The Australian women's hockey team have gone down to Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand to bow out of the Olympic tournament tournament with a 4-2 loss.

With the men going 4-0 to Netherlands in the quarter-finals yesterday, it marks the first time in 32 years, since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, that the Australian men and women have failed to win an Olympic medal between them.

Australian captain Madonna Blyth hinted at retirement after 342 international appearances and three Olympics.

"I think that's it for me. Definitely last Olympics," Blyth said.

"I put everything I had into the last six months or so in the lead up to Rio, always, I think, in the back of my mind knowing this would be it.

"It's a little bit of a disappointing way to go out but it's just the way it goes sometimes. You can't have the fairy tale finishes when you want them."

The Hockeyroos, gold medallists in 1988, 1996 and 2000, will go empty handed for the fourth consecutive Olympic Games - after fifth-placed finishes in Athens, Beijing and London.

"They just outplayed us today," Blyth said. "They were a little bit cleaner. When it comes down to these games you've got to be at your best or you get punished."

10KM OPEN WATER SWIM

Sunshine Coast swimmer Chelsea Gubecka finished a gallant 15th in her Olympic marathon swimming debut at Copacabana beach.

The 17-year-old, the youngest swimmer in the 26-strong field, tried to stay in touch when the pace went up a gear during the final 2.5km but just couldn't hold on when the leaders took off.

Gubecka (1hour 58min 12.7sec) remains determined to focus and improve on Tokyo 2020.

"The tactics were just to hang in for as long as I could. I was the youngest in the field by a fair bit," Gubecka said. 

"It was a rough and tough (race) and I swallowed a lot of water...copping a few and getting them back….but it's all good fun...it was a great swim, a great course (against) a good bunch of girls…some almost twice my age.

"There is so much on the line; the Olympics only comes around every four years; everyone wants is to win a medal and to win a gold medal; the pressure you put on yourself is just unbelievable.

"But it's pretty cool and pretty special to be part of this, to be part of the Australian Team, being able to race a lot of these older girls and gain experience of an Olympic Games so early is just incredible."

Gold medallist Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands won in a time of 1:56.32.1. 

In a final flurry of arms and legs Frenchwoman Aurelie Muller and Italy's Rachele Bruni swam stroke-for-stroke and were entangled as they hit the finish together. The udges however disqualified Muller as Bruni appeared to be pushed outside the finish area.

Bruni (1:56.49.5) was awarded the silver medal with Brazil's local hero Poliana Okimoto (1:56.51.4) elevated to the bronze medal position.

SPRINT CANOE/KAYAK HEATS

Australia's sprint canoe and kayak section began its Olympic campaign with two out of the three crews in action booking places in Tuesday night's finals.

London 2012 Olympic gold medallist, Murray Stewart, won his semi-final in the K1 1000m in sublime style, over the reigning 2015 World Champion in the boat, Rene Holton of Denmark. Meanwhile young guns Alyce Burnett and Alyssa Bull finished third in their K2 500m semi-final to book a place in their first ever Olympic final.

Veteran canoeist, Martin Marinov, finished seventh in his semi-final in the C1 1000m and will not contest the finals. He will race again later in the week, in the men's C2 1000m, with Ferenc Szekszardi.

Olympic debutants Alyce Burnett and Alyssa Bull will now line up tonight at 10.23 to take on Russia, Belarus, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

Stewart's final will be at 11.12pm, where he's drawn in lane five. He will take on paddlers from Denmark, Slovakia, Portugal, Russia, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic.

ATHLETICS

Australian Ella Nelson, 22, has qualified for the women's 200m semi-finals with a second-placed finish in the heat. Her time of 22.66sec was just .13 off her personal best time.

"I'm so happy right now and I can call myself an Olympian," Nelson told Channel 7 after her heat. "What a great day."

In the women's 3000m steeplechase, Bahrain's Ruth Jebet won in near world record time of 8min 59.75sec - less than a second from the 8:58.81 mark set by Gulnara Galkina at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Australians Madeline Hills (9.20.38) and Genevieve LaCaze (9.1.21) placed seventh and ninth respectively. Both ran personal best times.

In the women's hammer throw, Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk won gold with a world record throw of 82.29 metres.