China claimed their first gold medal of the Paris Olympics on Saturday amidst a day of rain-induced disruptions. The teenage duo of Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting emerged victorious in the mixed-team 10-meter air rifle final, edging out South Korea’s Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun with a score of 16-12. Kazakhstan secured the bronze medal in the closely contested event.
The rain, which had dampened Friday night’s opening ceremony, continued to affect the first full day of sporting action. One of the early casualties was the men’s street skateboarding competition, which was scheduled to take place at the Place de la Concorde. Due to the heavy overnight rain, organizers postponed the event until Monday.
The inclement weather also caused delays at the Roland Garros tennis courts, where the opening rounds were disrupted. Play on the ten uncovered outside courts was halted until 13:30 local time (1130 GMT), as the rain rendered the courts unplayable.
Friday’s opening ceremony, which took place along the River Seine, was an audacious display that saw around 7,000 athletes parading in an armada of boats, culminating in a spectacular finale at the Eiffel Tower with a performance by Celine Dion. Despite the torrential rain that lashed participants and spectators, the ceremony received broadly favorable reviews. France’s centre-right daily, Le Figaro, described it as “full of surprises but often disjointed.”
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had to apologize for a blunder during the ceremony where South Korea’s athletes were incorrectly introduced as being from North Korea. “We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the IOC stated on its official Korean-language X account.
Despite the weather-related challenges, other sporting events continued. Swimming, badminton, rowing, cycling, hockey, basketball, and surfing competitions commenced, with the surfing event taking place nearly 16,000 kilometers away on the French Pacific island of Tahiti.
Swimming took center stage at the La Defense Arena with the highly anticipated women’s 400m freestyle. Australia’s defending champion Ariarne Titmus, who recently recorded the second-fastest time ever, was the favorite. Titmus had previously stunned US rival Katie Ledecky in the Tokyo final three years ago, and the American swimmer was eager for a rematch. Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh, also a former world record holder, added to the excitement of the event.
Other notable swimming events included the men’s 400m freestyle and the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relays, where more gold medals were up for grabs.
At Roland Garros, reigning French Open champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz were among the top draws. Swiatek faced Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, while Alcaraz was set to play against Lebanese world number 275 Hady Habib. The men’s doubles event attracted significant attention, with Alcaraz teaming up with 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in a highly anticipated Spanish duo.
In the diving pool, the women’s synchronized 3m springboard final featured another strong Chinese pairing, Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen, who were favorites for gold. The first cycling medals of the games were decided in the men’s and women’s individual time trials on a challenging 32.4-kilometer course.
Rugby fans flocked to the Stade de France to watch the host nation, led by Antoine Dupont, compete for gold in rugby sevens. France faced South Africa in the semi-finals, with the winner set to compete against either Fiji or Australia in the gold medal match.
Despite the weather disruptions, the first day of the Paris Olympics showcased the determination and resilience of athletes from around the world, setting the stage for an exciting and memorable Games.
