Olympics 2024 LIVE: Adam Peaty bids for swimming gold as Andy Murray extends career after thrilling comeback

A joint silver medal for Adam Peaty as Nicolo Martinenghi stuns the field from lane seven!

And they are off, Peaty getting a decent start but behind Qin and Nic Fink outside him. Can Peaty wind it up towards the wall in trademark fashion? He can, on to Qin’s shoulder. They touch first and second at the turn.

Adam Peaty has the 14 fastest men’s 100 breast times in history – if he’s close to his best, no-one will get near him.

Right – it’s go time. Here’s your line-up in lane order for the final. Peaty and Qin Haiyang are the favourites, but very little separated this octet in the semi-finals.

1 Lucas Matzerath (Germany)

2 Caspar Corbeau (Netherlands)

3 Arno Kamminga (Netherlands)

4 Adam Peaty (Great Britain)

7 Nicolo Matinenghi (Italy)

8 Melvin Imoudu (Germany)

Xu Jiayu leads the second semi-final out, under the world record split by a distance at the turn. Can he hold it? This a fantastic swim from the veteran, tying up slightly but still recording a scorching 52.02. Good news for Team GB’s Oliver Morgan, who was one lane to the outside and finished third in 52.85 to book his place in the final.

First, though, the men’s 100m backstroke semi-finals. Usually dominated by the Americans and Russians, it’s Italy’s Thomas Ceccon who has emerged as the leading protagonist over the last couple of years, and he takes the first semi in 52.58, a little way down on his world record but suggesting there may be more in the tank. France’s Yohann Ndoye-Brouard is second and will be in the final, to the delight of the home fans.

Right, the moment is almost upon us. Adam Peaty is bidding to become only the second male swimmer to win three consecutive Olympic golds in the same event. He’s already the best breaststroker of all-time – but after all of the ups and downs since Tokyo, has he got one more history-making night in him?

France has a new superstar and Leon Marchand has fully arrived. With gold in the 400m individual medley, Marchand has not just ended a 12-year drought, he has surely announced a new era of swimming.

Tatjana Smith (née Schoenmaker) gets the touch ahead of McSharry and King, a time of 1:05 dead taking the South African through to the final fastest. Ruta Meilutyte faded after a fast first 50 and was only down in seventh.

That’s a new Irish record of 1:05.51 from McSharry – an excellent swim. And Team GB’s Angharad Evans has made it through comfortably, too.

This semi-final could go anywhere. World record holder and 2016 gold medallist Lilly King looks confident in lane three. Ireland’s Mona McSharry has been swimming really well, too.