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France's capital is set to pulse with a sporting rhythm on Saturday as the Olympic Games officially commence, following an opening ceremony that was both spectacular and rain-soaked.
After a dramatic Friday, which began with a pre-dawn attack on France's high-speed rail network by saboteurs, attention now shifts to the pursuit of gold medals and athletic achievement. On the first day alone, 14 gold medals will be contested across various sports: four in swimming, two each in cycling, fencing, and judo, and one each in diving, skateboarding, shooting, and rugby sevens. The swimming events kick off at La Defense Arena, where Australia's Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus will aim to defend her 400 meters freestyle title against American Katie Ledecky, the 2016 Rio champion, and Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh.
Following Titmus's dramatic win over Ledecky in Tokyo three years ago, this final could potentially be Paris's standout race if all three competitors advance. In cycling, Italy's Filippo Ganna will face off against Belgium's rising star Remco Evenepoel in a highly anticipated individual time trial, with Britain's Joshua Tarling also in contention.
In the women’s cycling event, American Chloe Dygert emerges as a leading contender. She has demonstrated a strong comeback after winning the 2023 world title, recovering from the Epstein-Barr virus diagnosed in early 2022, which was followed by heart surgery for accelerating beats.
In addition to the medal events, the first day will also see action in artistic gymnastics, badminton, basketball, tennis, handball, and several other sports, including surfing, which begins in Tahiti, 15,895 km away in the South Pacific. Skateboarding, a relative newcomer to the Olympics, will also make its return with the men’s street event taking place at Place de la Concorde.
Defending champion Yuto Horigome will vie to retain his title against competitors such as U.S. skateboarder Nyjah Huston and French hopeful Aurélien Giraud.