Aussie Skinner to shoot for gold in women's trap

Australian Catherine Skinner will shoot for gold after winning the women's trap semi-final. She will face New Zealand's Natalie Rooney who edged American Corey Cogdell in a shoot-off.

Bloodiness in the water: Horton has the last word

The more Mack Horton and Sun Yang avoided contact - body, eye, incidental - the more of a contact sport this became.

Coutts completes Belconnen beers to Brazil swansong

Alicia Coutts has juggled her swimming career with pulling beers in Belconnen or caring for cats at the RSPCA.

Chinese fury over Mack Horton's 'taunting' of Sun Yang

Chinese sports fans and local media have turned on Australia's newest Olympic swimming sensation Mack Horton for calling home favourite Sun Yang a drug cheat.

Australians robbed at knifepoint near Ipanema Beach in troubled start to Olympics

Two Australian rowing coaches have been robbed at knifepoint near Rio's famous Ipanema Beach after attending the Australian team's informal opening ceremony on Friday night.

Matildas blow their chance to beat Germany

A last-gasp goal to Germany has denied the Matildas a crucial Rio Olympics group win, holding Australia's women to a 2-2 draw in Sao Paulo and leaving their hopes of progression in the balance.

Aussie water polo team 'a little bit soft'

Australian water polo captain Rhys Howden questions team's physicality after narrow loss on opening night of competition in Rio.

Video referrals saves Kookaburras from embarrassing draw

Two critical video referrals saved Australia's men's hockey team as they scratched out an unconvincing victory over New Zealand in the Kookaburra's first hit out of the Olympic campaign.

Boomers must stay nasty to keep winning: Bogut

Given his various controversial utterances of late, Andrew Bogut might have tried to steer away from calling a group of men '"pricks" on Saturday.

Kim Brennan slams organisers for not postponing the rowing

Australia's world champion single sculler Kim Brennan has suffered her first loss in two years, crossing the line third in the opening day of heats at Rio's Lagoa Stadium.

Aussie gets teary as she makes history

As the first Australian athlete to compete both in the Paralympics and Olympics, the "country girl" from Hamilton will have her place in Australian Olympic history long after this year's Rio table tennis competition is forgotten.

Security fears for Gina Rinehart if Australia's richest woman visits Rio

Gina Rinehart's personal security team has protested that her safety could be compromised if she attends the AOC President's reception at the Edge hotel in Rio on August 15.

In Rio, love comes second for Ryan and Genevieve

Gen LaCaze and Ryan Gregson have been together for three years. When the athletics start the two middle distance runners will put the Olympics first.

BMX star Buchanan's Rio redemption mission to erase tears

Canberra BMX star Caroline Buchanan has spent the past four years plotting her path to Rio redemption.

Let the Games, um, you know, begin

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No Olympic Games in the last 20 years have arrived with fewer expectations than Rio de Janeiro's.

Bugs, bodies and barnacles, but Aussies raise the spinnaker

Australia's sailing team steered their way through a tricky strait of questions about infamous Guanabara Bay, where even the most able seaman is liable either to catch or crash into something. Somehow, they managed to minimise the many risks without dismissing or trivialising them. Call it tacking tactfully.

From the cheap seats

 As the Rio Olympics gets into full swing and unprecedented world record bacteria count in the outdoor water events, we provide a helpful glossary for those less experienced at watching the Olympic Games on television in this country, or those particularly expert at putting the whole deal out of their minds every four years.

Rio Olympic Games: Canberra runs deep in Cusack's veins

Canberra rugby player Tom Cusack got a golden reminder of what the Olympic Games is about before he flew to Rio to join the world's biggest sporting party.

Williams, Buchanan lead Canberra's chance of gold in Brazil

There will be 20 current and former Canberra athletes at the Rio Olympics. Who has the best chance of chasing gold?

Brazilians hurl offensive slurs at Matildas keeper

Every time Australian goalkeeper Lydia Williams launched a kick, the Brazilian crowd chanted a homophobic slur. It wasn't a personal attack, but it was ugly.

Aths director Steffensen mentored banned sprinter, works for Malta

New Athletics Australia director John Steffensen previously coached and recently mentored a Maltese runner, who also won Commonwealth gold for Australia, and has been banned from the Rio Olympics after failing a drug test.

Sprinter lost 10kgs in days from bug before Olympics

Australian sprinter Alex Hartmann knocked back abdominal surgery to compete at his first Olympics after a mystery stomach bug caused him to lose 10 kilograms in four days just weeks out from the Rio Games.

Meares, tears and cheers: Anna steals GG's show

The governor-general issued the rallying cry, but it Australian captain Anna Meares who moved all, including herself, to tears as she addressed the Olympic team.

Matildas make horror start to Rio campaign

Australia conceded the fastest goal in Olympic women's football in a spirit-sapping 2-0 loss to Canada.