Welsh rower Tom Barras battled to a superb and unexpected Olympic silver medal in Tokyo in the quadruple sculls. Barras – who opted for Welsh qualification while at university in Cardiff – helped Great Britain finally win a medal on the rowing waters on day five of the Games. Harry Leask, Angus Groom, Barras and Jack Beaumont were unfancied in the difficult lane one but they overcame the odds to finish in the podium spots.

Matt Richards and Calum Jarvis have ended Welsh swimming’s long 109-year wait for Olympic gold medals with a magnificent victory in the 4x200m freestyle relay in Tokyo. The Welsh pair were part of a dominant Great Britain squad that struck gold, ahead of the Russian Olympic Committee in second and Australia, who took the bronze. The British quartet won in six minutes 58.58 seconds – an emphatic 3.23secs clear of the Russians and only fractionally outside the world record by three hundredths of a second.

Welsh swimmer Calum Jarvis is now within touching distance of fulfilling his dreams and winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. His Team GB relay team were the fastest in their Men’s 4x200m freestyle heats but this success was a long in time in the making, as Tom Prosser discovers. Calum Jarvis was part of the successful Team GB Men’s 4x200m freestyle team this morning alongside fellow Welsh swimmer Matt Richards. Their Team GB finished the heats with the fastest time of 7:03.25 and will now be aiming for a medal in the final which will take place in the early hours of tomorrow morning (Wednesday).

Wales has already contributed to Great Britain’s early medal collection at the Olympic Games in Tokyo when Lauren Williams won a silver medal in taekwondo on Monday. For Williams, an Olympic medal was the realisation of a dream that began in her local club in Caerphilly, Devils Martial Arts Club. Graham Thomas looks at the Olympic roots of the Welsh competitors in Japan. All Olympic dreams start with a more local idea and for Jake Hayward it was wanting to be the fastest kid at Llanishen Fach Primary School. Twelve years on and Jake still wants to cross the line first.

The proverb that good things come to those who wait could have been written for Alys Thomas. On Tuesday lunchtime at the age of 30 – once considered veteran territory in the world of top class swimming – the Swansea-based swimmer will make her Olympic debut. When she steps into the arena in Tokyo, a lot of memories will float through the mind of the current Commonwealth Games 200m butterfly champion.

Wales’ Lauren Williams added her name to Team GB’s Olympic taekwondo medal roll of honour in Tokyo on Monday but fell fractionally short in her attempt to strike gold. Twenty-four hours after team mate Bradly Sinden finished runner-up in the -68kg weight division, Welsh wonder Williams captured her own silver medal at -67kg. Like Sinden, too, the 22-year-old was within touching distance of becoming Olympic champion in a dramatic contest with Croatia’s number one seed, Matea Jelic.

By Tom Prosser “To be a Welshman working in Wales makes me the proudest man in the country,” those are the words of the Welsh Fire women’s head coach Mark O’Leary who is aiming for success in the new Hundred competition. O’Leary took the brave decision to leave Cardiff Met last year after a 20-year association with the university, he has since gone on to be the head coach of both Western Storm and the Welsh Fire women’s team.

By Paul Jones Life really could begin at 55 for Welsh golfer Stephen Dodd who is eyeing a lucrative new career in the USA after winning his first senior major title. Cardiff-born Dodd – who lifted the Senior Open trophy at Sunningdale on Sunday – is considering cashing in on the highly profitable American seniors circuit after his breakthrough victory.  He had to hold off the challenge from several golfing greats to secure his maiden senior major title at the Senior Open presented by Rolex.

Jade Jones has admitted she failed to adapt to an arena without fans after her dreams of a third successive Olympic gold medal were shattered at the first hurdle in Tokyo. The Welsh fighter had travelled to the Japanese capital seeking an unprecedented third gold medal in the sport following triumphs at London 2012 and Rio in 2016. But Jones’ nine-year unbeaten Olympic record ended with a 16-12 defeat to Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorian in the last 16 of the -57kg weight division.

Joe Brier will become an Olympic athlete after he replaced Matthew Hudson-Smith in the 4 x 400m relay squad in Tokyo. Welsh athlete and Swansea Harrier Brier – who had gone with the Great Britain squad as a travelling reserve – will now get to compete at the Games after European 400m champion Huson-Smith has pulled out of the Olympics on medical grounds. Team GB confirmed the 26-year-old had withdrawn, although it is not Covid-19 related.

By Tom Prosser Welsh swimmer Kieran Bird will begin his Olympic dream in Tokyo this weekend and is looking to take inspiration from his footballing idols Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. The football-mad swimmer warmed up for his men’s 400m freestyle heats on Saturday by re-running in his head highlights of Wales’ dynamic duo and their impact at Euro 2020.

By Tom Prosser  Harriet Jones will be competing in the opening weekend at the Tokyo Olympics but the Welsh 100m butterfly star began her journey in Cardiff when thrown in at the deep end – though, not literally – by her mum. “My Mum made me go swimming to just get a life skill, basically,” says the 24-year-old, who is part of a super six half dozen swimmers from Swim Wales who made the Great Britain squad. “I used to jump into the pool when I was younger with no armbands on. She used to hate me for that.”

There have been many Welsh Olympic memories over the years and there’s sure to be many new ones created over the next few weeks in Tokyo, Fraser Watson takes a look at the high’s and low’s of the years gone by. So, never before has Wales boasted so much representation for an Olympic Games held outside of the UK. And never before, has there been an Olympic Games so clouded by uncertainty and trepidation.

Hannah Mills has admitted to feeling “overwhelmed” by the honour of carrying the flag at Friday’s opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Wales’ Olympic champion and Mohamed Sbihi have been named as Team GB’s first joint flag bearers. The pair will share the honour following a directive by the International Olympic Committee in March 2020 where each team could have a flagbearer to represent both genders.

Lukas Carey was the hero at Sophia Gardens for the second time in three days as he once again hit the winning runs to enable Glamorgan to snatch victory on Thursday. On Tuesday it was his 29 not out that steered the Wales Minor Counties team to victory over Glamorgan in a friendly and two days later he hit successive boundaries to secure a two wicket win for the Welsh county over Warwickshire in the first round of the Royal London Cup with two balls to spare. Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson said: “It was a tough loss to take on Tuesday against the Wales County XI, but the way the boys upped their attitude and bounced back was pleasing to see.

Another four Welsh athletes have been named in the Great Britain team for the Tokyo Paralympics, taking the total to a magnificent seven. Reigning Paralympic champions Aled Davies and Hollie Arnold, along with Sabrina Fortune had already been named in the first wave of selections last month. They will be joined on the plane to Japan by Harrison Walsh, Olivia Breen, Harri Jenkins and Kyron Duke after the final 42-strong team was announced on Wednesday.

By Tom Prosser Welsh Fire head coach Gary Kirsten can’t wait for his side to get their Hundred campaign underway at Headingley on Saturday and hopes the tournament can help to progress the careers of county players who are yet to appear in international or franchise cricket. The vastly experienced coach previously won the World Cup with India in 2011 and has coached in short form cricket all around the world including the IPL in India and the Big Bash in Australia. He is now eager for the Hundred to help accelerate the progress of county players such as Glamorgan’s David Lloyd.

By Paul Jones Three of the top Wales internationals will be strangely hoping they miss out on this year’s men’s Welsh Amateur Championship, including defending champion Archie Davies. That’s because Davies and fellow internationals James Ashfield and Matt Roberts have got prized invitations to the Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale and if they make the cut to play over the weekend they will miss the Stroke Play stages of the Welsh Amateur at Pyle and Kenfig. It means they may miss the chance to be part of a bumper field of 140 when the top men’s event in Welsh amateur golf returns after a two year gap following last season’s Covid cancellation, the previous time the event missed a year was during World War II.

By Tom Prosser Welsh duo Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton won the World Cup of Darts as a team last year but tonight they are set to do battle in the last 16 of the prestigious World Matchplay tournament in Blackpool. This match not only brings two Welshman together but two of the most in-form players in the world on current form. Price is the world number one and current world champion whilst Clayton has won both the Masters and the Premier League within the last six months.

By James Skeldon Hamish Rutherford is looking forward to hitting the ground running and concluding the rest of the season with Glamorgan on a high note. The New Zealander is available for selection for the One-Day Cup as well as the remainder of the County Championship games. This will be Rutherford’s fourth stint in English cricket. He has already had seasons with Worcestershire, Derbyshire and Essex.