Good afternoon and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage from day 13 of the Olympic swimming.
London's Aquatics Centre plays host to the technical routine phase of the women's groups in the synchronised swimming this afternoon.
Keri-Anne Payne narrowly missed out on a medal in the women's 10km marathon earlier today, so hopefully the home nation will have something to shout about when Team GB take to the pool in this event.
Jenna Randall and Olivia Federici impressed during the duets competition, but face tough competition from a very strong Russian team.
3.47pmThere's everything to play for in the free routine phase. We'll be on hand to bring you all the action from that at 2.30pm tomorrow. Do join us then.
3.45pmAnd that concludes the technical routine stage of the women's teams. Russia finish in first with a score of 98.100, China are in second on 97.00, and Spain in third one 96.00. Team GB end the day in sixth on 87.200.
3.45pmWell, Britain go down another notch as Japan pick up a score of 93.900 to move into fifth.
3.43pmThere were a few errors. Will the judges pick up on them?
3.41pmQuick turns controlled rotations from them set against thunderous drums. They have interpreted the music well and will score high on artistry.
3.40pmJapan is the final team to perform. Their them is 'The Storm', and they will no doubt be hoping it goes down a storm.
3.38pmA fun and creative routine from them. The judges score that at 94.400, and that puts them in four place at the expense of Team GB with one more team to swim.
3.35pmI've no idea what it is I'm listening to, but it's drum-heavy. Their movements incorporate a lot of sharp kicks and formation switches.
3.34pmThe Canadian's are pandering to the home crowd, performing a football-themed routine.
3.33pmThis is Britain's debut in the team event, and they pick up 87.300. That puts them into fourth place with two more teams to swim.
3.29pmBritain are performing to a score by Paganini. It's full of dramatic movements and swift formation changes. Good execution from the home team.
3.28pmFederici and Randall lead out Team GB, and the crowd goes nuts!
3.27pmThey showed a lot of spirit, but this young team is not yet at a stage where it can compete with the likes of Russia. They judges hand them a 77.600.
3.24pmThe Egyptians are up now, performing to a piece of classical music that makes me feel like a philistine for not recognising. A few errors from them.
3.22pmA fantastic score of 98.100 for them. They will certainly be among the medals come tomorrow evening. The crowd really responded to them, too.
3.19pmThey perform some world class manoeuvres to what sounds like a remixed version of the Tetris theme tune. This will score highly on execution and artistry.
3.18pmThe Russians are the firm favourites here today, and they are up now performing a Russian dance.
3.16pmThey won a bronze in duet, and look to be of medal quality here today. The judges award them with 97.000 and they march ahead of Spain.
3.14pmA very complex repertoire from them. It's a technically strong performance set against a dark and foreboding classical score.
3.12pmThe Chinese perform a crowd-pleasing dance poolside, but won't receive any points for that.
3.09pmThere were a few synchro errors that, but that performance was full of flavour. The judges award them 96.200, a score that will be tough to beat!
3.07pmAn acrobatic performance from them, propelling two of their team members high out of the water. A nice traditional Spanish musical score too.
3.06pmThe Spaniards are up. They picked up silver in the duets, so they're surely one to watch.
3.05pmThe judges score them at 77.500. That will be added to their score from tomorrow's free routine.
3.00pmAustralia kick off proceedings. They perform to an upbeat number with tribal influences. Intricate pattern changes and good synchronisation from them.
2.58pmEight teams of eight will compete today, and scores will be carried over to tomorrow's free routine round where the medals are up for grabs.
2.55pmThe team event is about to get under way at the Aquatics Centre. Team GB are down to perform sixth, and will treat us to a repertoire choreographed in part by Robin Cousins.
2.19pmThat gets under way at 3.00pm, and we'll have all the action for you right here.
2.17pmNext on the agenda today is synchronised swimming, and Team GB is in action in the technical routine phase of the women's teams.
2.15pmPayne was unlucky to come away empty-handed today, but the competition was intense. You can read our report of the race here.
1.58pmPayne just misses the podium in fourth place.
1.58pmRisztov wins gold, Anderson ups her game at the death to take silver, and Grimaldi bags bronze.
1.57pmGrimaldi and Anderson look like they will catch her here. Can Payne get in there too?
1.54pmThe chasing pack are gaining ground on Risztov. Did she break away too early? It's really close here with minutes to go. Payne isn't far behind the medal positions.
1.52pmPayne needs to make a break for it soon if she wants a medal out of this. She's in the chasing pack with three other swimmers, but is the furthest behind of that group.
1.46pmRisztov had plenty in reserve and has powered into a significant lead. With 15 minutes to go, it doesn't look like anyone will be able to catch her. Hopefully Payne can up her game at the final stretch and make the podium with her.
1.40pmI think she can do it. She's only four seconds off the front of the pack!
1.28pmAt the end of round four Risztov leads, Grimaldi is in second, and Anderson in third. Payne is in fifth and needs to dig deep in the final length to force her way into the medal positions!
1.34pmA gap has opened up between the top five and the rest. Payne is in among the frontrunners, but stealing the lead ahead of the final lap looks like a big ask right now.
1.29pmPoliana Okimoto of Brazil has to be rescued and will also bow out. She never really took to the cold water.
1.22pmLooks like Roux has bowed out. It was only a matter of time.
1.20pmRisztov is in first, Grimaldi in second and Anderson in third. It remains a tight field, but Payne is almost a minute off the lead.
1.19pmLap four is behind us now. Payne is back in fifth. That is quite concerning as she would usually be the frontrunner at this stage.
1.17pmRisztov keeps pulling ahead into the lead, showing steely determination. She must be using a lot of energy, though. Anderson is skirting around the frontrunners, and looks like she has something up her sleeve.
1.11pmShe's back into the top four now, with little remaining of the fourth lap. Virtually every swimmer is within a handful of seconds of each other, so this could well come down to the final straight.
1.03pmPayne has dropped back considerably. She is now among the second cluster of swimmers behind the leading group. Is this tactical? There's still two-and-a-half laps to set things right.
1.01pmRisztov, about a metre in the lead, switches from freestyle to backstroke. This is likely to allow her to rest and see where the chasing pack are.
1.00pmPayne is around four seconds off the lead.
12.59pmAt the end of the third lap, Payne has fallen back to fourth. Risztov leads, followed by Martina Grimaldi of Italy, and Anderson in third.
12.57pmAngela Maurer of Germany is shown the yellow flag, likely for obstruction.
12.56pmSouth Africa's Jessica Roux is a long, long way behind the pack. I wouldn't be surprised if she dropped out at some point. She looks to be struggling.
12.47pmThe American has dropped back into third now. Payne and Risztov are practically on top of each other at the front. They are scrapping away furiously. I think one of them could come away with a black eye.
12.42pmAnderson has a two-second lead on Payne at present. The American dug deep to force her way in amongst the leaders there. Although we should point out that we aren't even at the halfway stage yet.
12.40pmHaley Anderson pushes ahead to swim under that arch first at the end of lap two. Payne is in second, Risztov in third.
12.37pmOne of the swimmers has been shown a yellow flag (open-water swimming's equivalent of a yellow card in football), but it isn't clear who it was intended for. We can confirm it wasn't Payne, though.
12.35pmPayne has the lead now, but it remains very tight.
12.30pmGorman, Payne and Risztov continue to lead the pack. They are in touching distance of each other at the half-hour mark.
12.25pmGorman is actually the pace-setter now, though, a position that Payne is more accustomed to. We're just over halfway through the second lap of six.
12.24pmPayne finished her first lap with a time of 19:22.7. Risztov of Hungary was the pace-setter with a time of 19:22.2, so it's close.
12.22pmSo Payne is looking good as it stands, swimming at just a faction of a second off first place, but there's a long way to go yet. The race last from around one hour and 40 minutes.
12.20pmEva Risztov of Hungary pushes her into second as the swimmers pass under the arch at the end of lap one. Payne is in third as it stands, but is a fraction of a second behind the front two.
12.19pmGorman is in the lead now, coming up to the end of the first lap.
12.11pmMelissa Gorman of Australia could be a threat today. She's just forced her way in to third position with 12 minutes gone.
12.07amIt's very tight at the front, with a dozen swimmers practically on top of one another with just over seven minutes on the clock. Payne is in there.
12.01pmPayne launches into a great start. She has a clear strategy here today no doubt. Haley Anderson of the United States is looking good too.
Written by
Mark Langshaw
Mark Langshaw
