Day One Highlights of Paris Olympics 2024
Great Britain celebrated their first opening day medal since 2004 as the Paris Olympics began. Despite a rain-soaked opening ceremony and continued poor weather on Saturday, Team GB managed a historic bronze in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard, their first female diving medal in 64 years. Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen’s final dive secured third place after Australia faltered.
China dominated the early events, claiming the first two gold medals in shooting and diving. Teenagers Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao won the 10m air rifle event, starting what is expected to be a significant medal tally for China.
GB’s men’s hockey team started strong with a 4-0 victory over Spain, featuring goals from Nick Park, Rupert Shipperley, and Gareth Furlong. The team aims for their first Olympic medal since 1988.
Two-time defending champion Adam Peaty advanced to the 100m breaststroke semi-finals, continuing his quest for a third consecutive gold. British diver Tom Daley, starting his fifth Olympics, has yet to compete but is anticipated to perform well.
The weather impacted several events, postponing the men’s street skateboarding until Monday and delaying tennis matches. However, the women’s and men’s time trial cycling events proceeded as planned.
The ambitious opening ceremony, the first held outside the main Olympic stadium, featured performances along the River Seine and memorable moments like Tom Daley’s Titanic pose and Carl Lewis’ journey with Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Nadia Comaneci. French TV personality Fred Sirieix praised the unique spectacle, noting its unifying and pride-inducing effect on the French public.
Despite the wet start, the Paris 2024 Olympics kicked off with memorable performances and promising starts for various athletes and teams.
Re-reported from the article originally published in BBC.
