Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev won the first Olympic medal of the Games on Saturday, capturing bronze in the 10-metre mixed team air rifle event.
Heavy rain disrupted the Games’ opening day, overshadowing the excitement that followed a spectacular but wet opening ceremony.
Le and Satpayev triumphed over Germany’s Maximilian Ulbrich and Anna Janssen with a decisive 17-5 victory.
Originally, 14 gold medals were scheduled to be awarded, starting with the mixed-team 10-metre air rifle finals at 10:30 am local time. However, rain from Friday night’s opening ceremony, which featured a dramatic light show at the Eiffel Tower, caused several delays.
The men’s street skateboarding event at Place de la Concorde was postponed to Monday due to the rain, and tennis at Roland Garros faced disruptions as only two of the 12 courts have roofs.
Friday’s opening ceremony, which saw around 7,000 athletes parade along the Seine, was generally well-received despite the weather, with a performance by Celine Dion and a light show at the Eiffel Tower.
On the sports front, swimming, badminton, rowing, cycling, hockey, and basketball events began, alongside surfing competitions on the French Pacific island of Tahiti.
In swimming, Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, the defending champion, is the favorite for the women’s 400m freestyle, facing strong competition from Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh. Other swimming golds will be contested in the men’s 400m freestyle and the 4x100m freestyle relays.
Tennis at Roland Garros will feature top players like Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, with Alcaraz partnering Rafael Nadal in men’s doubles.
Chinese shooters Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao are the favorites for the first gold in shooting, while in diving, Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen of China are expected to perform well in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard.
Cycling medals will be decided in the individual time trials on a challenging 32.4-kilometre course, and French rugby fans will watch Antoine Dupont lead the team in rugby sevens.
South Korea’s sports ministry expressed regret over a mistake during the opening ceremony, where South Korean athletes were mistakenly introduced as North Korean. The South Korean government has requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach and has asked for a formal protest to be made to the French authorities. The IOC has apologized for the error.
