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China bags early Olympic golds as rain disrupts Games
Rain in Paris has disrupted most games in the outdoor venues on the first day.
Chinese divers bag !st gold at the Paris Olympics. / World Aquatics
Paris, France- China grabbed the first two gold medals of the Paris Olympics on July 27 as swimming prepared to take centre stage on a rain-disrupted first full opening day of sporting action.
Asian powerhouses China, who last topped the Olympic medal table in 2008, made a flying start to their latest bid for supremacy, bagging early golds in shooting and synchronised diving.
Teenage duo Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting won the first Chinese gold in the mixed team 10-metre air rifle event, before all-conquering divers Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen somersaulted to victory in the women's three-metre springboard final.
An incredible moment for the People’s Republic of China as they take the first #gold medal of the Olympic Games #Paris2024!
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 27, 2024
Outstanding performance in shooting 10m air rifle mixed team! That’s back-to-back golds in this event for the People's Republic of China.… pic.twitter.com/hIG9odFgtc
Australia also celebrated its first gold with cyclist Grace Brown speeding to victory in the women's individual time trial.
Those were the first golds of 13 up for grabs in Paris on July 27 as wet weather continued to cause headaches for organisers following Friday's deluge at the opening ceremony.
The men's street skateboarding competition, due to take place at the Place de la Concorde in the historic heart of Paris, was postponed until July 28 due to rain overnight.
The downpours also disrupted play at the opening rounds of tennis at Roland Garros, with play on the 10 uncovered outside courts delayed.
Torrential rain had lashed participants and spectators in July 26's amphibious opening ceremony, where around 7,000 athletes paraded along the River 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 favourable reviews, with France's centre-right Le Figaro daily describing it as "full of surprises but often disjointed."
The International Olympic Committee however was forced to apologise for a gaffe during the ceremony that saw South Korea's athletes incorrectly introduced as North Korean.
Friday's ceremony also angered Christians and conservatives after featuring LBGT+ performers and a racially diverse cast. The French Bishops Conference said the extravaganza had made a "mockery of Christianity."
Swimming duel
Elsewhere on the sporting front, swimming was preparing for a battle royale in the pool later July 27, where the first golds will be decided.
Traditionally one of the highlights of the opening week of the games, July 27's first wave of swimming finals will feature a blockbuster women's 400m freestyle duel pitting American great Katie Ledecky against Australia's defending champion Ariarne Titmus.
Ledecky, stunned by Titmus in Tokyo three years ago, laid down a psychological marker after pipping the Australian in heats. Titmus however rejected suggestions that the heats had given her rival an edge for Saturday's final at La Defense Arena.
"It's a heats swim," said the Australian, who broke the 200m freestyle world record and swam the second quickest 400m ever at the Australian trials last month.
"The only job for me was to get in the middle lanes (for the final) and I tried to conserve as much as I could."
Other gold medals on offer on the first night of action in the pool come in the men's 400m freestyle and the men's and women's 4x100m freestyle relays.
It’s #gold for Australia!
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 27, 2024
Congratulations to Grace Brown, who takes first place in the cycling road women's individual time trial, winning @AUSOlympicTeam’s first medal of the Games.@UCI_cycling | #CyclingRoad | #Paris2024 | #Samsung | #TogetherForTomorrow pic.twitter.com/3o017aTHyQ
In rugby sevens meanwhile, host nation France stayed on course for a possible gold medal after advancing to a dream final against Fiji at the Stade de France.
French rugby idol Antoine Dupont helped the hosts defeat South Africa 19-5 to book their place in the semi-final while Fiji comfortably downed Australia 29-7.
Elsewhere on July 27, there were wins for Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz, rival Novak Djokovic and women's world number one Iga Swiatek as the Olympics tennis tournament got under way at a rain-swept Roland Garros.
Alcaraz, who lifted the French Open in Paris last month, coasted to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Lebanon's lowly ranked Hady Habib while Djokovic dropped just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 rout of Australia's Matthew Ebden.
Swiatek meanwhile was made to work harder in a 6-2, 7-5 win over Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu.
July 27 was also due to see Olympics action on the others side of the globe, with the surfing competition, some 16,000 kilometres (9,950 miles) kilometres away on the French Pacific island of Tahiti, due to get under way.
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