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Tokyo Olympics: Laura Muir reaches semi-finals of the 1500m - as velodrome action to begin

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 in the women's team pursuit qualifying later. Her husband Jason Kenny - one of GB's most-decorated Olympians - begins his campaign on Tuesday.

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

• 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.