China Clinches Early Olympic Golds Amid Rain Disruptions

AFP/APP

Paris: China won the first gold medal of the 2024 Olympics on Saturday, winning the mixed-team 10-meter air rifle event. Teenage duo Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting outscored Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun from South Korea 16-12.

Kazakhstan took the bronze in the competition.

Australia also celebrated its first gold of the Games, with cyclist Grace Brown winning the women’s individual time trial.

The day was marked by challenges for organisers due to persistent wet weather. The men’s street skateboarding competition, scheduled for the Place de la Concorde, was postponed until Monday due to overnight rain. Additionally, the opening rounds of tennis at Roland Garros were disrupted, with play on the 10 uncovered outside courts delayed.

Friday’s opening ceremony, which featured a grand parade of around 7,000 athletes along the River Seine, ended with a spectacular light show at the Eiffel Tower and a performance by Celine Dion. Despite broadly positive reviews, the ceremony was marred by an error where South Korean athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korean. The International Olympic Committee has since apologised for the gaffe.

The ceremony also faced criticism from some Christians and conservatives for including LGBTQ+ performers and a racially diverse cast. The French Bishops Conference criticised the event, calling it a “mockery of Christianity.”.

Rugby Sevens and Tennis Action

In rugby sevens, the host nation, France, advanced to the final against Fiji after defeating South Africa 19-5. Fiji had earlier triumphed over Australia with a 29-7 victory.

In tennis, the tournament at a rain-soaked Roland Garros saw victories for Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and women’s world number one Iga Swiatek. Alcaraz cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Lebanon’s Hady Habib, Djokovic overwhelmed Australia’s Matthew Ebden 6-0, 6-1, and Swiatek fought through a tougher match to defeat Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2, 7-5.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, the surfing competition was set to commence on the French Pacific island of Tahiti.

Swimming Showdown

As the rain continued, attention turned to the swimming pool, where the first gold medals of the Games were set to be decided. The spotlight was on the highly anticipated women’s 400-metre freestyle, featuring American star Katie Ledecky and Australia’s defending champion Ariarne Titmus. Ledecky edged out Titmus in the heats, but the Australian dismissed any advantage, focusing on conserving energy for the final.

In addition to the women’s 400m freestyle, gold medals were up for grabs in the men’s 400m freestyle and the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relays.