After Jess Fox and Eddie Ockenden led the Australian contingent down the River Seine on a wet and wild night in Paris and the Games officially opened, the first full day of sport finally arrived on Saturday. If there were any hangovers from festivities the night before, it didn’t show on what proved to be a successful day that ended with Australia sitting atop the medal table with three gold and two silvers.
Swimming
It was billed as the swim clash of these Games and Ariarne Titmus did not disappoint, beating rising star Summer McIntosh and old rival Katie Ledecky to win gold in the 400m freestyle. A second gold medal in the pool arrived shortly afterwards with a fourth-straight victory for the women’s all-conquering 4x100m relay team. The men added a silver in the 4x100m after Elijah Winnington had earlier claimed silver in the men’s 400m freestyle, with Sam Short just outside the medals in fourth. Read Kieran Pender’s report
Cycling
Earlier, Grace Brown tore around the streets of Paris to open Australia’s medal account – and immediately place them second on the medal table – with gold in the women’s individual time trial. The 32-year-old dominated the race despite tricky conditions caused by persistent rain in the French capital on Saturday, crossing the line well ahead of her nearest rivals.Read Jack Snape’s race report
Basketball
The Boomers opened their Olympic campaign with an encouraging win over Spain, with Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey leading the way with 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Tempers flared at one point, but the Boomers kept their cool to record a perfect start to the ‘group of death’ ahead of their next match against Canada. Read more here
Synchronised diving
But there was heartbreak in the diving pool as a disastrous slip at the worst possible moment ended the medal hopes of synchro pair Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith. In a good position to win a bronze medal – and maybe even silver – Smith botched her launch, skewing off the board at a near 45-degree angle. The pair ended fifth. Read Jonathan Liew’s report
Rugby sevens
The men’s sevens team fell agonisingly short of a first Olympic medal, losing 26-19 to South Africa in the bronze medal match at the Stade de France. The Australians were left to rue missed opportunities, having earlier lost their semi-final to Fiji. Read the story here
Tennis
Matt Ebden narrowly avoided a humiliating double-bagel defeat to Novak Djokovic, who later railed against “illogical” Olympic entry rules. The 24-time grand slam champion won 6-0, 6-1 against Ebden, who was a late injury replacement and had not played a singles match since August 2022. Read Tumaini Carayol’s report
Football
Bev Preistman, the coach of Canada’s women’s team, has been banned by Fifa for a year after a spying scandal hit the Games this week. Her team have been docked six points in Group A, meaning an easier path through from third place, which may or may not benefit the Matildas. Read the story here
Other bits
Italy’s flag bearer, the high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi, had to apologise to his wife after he lost his wedding ring during the opening ceremony on the River Seine.
Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze has become the first woman to compete at 10 Olympic Games in a career that began with her representing the Soviet Union.
And the president of Palestine’s National Olympic Committee says he will not shake hands with his Israeli counterpart, or any of their delegation, at Paris 2024 unless they recognise his state’s right to independence.
