MANILA, Philippines — China took the first gold of the Paris Olympics on Saturday, as the rain that dampened the opening ceremony took its toll on the first full day of sporting action.
In a closely fought final of the mixed-team 10-meter air rifle, teenage duo Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting outscored Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun from South Korea 16-12, with Kazakhstan grabbing the bronze.
All-conquering Chinese divers Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen bagged the first Olympic gold of their careers on Saturday with a superb victory in the women’s synchronized three-meter springboard final.
Chang and Chen have been unbeatable in global diving events in recent years, winning gold at three straight World Championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
They extended that run of dominance into the Olympic arena, romping to victory with a total of 337.68 points.
That left them comfortably ahead of the American duo of Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook, who took silver with 314.64pts. Britain’s Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen won bronze with a final total of 302.28.
The rain already claimed one sporting casualty early Saturday as the wet weather which deluged Friday night’s audacious festival on the River Seine continued to cause headaches.
The men’s street skateboarding competition, due to take place at the Place de la Concorde in the historic heart of Paris, was postponed until Monday due to rain overnight, organizers said.
The downpours also disrupted play at the opening rounds of tennis at Roland Garros, with no action on the 10 uncovered outside courts until 13:30 local time (1130 GMT), organizers said.
Torrential rain had lashed participants and spectators in Friday’s amphibious opening ceremony, where around 7,000 athletes paraded along the Seine in an armada of boats before a show-stopping finale which climaxed with a glittering light show at the Eiffel Tower and a performance from singer Celine Dion.
The ceremony received broadly favorable reviews, with France’s center-right Le Figaro daily describing it as “full of surprises but often disjointed.”
Elsewhere on the sporting front, swimming, badminton, rowing, cycling, hockey and basketball get under way along with the surfing competition, nearly 16,000 kilometers (9,950 miles) kilometers away on the French Pacific island of Tahiti.
Swimming will take centerstage at the La Defense Arena for the women’s 400m freestyle – one of the most-anticipated events of the entire Olympics involving three swimmers who have held the world record.
Australia’s defending champion Ariarne Titmus will dive in as favorite after clocking the second-fastest time ever last month behind only her own three minutes 55.38 seconds world best.
She stunned US rival Katie Ledecky in an electric Tokyo final three years ago, with the American great gunning for revenge.
Canadian teenage sensation Summer McIntosh, also a former world record holder, completes the hotly favored trio.