Key events
Scroll to the bottom and enjoy Gabriel Medina levitating.
Yesterday’s success for Team GB has already entered history as magic Monday, but the day also brought news of a positive Covid result for silver medallist Adam Peaty. The absence of panic is a far cry from Tokyo three years ago but the risk of an outbreak remains a concern so early into competition.
Among the highlights of day three was a second round singles match in the men’s tennis. But it was no ordinary clash, featuring the two most successful men in the sport’s history: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic is bidding for the only trophy missing from his collection with fate conspiring to deliver the Serbian just one bronze medal in a career that has spanned four previous Olympics. Dominik Koepfer (GER) should prove no obstacle in round three, but danger lurks thereafter with Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE), Alexander Zverev (GER), and Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) his next scheduled opponents.
Nadal meanwhile may have played his final singles match of note, and it was fitting that it came on centre court at Roland Garros, against an opponent with whom he has shared the most active rivalry in tennis history. “I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years,” Nadal said. “So if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going or physically I’m not ready to keep going, I will stop and I will let you know. But I don’t think every day about if I am retiring or not.”
With the triathlon postponed the first action of the day will once again come in badminton (8:30). Beach volleyball, handball, shooting, and volleyball all kick-off at 9:00 then rowing at 9:30, hockey, judo, and table tennis at 10:00.
Japan top the medal table on the morning of day four, thanks in no small part to their domination of skateboarding. The USA lead the medal count, but only three of their 20 visits to the podium have reached the top step.
It’s always good for a Games to see the hosts with some early momentum and everything is going to script so far for France.
The flags of 36 NOCs have now been raised in Paris, including a brace of golds for Hong Kong, a first podium finish in the pool for Ireland since Michelle Smith at Atlanta 96, and Ukraine’s first medal of the Paris Games, a bronze to fencer Olga Kharlan.
Men’s Triathlon Postponed
Disappointing news to start day four in Paris with World Triathlon announcing the postponement of the men’s event due to the water quality of the river Seine. The race has been rescheduled to tomorrow, after the women’s event. That still doesn’t leave much time for the water quality to improve, so further disruption is not out of the question.
Sean Ingle has been covering the story for a number of days and filed this report yesterday after the cancellation of open water practice.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. But since 2015, organisers have spent around £1bn to ensure a cleaner river for the Games – and to allow Parisians to swim in it afterwards.
Renovations have included the construction of a giant basin to capture excess rainwater and stop too much sewage from flowing into the river – as well as renovating infrastructure and upgrading wastewater treatment plants. The hope now is that the forecast hot weather will be enough to drop E coli levels low enough to race.
Preamble – Day Four Schedule
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the fourth official day of competition of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Day three was when Great Britain came to life at these Games with Tom Pidcock and the equestrian team securing gold medals, along with silvers in the diving, canoe slalom, and men’s 200m freestyle, as well as bronze in the individual jumping. There was also more joy for the hosts with France celebrating a clutch of silver medals to go with golds in fencing and canoe slalom.
It was a night of gripping finals in the pool, more skateboarding joy for Japan, and the awarding of one of the most emotional medals of the 2024 Olympics: bronze to Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan.
So what can we look forward to today?
Medal Events
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🥇 Triathlon – men’s individual (from 8:00) -
🥇 Shooting – 10m air pistol mixed team (from 9:30)
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🥇 Table Tennis – mixed doubles (from 14:30)
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🥇 Shooting – men’s trap (from 15:30)
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🥇 Judo – men’s 81kg / women’s 63kg (from 16:00)
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🥇 Gymnastics – women’s team (18:15)
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🥇 Fencing – women’s épée team (19:30)
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🥇 Rugby Sevens – women’s (19:45)
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🥇 Swimming – women’s 100m backstroke / men’s 800m freestyle & 4 x 200m freestyle relay (20:56)
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🥇 Surfing – men’s & women’s (03:34 Wednesday)
*(All times listed are Paris local)
Simon Burnton’s day-by-day guide
Swimming: women’s 100m backstroke
Kaylee McKeown, Australia’s backstroke queen, is going for six golds in Paris – twice the number she won in Tokyo – and today could bring her first, with the 100m final in the evening session. McKeown broke her own world record last October and goes in as overwhelming favourite; Thursday, Friday and Saturday’s 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley double will be a much harder test.
Surfing: men’s and women’s gold medal matches
Olympic organisers chose to hold the surfing competition in Teahupo’o – approximate translation “wall of skulls”, though it’s been nicknamed The End of the Road – in Tahiti, with athletes staying in a cruise ship moored offshore after locals objected to plans to build housing for them (they could not stop the construction of a judging tower in the reef). The attraction is what surfer.com described as “without a doubt one of the heaviest, scariest, most dangerous left-hand reef break waves in the entire world”.
Other unmissable moments will include Simone Biles competing in the gymnastics team final (18:15) and a blockbuster afternoon on Court Suzanne Lenglen where Rafael Nadal is on third in the men’s doubles, followed by Andy Murray, in what could be the retiring great’s final competitive appearance.
I’m sure I’ve failed to include something notable to you in this short rundown, so feel free to let me know what’s on your agenda by emailing: [email protected] or, if you’re still rummaging around in the post-Twitter dumpster fire, find me on X @jphowcroft.
I’ll be around for the first few hours of the blog here in Australia, after which I’m handing over to Martin Belam in the UK.
