Key events
“Afternoon Adam.” Hello, Guy Hornsby! “Great to have you back on the Olympic blog. It’s been a cracking day so far with GB diving bronze (handed to us after Australian heartbreak), rowing, gymnastics and Adam Peaty in the pool. It all comes at you so fast. Really looking forward to the rugby 7s semis as well as the road race cycling. How on earth do you keep up with it? It must feel like trying to OBO ten T20 games at the same time!”
Yes, spinning plates! Speaking of the cricket, the Windies had a great first session. As for the diving, I was at the theatre with my four-year-old when the Australian duo botched their final crack. But they’ll make up for it in the drink later on where there is a chance Australia can win three medals in a session for the first time. Can’t wait.
Men’s hockey: I mentioned the Dutch are coming into this as the top team in the world, what I didn’t spot is that they just knocked off South Africa 5-3. Tidy start.
Men’s volleyball: Italy are two sets up against Brazil! I was working on the men’s gold medal match at Earls Court in 2012 and remember well the utter devastation of the Brazilian men after throwing away a two-set advantage against Russia, their coach breaking down in tears at the press conference. This time around, the Italians are entering the 12-team tournament ranked no4 in the world, Brazil No6. Poland, who haven’t won gold in this event since Montreal, are the team to beat on paper.
Men’s hockey: it’s three-quarter time in Australia v Argentina. The Kookaburras went 1-0 in the 30th minute and have maintained that advantage. Earlier today, Belgium saw off Ireland 2-0 and Team GB sorted out Spain 4-0. I was disappointed to see last night that Pakistan, who won this event three times in 1960, 1968 and 1984, haven’t qualified this time around. Oooh, as I prepare to hit send, Tom Wickham goes within an inch of doubling the advantage for the men in green and gold. 10 minutes to go. If you’re wondering, the Dutch are the gold favourites.
French Open and Wimbledon champ Carlos Alcaraz is on court. And there’s nothing easy about his first game of the tournament against Lebanese right-hander Hady Habib. The man ranked 275 in the world got a look at a break point but wasn’t able to convert, the Spanish superstar getting his act together to hold with an ace. Despite his recent run, Alcaraz isn’t the no1 seed – that’s Novak Djokovic, who claimed the bronze medal way back in 2008. The Beijing winner was Rafa Nadal, who appeared at the business end of the opening ceremony, and is competing in Paris unseeded.
Adam Collins
Thank you, Martin. I’m Feeling Very Olympic Today! I’ve had a great time doing these blogs over the last few Summer/Winter games, very much looking forward to getting my teeth into day one from Paris, where over the next five hours there will be four gold medals up for grabs, along with plenty else of interest.
Just on those medals, so we’re all on the same page:
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1330 BST: Cycling, Women’s Time Trial
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1532 BST: Cycling, Men’s Time Trial
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1500 BST: Judo – Women 48kg followed by Men 60kg
Between times, I’ll have a close eye on tennis, hockey, volleyball, basketball, badminton – the lot! Tuck into the first afternoon of a great fortnight. And stay in touch with me throughout by dropping me a line or pinging me a tweet.
That is it from me for today. I am going to hand you on to Adam Collins. I will be back with you tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your day / evening / night / morning!
Poland’s Iga Świątek has progressed. She went through a sticky patch in the second set, and at one point while Irina-Camelia Begu was serving she seemed poised to take the match to a third set. But it wasn’t to be for the Romanian. Świątek won 6-2 7-5.
The tennis schedule has been hugely disrupted on the outer courts by the weather, but according to the order of play Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Australia’s Matthew Ebden should be up next in a men’s singles first round match. Your guess may be as good as mine here though …
South Africa have just scored a lovely goal in the men’s hockey, but it will presumably end up a consolation, as the Netherlands now lead that match 5-2 in Pool A in the third quarter and have seemed well in control. In Pool B, Australia and Argentina have just reached half-time locked at 0-0.
Number one seed in the women’s singles tennis Iga Świątek isn’t having things all her own way. She has just broken Irina-Camelia Begu’s serve to make the second set 5-5, having won the first.
I only had it on in the background and so wasn’t following Australia v Spain too closely in the men’s basketball, but Reuters reports that Spain’s Usman Garuba, who plays for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA, was booed by the corwd after being involved in incidents with first Josh Green and then Josh Giddey. Angelica Medina for Reuters described the encounter as “feisty”.
Greece and Canada are the other two sides in Pool A, and they face each other at 21.00 local time tonight. Australia play Canada on Tuesday 30 July.
In Pool B, in a match that is nearing the end of the first quarter, Germany narrowly lead Japan.
Some quotes from Team GB’s Scarlett Mew Jensen, who won a bronze medal earlier today. She told the BBC “I am very much lost for words, a month ago I didn’t think I would be here. To be up on the boards and to come away with that … I can’t imagine anything better.”
Her diving partner Yasmin Harper told viewers: “We’re so excited, we are so pleased with ourselves. We came into this event knowing this is what we want and we had to stand on the boards and deliver and I’m so proud that we were able to do that this morning.”
It would not be an Olympic Games without a diplomatic incident. Reuters reports that IOC president Thomas Bach will speak personally with South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol to apologise after his country was mistakenly introduced as North Korea at one point in yesterday’s opening ceremony.
The Olympics has a clumsy track record with this. You may recall that in 2012 the North Korean women’s football team nearly refused to compete after their team was introduced on the big screen at Hampden Park in Glasgow next to South Korea’s flag.
I mentioned earlier that there was a lot of tennis happening. Well, there was meant to be a lot of tennis happening, but the weather has had other ideas. Poland’s Iga Świątek, the number one seed, is in action. She is one set up and leading the second set against Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania.
Fourth seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy is also ahead by one set against Ana Bogdan of Romania, but as yet everything else is washed out.
The covers are on the outer courts at Roland-Garros, and there are some rather forlorn looking spectators still braving it out there in the rain in the hope play might start at some point.
In team sports, Australia beat Spain in the men’s basketball 92-80. Egypt got the better of Hungary 35-32 in the men’s handball. There have been three quick goals in the men’s hockey between the Netherlands and South Africa. Netherlands took the lead in the second minute, South Africa replied in the sixth, and Netherlands went back in front in the tenth minute. It is 2-1 with twelve minutes played. Italy and Brazil have just started their men’s volleyball match, and Australia face Argentina in men’s hockey in a match which starts in about ten minutes’ time.
One other thing about the Olympics, it always generates fantastic photos. Here are a few from this morning’s action.
More swimming action at the Paris La Defense Arena. Australia, the USA and China were the fastest three in the women’s 4×100m freestyle relay heats. Sweden, France, Canada, Great Britain and Italy also made tonight’s final. The Australian quartet were 1.72 seconds faster than the US.
The men’s 4×100m freestyle relay heats have finished too. China were fastest, with Australia in second. Great Britain were 0.12 faster than the USA who came in fourth. Canada, Italy, Hungary and Germany also progressed.
If you want to look out for more medal action, then I have good new, there is plenty left today. At 14.30 local time the women’s individual time trial race is on in road cycling. The men’s competition follows at the very precise time of 16.32. Around the same time the women’s -48kg and men’s -60kg judo competitions also reach a conclusion.
At 19.00 in Paris there is the rugby sevens bronze match, followed by the final at 19.45. South Africa and France play the first semi-final at 15.30, Fiji and Australia contest the second at 16.00.
And then later in the evening there are the four swimming finals I mentioned earlier, and in the fencing there are the finals of the women’s épéee indivdual, and men’s sabre individual.
We’ve got our first “Team GB bite their medals” picture of the Games with Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen and their bronze medals in the frame …
There is a joyous picture of silver medallists Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook too, who won the USA’s first medal of, no doubt, many this Olympics.
Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani also got the message about the wackier the pose you pull after winning, the more chance there is I will put you in the live blog.
Katie Ledecky beats Ariarne Titmus as both women progress to 400m freestyle final
Last time in Tokyo we had the unusual situation where the swimming heats were being run in the evening session, with the corresponding finals the following morning. That is not how most swimming meets run, but was partially done for television timing reasons. For Paris 2024, we are back to the usual model of heats in the morning and then finals in the evening.
You will not be surprised to learn that Katie Ledecky is safely through in the women’s 400m freestyle. The Olympic record holder finished 0.27 seconds ahead of Australia’s world record-holder Ariarne Titmus. They were in the same heat, and finished as the two fastest of the eight women to make the final. That will be at 19.52 local time tonight.
In the men’s 400m freestyle, Germany’s Lukas Maertens was fastest, just a tenth of a second ahead of Brazil’s Guilherme Costa. Both Elijah Winnington and Samuel Short of Australia also made the final.
The heats for the men’s and women’s 100m freestyle relay are closing out the morning session.
Tonight sees four finals – the men’s and women’s 400m freestyle and those two relays, and also semi-finals in the women’s 100m butterfly and the men’s 100m breaststroke. Britain’s Adam Peaty is safely through in the latter.
Here is the first picture of a medal ceremony from Paris, with China winning gold in both the 10m air rifle mixed team shooting.
You can find the fledgling medal table here by the way. China are out in front with two golds, the USA and South Korea joint second with a silver apiece, and Great Britain and Kazakhstan are joint fourth with a bronze each.
I will recap the rowing in a bit, but Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne and Rebecca Wilde of Great Britain have just been pipped at the line by Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors of New Zealand in the first heat of the women’s double sculls. Both pairs go through to the semi-finals, as do the USA pairing of Sophia Vitas and Kristi Wagner who finished third in that one.
A quick round-up of where we are. In play at the minute are matches in the men’s basketball, where Australia lead Spain, and the men’s handball which is very close between Hungary and Egypt. Belgium beat Ireland 2-0 in the men’s hockey. On top of that, about one million tennis matches have just started at Roland-Garros. There is also rowing, fencing, judo, artistic gymnastics and swimming taking place. I’m going to need another coffee …
There is a lot going on. I am based in London and so naturally thrilled that Team GB have claimed their first medal, but that really was such a disappointment for Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith of Australia, who had looked all set to be placed third until their final dive. You can see what it meant Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen when they saw the scores coming up. The Australian pair are devastated.
China adds second gold in synchronised 3m springboard final as US and Great Britain claim silver and bronze
China have claimed a second gold in the Paris Olympics, with a dominant display by Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard final.
The USA claimed its first medal with Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook taking silver, 23.04 points behind the Chinese pair.
Team GB’s Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen took bronze after a heart-breaking moment for Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith of Australia. Mistakes on their final dive saw them slip out of the medal positions. It is the first ever podium finish by Team GB in the event.
Team GB men win their opening hockey match against Spain 4-0
Team GB have beaten Spain 4-0 in the opening match of Pool A in the men’s hockey competition at the Paris Olympics.
Two goals from Gareth Furlong, and a goal apiece from Nicholas Park and Rupert Shipperly saw the team safely through their first fixture.
The teams are organised in two pools of six, with the top four in each pool progressing to the quarter-finals. France, Germany, the Netherlands and South Africa make up the rest of the pool.
Great Britain will next play South Africa, tomorrow at 20.15 local time.
In Pool B, defending gold medallists Belgium currently lead Ireland by 2-0 in the fourth quarter.
We are approaching the end of the third round of five in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard final.
Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen of China enjoy a commanding lead. Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook of the USA sit in the silver medal position, with Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith of Australia in bronze.
Italy, Germany and Great Britain lie 4th, 5th and 6th and are beginning to lose touch with the medal position.
I’ve been totally gripped by that shooting final, and in the meantime Germany did end up beating Japan in that men’s volleyball pool match which went to a fifth deciding set.
China wins first gold medal of Paris Olympic Games 2024 in 10m air rifle mixed team shooting
Lihao Sheng and Yuting Huang have claimed the first gold medal of the Paris Olympic Games 2024 for China with a close fought 16-12 victory over South Korea in the final of the 10m air rifle mixed team. Kazakhstan earlier won the bronze in the event.
It is the first of 14 medals expected to be awarded today. Overall 329 gold medals are available in Paris.
Team GB have added a third goal against Spain in the men’s hockey – it is now 3-0.
At the moment it looks like the first gold medal is going to China, but it is close. They lead South Korea 8-6 in the 10m air rifle mixed team event. First to 16 claims the title.
A quick scoot around the team events going on. Team GB still lead Spain 2-0 going into the fourth quarter in the men’s hockey in Pool A. Belgium have a 1-0 lead over Ireland in Pool B.
Japan v Germany in the men’s volleyball has gone to a fifth deciding set after a prolonged and contentious end to the fourth set.
In men’s basketball, Australia have taken an early lead against Spain, while in the men’s handball, Egypt are narrowly leading Hungary after ten minutes.
The gold medal match between China and South Korea in the 10m air rifle mixed team shooting has begun. This should deliver the first gold medal of the Games.
Over at the Aquatics Centre, the women’s synchronised 3m springboard final is about to start. Among the competitors are Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen of Team GB, Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith of Australia, and Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook of the US. Eight pairs are competing in total, including Viktoriya Kesar and Anna Pysmenska of Ukraine.
Men’s street skateboarding competition postponed due to weather conditions
Reuters reports the men’s street skateboarding competition at the Paris Olympics has been postponed due to the weather.
Organisers said in a statement the competition has been rescheduled to 29 July.
A media centre representative said the skaters were unable to compete because the surface of the street course was too slick due to persistent rain early on Saturday, making conditions unsafe.
It is a quirk of the draw, but I feel like everywhere I look, Spain are playing. At 11am local time, in less than five minutes, the men’s basketball competition gets under way with Spain v Australia in Pool A. Here is a view of fans queueing earlier to get into the Pierre-Mauroy stadium.
In the men’s volleyball Japan and Germany are tightly poised. Japan lead two sets to one, but the fourth set is 21-20 to Germany. Tense.
Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev have won the first medal of the 2024 Olympics! They claim bronze in the 10m air rifle mixed team event after defeating Germany comfortably 17-5 in the bronze medal match. China and South Korea will now compete for gold in the event.
Team GB lead Spain 2-0 at half-time in the men’s hockey in Pool A. The Pool B match between reigning champions Belgium and Ireland has started now too, and stands at 0-0.
Spain have emerged victorious in the handball against Slovenia, 25-22 in the end. It was closely fought – sometimes almost physically fought – and Slovenia held the lead at times, but the bronze medallists from Tokyo scored a flurry of goals in the closing ten minutes.
The bronze medal contest between Kazakhstan and Germany in the 10m air rifle mixed team contest in Chateauroux has begun.
Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev are representing Kazakhstan, and Maximilian Ulbrich and Anna Janssen representing Germany. Kazakhstan have taken an early lead.
Gareth Furlong has extended Team GB’s lead over Spain to 2-0 in the men’s hockey with a goal from a penalty corner. It is a bit harsh on goalkeeper Luis Calzado who had just pulled off a stupendous stop seconds before.
Australia’s Tara Rigney has won her heat in the women’s single sculls. She finished nearly seven seconds ahead of Spain’s Virginia Diaz Rivas.
Team GB have just taken the lead against Spain in the men’s hockey with a couple of minutes of the first period to go. Nicholas Park with an unstoppable rising shot after stealing the ball in the middle of the pitch. 1-0.