Australia's 50th medal after two silvers; breaking's back with J Attack: What you missed in Paris while you were sleeping
PARIS: Two historic silver medals have taken Austalia's tally to 50 on day 15 of the Olympics, the penultimate day of competition.
Jess Hull joined the greats of Australian athletics with a brilliant run for second in the 1500m, while the Stingers fought hard but were bested by Spain in the water polo gold medal match.
Meanwhile, after the stir caused by Australian b-girl Raygun, it was her male compatriot J Attack's turn to battle.
MEDAL TALLY: Australia hanging on to third
Australia is hanging on to third on the medal tally, level on golds at 18 with a fast-finishing Japan.
Already Australia's best Olympics in terms of gold medals, the 50 total levels Athens 2004 and is only behind Sydney 2000 (58).
A third-place finish on the tally would also tie Australia's best result, having also finished third at Melbourne 1956.
There's only one day to go - here's your second-last recap of what you missed in Paris overnight.
Hull's 'biggest smile' after winning silver
Edwin Flack. John Landy. Herb Elliott. And now, Jess Hull.
The 27-year-old ran into the history books at the Stade de France as she stormed home to win silver in the 1500m - the fourth Australian to win a medal in the event and the first woman.
Hull was only bested by one of the all-time greats, Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, who won her third 1500m gold in succession.
Silver for the Stingers sisterhood
The Stingers' run into the water polo final in Paris has been the stuff of dreams.
But after knocking off the three-time reigning Olympic champions USA in the semi-final, the Aussies were beaten 11-9 by a powerful Spain in the gold medal match.
They didn't win Australia's first gold in the event since Sydney 2000, but there was elation at what they've achieved here.
There was also a beautiful moment when veteran Keesja Gofers was handed her daughter from the crowd.
'Devastating result' for Aussie in javelin final
Mackenzie Little - world championship bronze medallist, full-time first-year doctor - was considered a strong chance for a place on the podium in the javelin.
But she struggled throughout the final and could only manage 12th.
Fellow Australian Kathryn Mitchell managed a season-best throw of 62.63m to place her seventh.
Breaking's back with J Attack
Australian 16-year-old J Attack - also known as Jeff Dunne - also failed to make it out of the opening round robin of the breaking competition.
But he won the favour of at least one judge to ensure the country doesn't record a complete shutout in the sport's only Olympic appearance after Raygun's performance.
His efforts weren't enough to secure a win in any of his three battles.
Elsewhere...
Tattooed Aussie diver Cassiel Rousseau narrowly missed out on a bronze medal despite a strong performance in the men's 10m platform final, finishing fourth.
In the first event of day 15, Eliud Kipchoge's quest to win three Olympic gold medals in the marathon ended with a shocking "did not finish".
The race was won by Ethiopian Tamirat Tola to become the new champion, while Patrick Tiernan (24th) and Andy Buchanan (45th) were the first Australians to cross the line.
Australia's tradie marathon runner Liam Adams was left "shattered" by his performance, finishing 49th.
US basketball juggernaut rolls on
The USA are once again the undisputed kings of basketball, downing France is a cracking gold medal match.
The USA controlled the first half, before the French mounted a comeback in the third quarter.
They closed to within three points at one point before Stephen Curry went to another level.
The same two nations will once again square off in the women's final Sunday night (AEST).
Watch every moment, every medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now. Plus, every event streaming ad free, live and on demand with 4K on Stan Sport.
