Heavy rain delayed fourth day of evening athletics session here – but it was worth the wait as it provided the host nation, and a delirious home crowd, with one of the great Olympic shock victories as 22-year-old pole vaulter Thiago Da Silva set an Olympic Games record of 6.03 metres to defeat the defending champion and world record holder Renaud Lavillenie and secure a second gold medal for Brazil at Rio 2016. 

The Rio 2016 athletics programme had its third world record here this morning – a hammer throw of 82.29 metres with which Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk earned gold – and it might have had a second had Ruth Jebet run  a second faster in winning the 3,000 metres steeplechase title in 8min 59.75sec.

Whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova has launched a devastating attack on International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and questioned whether he is the right person to lead the worldwide fight against doping.

Long jumper Darya Klishina is eligible to compete for Russia at Rio 2016 after a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

A stupendous night of athletics here produced the result that most people wanted to see as Usain Bolt beat Justin Gatlin to earn a third consecutive Olympic 100 metres title in 9.80sec, but even that huge feat was overshadowed by the performance of South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk as he won 400m gold from lane eight in a world record of 43.03, breaking Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old mark.

Jemima Sumgong delivered Kenya its first Olympic women’s Marathon title in scorching conditions as she clocked 2hr 24min 04sec at the Sambodromo, home to the world-famous Carnival parade - and according to her the result was never in doubt.

Almaz Ayana's world record in the 10,000 metres on the opening day of the Olympic athletics programme here has been questioned by Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan, the woman affected more than anyone by the performances of the Chinese, whose performance the Ethiopian eclipsed.

British hopes for a re-run of "Super Saturday" from London 2012 fell short here tonight, but gold for Mo Farah in the 10,000 metres, silver for Jessica Ennis-Hill in the heptathlon and bronze for Greg Rutherford in the long jump surely constituted a "Satisfactory Saturday" at the least.

Russian long jumper Darya Klishina has been "withdrawn" from the Olympic Games by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) based on "new information" they have received, it was revealed today. 

This is the way athletics at the Olympic Games is supposed to feel.  

An extraordinary opening morning session of athletics here which included a huge world 10,000 metres record by Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana and the best high-jumping ever seen within a heptathlon competition took place in a 60,000-capacity Olympic Stadium that appeared less than half full.

An American record effort from Michelle Carter with her last throw tipped the women’s shot put final on its head here tonight and denied New Zealand's Valerie Adams a third consecutive Olympic victory.

A Kenyan coach expelled from the Olympic Games here for impersonating an athlete claimed he was only attempting to have a "decent and free meal". 

Almaz Ayana provided the opening session of the Rio 2016 athletics programme here with a historic flourish as she took more than 14 seconds off the world 10,000 metres record which has stood, apparently invulnerable, since 1993, claiming the first track and field gold of the Olympics in a time of 29min 17.45sec.

Will the Rio 2016 athletics programme, which gets underway tomorrow, become part of the Usain Bolt Narrative in the way that Beijing and London have already been?