PARIS (Reuters) – The sun is set to finally shine bright on the Paris Olympics after a soggy, rain-swept start and the City of Light will celebrate with 13 gold medals up for grabs.
Among new Olympic champions to be crowned will be archers, mountain bikers, slalom canoeists and skateboarders.
SWIMMING: PEATY TAKES THE PLUNGE
British world record holder Adam Peaty will bid for a third successive gold in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke, while the pin-up boy of French swimming, Leon Marchand, starts competition on Sunday as hot favourite in the men’s 400 medley.
American world record holder Gretchen Walsh will battle China’s Zhang Yufei, the Tokyo silver medallist, for gold in the women’s 100 butterfly at La Defense Arena.
FIRST GLIMPSE OF BRILLIANT BILES
Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, returns for a third Olympics after suffering from the “twisties” at the Tokyo Games, a term gymnasts use to describe the temporary loss of spatial awareness when doing high-difficulty elements.
Biles will be in action in the women’s qualification rounds at Bercy Arena, the venue for artistic gymnastics competition.
FRANCE’S FERRAND PREVOT THE MOUNTAIN BIKE FAVOURITE
France’s Pauline Ferrand Prevot will be favourite for the women’s mountain bike race at Elancourt Hill in a bid to make up for the disappointment of Tokyo when she was outside the medals.
The race will feature multiple laps of the hilly 4.4km circuit west of Paris.
CHINESE BULLSEYE AT THE SHOOTING RANGE
China kick-started their campaign by winning the first gold of the Games and will be gunning for more on the second day.
Reigning world champion Zhang Bowen will fancy his first Olympic gold in the men’s 10-metre air pistol competition, while compatriot Jiang Ranxin will attempt to improve on her Olympic bronze medal from Tokyo in the women’s section.
FRANCE JUDOKA EYES MEDAL ON THE MAT
French judoka Amandine Buchard, silver medallist in Tokyo in the women’s under-52kg category, is a medal contender for the hosts but will face a challenge from Japan’s Uta Abe, a four-times world champion.
Abe’s brother, Hifumi, is also a four-times world champion in the men’s under-66kg and aims to retain his Olympic title.
The Abes became the first siblings to secure individual gold medals on the same day at the Tokyo Games and will try to repeat the feat in Paris.
BIG NAMES TAKE TO COURT IN WOMEN’S BADMINTON
Tokyo women’s singles silver medallist Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan is hot favourite against Belgium’s Lianne Tan in group play at La Chapelle Area. Both women are in their 30s and at their fourth Olympics.
At the same time, Tokyo bronze medallist PV Sindhu of India, who has three Games under her belt, faces off against Fathimath Abdul Razzaq of the Maldives.
Other women, including South Korea’s An Se-young and Tokyo gold medallist Chen Yufei of China, are also in action, as is Spain’s Carolina Marin, who bagged gold in Rio but missed Tokyo due to injury.
FRANCE V CANADA IN BLOCKBUSTER WOMEN’S SOCCER CLASH
The second women’s football matchday sees France face Canada in Group A, with a spot in the knockout stages up for grabs for the hosts.
Tokyo gold medal winners Canada will be reeling from a six-point deduction from global governing body FIFA and a one-year suspension for coach Bev Priestman as part of the fallout from a drone spying scandal.
The deduction puts a serious dent in Canada’s chances of progressing from the group.
Four-times Olympic gold medallists the United States and 2016 Olympic champions Germany can also secure quarter-final places.
FIRST CANOE GOLD UP FOR GRABS
The first gold medal in canoeing will be awarded as the women’s single kayak semi-finals and final take place late on Sunday afternoon.
The second day of the rowing competition kicks off in the morning, with the repechage in single and double sculls before moving on to the heats for pairs, lightweight sculls and men’s and women’s fours.
ARCHERY GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS
The gold and bronze medal matches for women’s team archery take place at the Esplanade des Invalides.
South Korea have won all nine gold medals since the event was introduced and are chasing their 10th.
HORSES HEAD OUT FOR CROSS-COUNTRY CANTER
It is cross-country day for eventers in Versailles.
The equine stars of the Games and their riders will compete on a 5km cross-country course over artificial and natural obstacles in the erstwhile hunting grounds of former French kings.
Organisers have managed to avoid postponing the event due to the rain over the past two days but Sunday’s weather is expected to favour horses that are used to softer, wet ground more than those coming from drier regions.
Britain, Germany and France are among the favourites.
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Paris; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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