Paris Olympics day 4 highlights: Amit Panghal, Jaismine Lamboria, Preeti Pawar ousted from Paris Olympics

Amit Panghal’s failed campaign at the Paris Olympics mirrored his experience at the Tokyo Games as the seasoned boxer once again made a pre-quarterfinals exit while debutants Jaismine Lamboria and Preeti Pawar were also ousted here on Tuesday. - PTI

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez has revealed that she fought at the Paris Olympics while seven months pregnant.

Hafez posted on Instagram that she was “carrying a little Olympian one” hours after she had reached the round of 16 in women’s saber Monday.

The 26-year-old fencer from Cairo upset Elizabeth Tartakovsky of the United States, a former NCAA champion, before losing to Jeon Hayoung of South Korea. - AP

Simone Biles led the United States to a dominant victory in the women’s gymnastics team final on Tuesday, laying the ghost of Tokyo to rest as she claimed a fifth career Olympic gold medal. - AFP

American sporting legends including Serena Williams, Michael Phelps and Nastia Liukin turned out witness Simone Biles go for a fifth Olympic gold medal on Tuesday as Biles-mania continued to grip Paris. - Reuters

Thiago Almada scored a brilliant solo goal and Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympic men’s soccer tournament with a 2-0 win over Ukraine on Tuesday. - AP

Japan’s Takanori Nagase won the gold medal in the men’s under 81kg judo at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. Georgian Tato Grigalashvili took the silver, while South Korean Lee Joon-hwan and Somon Makhmadbekov of Tajikistan won bronze medals. This is the first time a judoka has achieved back-to-back golds in men’s 81kg.

China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha beat North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong 4-2 in the table tennis mixed doubles final at the Paris Games on Tuesday, the first step in what could be a gold medal sweep in the sport for the nation.?

China had missed out on the inaugural mixed doubles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and the victory also marks the first gold for Wang Chuqin, 24, and Sun Yingsha, 23, who attracted many travelling fans to cheer them in France.

Another Chinese doping allegation has flared up at the Paris Games, angering some swimmers who say officials need to enforce drug-testing rules consistently.?

The New York Times reported Tuesday that two top Chinese swimmers — including one on this year’s Olympic team — tested positive for a banned steroid in 2022 but were eventually cleared to compete by Chinese officials.?

The Times cited two people with knowledge of the matter but did not name them.?

This is the third incident reported over the last several months by the Times and others in which the Chinese have blamed food contamination for positive drug tests. The World Anti-Doping Agency accepted the results of the Chinese investigations.?

“I saw the report this morning,” American star Katie Ledecky said on Tuesday. “I think I’ve made my thoughts clear. It’s disappointing.”?

Italian distance swimmer Simona Quadarella said athletes aren’t sure the testing system works in many countries.?

“I think we need some answers from this situation,” she said. “We really don’t have confidence, in the situation, in the testing system — in the testing system in other parts of the world.”?

In the most widely reported incident, 11 swimmers named to the Chinese Olympic team were among 23 who tested positive for a banned substance six months before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. They were allowed to compete and went on to win gold medals in three events. One of those swimmers, Zhang Yufei, has won two bronzes in France, one in the women’s 100 butterfly and another as part of the 4x100 freestyle relay.?

Chinese swimmers in Paris have pushed back against doping allegations and say they are tested more than athletes from other countries.

North Korea said they could learn from China after winning their first Olympic medal in eight years on July 30 in Paris, settling for silver after a mixed-doubles defeat to the table tennis superpower.?

China arrived in Paris as the world’s undisputed table tennis kings, having won 32 of the 37 available golds since it became an Olympic sport.?

They failed to claim the mixed doubles title when it was introduced three years ago in Tokyo but Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha set the record straight with an 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 win over North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong.?

It was the first gold of what China hope will be a clean sweep of table tennis in the French capital.?

For North Korea, they skipped the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 over coronavirus concerns.?

Kim said she and Ri had trained with the Chinese team to prepare for Paris and vowed to come back stronger.?

“We had some time with the Chinese team, which is the world’s best,” said the 22-year-old.?

“Of course it wasn’t enough in the end. We had a good performance but there are some regrets. We learned a lot from them.”?

Ri and Kim were on the medals podium with the South Korean duo Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin, who won bronze.?

When asked if they saw the South Korean pair as their rivals, Kim and Ri both shook their heads.?

Kim said they had not yet been able to speak to their family to tell them about the match.?

“We hope to do better next time and win the gold,” she said.

Indian badminton stalwart Ashwini Ponnappa on July 30 broke down in tears, announcing she has played her last Olympics after she and her partner Tanisha Crasto suffered their third straight loss in the women’s doubles competition of the Paris Games.?

Ashwini and Tanisha lost to Australia’s Setyana Mapasa and Angela Yu 15-21 10-21 in their final Group C game on Tuesday. They ended their campaign after losing all their three group matches.?

“This will be my last, but Tanisha has a long way to go,” said 34-year-old Ashwini, who was playing in her third Olympics, when asked whether she hopes to play in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.?

“It takes a toll emotionally and mentally, I can’t go through this again. It is not easy, you can take all these if you are a little younger. Having played for so long, I can’t take it anymore,” she said while trying to hold back tears.?

Ashwini, who had won her first national title in 2001, had formed a formidable and history scripting women’s pair with Jwala Gutta, who played till 2017.?

They had won many international medals, including a gold medal at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and bronze at the Uber Cup (2014 and 2016) and the Asian Championships (2014).?

In 2011, they scripted history by becoming the first Indian pair to win a medal -- a bronze -- at the World Championships. That was their biggest prize in their careers. The Jwala-Ashwini pair was consistently ranked among the top 20 in the world and reached 10th spot at one time.?

Ashwini and Jwala played in two Olympics together (in 2012 and 2016) but could not go beyond the initial stage.?

“We wanted to get a win today. As much as we would have liked the outcome to be different and better, the biggest takeaway I and Tanisha had is we had quite a journey, getting to in the Olympics. It has not been easy,” said Ashwini.?

Tanisha also could not control her emotions and she sobbed inconsolably.?

“She (Ashwini) has been my biggest support here. We had wanted a better result and held out heads high. She motivated me every time.

Defending Olympic champion Alexander Zverev kept cool in soaring temperatures to march into the third round of the men’s sngles on July 30.?

Germany’s Zverev, the third seed, took to a sun-baked Court Philippe Chatrier after Gauff’s demise but avoided any similar mishaps as he beat Czech player Tomas Machac 6-3 7-5.?

Zverev reached the French Open final this year and looked perfectly at home on the Parisian clay as he maintained a strong start to his bid to repeat his Tokyo gold.?

He was pushed hard in the second set as the heat took its toll but turned on the afterburners at 5-5 with two searing forehand passes earning him the crucial break of serve before he sealed the contest a game later.?

With temperatures soaring into the mid 30s Celsius (90s Fahrenheit) at Roland Garros, organisers the International Tennis Federation invoked the extreme heat protocols that allowed for a 10-minute break after the second set of singles matches.?

It came too late for Britain’s Jack Draper though, as he was beaten in the second round by American seventh seed Taylor Fritz despite edging a first-set on the tiebreak, afterwards saying he could not keep his water bottles cool.?

“I’m a big sweater so to retain fluid was tough. It was pretty poor,” he said. “They give bottles to the players but the bottles don’t stay cool, so, you know, you’re drinking hot water out there. That’s not fun in those sort of conditions.”

Egypt reached the quarterfinals of the men’s Olympic football after completing the group stage with a surprise 2-1 win over already qualified Spain on July 30, with Ibrahim Adel scoring both goals.?

Adel gave Egypt the lead in Bordeaux with a superb strike late in the first half and added another on 62 minutes, pouncing to score after possession was given away by Spain’s Jon Pacheco.?

Samu Omorodion pulled one back late on for Spain, but Egypt held on for the win that allowed them to leapfrog their already-qualified opponents and snatch first place in Group C.?

Egypt, captained by former Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny, will play their quarter-final on Friday in Marseille against the runners-up in Group D, which contains Japan, Paraguay, Mali and Israel.?

Egypt lost in the quarterfinals three years ago to Brazil, who went on to beat Spain in the final.?

Spain’s last-eight tie will be in Lyon against the winners of Group D.?

Hosts France and two-time gold medallists Argentina are among the other teams hoping to secure progress to the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

China’s Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha beat North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong 4-2 in the table tennis mixed doubles final at the Paris Games on July 30, the first step in what could be a gold medal sweep in the sport for the nation.?

China had missed out on the inaugural mixed doubles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and the victory also marks the first gold for Wang Chuqin, 24, and Sun Yingsha, 23, who attracted many travelling fans to cheer them in France.?

North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong took the silver as the country returned to the Olympic podium after eight years. Meanwhile, South Korean pair Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin beat Hong Kong’s Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi Kem 4-0 to claim bronze.?

China’s world number one pairing Sun and Wang were on top from the start and took the first game 11-6 before the battling North Koreans claimed the second game 11-7. However, the Chinese then turned the screw and moved 3-1 ahead.?

The North Koreans fought back again to make it 3-2 before the match reached a climax in the sixth game when they won an intense rally to make it 8-8. However, they eventually conceded game point, with China seizing the chance to win 11-8.?

South Korea dominated the bronze medal match but in the fourth game, when they thought it would be an easy victory, the Hong Kong team showed their resilience, briefly taking the lead by one point, but ultimately falling short to lose it 14-12.?

China’s great Deng Yaping, who won four Olympic gold medals, was in attendance to cheer for the Chinese team.?

Continuing her fine form, teenage Indian archer Bhajan Kaur notched back-to-back victories in the women’s individual event to advance to the pre-quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics on July 30.?

The 18-year-old from Haryana, who had shot exceptionally well in the team event albeit in a losing cause, defeated Indonesia’s Syifa Nurafifah Kamal and Wioleta Myszor of Poland in her opening two rounds.?

Her compatriot, Ankita Bhakat, however, stumbled in the opening round, going down to Myszor 4-6 (26-27 29-26 28-27 27-29 27-28).?

Kaur took her opening round against the Indonesian 7-3 (27-27 27-29 29-27 27-25 28-25).?

While the first set was a tie with both archers sharing a point each, Kaur shot three 9s as compared to Kamal’s one 9 and two 10s to lose the second set.?

However, the youngster held her nerve and went on to win the next three sets on the back of her consistent shooting.?

Having found her rhythm, she avenged Bhakat’s defeat, inflicting a 6-0 (28-23 29-26 28-22) defeat on Myszor in the next round.?

Her round of 16 match is scheduled for Saturday, for which her opponent is yet to be decided.

Former world number one boxer Amit Panghal bowed out of the Paris Olympics with a 1-4 loss to Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba in the 51kg pre-quarterfinal bout on July 30.

The Indian boxer had got an opening round bye.?

Panghal, the 2019 world championship silver medallist, was put under pressure by the sprightly Zambian, the reigning African Games champion, in the opening round itself.?

The Indian paid for his defensive approach as the third seeded Chinyemba assumed the role of the aggressor in the opening three minutes.?

Trailing on three cards, Panghal attacked from the get go but had trouble connecting his punches as Chinyemba took the second round 3-2.?

In the final three minutes, both boxers were involved in big exchanges with Panghal trying to apply pressure.?

But the Indian, who had made a similar exit in the Tokyo Olympics, was not able to impress any of the judges.

Indian Olympic gold medalist and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra reached the Olympic Games village on July 30.?

Neeraj took to X, saying ‘Namaskar’ to Paris and informing his fans that he had finally reached the Olympic Village. The Indian Athletics team touched down in Paris on July 30 ahead of the track and field events in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.?

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) took to social media and shared a photo of the athletics team at the airport in Paris.”Indian Athletics Team Touched Down at Paris,” AFI wrote on Instagram.?

India’s participation in athletics at the Paris 2024 Olympics is particularly noteworthy, with a strong lineup of athletes competing in various track and field events.?

The country’s sports authorities have placed a significant emphasis on athletics, investing in comprehensive training and development projects. This strategic focus aims to build on the successes of past games and improve India’s medal tally in this discipline.?

Neeraj Chopra will be in action during the men’s javelin throw, with the qualifiers scheduled for August 6 and finals taking place two days later. He is the defending champion in the men’s javelin throw. -- ANI

Coco Gauff was left in tears after getting into an extended argument with the chair umpire over a ruling during the reigning U.S. Open champion’s 7-6 (7), 6-2 loss to Donna Vekic of Croatia in a Paris Olympics third-round singles match Tuesday.?

Gauff, a 20-year-old American, already was trailing by a lot when the episode happened two games from the end of the match. -- AP

Coco Gauff loses to Donna Vekic at the Paris Olympics 2024 in the third round of singles, on July 30.

Katie Ledecky shrugged off her disappointing 400 metres freestyle bronze to top qualifying for the 1,500m final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday as Leon Marchand mania returned to a buzzing La Defense Arena.

Three days after coming a distant third behind Australian champion Ariarne Titmus and runner-up Summer McIntosh in the 400m, seven-times Olympic gold medallist Ledecky was fastest in the 1,500m heats in 15 minutes 47.43 seconds.

The time was nearly four seconds better than the second quickest swimmer, Italian Simona Quadarella, who was runner-up to Ledecky at last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka.

World record holder Ledecky won the inaugural women’s 1,500m at Tokyo three years ago and it would take a huge upset for her to miss out on another gold in the event in Paris.

Victory would see her match fellow American Jane Thompson’s all-time record of eight gold medals in Olympic women’s swimming, with still the 800m freestyle to come. -- Reuters

Mollie O’Callaghan and David Popovici backed up from winning 200m freestyle gold with strong 100m heat swims Tuesday, as French hero Leon Marchand dived into the Olympic pool twice in his bid for more glory.?

Dominant American great Katie Ledecky was also back in action at La Defense Arena, cruising through her 1,500 freestyle heat as she bids to defends her title.?

Australia’s O’Callaghan upset defending champion Ariarne Titmus to clinch the 200m crown on Monday, while Romanian teenager Popovici won by a fingertip in a frenetic men’s race.?

They both returned barely 12 hours later, with Australian two-time world champion O’Callaghan fifth fastest through the heats behind pace-setting world record holder Sarah Sjoestroem (52.99sec) and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey.?

Popovici — also a former world champion — was third best after timesheet-topping American Jack Alexy (47.57), with Chinese world record holder Pan Zhanle just scrapping through in joint 13th.?

With reigning champion Emma McKeon failing to qualify at the Australian trials, O’Callaghan has a golden opportunity to secure the revered 100-200 double.?

She has not lost a 100 free in a major final since 2021, although Haughey came to Paris as the top seed after her 52.02 last year made her fastest since McKeon’s 51.96 at the Tokyo Olympics.?

The men’s 100m is also without a defending champion after Caeleb Dressel’s failure to make the grade at the US trials, leaving it wide open.?

After standing for 13 years, Cesar Cielo’s world record was finally topped by Popovici in 2022.?

But less than two years later Pan bettered it again, clocking 46.80.?

Pan, though, seemed out-of-sorts and failed to make it through the 200m heats, only surviving the 100m by 0.06. -- AFP

China’s two-time Olympic gymnastics champion Li Xiaoshuang said the country’s coaches were to blame after its men’s team lost out on gold on July 29.?

“Our team of coaches have issues. Let’s not put all responsibilities on athletes. If they failed, the coaches did something wrong. We need to tell the truth after we fail,” 50-year-old Li said in an online live broadcast that went viral on Chinese social media.?

“Our athletes are too old. Sports needs young people. We really need to change the way we train and select athletes,” added Li, who won gold on the floor at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and in the all-around at Atlanta four years later.?

China’s five gymnasts in the team event in Paris had an average age of 26.2.?

Mistakes by 28-year-old Xiao Ruoteng and Su Weide, 24, on the high bar in the final rotation of Monday’s all-around event cost China the gold after they had been ahead of Japan by three points after the first five apparatus.?

First Xiao landed on his knees from the bar, then Su twice fell to the floor, resulting in China’s lowest score of the day and handing a surprise victory to Japan.?

“After watching the competition, I felt so much pain. It was really painful. Good soldiers need a good general. China has a great gymnastics team but we lack leadership and that’s a problem,” Li said.?

“Su got the job at the last minute and barely had any training. We don’t have anyone that is 18, 19 or 20 years old. How are we going to make it to the next Olympics?” said Li, who was 18 when he won his first Olympic gold.?

Li also criticised the way China’s women gymnasts were trained, saying they were burned out too young.?

“We should change our training methods. Don’t always say our bodies are not as strong as the Americans... give the girls a bit of time to grow. We burn them out too soon,” he said.?

Li said China had not produced any good gymnasts on the vault since Cheng Fei, who won gold in the women’s team event and bronze on vault at the Beijing Olympics 16 years ago.?

“We are good on the beam and not bad on the uneven bars but how come our vault -- I find it unacceptable! The routines haven’t changed since ‘92,” said Li.?

Harmanpreet Singh brace enabled India defeated Ireland in the men’s hockey pool B match at the Paris Olympics 2024, on July 30. India won the match 2-0.

Men’s doubles takes centre stage in badminton at the Paris Games on Tuesday, led by reigning champions Taiwan’s Wang Chi-Lin and Lee Yang, part of the ‘Group of Death’, with top pairs from India, Japan, China and Denmark on court.?

The Taiwan duo, who are childhood friends, beat Vinson Chiu and Joshua Yuan of the United States 21-12 21-13 in Group D.?

“After Tokyo (Olympics), we’ve not played very good, so we just need to focus on every match,” Wang said.?

“We just want to play well. And for us in the Olympics we have that feeling. So we’ll just focus more and more, pay attention on the every match.”?

Wang and Lee, who bagged gold in Tokyo, are part of a group that includes Japan’s former world champions Hoki Takuro and Kobayashi Yugo, Olympic silver medallist Liu Yuchen of China, and European champions Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen from Denmark - dubbed by some as the men’s doubles ‘Group of Death.’?

Wang laughed when asked how he feels being in that group.?

“It’s good experience,” he said. “We’ll just have to enjoy it and find a way to win every match.”?

China’s Liu Yu Chen, who won silver in Tokyo, and Ou Xuanyi will battle it out with Japan’s Yugo Kobayashi and Takuro Hoki, later on Tuesday.?

World number five duo Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy – widely considered India’s best chance of a badminton gold - play seventh-ranked Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto of Indonesia. -- Reuters

Two Chinese swimmers, including one scheduled to compete at the Olympics, tested positive in a doping control in 2022 but were cleared by Chinese authorities, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing anonymous sources.?

The latest report follows a major dispute in the sport around the case of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) at a domestic competition in late 2020 and early 2021 ahead of the Tokyo Games. They were also cleared with food contamination given as the explanation.?

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has accused the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of a cover-up in an increasingly bitter dispute.?

WADA has claimed that USADA’s criticism is politically motivated.?

In the new report, the New York Times said that Chinese authorities concluded that a steroid had been accidentally ingested when the two swimmers ate hamburgers in Beijing with only ‘trace amounts’ detected which they said was consistent with food contamination rather than doping.?

The paper said that one of the swimmers had also been part of the previously reported case of the 23 swimmers.?

In a statement in response to the article, WADA said that the latest case was part of a “wider series of cases” also including a shooter and a BMX rider who all tested positive for metandienone, in late 2022 and early 2023. -- AFP

The triathlon setback overshadowed the start of day four of the games, where 13 other gold medals are up for grabs in table tennis, shooting, judo, fencing, rugby, swimming, surfing and gymnastics.?

The hottest ticket in town will be at the Bercy Arena where gymnastics legend Biles will attempt to lead the United States to victory in the final of the women’s team event.?

Biles appears to be back at the peak of her powers as she leads the United States on what has been billed an Olympic redemption mission.?

The 27-year-old, considered the greatest gymnast of all time, won four gold medals at the 2016 Rio Games.?

But she battled the disorientating mental block gymnasts call the “twisties” at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics three years ago.?

Biles dramatically pulled out of most of her events, including the team final, and the United States settled for silver behind Russia after winning gold in 2012 and 2016.?

Biles, a 23-time world champion, left Tokyo with a silver and a bronze, but won many plaudits for opening up on her mental health.?

The US team topped the rankings in qualifying and Biles wowed an A-list crowd including Tom Cruise on Sunday in her first appearance in the French capital, despite tweaking her left calf and competing with her leg taped. -- AFP

With young shooter Manu Bhaker becoming the first Indian in post independence era to win two medals in a single edition of Olympics, here is a look at the Indian athletes who have won two individual medals in the global showpiece, albeit in different years.

Sushil Kumar: Wrestler Sushil Kumar is India’s first two-time Olympic medallist in an individual event. It was his bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics which put Indian wrestling on the world map as more and more grapplers picked up the sport since then. He bettered his own achievement, securing a first-ever wrestling silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.?

P V Sindhu: One of India’s greatest athletes, P V Sindhu became the first shuttler from the country to win a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Hyderabadi then claimed a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago to emerge as the second Indian to win two Olympic medals, joining Sushil in achieving the feat.?

Manu Bhaker: At the Paris Games, Bhaker not only joined Sindhu and Sushil as the third Indian to win two medals but she also achieved the unique feat of attainting it in the same edition of an Olympics.

India’s lone representative in rowing at the Paris Olympics, Balraj Panwar on July 30 finished fifth in his quarterfinals heat race of the men’s single sculls event and will now fight for minor positions.?

The 25-year-old clocked 7 minutes and 5.10 seconds in quarterfinals heat 4 to be relegated to semifinals C/D, meant for rowers to compete for positions 13th to 24th.?

Individual Neutral Athlete Yauheni Zalaty won the quarterfinals heat 4 with a time of 6:49.27, while Giedrius Bieliauskas (6:51.80) of Lithuania and Ryuta Arakawa (6:54.17) of Japan were second and third respectively.?

Panwar had progressed to the quarterfinals after finishing second in his repechage round race on Sunday. He had finished fourth in his first round heat race on Saturday to make it to the repechage round.?

Those who finished in top three in each of the four quarterfinal heats qualify for the semifinals A/B and the remainder compete in semifinals C/D. The rowers in semifinals A/B will vie for Final A/B races. Medals are awarded to the top three finishers in Final A.

It is not often that siblings qualify for Olympic badminton together -- and even less common that two pairs of siblings play each other in a women’s doubles match.

Twins Annie and Kerry Xu of the United States battled it out with Bulgarian sisters Stefani and Gabriela Stoeva on Tuesday at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris.

The Stoevas, who are playing in their third Olympics, won the group-stage match 21-18 21-12, having to push harder in the second game after the rush of winning the first.

For both pairs, the experience was surreal.

“Manu & Sarabjot: You’ve done what no Indian shooting pair has done before. India’s first Olympic shooting team medal. Savour this moment, you’ve earned it! Proud,” wrote India’s first-ever Olympic gold medallist in individual event, shooter Abhinav Bindra.?

While wrestler Sushil Kumar and shuttler PV Sindhu have won two Olympic medals but Bhaker is the only Indian after independence to win two medals in a single edition.?

Before Bhaker, British-Indian athlete Norman Pritchard had won two silver medals in 200m sprint and 200m hurdles at the 1900 Olympics but that achievement had come in the pre-Independence era.?

President Droupadi Murmu congratulated Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh for winning the bronze medal for India.?

In a post on X, President Droupadi Murmu said, “Congratulations to Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh for winning a bronze medal for India in the mixed team 10 metre air pistol event for shooting! Manu Bhaker has created history, becoming the first woman shooter from India to win two medals in the same Olympic games. She has done us immensely proud. I wish her and Sarabjot Singh many more laurels in the future.” -- ANI

Australia’s Lani Pallister, a medal hope in the women’s 1,500 metres freestyle, has withdrawn from the event after testing positive for COVID-19 at the Paris Olympics, the team said on July 30.?

A team spokeswoman said the decision had been made to save Pallister’s energy for the 4x200m freestyle relay which starts on Thursday.?

The 1,500 heats start on July 30 morning at La Defense Arena.?

Pallister took bronze in the 1,500m freestyle at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest and was a member of Australia’s world-title winning 4x200m freestyle team at Fukuoka last year.?

She is also entered in the 800m freestyle in Paris starting on Friday.?

Lanister’s blow follows Briton Adam Peaty testing positive for COVID-19 early on Monday, hours after missing out on a third successive gold in the men’s 100m breaststroke.?

Multiple Australian women’s water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 in the days leading up to the opening ceremony, forcing them to isolate from other team members.?

The Paris Olympics are being held without strict COVID-19 health protocols, three years after fans were restricted from attending the summer Games events in Tokyo. -- Reuters

The 2024 Olympics famously launched with a rain-soaked opening ceremony that drenched athletes and spectators alike. Now, they’re facing the opposite experience Tuesday: a heat wave.?

Most of France is under a heat wave warning Tuesday, with temperatures in Paris and surrounding areas expected to climb to 35 C (95 F) or higher, the national weather agency said. Air conditioning is far less common in homes, shops and restaurants than in places like the United States.?

The heat was expected to be even worse in the south, including the region around the Mediterranean city of Marseille that is hosting Olympic competitions like soccer and sailing. It was as hot as 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of southern France on Monday and the temperatures were expected to be that high again Tuesday.?

Back-to-back record global heat was seen last week as climate change makes extreme weather more frequent and intense. Paris 2024 organizers have aimed to cut the event’s carbon footprint, among them turning to an underfloor cooling system and insulation instead of air conditioning at the Olympic village where athletes are staying. Some countries, like the U.S., brought their own.?

Government officials and Olympic organizers are preparing visitors and athletes for a sweaty and sunny Tuesday after the Games got off to a soggy start. Thunderstorms were also expected to sweep into the Paris area in the evening.?

A handful of misters were set up at La Concorde urban park, the venue that includes skateboarding and BMX freestyle cycling, and people were already dunking their heads on a warm Monday or cooling off with ice cream.?

The Paris area’s train and metro operator said it will distribute more than 2.5 million containers of water at over 70 train stations and other stops on its transport network, as well as at bus stations. -- AP

Defending all-around champion Daiki Hashimoto faces a ferocious fight if the Japanese gymnastics star is to hold onto his Tokyo crown at the Paris Olympics on July 31.?

Revenge is a powerful motivating force and one that will be driving his main rival Zhang Boheng after China’s late collapse in the team final.?

The Zhang-led China had Monday’s final in the bag, leading by over three points with only the horizontal bar remaining.?

But disaster struck when Su Weide fell twice. Tokyo bar champion Hashimoto, the last Japanese man to go, then held his nerve to produce a flawless title-clinching routine.?

Up to that moment, double world all-around champion Hashimoto had looked a long way from his brilliant best.?

He was the youngest ever all-round gold medallist at the Covid-delayed 2020 Games — then aged just 19 — but in Paris he had been eclipsed by Zhang in qualifying, and even failed to make the bar final.?

By contrast Zhang, 24, has excelled, topping the list of 24 qualifiers from Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka, with Hashimoto three and a half points behind in third.?

“My form was excellent, beyond my expectations,” Zhang, who edged Hashimoto for the world title in 2021, beamed after Saturday’s qualifying.?

Forty-eight hours later, after the devastating team final collapse, Zhang’s smile had vanished — in its place the haunted look of a man who had just won the lottery, but lost his ticket.?

“We are frustrated. Up to then we have done very well,” he said dejectedly.?

If Hashimoto delivers he will emulate countryman Kohei Uchimura by retaining all-around gold, and keep it in Japanese hands for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Games.?

He readily concedes he has failed to find top gear so far in Paris, pointing to an injury-disrupted build-up to the 2024 Games — he stumbled on his high bar dismount in qualifying, and fill off the pommel horse on Monday.?

“There were so many tough moments. In May, I injured myself. That brought me down a little bit and I started doubting whether I could get gold or not,” he said.?

“In the qualification competition, I wasn’t perfect. Again, that impacted my confidence.”?

Team gold could prove just the tonic he needed ahead of this clash of titans. -- AFP

The U.S. women’s volleyball team had a bad enough start in its Olympic title defense. It managed to keep it from turning into a disaster.

The Americans lost the first two sets to China on Monday in a pool play format where total points and sets won can become playoff tiebreakers. So China’s eventual five-set victory – both teams scored the same number of points – left the reigning champions with a sense of relief.

“I’m really proud of our fight. You know, it’s not easy to go from being down 0-2 to fight neck-and-neck in the fifth like that,” setter Jordyn Poulter said. “You either win or you learn. So we have a lot of that we can learn from here, a lot that we can improve and get better at, and we don’t want to peak too early.”

- AP

Ambala shooter Sarabjot Singh, who passed through a difficult phase trying to come to terms with the disappointment of the individual competition just three days back, said he was under a lot of pressure to perform.

“I’m feeling good, the game was very tough and there was a lot of pressure, I am very happy,” said the 22-year-old Singh, who comes from a farming family.

“I’m feeling really proud and there is lot of gratitude, thanks for all the blessings” said Manu Bhaker after the match, which the two young Indians (Manu and Sarabjot) played with remarkable poise to make it a one-sided contest.

“Actually we can’t control (what the rivals will do), we can do what is in our hand, me and my partner thought let’s just try our best and we will keep fighting till the end,” said Bhaker, who could not even qualify for this event at the Tokyo Games alongside Saurabh Chaudhary, finishing seventh.

France’s meteorological service put Paris and its surrounding suburbs on a major storm alert as the city hosts the Olympic Games.

Strong thunderstorms, heavy rain, hail and lightning were likely from 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) over the French capital, the weather service announced in a bulletin.

- AFP

Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec of Serbia won the 10 metre air pistol mixed team gold.

They beat Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec of Turkey 16-14 at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre.

- Reuters

Manu Bhaker becomes first Indian after independence to claim two medals in a single Olympics, having already won the women’s 10m air pistol bronze.

- PTI

Manu Bhaker was composure personified while Sarabjot Singh played an ideal foil as the pair won the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze defeating South Korea to script history at the Olympics here on Tuesday.

The Indian pair defeated the Koreans 16-10 to earn the country its second medal at the quadrennial showpiece, and in the process made Bhaker the first Indian post independence to bag two medals in a single edition of the Games.

Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh qualified for the bronze medal match in the 10m air pistol mixed team event of the Olympic Games yesterday.

Former U.S. president Donald Trump has criticised the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Paris, calling it a “disgrace”, amidst outrage over a scene which critics say parodied Leonardo da Vinci’s acclaimed painting “The Last Supper.”?

“I thought that the opening ceremony was a disgrace, actually. I thought it was a disgrace,” Mr. Trump, the Republican Party’s presidential candidate for the November 5 general elections, told ‘The Ingraham Angle’ on Fox News on Monday night.

“I am very open-minded. But I think, what they did was a disgrace,” he said in response to a question.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has also condemned the opening ceremony.

- PTI

Paris Olympics set a record for the most athletes who are openly LGBTQ+ — advocates and athletes say international athletics have a long way to go in opening up to the queer community.

In the Olympic opening ceremonies, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, sent a message in his speech to the world: “In our Olympic world, we all belong.”

Parisian officials continued their push for inclusion Monday night with the opening of the Olympic Pride House, located on a boat floating on the city’s famous Seine River. Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, French Minister for Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, told The Associated Press they were “sending a message of inclusion” in these Games.

- AP

Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk has come to Paris to support Ukrainian athletes at the Olympics amid war at home.

On Monday, he visited the Ukrainian House in Paris and from there he watched the fencing competition in which Ukrainian Olga Kharlan won the bronze medal in women’s individual saber, marking the first medal for Ukraine at the 2024 Olympics.

“My personal wish was, and I probably knew, that Olga is one of those people who would bring a medal for Ukraine,” Mr. Usyk told the Associated Press minutes after Ukrainian fencer won the medal.

Mr. Usyk expressed hope that there would be more medals as the competitions continue. He emphasized that the presence of the Ukrainian team is significant, considering the daily missile strikes, damaged sports infrastructure, and Russian occupation of regions that were home to many athletes.

“We are at war. But our athletes still came,” he said. “They are fighting.”

- AP

One comes across a decent number of people from the Indian sub-continent in Paris. Still, the presence of Indian restaurants are sporadic. The sight of one fills you in joy. The names of the restaurants are inviting too. Borders blur as Taj Mahal restaurant, owned by a Pakistani immigrant, close to the Yves du Manoir Stadium, and the Kashmir fast food centre, owned by a Bangladeshi, at Porte de Montreuil serves all sorts of tasty Indian food.?

The owners greet you with warmth and respect when they learn that you have come down from India for the Olympic Games.

Read Y.B. Sarangi’s latest Paris diary entry here.

The United States romped to a resounding 102-76 victory over Japan in the women’s basketball tournament at the Pierre Mauroy stadium on Monday, demonstrating that the defending champions are positioned to make a strong push for their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

In their Group C opener, the Americans took to the court with all the firepower of Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, who combined to pour in 46 points, and under the leadership of captain Diana Taurasi, who is making her sixth Games appearance in Paris.

-Reuters

Japan’s Yuto Horigome retained his Olympic title in men’s street skateboarding in Paris on Monday, clinching the top of the podium on his final trick in a nerve-searing final.

Jagger Eaton of the United States upgraded his Tokyo bronze to silver, while his compatriot Nyjah Huston claimed the last spot on the podium.

Horigome clinched it at the last moment with a flawless slide down the 10-stair round rail and a smile, underlining Japan’s dominance in the sport a day after his compatriot Coco Yoshizawa won the women’s event.

Eaton brought out some of his best material across the five tricks but could not catch Horigome, as he fell on his final attempt.

-Reuters

Rafael Nadal will decide whether to retire following the Paris Olympics, he said on Monday after losing in straight sets to 24-times Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in the second round of the singles.

The 38-year-old Spaniard, dubbed the “King of Clay”, has dropped to 161st in the world rankings after struggling for two years with injuries and suffered one of his worst losses against Djokovic in a 6-1 6-4 defeat.

“I cannot spend every day thinking about whether it is the last or not, because otherwise it is impossible,” he said.

Nadal is still in the doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.

“I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years so if I feel that I am not competitive enough, or physically if I am not enough ready to keep going, I will stop and I will let you know,” he said.

-Reuters