Olympic Games latest. Nadal plays Djokovic either on Monday or Tuesday, with date and timing yet to be confirmed, as Australia and Japan top gold medal table followed by US and France.
In a star-studded Olympic Sunday, Spain’s Rafael Nadal beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in three sets to book a place in the 2nd round clash of titans against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic – the 60th meeting of the long-time tennis rivals.
Meanwhile, concerns keep looming over swimming competitions as the Seine River water quality remains below safety levels, threatening to postpone Tuesday’s triathlon.
LeBron Olympic comeback fires US past Serbia in basketball opener
In a neat 110-84 win over Serbia, LeBron James scored 21 points, secured nine rebounds and provided seven assists, while Suns’ Kevin Durant made his first eight shots on the way to 23 points in less than 17 minutes.
The US team’s two most experienced Olympians opened their Paris Games with a near-perfect show, setting sight on a fifth consecutive gold medal for the Americans.
Rafael Nadal wins men’s singles to face Novak Djokovic next
Red-and-yellow Spanish flags flapped in the stands, as Nadal beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the men’s tennis first round to set up a blockbuster showdown against rival Novak Djokovic on either Monday or Tuesday.
The tennis schedule was disrupted after rain showers fell on the outside courts on Friday.
“It’s been always super special to play against Novak, no? No doubt about that. But the difference is normally we have been playing for finals or for semifinals. This,” the 38-year-old Nadal said with a chuckle, “is a second round.”
Nadal also won his doubles opener Saturday night, playing alongside Spanish countryman Carlos Alcaraz.
Opening ceremony blasphemy controversy continues
The heated debate on an alleged offence to Christians during the Olympics’ Friday opening is still raging.
The scene during Friday’s ceremony featured DJ and producer Barbara Butch – an LGBTQ+ icon – flanked by drag artists and dancers.
After artistic director Thomas Jolly denied any willful evocation of the “Last Supper”, Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps said “there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group.”
“On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” she said.
Protests on and offline continued on Sunday, with a rally staged outside the French Embassy in Bucharest.
Convicted Dutch player Steven van de Velde booed before playing
Steven van de Velde, the Dutch beach volleyball player who served time in prison for having sex with a 12-year-old girl, received a mixture of boos and applause when he was introduced before losing his opening match on Sunday at the Paris Olympics.
Van de Velde did not speak to reporters after the three-set loss to Italy, a break with a longstanding IOC policy.
ADVERTISEMENT“He’s not here because he just wanted to rest his mind about it and just focus on the game,” said teammate Matthew Immers.
Seine water quality still poor: Triathlon session cancelled
A pre-race triathlon event planned on Sunday on the Seine River was cancelled over continued concerns about water quality.
Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived fears over whether the Seine will be clean enough to host swimmers when the triathlon competition starts on Tuesday.
But Paris officials said they’re confident that triathletes will be able to swim in the city’s famed waterway during the actual events this coming week.
ADVERTISEMENTRecent tests by the French water body indicated that when Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo took a swim in the river to prove it was safe, just over a week ago, E. coli levels were already above the safe limit determined by European rules.
In Games first, surfers sleep on cruise ship off Tahiti
Cardboard beds might be Paris’ solution to providing athletes a place to sleep for the 2024 Olympics. But almost 20,000 kilometres away, in Tahiti, where the surfing competition is taking place, athletes are being hosted on a cruise ship.
The Aranui 5 accommodates around 230 passengers and has a spa and a gym. “It’s unusual, but they (the athletes) seem to like it”, said French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson.
Spain defeat world number 2 China in women’s basketball
Maria Araujo hit a 3-pointer with 3:06 left in overtime as Spain finished off a rally and beat China 90-89. Queralt Casas tossed the ball into the air as the buzzer sounded after Li Yueru scored inside with 4 seconds left for the final margin, then the Spaniards came together for a giant hug jumping up and down to celebrate knocking off the world’s No. 2-ranked team. Alba Torrens, Spain’s captain, called it an “amazing victory.”
ADVERTISEMENTFerrand-Prevot finally wins mountain bike gold for France
After more than a decade of trying, French bicycle racer Pauline Ferrand-Prevot finally won the Olympic gold medal that had always eluded her.
She pulled away early and they never saw her again, finishing 2 minutes, 57 seconds ahead of everyone else, as a sun-splashed crowd refused to stop serenading her at the finish line.
Happy day for Japan with judo and skateboarding golds
The Abe siblings’ dream of winning judo gold medals for Japan on the same day in their second straight Olympics ended early on Sunday with Uta Abe’s shocking loss to Diyora Keldiyorova of Uzbekistan in the round of 16.
However, Hifumi Abe, Uta’s older brother, persevered to win his second gold medal later in the day, but the double victory they had chased for three years didn’t happen.
ADVERTISEMENTThe siblings had both won gold on the same day in their home Tokyo Olympics.
Japanese compatriots Coco Yoshizawa and Liz Akama took gold and silver in women’s street skateboarding. Akama was in first place after landing her first two tricks before Yoshizawa slid down the big rails on the course on her fourth trick attempt, earning a score of 96.49 to pass her teammate. The trick, which elicited gasps from the crowd, got the highest score of the day.
Roommates but not rivals: South Korean shooters win gold and silver
They’re roommates and Olympic record-breakers but not rivals. Even in a shootout for the gold medal. Two South Korean shooters with a special bond fought for gold without bitterness. Oh Ye Jin took the gold and Kim Yeji the silver in women’s 10-meter air pistol – and both beat the previous record – but said it didn’t much matter who won.
“She is like my youngest sibling, and I always want to care for her and always be there for her”, said silver medalist Kim. “I do not view her as my rival”.
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