Rio Snippets

BRING BACK THE PENNY

Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak is having a ball at the Rio Aquatic Centre. The 16-year-old has already won four medals, almost half of the total medals won by Canada at the Rio Olympic Games so far, with a gold, a silver and two bronze medals and has become a national icon in her country.

Her popularity has soared to such a level that one particular fan has urged the government to re-issue the Penny, the one-cent coin which the Canadian government has stopped minted since 2013.

BRAZIL'S SILVA-LINING

Brazil have so far won four medals from the Rio Olympic Games and three of those have come from judo.

Interestingly two of those medals have come through judokas named Silva.

Rafaela Silva, the lady from the favela had won the country's first gold medal last week and has since become an international star. Now another Silva, one with Rafael as a given name instead of Rafaela, has won a bronze medal from the same discipline. It seems like Silvas bring a good omen for Brazil or at least for the Brazil judo team.

THAT'S FOR YOU BRO

Michael Phelps does know how to enchant people. He does it in the pool, with almost superhuman skills, and then he does it at press conferences with his deadpan humour.

The most decorated Olympian had just been beaten to the 100m butterfly gold by young Singaporean Joseph Schooling, and would expect that Joseph should get his fare share of the limelight. But Phelps being such a magnet, most of the questions were directed at him as Schooling sat listening like a mere spectator.

The American tried to divert some of the spotlight to the Young Singaporean: "Joe should be getting most of the questions," he told reporters. "This kid just won a gold medal, guys. Let's ask him some more questions."

When a journalist obliged by asking Schooling how it felt to become "the go-to butterflier in the world right now", the 21-year-old hesitated and glanced to his left at Phelps. "That's for you bro, don't look at me," Phelps told him.