Rio 2016 day 12 wrap-up: After the storm, the calm postpones another Great Britain gold

After reaching a grand total of 50 medals on Tuesday, Wednesday was a more sedate affair for Team GB

Clark and Mills put their feet up while waiting for the wind to change (Getty)

After the storm, the calm. Rio 2016 became Team GB’s most successful away Games on Tuesday when they bagged medals galore again to hit 50 and to surpass the bundle they won in Beijing.

But Wednesday was a more sedate day for Britain, a chance to draw breath on a medal-free day. That did not mean there was a lack of action in Rio; far from it. The women’s GB hockey team pulled off a brilliant victory beating New Zealand 3-0 to progress to the final and to guarantee an improvement on the bronze medal they won in London.

Alex Danson scored twice and Helen Richardson-Walsh flicked home a penalty stroke to see GB through to Friday’s final where they will play the Dutch. That will be no pushover, however, the Nertherlands have won the last two Olympic golds. But, still, the Silver Ferns are ranked above GB in the world pecking order, so who knows?

GB are on a cracking run having won all their games in Rio, too. “Seven out of seven, not too shabby,” said their coach Danny Kerry. “They executed the game plan superbly. I am very proud.”

In another semi-final, the Maracana was lit up by Neymar’s demolition of Honduras in the football, the brilliant Brazilian delighting home fans by scoring in the first and last minute and dictating affairs in between.

Brazil, who drew their first two games here 0-0, have now won 4-0, 2-0 and 6-0 in their subsequent three matches thanks to a new attacking 4-2-4 formation and have got an expectant public – still suspicious of this side after they were dumped out of their own World Cup by Germany 7-1 two years ago – believing again.

Neymar, the captain, will lead the team into Saturday’s final as they attempt to win their first ever Olympic gold medal – a startling omission from a CV as rich as Brazil’s.

There was British action – or not as was the case for the sailing pair of Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark who have virtually guaranteed gold. But a lack of wind denied them the chance to confirm it with racing postponed until Thursday.

In the Olympic Stadium, Mo Farah guaranteed his place in the final of the 5,000m despite stumbling again – as he did so incredibly during his victory in the 10,000m on Saturday night.

Farah is attempting to become the second man after Finland's Lasse Viren (1972 and ‘76) to retain the 10,000m and 5,000m titles but nearly lost his footing in the heat. “I always seem to get tangled up somehow but I managed to stay on my feet,” he said. “I’m just getting back into the zone again. In the 10k I was on the edge and nothing could get in my way and [then] I was a little bit distracted so now I have to get back into the zone and focus.”

Farah just about retained his balance to qualify safely in a heat won by Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet, who is likely to be one of his chief rivals in the final.

In the boxing, Savannah Marshall of Great Britain lost to Holland’s Nouchka Fontijn on a split decision in the quarter-final. The 25-year-old from Hartlepool gave a good account of herself, but it was not enough to defeat the No 2 seed. And in the canoeing, Britain's Liam Heath and Jon Schofield reached Thursday’s kayak double 200m final.