Team Great Britain won silver and bronze medals on the first day of the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first team to win medals on the first day of an Olympic Games in 20 years.
Divers Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew-Jensen gave Great Britain a dramatic bronze medal in the women’s 3-metre synchronised springboard event.
The pair took advantage of an Australian pair’s defeat in the final round to become the first British women to win an Olympic medal in diving since Elizabeth Ferris won bronze in the 10-metre platform in Rome in 1960. Their success was the British team’s first medal in an opening tournament since the Athens Games in 2004.
Cyclist Anna Henderson won silver in the women’s time trial, where dangerous conditions saw several riders crash, but the Hemel Hempstead native kept her cool to finish second behind Australia’s Grace Brown.
British team wins medals early
Henderson covered the 32.4km course through central Paris in 41 minutes 10.7 seconds, 1 minute 31 seconds slower than gold medal-winning time by Brown.
Chloe Dygert was among those who fell, which proved decisive as she lost her 15-second lead over Henderson at the first intermediate time check, finishing 0.9 seconds behind the Briton’s time.
“I didn’t realize how slippery the track was until I got on it,” Henderson said. “I thought one corner here could cost me the whole Olympics, so I really tried to control it and make up all the time on the straights.”
Mew Jensen admitted it was “unbelievable” to win Team GB’s first medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, despite dropping to sixth place with 63.90 points in the third round.
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British team members Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew-Jensen shared their thoughts after winning the bronze medal in the women’s 3-metre synchronised diving event at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Team Great Britain regained fourth place in the next round with 71.10 points and added a solid score of 70.68 points in the fifth round, but then drama occurred when Annabel Smith slipped on the takeoff on the diving board, and Australia fell just short of the total points needed to win the bronze medal.
“It’s unbelievable,” Mew Jensen said. “I’m so proud of Yas, so proud of myself, so proud of the team. We worked so hard and we couldn’t have done any better so I’m really happy.”
Peaty is on track for a historic third straight title
Adam Peaty is on track to win a historic third Olympic title in the men’s 100m breaststroke, heading into a spirited showdown with Qin Haiyan in Sunday’s final.
Adam Peaty will compete in the 100-meter breaststroke final on Sunday night.
Both men won their semi-final matches but Peaty had the psychological advantage after clocking 58.86 seconds at La Defense Arena, 0.07 seconds faster than his Chinese rival.
The 29-year-old is bidding to become just the second male swimmer after Michael Phelps to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals, having won in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020, while compatriot James Wilby fell just 0.11 seconds short of qualifying for the final.
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Adam Peaty said his greatest achievement would be winning a third individual gold medal, and suggested this year’s Games could be his last.
Although the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay teams just missed out on the podium, Peaty’s performance eased the sting of a disappointing night in the pool for Team GB.
On the men’s side, Matt Richards, Jacob Whittle, Tom Dean and Duncan Scott finished fifth, 2.33 seconds behind winners USA, while Anna Hopkin, Eva Okaro, Lucy Hope and Freya Anderson came in seventh, 6.33 seconds behind gold medallists Australia.
Which other Brits were active?
Max Whitlock was one of a record-breaking eight British male gymnasts to reach the finals of their individual events: Jake Jarman and Luke Whitehouse on the floor exercise, Harry Hepworth on the rings, Hepworth and Jarman on the vault and Jarman and Joe Fraser in the all-around.
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What are your Olympic memories? Which athlete would you dream of chatting to? Ahead of the Paris Olympics, find out about Britain’s most successful gymnast of all time: Max Whitlock.
Hepworth and Jarman’s respective successes also mean that for the first time ever, Great Britain will be represented in an Olympic vault or rings final.
The Great Britain men’s ice hockey players started their challenge for the Olympic ice hockey gold medal in style with a convincing 4-0 win over Spain in Pool A. Gareth Furlong scored two goals, while Nick Park and Rupert Shipperley rounded out the scoring.
Josh Tarling finished fourth in the men’s time trial, just two seconds away from a medal, after suffering a puncture early on.
In equestrian events, Laura Collett and her horse London 52 recorded the lowest individual Olympic score of 17.50 in eventing, giving the British team an overall score of 66.70, also an Olympic record.
Badminton players Ben Lane and Sean Bendy lost their opening men’s doubles match to Malaysians, while boxer Charlie Davison was knocked out by split decision in the 32nd round of the bantamweight bout.
What else happened on day one?
Antoine Dupont described France’s Olympic rugby sevens gold medal win as “sensational and incredible” and said his contribution to the victory saw France overcome an early deficit to win 28-7 and hand Fiji their first defeat in Olympic competition.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz began their blockbuster partnership in style, defeating sixth seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the first round of the men’s doubles at the French Open.
Nadal still has bandages on his right thigh and it is not yet clear whether the 14-time French Open champion will play in Sunday’s scheduled singles match against Marton Fucsovics, although the player acknowledged he was unsure whether he would play.
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Watch an extended interview with Andy Murray as he prepares for his final tennis tournament. He discusses his decision to retire, his plans for the future, and why the Olympics was the perfect place to say goodbye.
Novak Djokovic criticised the Olympic entry rules after his rain-soaked French Open opening match with a lopsided 6-0, 6-1 win over Matthew Ebden, who needed just 53 minutes to beat the Australian replacement.
“I don’t understand the rules at all. It doesn’t make any sense to me,” Djokovic said. “I don’t think it’s a good image for the sport, to be honest with you. There are a lot of reserve players in singles who have had plenty of playing time and could have been asked to play.”
How to watch the Olympics on Sky
You can watch the latest coverage from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games every day from now until Sunday 11 August on Sky Sports’ digital platforms and Sky Sports News.
Plus live news blogs and updates on records being broken and medals being won on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app. Sky Sports News We will also have a dedicated reporter on the ground in Paris throughout the Olympics to gather the latest news on and off the French stadiums, as well as reactions to key moments from medallists, coaches, relatives and pundits.
Sky Sports+ will be launched in August this year. Sky TVstreaming services now The Sky Sports app will also allow Sky Sports customers to access over 50% more live sport this year at no extra cost. Stream the new EFL season, Test cricket and other top sports NOW.
