China claimed the first gold medal of the Paris Olympics on Saturday, as rain that dampened the opening ceremony continued to affect the initial day of competitions.
In the mixed-team 10-meter air rifle final, the teenage duo of Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting from China narrowly defeated South Korea’s Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun with a score of 16-12. Kazakhstan secured the bronze medal.
The ongoing rain, which deluged Friday night’s opening ceremony on the River Seine, caused further disruptions on Saturday. The men’s street skateboarding competition at Place de la Concorde was postponed until Monday due to the wet conditions. Additionally, play at the opening rounds of tennis at Roland Garros was delayed, with action on the 10 uncovered outside courts starting at 13:30 local time (11:30 GMT).
Friday’s opening ceremony, featuring 7,000 athletes parading along the Seine and a performance by Celine Dion, received positive reviews despite the torrential rain. France’s Le Figaro described it as “full of surprises but often disjointed.” However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had to apologize for a mistake during the ceremony where South Korea’s athletes were incorrectly introduced as North Korean.
On the first full day of the Olympics, several sports got underway including swimming, badminton, rowing, cycling, hockey, and basketball. The surfing competition also began, taking place nearly 16,000 kilometers away on the French Pacific island of Tahiti.
Swimming events at La Defense Arena, particularly the women’s 400m freestyle, are highly anticipated as it features three swimmers who have held the world record in the event.