The first full day of sporting action at the Olympics on Saturday is highlighted by a thrilling 400m women’s freestyle event following a rainy but spectacular opening to the Games in Paris.
There are fourteen gold medals up for grabs, with the first one being contested in the mixed-team 10-meter air rifle finals starting at 10:30 am local time (0830 GMT).
Tennis, badminton, rowing, cycling, hockey, and basketball will kick off along with the surfing competition in Tahiti, almost 16,000 kilometers (9,950 miles) away from Paris.
The Rugby sevens tournament is already at the semi-final stage, with France aiming for gold in front of a passionate home crowd led by Antoine Dupont.
The women’s 400m freestyle at the Paris La Defense Arena is a highly anticipated event featuring three swimmers who have held the world record.
Ariarne Titmus of Australia, the defending champion, is the favorite after setting the second-fastest time ever last month. She will face off against American Katie Ledecky, who is seeking revenge after being defeated by Titmus in Tokyo three years ago.
Other medal events on the first night of swimming include the men’s 400m freestyle and the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relays.
– Swiatek, Alcaraz in action –
French Open champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz will be competing on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
Chinese shooters Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao are the favorites for the first gold in the Games after a dominant performance at the world championships last year.
Medals will also be awarded in the diving pool with the women’s synchronized 3m springboard final and in cycling with the men’s and women’s individual time trials. French rugby fans will be supporting their team at the Stade de France as they compete in rugby sevens.
Defending skateboarding street champion Yuto Horigome of Japan will defend his title against competitors like Nyjah Huston of the United States and France’s Aurelien Giraud.
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