20:08: Great news in the rowing with NZ single sculler Emma Twigg finishing third in her quarter final to qualify for the semis.
And a quick update on tonight's events as we wrap up today's blog. Plenty on including hockey - NZ v Korea - from 10pm, with NZ tennis player Marina Erakovic now due on court at 11.30pm NZT. Michael Phelps will be in the water tonight in the 200m butterfly heats. Phelps is in heat six, NZ's Moss Burmester in heat 4, set to go after 9pm. Also in action Mahe Drysdale in rowing's single sculls, in heat four at around 8.40pm. Thanks for logging on and join us when we do it all again from 1pm tomorrow.
19:20: George W. Bush has spoken out on the Olympics calling them a "very uplifting experience" that he won't forget. He felt it was good to attend, sending a signal to the Chinese people that America respects them. He also said it was great to meet the US athletes. But no special mention for
We have Olympic first round tennis results to hand. Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams are through to the second round. NZ's Marina Erakovic is due on court at 9pm against Japan's Ayumi Morita.
18:11:
It's a very big night for the NZ hockey side who take on Korea at 10pm NZT. Ryan Archibald missed Athen's four years ago with a broken leg but leads the side in tonight's crucial clash. Meantime Ryan Nelsen has had his 11th hour bid to stay with the Oly-Whites rejected. He'll miss the side's must win match with Belguim in Shanghai on Wednesday. The Blackburn captain is returning to prepare for his side's first English Premiership match against Everton on Saturday night.
17:51:
A spokesman for the US Olympics Committee says Barbara Bachman's condition is improving, after she was attacked and her husband killed in Beijing at the weekend. Her condition has been upgraded from critical to stable. So that's good news. Her son-in-law, Kiwi born Hugh McCutcheon is still on leave from his US volleyball team - he's been at Barbara Bachman's side.
We have a shooting update. Nadine Stanton has finished 10th in the women's trap and failed to qualify for the final. Only the top six shooters go through.
16:28:
It's been a dramatic 60 minutes in Beijing, no more so than at the pool. Lost in the excitement Great Britain's first swimming gold for 20 years. Rebecca Adlington held off the fast finishing Katie Hoff from the US in a bang, bang finish to take the 400m freestyle. It was so close Hoff thought she'd got there - she hadn't.
16:01:
Spanish cyclist Maria Isabel Moreno has become the first competitor at the Beijing Olympics to fail a drugs test. Moreno entered the women's road race and individual time trial and tested positive for EPO.
15.55:
BREAKING NEWS: A Spanish cyclist has just tested positive to drugs, more shortly.
15.52:
Here is the extraordinary finish to the relay we promised you. Take a look,
The Olympics has a new hero! American Jason Lezak has just mowed down Alain Bernard of France to clinch the 4 x 100 freestyle relay for the US. And Michael Phelps dream of eight golds remains alive. Incredible race with the US gone for all money - half a length behind, 15 metres from home but Lezak dug real deep to swim the race of his life - of anyone's life - and he got there by a fingernail! It was a bang, bang finish and you want to see Phelps' reaction - he went .. crazy! Awesome race, we'll try and bring you the video and pictures of Phelps' reaction very soon. But Michael Phelps now has two golds - six to go.
15.10:
The Tall Ferns have crashed 82-65 to Spain. They need one more win against either China, USA or the Czech Republic to make the last eight. And in the pool Libby Trickett has picked up her first gold of the Games, taking out the 100m butterfly. The Australian going for five golds this Olympics.
14.50:
We have a breaststroke WORLD RECORD! Japanese Kosuke Kitajima the first man to break 59". Well done, the morning finals not posing too many problems for the swimmers. Michael Phelps, by the way, cruised into the 200m freestyle final, finishing third in his heat. Remember, he has 17 races if all goes to plan. Just doing enough.
And for all those wanting a look at Andrew Nicholson's fall in the cross country...
Well, well, well ... we have a new WORLD RECORD in the pool ... and it came in Coster's 100m backstroke semi. Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe the second woman to go under 59". Coster was last in 1.01.45, nearly a second outside last night's qualifying time, and she'll be disappointed in that. It's been a bad few minutes for NZ.
14.10:
Yup, Nicholson's horse Lord Killinghurst crashed at the penultimate fence - his legs got caught and off went Nicholson. So he's out of the comp, the other NZ riders' scores will now count toward the team total.
13.58:
Hello everyone, welcome to our day three Olympics blog, going right through until 8pm. Let's bring you up to date with Kiwis in action starting with backstroker Liz Coster who will be away in the second 100m semi in just a few minutes. We'll bring you that result shortly. She set a NZ record of 1.00.66 last night, she'll need to better that to make the final.
The Tall Ferns are also in action against Spain, it's not going so well, down by 13 at half-time. Weightlifter Richard Patterson is also coming up in the 58kg class. And dire news from the dressage where Andrew Nicholson has fallen off his horse. More on that in a moment.
