Paris (AFP) – Simone Biles dazzled a star-studded crowd as she returned to the Olympic stage on Sunday while Rafael Nadal set up a showdown with career-long rival Novak Djokovic. Biles’s return was one of the highlights of day two as the sun returned to Paris, with 13 gold medals up for grabs, including a blockbuster swimming duel. Hollywood star Tom Cruise and pop stars Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande were among a host of A-listers crowded into a packed Bercy Arena as US superstar Biles began her quest for Olympic gymnastics redemption.
The 27-year-old four-time Olympic champion, widely regarded as the greatest gymnast in history, entered the arena to a standing ovation, and a deafening roar greeted her introduction. The American star acknowledged the support with a wave and blew a kiss to the crowd after her image was flashed up on a giant scoreboard. Biles opened her qualifying with a sublime performance on the beam, finishing second behind China’s Zhou Yaqin. She tweaked her left calf warming up for her second apparatus, the floor exercise, but still topped the standings. She also led the vault and was still clinging to the eighth and last finals berth in uneven bars with two qualifying sessions to come.
Biles topped the all-around standings with 59.566 points, while the United States led the way in the team competition. “It’s incredible,” said US team technical lead Chellsie Memmel. “What she was able to do looking like she has soreness or something in her leg is remarkable.” The 23-time world champion is competing in Paris three years after her campaign at the Tokyo Olympics unraveled due to a disorientating condition gymnasts call “twisties.” She still went home with a silver and bronze and was lauded for speaking openly about her mental health struggles.
At Roland Garros, Nadal shrugged off lingering injury concerns to beat 83rd-ranked Hungarian Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 despite sporting strapping on his injured right thigh and will play top seed Djokovic next. His meeting with the Serbian 24-time major winner will be the 60th of their storied careers. “Of course it’s beautiful to play against one of the two biggest rivals that I had in my career, especially on this court,” said the 38-year-old Nadal. “But situations are completely different for him, for me. He’s being very competitive. I was not being very competitive for the last two years, so in that case, I think probably he is the clear favourite.”
On the basketball court, Kevin Durant returned from injury to produce a shooting masterclass as the United States launched the defense of their Olympic crown with a 110-84 win over Serbia. Durant shot a near-perfect 8-of-9 from the field to finish with 23 points in a convincing win for the reigning champions, who are eyeing a fifth straight Olympic crown.
All eyes will be on the battle for gold in the swimming pool at La Defense Arena on Sunday evening, where Britain’s Adam Peaty faces a duel with China’s world champion Qin Haiyang in the 100m breaststroke. World record-holder Peaty is trying to match swimming great Michael Phelps and win a third straight gold medal in the same event in a clash with Qin that is laced with intrigue. Qin, the 200m world record-holder, was among the 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive for a banned drug in late 2020 to early 2021. Chinese swimming chiefs have denied wrongdoing, saying the swimmers tested positive after inadvertently consuming tainted food during domestic competition.
France’s great swimming hope Leon Marchand will chase glory in the men’s 400m individual medley, while the women’s 100m butterfly title is also on the line. Japanese 14-year-old Coco Yoshizawa won women’s street skateboard gold in an all-teenage final, seeing off the challenge of compatriot Liz Akama. Earlier, beach volleyball fans booed Dutch player Steven van der Velde, a convicted rapist who was controversially selected for the Olympics despite his criminal past. Van der Velde’s teammate Matthew Immers spoke out in support of his colleague after the Dutch pair lost to Italy. “What is in the past is in the past, and he had his punishment,” Immers said. Australia were early pacesetters in the medals table with four golds, ahead of South Korea, China, and Japan.
© 2024 AFP
