Team GB’s Laura Muir has gone through to the semi-finals of the 1500m at the Olympics – with Britain’s medal hopes in the velodrome also getting under way today.

The Scottish runner began her Games campaign overnight, finishing second in heat one, with a time of 4mins 3.89secs.

Muir, the European champion, was beaten by Canada’s Gabriela DeBues-Stafford but said she was saving energy for the final.

“You don’t want to have any disrespect to any of the girls out here, but I want to save as much as I can for the final.

“It has gone as smooth as it could be – I’ve been out in Japan for a couple of weeks now, so feeling really prepared and it’s really good.

“It didn’t feel that fast, so that’s good. I just wanted to qualify for the next round as comfortably as possible. So that felt really good out there today and I am looking forward to the semi-final.”

Other Team GB highlights on Monday include:

• Katie Snowden also qualified in the 1500m, but Revee Walcott-Nolan missed out

• Beth Dobbin reached the 200m semi-finals after running a season’s best of 22.78 seconds

• Cyclist Laura Kenny – who already has four Olympic golds – will compete later in the women’s team pursuit qualifying

• Matt Coward- Holley and Kirsty Hegarty will compete in the shooting mixed-team trap event

• In the sailing, Saskia Tidey, Charlotte Dobson, Stuart Bithell and Dylan Fletcher will go in the women’s 49er FX and men’s 49er

• Tom McEwen, Oliver Townend, Laura Collett will compete in equestrian events

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee is investigating a gesture made by US athlete Raven Saunders on the podium after she won a medal in the shot put.

Saunders raised her arms into an X above her head, one of the most visible individual protests at the Games so far.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the committee is in contact with World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport, and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

Related posts:

COVID vaccines have prevented 10,400 deaths in older adults, Public Health England says PM praises Prince Philip’s ‘steadfast support’ for Queen as tributes paid to duke ‘He was our everything’: Family pays tribute to boy, 9, killed after being ‘struck by lightning’ Scotland beaten in first appearance at a major tournament in 23 years Mexico crocodile attack twin describes how she punched animal as it death rolled her sister BBC journalist abused and chased by anti-lockdown protesters in London UK daily COVID cases exceed 40,000 – highest since mid-January Children as young as 13 are being recruited by far-right extremists, says MI5 director-general Serial killer Stephen Port’s first victim may have been dead for more than a day before being found, inquest hears Restaurants, bars and festivals helped economy pick up in August after rules eased UK records 40,375 new COVID cases and 145 deaths Harry Kane breaks competitive goal scoring record for England after perfect hat-trick