Team GB celebrated its most successful opening at the Olympic Games in over forty years, with Anna Henderson securing silver in the women’s road race time trial, while divers Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen captured bronze at the aquatics centre in Paris.
It was the first time since 2004 that a British team medaled on the first official day of an Olympics, and they hadn’t achieved two medals since the 1980 Moscow Games. Strong performances combined with a touch of luck led to this early success, igniting hopes for a record-breaking medal tally this summer.
The most resounding cheers came from the 80,000 spectators at the Stade de France, as star Rugby sevens player Antoine Dupont showcased his incredible speed and skill, contributing to France’s first gold medal of the Games with one try and two scored against Fiji.
Earlier, heavy rain had caused organizers in Paris to delay both skateboarding and tennis events. However, Mew Jensen and Harper seized their chance to capture Britain’s first women’s diving medal since 1960, while Tom Daley cheered from the stands, engaged in knitting.
Unbeaten since 2022, the Chinese pair Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen smoothly secured gold in the women’s 3m synchronised diving, while the US duo of Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook claimed silver.
Australia’s Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith looked set for bronze, but a misstep from Smith sent them plummeting to fifth place.
“We knew Australia had to falter for us to have a shot,” said 22-year-old Mew Jensen from London. “When that actually happened, we were quite taken aback since it was a relatively straightforward dive for them. They are extremely talented and experienced.”
Harper, 23, from Sheffield, remarked: “We anticipated a close finish. Watching them underperform in the final round — I sensed immediately it wasn’t enough.”
Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen won bronze at the aquatics centre in Paris.
Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA
“In diving, you can often predict your outcome,” she added.
“We were fairly confident, yet the wait for the scoreboard to confirm our standing felt interminable.”
After her dive, Smith was seen crying into a towel, admitting, “I screamed underwater.”
Moments later, it was Henderson’s turn to bask in Olympic success. She was outperformed by Australia’s veteran Grace Brown for gold but narrowly beat the US’s Chloé Dygert for silver by less than one second in the women’s cycling time trial, following a crash involving the American on the perilously slippery roads of central Paris.
Henderson, 25, from Hemel Hempstead, expressed, “I can’t believe it. I had a slight feeling I could podium today, but coming second to someone like Grace is unbelievable.”
“When I realized I was second, I burst into tears. I couldn’t stop smiling. It was confusing because there was a delay on the TV, and I couldn’t see the scoreboard. Knowing I had a medal was incredible, but determining if it was silver or bronze felt critical.”
With predictions of strong performances from the female athletes of Team GB, the opening outcomes instill confidence that the target range of 50 to 70 medals put forth by UK Sport is achievable.
From 30 medals in Athens, the tally rose to 51 in Beijing, 65 in London, and topped at 67 in Rio. The 64 medals secured at the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games had been seen as a somewhat disappointing yield despite the challenging conditions.
after newsletter promotion
Adam Peaty in the men’s 100m breaststroke. Photograph: François-Xavier Marit/AFP/Getty Images
The GB men’s hockey team kicked off their campaign with a resounding 4-0 victory over Spain. The spotlight now shifts to Adam Peaty, 29, who breezed into the semi-finals of the 100m breaststroke with the second-fastest qualifying time of 59.18 seconds in the heats, stating, “The overall field was a bit slow.”
“My mental state is quite positive,” he reflected about his preparation for Sunday’s final. “Perhaps too relaxed; it doesn’t quite feel like we’re here at the moment, but getting in that swim will sharpen my focus. It’s all about utilizing experience to conserve energy.”
Peaty’s primary rival for a third consecutive Olympic gold is Qin Haiyang, one of 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned substance prior to the Tokyo Olympics but was permitted to compete after authorities accepted China’s claim that their hotel kitchen was contaminated.
“Athletes always have this in the back of their mind,” Peaty acknowledged when asked about doping in the sport. “Everyone wants a fair competition and aims to win honestly among others who share similar values. Yet, we have our responsibilities, and you can’t let this hinder your path.”
There was widespread relief among organizers as the Games commenced without major incidents, following the sabotage of the French railway system and the often damp, yet spectacular, opening ceremony on the Seine, enduring adverse weather conditions.
The head of the SNCF rail company, Jean-Pierre Farandou, expressed hopes that transport networks would normalize by Monday, despite 160,000 of the 800,000 travelers experiencing cancellations over the weekend.
Nearly one-third of trains were canceled across northern, western, and eastern France, with one in four Eurostar services between London and Paris also disrupted.
France’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, reported that investigations into the attack were progressing.
He stated: “We have identified several elements indicating that we may soon determine who is accountable for actions that, while not sabotaging the Olympic Games, certainly disrupted the holidays for many French citizens.”
