Heavy rain disrupts the first day of medal action at the Olympics, focusing on sports after a spectacular but soggy opening ceremony. The wet weather affected numerous events, including skateboarding and tennis.

Heavy rain disrupted the first full day of medal action at the Olympics on Saturday, with attention shifting to sports after a spectacular but soggy opening ceremony. Fourteen gold medals were scheduled to be awarded, starting with the mixed-team 10-meter air rifle finals at 10:30 am local time (0830 GMT).

However, the count swiftly reduced to 13 as the wet weather, which deluged Friday night’s audacious opening ceremony along the River Seine, continued to cause issues.

The men’s street skateboarding competition, planned for the Place de la Concorde in Paris’s historic heart, was postponed until Monday due to overnight rain. The specter of disruption also loomed over the opening rounds of tennis at Roland Garros, where only two of the 12 courts have roofs.

Torrential rain lashed participants and spectators during Friday’s amphibious opening ceremony. Around 7,000 athletes paraded along the Seine in an armada of boats before a show-stopping finale, which climaxed with a glittering light show at the Eiffel Tower and a performance from singer Celine Dion.

The ceremony received broadly favorable reviews, with France’s center-right Le Figaro daily describing it as “full of surprises but often disjointed.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologized for a mistake during the ceremony, where South Korea’s athletes were incorrectly introduced as North Korean. “We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the IOC said on its official Korean-language X account.

Swimming, badminton, rowing, cycling, hockey, and basketball started alongside the surfing competition, held nearly 16,000 kilometers away on the French Pacific island of Tahiti. Swimming took center stage at the La Defense Arena for the women’s 400m freestyle — one of the most anticipated events involving three swimmers who have held the world record.

Australia’s defending champion Ariarne Titmus was the favorite after clocking the second-fastest time ever last month, just behind her own 3min 55.38sec world best. She stunned US rival Katie Ledecky in an electric Tokyo final three years ago, with the American aiming for revenge.

Canadian teenage sensation Summer McIntosh, also a former world record holder, completed the hotly favored trio.

Other gold medals on offer in the pool included the men’s 400m freestyle and the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relays.

Reigning French Open champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz were among the top draws on the first day of action on the clay courts of Roland Garros, weather permitting. Swiatek, the women’s world number one, faced Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, while Alcaraz was set to play against Lebanese world number 275 Hady Habib.

The biggest focus, however, was on the men’s doubles, with Alcaraz teaming up with 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in a Spanish dream pairing.

Chinese shooters Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao started as favorites for the first gold of the Games after a dominant victory at last year’s world championships in Baku. Medals were also on offer early Saturday in the diving pool, with the women’s synchronized 3m springboard final.

Another Chinese pairing, Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen, were favorites to strike gold.

The first cycling medals of the games were decided with the men’s and women’s individual time trials on a challenging 32.4-kilometer course. French rugby fans flocked to the Stade de France to see if Antoine Dupont could lead the host nation to gold in rugby sevens.

France had to overcome South Africa in Saturday’s semi-finals to reach the gold medal match against the winner of the other last-four clash between holders Fiji and Australia.

Source: ChannelsTv

Last Updated on July 28, 2024 by news