Tokyo 2020: FC Barcelona Olympic Diary

This is the page for all the latest info on our athletes at Tokyo 2020. The club has 35 sportsmen and women competing in athletics, basketball, field hockey and football, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on all of them.

Sunday, 8 August

- And that's the end of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, in which FC Barcelona athletes have won an impressive total of 13 medals.

Saturday, 7 August 

FOOTBALL 

Pedri, Eric Garcia and Óscar Mingueza will be coming back from Tokyo with silver medals after Spain lost today's final, 2-1 to Brazil after extra time.

Brazil struck first just before the break through Matheus Cunha, but an imrpoved Spain levelled when Oyarzabal scored after 61 minutes.

After Spain agonisingly hit the crossbar right at the end, it was eventually former Barça man Malcom Oliveira to grab a second consecutive gold medal for the South Americans.

Pedri, who as well as playing almost every game for Barça this season also played for Spain U21, and at both the Euros and Olympics, has ended the season with 73 games under his belt, one more than Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United.

HANDBALL 

- France have beaten Denmark 25-23 to claim handball gold for the third time in four Olympics, and with Ludovic Fàbregas, Dika Mem, Timothey N’Guessan y Melvyn Richardson of Barça all playing their part. Beginning with Edward Wunderlich of Germany in 1984, that means Barça players have now won a remarkable 38 medals in Olympic handball over the years, including eight in the Tokyo edition.

- It's a bronze medal for Pérez de Vargas, Entrerríos, Aleix Gómez and Ángel Fernández of Spain as they beat Egypt, featuring their new Barça team-mate Ali Zein (31-33).

Friday, 6 August

FOOTBALL

- A silver medal for Fridolina Rolfö after Sweden's defeat in a penalty shoot out against Canada. After a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes, the North Americans took gold with a 3-2 win in the decisive shoot out. 

ATHLETICS

- Raquel González finished fourteenth in the women's 20 Km walk with a time of 1:31:57.

Thursday, 5 August

HANDBALL

- Ludovic Fàbregas, Dika Mem, N’Guessan and Melvyn Richardson of France will go for gold after beating Egypt (featuring Ali Zein, scorer of five goals) in their semi-final.

- Spain (also with four from Barça in the squad) will however not be joining the French in the final. They lost 27-23 to Denmark and will now contest the bronze medal with Egypt.

Wednesday, 4 August

ATHLETICS

- Adrian Ben finished an impressive fifth in the men's 800 metres with a time of 1.45.96.

- Carolina Robles was the last over the line in the women's 3000 metres steeplechase final.

- Aauri Lorena Bokesa came last in the women's 400m final with a time of 51.57.

Tuesday, 3 August

FOOTBALL

- Spain are through to the Olympic final! An extra time goal from Marco Asensio secured a 1-0 win against host nation Japan to set up a meeting for gold against Brazil, who defeated Mexico on penalties earlier in the day. Eric García played the full game and Pedri was on for the first 84 minutes.

HANDBALL

- Timothey Nguessan, Dika Mem, Ludovic Fàbregas and Melvyn Richardson (Françe) as well as Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas, Raúl Entrerríos, Aleix Gómez and Ángel Fernández (Spain) and the Egyptian Ali Zein are Barça's nine representatives in the semi finals of the Olympic handball tournament.

France booked their place in the last four with 42-28 win over Bahrain and they will now meet Egypt after the Africans defeated Germany 31-26. Spain. meanwhile booked their semi final date with Denmark thanks to a thrilling late 34-33 win over Sweden in their quarter final. 

BASKETBALL

- The Spanish team went down to a 95-81 defeat against the USA in their quarter final. 

ATHLETICS

- Nelson Évora was unable to qualify for the final of the men's triple jump in the morning session in Tokyo. 

Monday, 2 August

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

- Fridolina Rolfö has another medal assured for FC Barcelona. The Swedish international scored the only goal of the game in the semi final win over Australia to set up a final against Canada on Friday, 6 July, kick off 11am CEST. 

ATHLETICS

- Jael-Sakura Bestué beat her personal best in the women's 200m, but fourth place in her heat was not enough to book a ticket for the final.

Sunday, 1 August

FIELD HOCKEY

- Spain are out of the tournament after a 3-1 defeat against one of the favourites for gold Belgium and so Miki Delmàs' 2020 Olympic Games come to an end. 

BASKETBALL

- The Spanish basketball team were unable to claim first place in their group after going down to a 95-87 defeat against Slovenia. Blaugranes Pau Gasol and Alex Abrines contributed eight points and three points respectively in a game between two of the favourites for a medal in the competition. 

- An Argentina side with Leandro Bolmaro and Laprovittola beat Japan 94-74 to secure their place in the quarter finals.  

ATHLETICS 

- In the women's triple jump, Yulimar Rojas made history by taking the gold with a 15.67m leap to smash the 26 year old world record. 

- Adrián Ben became the first Spaniards to reach the final of the men's 800m after finishing fourth in his semi-final in a time of 1:44.30, enough to get him in with a chance of making his mark in the final. 

- 33 year old Olympic debutante Laura Redondo failed to make it out of the qualifying round in the women's hammer throw but there was better luck for Carolina Robles as she made it to the final of the 3,000m steeplechase. The Barça athlete was hampered severely by another athlete's fall and the judges opted to reinstate her for the final. 

HANDBALL

-Already through to the quarter finals, a France team featuring blaugranes Ludovic Fàbregas, Dika Mem, N'Guessan and Melvyn Richardson went down to their first defeat of the tournament losing 32-29 against Norway. 

-Spain recorded their fourth win of the Olympic Games with a 36-27 victory over Argentina. Pérez de Vargas and Entrerriós were involved and Aleix Gómez was top scorer with six goals. Ángel Fernández did not feature in Sunday's game. 

- In group B an Egypt side featuring Ali Zein overcame Bahrain by 30-30 whilst Luis Frade's Portugal were edged out by hosts Japan 31-30. 

Saturday 31 July

FOOTBALL

- Spain are through to the semi-finals after an extraordinary game with Ivory Coast. The 'Elephants' took a 2-1 lead in injury time and looked to have clinched passage but substitute Rafa Mir, formerly of Barça B, equalised with his first kick of the game. Mir went on to complete a hat-trick as Spain eventually won won 5-2.
Eric Garcia played the whole game and Pedri was on for the first 102 minutes, but sadly Óscar Mingueza had to withdraw with an injury after just ten minutes..

ATHLETICS

- Finally Aauri Bokesa and the Spanish 4x400 mixed relay team will not be running in today's final after the USA and Dominican Republic successfully appealed against their disqualifications.

Friday 30 July

FOOTBALL

- Lieke Martens and the Dutch team are out of the Olympics after losing 4-2 on penalties to the USA following a 2-2 draw in normal time. 

- Fridolina Rolfö and Sweden are through to the semi-finals after coming from behind to defeat hosts Japan 3-1.

- Gio and Brazil have crashed out of the competition after an excruciatingly tight quarter final ended 0-0. Gio herself was not involved as the Brazilians eventually went out on penalties.

ATHLETICS

- Aauri Bokesa was part of Spain's team in the brand new Mixed 4x400 Relay, and their time of 3:13:29 was not only a national record but also means they'll be running in the final after the DQ of the USA and Dominican Republic.

- Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas posted the strongest qualifying distance in the triple jump, 14.77m, but Brazil's Nubia Soares will not be joining her in Sunday's final.

HANDBALL

- Luis Frade scored twice for Portugal against Denmark, but his side was unable to topple the group leaders and have just one win from their first four games.

- Egypt have beaten Sweden 27-22 with Ali Zein scoring three goals and thus ensuring that the North Africans will be in the quarter finals.

- France and beaten Spain 36-31 with Fàbregas, Dika Mem, N'Guessan and Melvyn Richardson aall helping to maintain the 100% French record. Defeat for Spain, with Pérez de Vargas, Entrerríos, Aleix Gómez (five goals) and Ángel Fernández all involved, although Spain are assured passage into the last eight regardless.

- A 33% conversion rate was not enough for Leo Maciel to save Argentina from defeat to South American rivals Brazil, featuring Thiagus Petrus and Haniel Lángara (23-25). The latter contributed five goals to the Brazilian cause.

FIELD HOCKEY

- A penalty corner with just 48 seconds to go earned Spain a 1-1 draw with Australia and a last-gasp berth in the QFs. Fabulous for captain Miki Delàs.

ATHLETICS

- Barça's Sebastian Martos came eighth in his 3,000, steeplechase heat with a time of 8: 23.07, not enough to qualify for Monday's final.

Thursday 29 July

BASKETBALL

- Spain have beaten Argentina 81-71 in the second round of games, with Pau Gasol (9) and Àlex Abrines (3) on the winning side and Leadro Bolmaro (2) and Laprovittola (27) the club's new signing, on the losing side.

The win assures Spain a place in the quarter finals, and they'll compete for top spot with Slovenia in the final game in the group.

Wednesday 28 July

FIELD HOCKEY

- Miki Delàs and Spain finally have a win, 4-1 against Japan, and are now tied on four points in the group with New Zealand and Argentina. 

FOOTBALL 

Both Pedri and Eric Garcia had words for the press following Spain's qualification for the quarter finals:

Eric Garcia: "We dominated for 80 minutes, but we defended too deep after scoring. But we need to keep learning and moving things up a notch. I feel fine and hopefully I can play even better to help the team."

Pedri: "After we scored, we just concentrated on keeping the ball off Argentin. It was a tough blow when they scored, but we kept calm and focused on keeping the ball. I don't feel tired. I make sure I'm getting enough rest so I am always fresh."

- Pedri and Eric Garcia both started as Spain drew 1-1 with Argentina to qualify for the last eight. Mikel Merino had put Spain into the lead, but the South Americans equalised with three minutes to go. But it is Egypt, 2-0 victors against Australia, who accompany the Spanish into the quarters. Next up for Spain is the Ivory Coast.

HANDBALL

- A 30-29 win for France against Germany sees Ludovic Fàbregas, Dika Mem, N'Guessan and Melvyn Richardson all through to the quarter finals too. 

- Frade contributed 3 goals and a 75% conversion rate but Portugal were unable to beat Sweden, going down by just one goal (29-28). 

- Pérez de Vargas, Entrerríos, Aleix Gómez and Ángel Fernández have helped Spain through to the quarter finals with a big win over Brazil (32-25), with Thiagus Petrus and Haniel Langaro featuring for the opposition.

- But it was a happier day for Ali Zein, who scored two goals in Egypt's victory over hosts Japan (29-33). 

- Leo Maciel's 15 saves from 37 shots were not enough to save Argentina from 27-23 defeat to Norway.  

Tuesday, 27 July

FOOTBALL

- Gio and Brazil are also into the quarter finals. The blaugrana came on as a first half substitute in the 1-0 win over Zambia. 

- Lieke Martens scored a brace for Holland in their 8-2 romp against China to book a place in the last eight with the blaugrana scoring twice in the win. 

- Barça Women new signing Fridolina Rolfö, who sat out the final game of the group stage, saw her teammates pull of an impressive 2-0 win over New Zealand to top their group with a 100% record. 

TAEKWONDO

- Check out what Spain's taekwondo silver medallist, 17-year-old Adriana Cerezo, had to say about her favourite football team!

Monday, 26 July

BASKETBALL

- An 88-77 win over hosts Japan for Spain, featuring Pau Gasol (9 pts, 4 rebounds and an assist) and Alex Abrines (11 pts, 3 rebounds). Next up, Argentina on Thursday.

- Leandro Bolmaro suffered defeat in Argentina's 118-110 reverse against a Slovenia team inspired by NBA star Luka Doncic. 

HANDBALL

- Win number two for the Spanish handball team as Barça's Aleix Gómez scored right at the death to given them a 28-27 win over Norway. Pérez de Vargas excelled in goal again with fellow blaugranes Entrerríos (1) and Ángel Fernández (4) were also on the scoresheet.  

- Ludovic Fàbregas, Dika Mem, N’Guessan and Melvyn Richardson overcame a Brazil side featuring Thiagus Petrus and Haniel Langaro. France's 34-29 win saw Fàbragas and Mem score three times each with Langaro also scoring three in his team's defeat. France now lead Group A with two wins. 

- New Barça keeper Leonel Maciel made eight saves but it was not enough for Argentina to avoid defeat against Germany in a 33-25 reverese. The South Americans are still looking for their first win in the tournament.  

- Another new signing for the blaugranes, Ali Zein, also suffered defeat with Egypt in their second game of the tournament, losing 32-25 against Denmark. 

Sunday 25 July 

FIELD HOCKEY

- Miki Delàs was in action for Spain against New Zealand. The Barça player started the game but was unable to prevent a 4-3 defeat which leaves Spain with just one point in Group A. 

FOOTBALL

- A late goal from Mikel Oyarzabal secures 1-0 victory for Spain against Australia. A draw against Argentina in the final game will now be enough to see la Roja through to the quarter finals. Pedri was once again quite outstanding, not just in attack but also in terms of his defensive responsibilities. Australia failed to cause much danger, so Eric Garcia was rarely called upon to show his best, but what he did do, he did with solid expertise. 

- Pedri and Eric Garcia are in the starting XI as Spain face Australia at 12.30pm CEST in Sapporo. They need a win after drawing 0-0 with Egypt in their opening game, but it won't be easy against the Olyroos, who are buzzing after an unexpected triumph over Argentina. 

Saturday, 24 July

FOOTBALL

- Great game for Lieke Martens and Holland to draw with fellow gold medal candidates 3-3 in a vibrant game in Group F.

- The Swedish Olympic women's team keep impressing. In their second group game they beat Australia 4-2 with Barça's new signing Fridolina Rölfö scoring twice. 

HANDBALL

- The Spanish national side put in an excellent performance to beat Germany 28-27 in Group A. Barça keeper Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas made 11 saves and his club team mates Raúl Entrerrios (1), Ángel Fernández (4) and Aleix Gómez (5) were all on target in the win. 

- Melvyn Richardson was on target with seven goals, Ludovic Fàbregas scored four times, fellow blaugranes Dika Mem three times and Timothey N'Guessan once in France's 33-27 win over Leonel Maciel's Argentina

- In contrast Thiagus Petrus and Haniel Langaro were on the losing side as Brazil went down 27-24 against Norway despite five goals from Langaro. 

- Portugal (Luis Frade) have beaten Egypt (Ali Zein) 37-31.

Thursday 22 July

MEN'S FOOTBALL

- Eric Garcia, Oscar Mingueza and Pedri all started in Spain’s first group fixture but the team was only able to draw 0-0 with Egypt. Defender Mingueza had to come off after just 20 minutes with a fitness problem. Spain are back in action against Australia on Sunday.

Wednesday 21 July

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

- The Swedish women have caused a sensation in their opening game with a 3-0 victory against none other than gold medal favourites USA. Barça’s new signing Fridolina Rolf played the first 63 minutes of a fabulous win for the Swedes.

- There was also a fine start to the games for Lieke Martens. She was outstanding in an incredible 10-3 victory for Holland against Zambia, scoring two goals.

- Gio Quieroz did not feature in Brazil’s debut fixture, a convincing 5-0 victory against China