in to say: "I'm a Brit in Canada, the Canadians are much happier today than they were yesterday. Am currently watching GB v Canada in the hockey - don't know if it's live or a recording (if it's the latter don't tell me the result)." If you're at half-time in your broadcast then I can tell you it's live!
0210 Marathon - The pace is picking up now and Radcliffe appears to be losing contact but deep down I guess we all expected it. Paul Luxton has emailed back in and thinks she can still get silver but "if Dita hits the wall, she's waiting in the wings."
0206 Marathon - Constantina Tomescu-Dita has around a 40-second lead as we enter the final third of the race but Paula and Mara are part of a chasing pack which is rapidly dwindling in numbers. Liz Yelling unfortunately has faded away somewhat.
0205 Scot, in Fort Lauderdale, has emailed in to say he's found a medal table which puts America on top based on overall medals, rather than most golds! I've actually always wondered what the fairest system would be. If America, for example win 40 more medals than China come the end of the Games, but have 10 less golds, who is the better sporting nation? Scot has also revealed American television has broken away from the live coverage of the marathon to show the men's 100m semi-finals! Baffling!
0200 Hockey - Great Britain are currently in action against Canada in Pool B of the men's hockey competition and they need to follow up their fine win over South Africa with another victory to boost their chances of reaching the gold-medal match. So far it's 0-0 after around 30 minutes but we'll keep you posted on any goals from there.
0155 Marathon - We're moving towards the 30k point of this race and no doubt the speed is increasing. At the moment Great British trio Paula Radcliffe, Liz Yelling and Mara Yamauchi are well placed although the main pack are still chasing the leader Constantina Tomescu-Dita.
0150 Paul Luxton is keeping a close eye on the marathon and he says: "I think the slow pace is suiting Paula. I think the leg will be fine but her lack of training will have been hoping for a slow pace. I'm hoping she'll be staying towards the front of the pack till 30k then see who's she's got around her and take it from there. Olympic medals don't get handed out to those who deserve it, but to those who earn it, but if ever there was an exception, Paula would be on the podium. Liz Yelling and Mara doing well too. Gold-Silver-Bronze anyone?" That might be a bit too hopeful but you never know, especially on this glorious weekend for Team GB. The pace is picking up but not too drastically but we can expect Paula to be really tested from here on in. Keep your thoughts coming in on all Olympic issues by emailing me at christopher.hammer@bskyb.com
0146 Marathon - Constantina Tomescu-Dita breaks away from the field as she tries to seize control and it's about time because the pace has been particularly slow until now. Paula Radcliffe made a brief pit stop but she's back in the race and not far behind. No need to panic.
0144 Marathon - Japan's Reiko Tosa, who won bronze at last year's World Championships, is struggling badly and she's close to tears. It's not looking good either for Benita Johnson of Australia who is dropping further back.
0135 David Martin, who lives in Las Vegas, has sent in his views on Bolt, Team GB and Paula. He says: "I agree with your comments about sport needing characters, because love them or hate them it inspires people to do better. As an ex-pat living in Las Vegas I take great pride in Team GB's performances and think it all bodes well for 2012. Very much miss the coverage the British Media give these events, I am in the Pacific time zone and have still to see for myself Mr Bolt's amazing performance. It will be shown in 'Prime Time' with most people here believing it's live! Hope Paula finally gets the gold she deserves keep up the great work." Sorry for telling you the result of the 100m but you will love watching Bolt - it's one Olympic moment which will stand the test of time.
0130 Marathon - Liz Yelling has a nasty fall after an accidental collision but she swiftly gets back to her feet and soon gets back in touch with the leading group - thankfully the pace isn't too hot otherwise it could have ruined her whole race.
0120 Nigel Walker has got in touch to say: "I am a Brit living in Australia my wife is Australian and she is getting very concerned about the medal count even my two young children are switching there alliances to Team GB. We even have our own medal board which can be only updated by my wife or me - it's great to have a competitive household!" I love how the Olympics can spark the imagination like this and I hope it's you celebrating by the time the Olympic flame is put out as your wife drowns her sorrows!
0112 Marathon - The athletes now run past the entrance to the Forbidden City but they never seem to take notice of these famous sights! Like true professionals they are just focused on running and quite frankly in their minds they could be anywhere.
0110 Marathon - At the 10k mark, it's Great Britain's Liz Yelling who leads the Olympic Marathon past Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People. Paula Radcliffe is back further in the pack but she looks very comfortable, despite normally being a front runner.
0105 As well as reflecting on Team GB's incredible achievements over the past 24 hours, please do send me your thoughts on Usain Bolt's scintillating 100m victory on Saturday. It really was awesome to watch and to see him celebrate metres from the finish line just emphasised how much better he is than anyone else on the planet. It's disappointing to hear some people say it was disrespectful because I truly believe we need characters and big personalities like Bolt in athletics - and indeed sport in general. Email christopher.hammer@bskyb.com to share your views.
0055 Just in case you're wondering, there are no other Olympic sporting events in Beijing taking place at the moment apart from the women's marathon but in about two hours from now we'll be up and running with swimming, cycling, hockey, basketball, beach volleyball, normal volleyball, table tennis and shooting.
0050 Marathon - The dream is already over for American Deena Kastor, who has pulled up with pain in her right foot. She stepped off the course after hearing "something pop" and she can't go on. It could well be a very serious injury and that's such a shame for her and America.
0045 Marathon - There are thousands of people lining the streets waving flags, predominantly cheering on the three Chinese hopes Chunxiu Zhou, Shujing Zhang and Xiaolin Zhu. It's been a pretty slow start but this is understandable given the humidity. That said the low lying cloud cover is keeping the temperature down at least.
0035 As far one of our readers, Paul, is concerned, it's all doom and gloom. He says: "Paula Radcliffe will drop back and once again drop out in tears. Great Britian had a great 24 hours." Are there any optimists out there? Also I would like to ask any Australians out there if they're worried about finishing below Team GB in the final medal table?!
0030 Marathon - A rather small bunch of world-class athletes are off on their way and among them is Paula Radcliffe, who admits she has unfinished business in the Olympic Marathon after the nightmare of Athens. Could it be her defining moment?
0025 I've only just got my breath back from an absolutely stunning Saturday for Team GB with golds coming left, right and centre in the pool, velodrome and on the water so do let me know how excited you are about our prospects for the rest of the Games? The cyclists can certainly top the podium in more events over the next few days while there's potentially more bling around the corner from the sailing team and the rowers today. And what about track and field - can we hope for much from our athletes. Email me at christopher.hammer@bskby.com and lets get some debate going through the night - or whatever time of day it is where you are.
0015 Welcome to day nine of the Beijing Games, and first up it's the women's marathon where Great Britain's Paula Radcliffe is hoping to banish the memory of four years ago in Athens and claim a glorious gold. A little later this morning, Michael Phelps will be bidding for a historic eighth gold in the pool and that's certainly one not to miss. There's plenty of other sports going on throughout the early hours and I'll be keeping you right up-to-date with all the best of the action. Please send in your views, reactions and predictions to christopher.hammer@bskyb.com and I'll publish as many as possible from around the globe!
