Beijing 2008: Day 15

Whacked fact

Since Thailand's Manus Boonjumnong, who will attempt to retain his gold medal today, won the light-welterweight title in Athens he has gone off the rails, spent $600,000 on gambling and alcohol, been dumped by his pregnant wife, given up boxing for two years and become a monk. "My problems are behind me now," he says. His good days might be behind him too - he lost to Britain's own Bradley Saunders in May.

Chinese whispers

After winning five golds in 2000 and six in 2004, the hosts were aiming for a clean sweep of eight in the diving events this time out. Today the last of them, the men's 10m platform, will be decided. When the diving World Cup was held at the same venue earlier this year this was the only title that eluded them. Zhou Luxin, who got the silver then, and highly-rated 16-year-old Lin Yue will be under pressure to go one better today.

Brit of all right

Zhou is unlikely to lose any sleep over the involvement of Tom Daley. "I think I've got no chance," says our juvenile jumper, below, who turns 14 years, three months and two days old today. "I don't think I'll get anywhere near a medal. I'm just going for the experience."

Commentator's nightmare

It's individual medals day in the rhythmic gymnastics, the sport with the silliest props - a rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. It is appropriate to be deeply suspicious of any discipline which awards Olympic medals to women based on their ability to make wavy shapes with a ribbon while playing annoying music at great volume but for the record the Ukrainian Anna Bessonova, whose mother was twice a world champion and whose father played for Dynamo Kyiv, is favorite to end Russia's dominance.

Medal madness

With 31 medals, including the men's football, this is the last major day of the Games. On the track keep an eye on world high jump silver medalist Antonietta Di Martino, particularly if you happen to be an Italian tax evader - she is one of 41 members of Italy's tax police in Beijing. "In normal life I'm braver than on the sports field," she says. If you like a frisson of danger the men's javelin favorite, world champion Tero Pitkamaki, lit up the Rome Golden League meeting last year when one wayward effort speared the French long jumper Salim Sdiri. He was promptly named Finland's athlete of the year.

Alternative attraction

Madonna's Sticky and Sweet world tour starts tonight at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, but that's not the only major event on in Wales today. Oh no. There's also the Tal-y-bont and North Ceredigion Agricultural Show.

Confucius says...

"The wise find pleasure in water; the virtuous find pleasure in the hills. The wise are active; the virtuous are tranquil. The wise are joyful; the virtuous are long-lived"

· The ancient ace has good news for Tom Daley and his diving pals; they're going to be clever and happy. But not for long.