Paris Olympics 2024: China claimed the first gold medal of the Paris Olympics on Saturday. The teenage duo Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting secured victory in the mixed-team 10-metre air rifle event. They outscored South Koreas Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun with a score of 16-12. Kazakhstan secured the bronze medal in this event.Rain causes delaysThe rainy weather that affected the opening ceremony continued to disrupt the games on the first full day. The mens street skateboarding competition, scheduled at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, was postponed to Monday due to overnight rain. Tennis matches at Roland Garros were also delayed, with no play on the uncovered outside courts until 13:30 local time.An incredible moment for the Peoples Republic of China as they take the first #gold medal of the Olympic Games #Paris2024! 🥇🇨🇳Outstanding performance in shooting 10m air rifle mixed team! Thats back-to-back golds in this event for the Peoples Republic of China.… pic.twitter.com/hIG9odFgtc— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 27, 2024Opening ceremony highlightsThe opening ceremony on Friday was an extravagant display along the River Seine, where around 7,000 athletes participated. The event culminated in a spectacular light show at the Eiffel Tower and a performance by Celine Dion. Despite the heavy rain, the ceremony received generally positive reviews.IOC apologies for blunderThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) had to apologize for mistakenly introducing South Koreas athletes as North Koreans during the ceremony. The IOC issued an apology on their official Korean-language X account, acknowledging the error.Several other sports began their competitions, including swimming, badminton, rowing, cycling, hockey, and basketball. Surfing events started on the French Pacific island of Tahiti, nearly 16,000 kilometers away from Paris.Anticipated events of Paris OlympicsSwimming took center stage at the La Defense Arena. The womens 400m freestyle event was highly anticipated, featuring three swimmers who have held the world record. Australias defending champion Ariarne Titmus was the favorite after her recent impressive performance. She faced tough competition from American rival Katie Ledecky and Canadian teenage sensation Summer McIntosh.Medals were also awarded in mens 400m freestyle and the mens and womens 4x100m freestyle relays. Additionally, the womens synchronized 3m springboard diving event saw Chinese pair Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen as favorites.
