Australia tops medal table after first day of 2024 Olympics
The first day of the Olympic Games in Paris has ended, with the Australian team leading the medal count. This was reported by a Lenta.ru correspondent.
A total of 14 sets of awards were contested. Australian athletes won three gold medals and two silver. The winners were cyclist Grace Brown, swimmer Ariarne Titmus in the 400-meter freestyle, and the women’s swimming team in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay. Swimmer Elijah Winnington and the men’s swimming team in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay came in second.
The Chinese team came in second place, winning two golds and one bronze. The Americans came in third with one gold, two silvers and two bronzes.
Russians were represented in three disciplines: cyclists Tamara Dronova and Gleb Syritsa took part in the individual start races, swimmer Evgeny Somov reached the semi-finals in the 100m breaststroke, and tennis player Daniil Medvedev began his journey to medals.
Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev
Photo: Manish Swarup/AP
Representatives of Kazakhstan won the first medal at the Games
Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev won bronze in the mixed air rifle shooting competition at a distance of ten meters. In the duel for third place, they defeated Germany’s Maximilian Benedikt Ulbrich and
Anna Janssen with a score of 17:5. For Le and Satpayev, the Olympics were the first in their careers. After the victory, the shooters said that they felt great.
When I came to this sport, I started dreaming about participating in the Olympic Games and showing the best result. This is my goal, and I believe in it. I know that if I show myself at full strength, there will be victories.
This is Kazakhstan’s first medal at the Games in shooting since 1996. In Atlanta, Sergei Belyaev won two silver medals (rifle shooting), and Vladimir Vokhmyanin won bronze (rapid-fire pistol shooting).
On the same day, Kazakhstan won its first gold. Judoka Yeldos Smetov won in the 60-kilogram weight category. In the final, Smetov was stronger than the Frenchman Luka Mkheidze. The Kazakhstani athlete already had two Olympic medals to his credit: silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and bronze at Tokyo 2020.
Medvedev advances to second round of Olympic tournament
The Russian tennis player started with a crushing victory at the 2024 Games in Paris. In the first round of singles, the 28-year-old athlete defeated Australian Rinki Hijikata. The match ended with a score of 6:2, 6:1.
In the next round, the 28-year-old Russian will face the winner of the match between Austrian Sebastian Ofner and Robin Hase of the Netherlands. Medvedev will also begin the fight for medals in mixed doubles with 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.
The remaining matches involving Russian tennis players were postponed until July 28 due to incessant rain.
Swimmer Somov reaches semifinals of Games
Somov became the first Russian athlete to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. He successfully reached the semi-finals in the 100m breaststroke, showing a result that allowed him to take 13th place in the preliminary heats.
I’m really enjoying everything. In principle, I swam normally, especially since I recently returned to training.
In the semi-final, Somov finished only seventh in the second heat. He covered the distance in exactly one minute and finished 13th overall, which prevented the athlete from reaching the final. Belarusian Ilya Shimanovich also remained outside the decisive heat.
Evgeniy Somov
Photo: Marko Djurica / Reuters
Somov will take part in the 50-meter freestyle swim. The competition will begin on August 1.
Russian cyclists left without medals
Dronova and Syritsa were the first Russian athletes to compete in a medal event. In the individual start race, Dronova finished 21st, four minutes and 3.92 seconds behind. The victory went to Australian Grace Brown. Anna Henderson took the Olympic silver medal to Great Britain. The top three was rounded out by US representative Chloe Dygert. Syritsa was penultimate in the men’s event, taking 31st place out of 32.
After the finish, Dronova said that she dreamed of taking part in the Olympics, as this was her last chance. She emphasized that she was waiting for a decision from the Russian government and the International Olympic Committee, noting that no prohibitions were received from them.
Dronova added that other participants in the Games are friendly towards her, and she has not had any conflicts. “Life has taught me to listen only to what I want to hear. My family supports me, there are no problems,” the cyclist concluded.
I don’t know what it could mean for me to participate in the Games without a flag and anthem. I think at home, and in all other countries, they understand perfectly well where we come from.
This is not the last competition for Dronova at the 2024 Olympics. Together with Alena Ivanchenko, she will take part in the group race.
Canada’s soccer team punished for using drone
FIFA’s disciplinary committee has punished the Canadian women’s national team for using drones to monitor their New Zealand team’s training at the Paris Olympics. The team was fined $226,000 and docked six points in the 2024 group stage.
In addition, head coach Beverly Priestman, her assistant Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi, who was not accredited for the Olympics, were suspended from all football-related activities for a year.
The Canadians beat New Zealand 2-1 in their opening match of the Olympic tournament on July 25. They still have matches against France and Colombia in Group A.
Italian athlete loses wedding ring in Seine
High jumper Gianmarco Tamberi said he lost his ring during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. It fell into the river. Tamberi was the flag bearer for the Italian team at the ceremony. Afterwards, the athlete suggested to his wife, Chiara Bontempi, that they throw her wedding ring into the Seine as well, which would give them a reason to remarry.
I followed it with my eyes until I saw it bounce inside the boat. A glimmer of hope… But unfortunately, the bounce was in the wrong direction, and after turning over a thousand times in the air, it fell into the water, as if that was the only place it wanted to end up.
The Italian is the Tokyo Olympic champion, world champion (2023), and three-time European champion (2016, 2022, 2024).
Source: Lenta
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
