Key events
MRWMR: The coup de bâton has been executed just a few metres from the Eiffel Tower. The inaugural leg of the Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay is officially underway!
MRWMR: A total of 25 pairs are competing on this historic route through central Paris. During the 2024 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships, Italy claimed the gold, followed by Japan and Spain. The Spanish team featuring Alvaro Martin (bronze medallist in the 20km walk) and Maria Perez (silver in the same event) are strong favorites for gold this morning.
The starter’s pistol will soon go off for the marathon race walk mixed relay. This marks the debut of this 42.195km race at the Olympics, created to replace the 50km race walk that was viewed as excessively long (men’s winners typically finished around the 3h 30 mark, while women completed the course in about 4h).
The relay consists of two athletes, one male and one female. Each must complete two legs in this order: male 11.45km, female 10km, male 10km, and female 10.745km.
In other news from Australia, Arisa Trew, at just 14 years old, has effectively handled the pressure of being a gold medal favorite.
The Australian entered the Olympics with a strong track record, winning qualifiers in Shanghai and Budapest. However, her preliminaries on Tuesday felt shaky, where she qualified sixth out of eight. The pressure intensified during her first run, which included a challenging 540 followed by a Madonna move before she fell. Hiraki’s excellent first run added weight to the pressure, scoring 91.98.
Her second run, however, showed her true mettle as she began with another significant 540 without any faults, culminating in a score of 90.11, pushing her into the medal positions by the conclusion of the second runs.
The final run was decisive, and Trew held nothing back. “In my third run, I just kept telling myself that I had to land it, no matter what,” she reflected.
The Australian track cycling team is poised to showcase their capabilities following a few challenging Olympic cycles.
The Australians are now contenders after their impressive performances in the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome. They surprised the field by qualifying fastest with a time of 3:42.958, just a second shy of the world record. In their subsequent encounter with Italy, they not only set a new world record but dismantled the previous one with a finish time of 3:40.730.
It’s been five years since Australia held the title of world champions in the men’s team pursuit and two decades since their last Olympic gold in this discipline back in Athens 2004.
The Netherlands, particularly Harrie Lavreysen, showcased extraordinary speed in the velodrome.
In a final that lacked competition, Great Britain’s sprint trio of Jack Carlin, Hamish Turnbull, and Ed Lowe valiantly fought but were unable to match Lavreysen and his teammates, Jeffrey Hoogland and Roy van den Berg, who took the lead almost immediately.
The Dutch riders, having already set a world record earlier in the contest, claimed another with a remarkable time of 40.949 seconds, as Carlin, Turnbull, and Lowe could only watch while Lavreysen and his colleagues reveled in their triumph.
Amongst remarkable performances at these games, Armand Duplantis has elevated the pole vault to artistic heights, Simone Biles has showcased her greatness, and Novak Djokovic achieved a significant milestone in tennis. Amidst all this, one must not overlook the achievements of Cuban wrestler Mijaín López, whose fifth consecutive gold medal sets new benchmarks for excellence.
In the wrestling ring, as his name resonated from the crowd, Mijaín López untied his boots and raised them to his lips. He placed them in the center of the mat and gracefully exited after securing victory at his sixth Games, solidifying his status as one of the greatest Olympians.
At nearly 42, winning the Greco-Roman wrestling title for a record fifth consecutive time, López has accomplished a feat no other Olympian has done. On a balmy evening at the Champ de Mars Arena in Paris, he made it appear effortless.
Despite the ongoing debates surrounding her involvement, Imane Khelif is steadfastly pursuing a boxing gold medal.
Imane Khelif’s extraordinary Olympic journey continues as she easily outclassed Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand in the women’s 66kg semi-final, setting her up for a final match against Yang Liu of China on Friday.
The atmosphere was vibrant, dominated by Algerian flags and football shirts, as fans filled the queue outside Roland Garros just before the evening showdown.
We will begin our recap of yesterday’s events with a riveting men’s 1500m final where Cole Hocker turned the prevailing storyline upside down.
Perhaps this illustrates a deeper lesson: the mesmerizing and misleading power of narratives. The 1500m race thrives on competitiveness and unpredictability, reliant on luck, strategy, and sometimes sheer opportunism.
One hour later, Hocker stepped onto the podium to secure his gold medal. He appeared neither startled nor intimidated but fully confident in his place there. It seemed he had the vision all along.
We’re starting earlier than normal today due to a 07:30 start time. This allows the marathon race walk mixed relay to finish before the midday sun makes the competition arduous.
From 09:00, events like women’s golf and taekwondo will commence, followed by canoe sprint and handball at 09:30.
From 10:00 onward, expect an overwhelming surge of action. However, shinty won’t be part of it; while not an Olympic sport, its relative hurling had a demonstration event at St. Louis 1904.
Here are some of the standout images from yesterday’s events. Just a heads up, don’t linger on the underwater shot of the French artistic swimming team.
For those tracking the per capita medal tables, it’s notable that the small Caribbean nations of Dominica and St. Lucia are leading due to their track and field achievements.
Among nations securing multiple medals, New Zealand (with more expected as canoe sprint events commence), Ireland (specifically with focus on Daniel Wiffen), and the consistently impressive Australia stand out.
