Olympic update: How is Spain faring in Tokyo?

STARTING off relatively low down the ranking, Spain's Olympic medal count could be about to rise with promising performances from the women's and men's basketball teams, and super-swimmer Mireia Belmonte still in with one more chance.

An excellent début in the Games by Taekwondo whizz-kid Adriana Cerezo, 17, from Madrid, gave Spain its first medal – a silver, which would have been a gold but for seven seconds that saw her rival Panipak Wongpattanakit, from Thailand, overtake her to net the top spot.

Then, mountain-biker David Valero, 32, roared from near last place to third and clinched a bronze for Spain in an epic performance which meant more to the Granada-born two-wheeled ace than an easily-won gold would have done.

Now a serial medallist, the Basque Country's Maialén Chourraut, 38, from Lasarte-Oria near San Sebastián, had hoped to at least complete the full set - after gaining the bronze in K-1 canoeing at London 2012 and the gold at Rio 2016 – if she could not repeat her gold performance, and now she has an Olympic award in every colour: Her silver at Tokyo 2020 is a brilliant achievement and adds a third to Spain's collection.

Medals are not the end of the story, though: When competing against dozens or even hundreds of rivals, a top 10 placing is outstanding – and Olympic diplomas were given for fourth, fifth and sixth place until Los Angeles 1984, after which they are now awarded to eighth place.

The gold, silver and bronze winners get diplomas as well as medals, in A3 with the Olympic rings on them and a seal in the colour of their award, then everyone from fourth to eighth also receives one, but with a green seal.

So far, Spain has scooped up four of these, the first going to Mireia, 30, from Badalona (Barcelona province), who came fourth in the 400-metres medley, missing out on the bronze by an agonising 0.023 seconds; having left Rio 2016 very well-decorated, with a gold and a bronze, and scooping up two silvers at London 2012, this is somewhat disappointing for her where it would have been an exciting moment for first-time Olympians – but she has one more chance at the podium in the 800-metres freestyle and, whatever happens, Tokyo 2020, her fourth Games, will go down in history for her as she was joint flag-bearer for Spain along with canoeist Saúl Craviotto. 

Ander Elosegi, 33, from Irún in the Basque province of Guipúzcoa, came eighth in the C-1 slalom canoeing, earning a second Tokyo diploma for Spain and repeating his achievement from Rio 2016; he has taken home diplomas from every one of his four Olympic Games so far, coming fourth in Peking 2008 and again in London 2012, but has yet to reach the podium.

Elosegi does have major medals in his collection, though – two silvers and a bronze in the world championships, and a bronze in the European championships.

Swimmer Hugo González, 22, from Mallorca, taking part in his first-ever Games, came sixth in the 100-metres backstroke and gained a third diploma for his country – he has another opportunity coming up to clinch a medal in the 200-metres medley.

Catalunya-born Núria Vilarrubla, 29, from La Seu d'Urgell (Lleida province) repeated her Rio 2016 performance in C-1 slalom canoeing with an eighth place and Spain's fourth diploma.

Núria was expecting more from herself, given that she was world reserve champion in 2019 and bronze medallist in 2015, and European championship team and individual gold-winner respectively in 2015 and 2016 and silver medallist in 2019.

But her time of 127.33 seconds included a four-second penalty for touching gates 12 and 21, out of 25, so was in fact faster, and in the qualifier she finished penalty-free in 119.99 seconds.

World number one, Australia's Jessica Fox, took the gold with a time of 105.04 seconds and no penalties, having netted the bronze in K-1 two days earlier – she finished over three seconds ahead of silver medallist, the UK's Mallory Franklin, and bronze winner, Germany's Andrea Herzog, who is reigning world champion.