Olympics 2024 Highlights | Manika Batra becomes first Indian table tennis player to reach round of 16

FULL SCHEDULE: Team India's events for Day 3

Following is India's schedule at the Olympics here on Monday.

Archery

* Men's team quarterfinals: Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Pravin Jadhav -- 6:30pm

Badminton

* Men's doubles (Group stage): Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty vs Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel (Germany) -- 12pm

* Women's Doubles (Group stage): Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto vs Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida (Japan) -- 12:50pm

* Men's singles (Group stage): Lakshya Sen vs Julien Carraggi (Belgium) -- 5:30pm

Shooting

* 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Qualification: Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh; Rhythm Sangwan and Arjun Singh Cheema -- 12:45pm

* Men's Trap Qualification: Prithviraj Tondaiman -- 1pm

* 10m Air Rifle Women's Final: Ramita Jindal -- 1pm

* 10m Air Rifle Men's Final: Arjun Babuta -- 3:30pm

Hockey

* Men's Pool B Match: India vs Argentina -- 4:15pm

Table tennis

* Women's Singles (Round of 32): Sreeja Akula vs Jian Zeng (Singapore) -- 11:30pm.

India's tennis campaign ends at Paris Olympics in single day

India's tennis campaign at the Paris Olympics lasted just one day as Sumit Nagal and the men's doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji bowed out after losing their respective opening matches to French challengers, here Sunday.

Nagal was first to take court, but his strong baseline game didn't seem to be enough against mercurial Corentin Moutet, who earned a stylish three-set win.

In his second appearance at the Olympic Games, Nagal bounced back after losing the first set but fell 2-6 6-4 5-7 in two hours and 28 minutes at a packed court seven at the Roland Garros.

Lakshya's win over Cordon to be 'deleted' after his opponent's withdrawal due to injury

Star Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen's victory over Kevin Cordon in the opening men's singles Group L match won't be counted as his Guatemalan opponent pulled out of the Paris Olympics due to a left elbow injury.

"Guatemalan men's singles player Kevin Cordon has withdrawn from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Badminton Competition due to a left elbow injury," Badminton World Federation (BWF) said in an update.

Manu's story is incredible, says Dravid

Cricket legend Rahul Dravid, who knows a thing or two about handling pressure and meeting expectations, on Sunday complimented Manu Bhaker for the manner in which she overcame a forgettable outing at her maiden Olympics to win a historic bronze in this edition of the Games.

Bhaker became the first Indian woman shooter to claim an Olympic medal by finishing third in the 10m air pistol event, an achievement that opened the country's account in the ongoing Games and ended a 12-year wait for its shooters.

Dravid was mighty pleased with the 22-year-old's achievement.

Bhaker's win will inspire countless daughters of India: MP CM Yadav

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday congratulated shooting star Manu Bhaker, who opened the country's account at the Paris Olympics, saying her victory will inspire countless daughters of India.

A resilient Bhaker ended India’s 12-year wait for a shooting medal in the Olympics by becoming the first markswoman from the country to finish on the podium with a bronze in the 10m air pistol event of the Paris Games on Sunday.

Kerala CM congratulates Manu Bhaker on Olympics medal win

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday congratulated Indian shooter Manu Bhaker who won the bronze medal in the 10 m air pistol shooting category in the Paris Olympics, 2024. Manu became the first woman from the country to win a medal in shooting, showing tremendous fighting spirit to end a 12-year drought in the sport at the quadrennial showpiece. 

DAY 2 RECAP

Day 2 brought India its first medal at the Paris Games with Manu Bhaker winning bronze in the 10m Air Pistol. India Contingent with P V Sindhu bagged a comfortable win against her Maldivian opponent. Meanwhile, Balraj Panwar finished second in Rowing Repechage and qualified for quarterfinals. In the 10m air rifle event, Ramita has made it to the finals, while Elavenil, who at one point was ranked one on the table, finished tenth and failed to qualify. Adding another feather to the Team India cap, Sreeja Akula qualified for table tennis R32 after emerging victorious in all four matches. However, the day also saw end of India's campaign in women's archery (team event) and swimming.

3 probable medal events for India: 2 in Shooting & 1 in Archery

Satwik-Chirag's clash against Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel cancelled

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty's men's doubles Group C clash on Monday has been cancelled following the withdrawal of German player Mark Lamsfuss due to injury.

The Indian pair was scheduled to meet the German duo of Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel on Monday.

"German men’s doubles player Mark Lamsfuss has withdrawn from the Olympic Games Paris 2024 badminton competition due to a knee injury,” the BWF informed.

“Lamsfuss’ and teammate Marvin Seidel‘s remaining Group C matches against India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (Court 3, 8.30am local time, 29 July 2024) and Lucas Corvee/Ronan Labar of France (Court 1, ‘Not Before’ 2.50pm local time, 30 July 2024) will not be played,” it added.

AND THE DAY 3 ACTION BEGINS!

Manu/Sarabjot & Rhythm/Arjun in action NOW in 10m Air Pistol Mixed team Qualification.

10m Air Rifle Women's Final Results | Ramita Jindal commences her fight for Gold

SHOOTING FINAL: Ramita Jindal off to a good start as she is currently positioned at 4

SHOOTING FINAL: Ramita Jindal drops to position 7 at the end of the second series

SHOOTING: Ramita Jindal knocked out of 10m Air Rifle Women's final

10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Qualification Results | Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh finish third

Another medal incoming? Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot to fight for bronze in Air Pistol Mixed team

The medal event will happen tomorrow at 1 PM.

BADMINTON | Ashwini Ponnappa & Tanisha Crasto lose to WR 4 Matsuyama & Shida 11-21, 12-21 in their 2nd Group stage clash.

SHOOTING | After 1st round, Prithviraj Tondaiman at 28th spot (out of 30 shooters).

IN PICS | Women's Doubles Group play stage: India's Ponnappa-Crasto lose to world no 4 Matsuyama and Shida, stare at early exit

SHOOTING: South Korean Ban wins women's 10 meter air rifle gold

South Korea's Ban Hyo-jin won the women's 10 metre air rifle gold at the Paris Olympics on Monday while China's Huang Yuting claimed the silver and Switzerland's Audrey Gogniat took bronze.

Ban, 16, topped Sunday's qualification with an Olympic record total but her late wobble allowed Huang, 17, to draw level at 251.8, forcing a shoot-off between the teenagers.

Ban fired 10.4 to clinch the gold ahead of Huang, who shot 10.3.

Olympics 2024: Swimmers are turning to math for a moment’s edge at Paris Games

Katie Grimes of United States in action.

Kate Douglass, a statistics graduate student and the second-fastest swimmer in the world this year in two Olympic swimming events, has always been good with numbers. But before she enrolled at the University of Virginia, she never considered that swimming itself was a math problem that she could try to solve.

Read more

Far-left activist arrested over rail sabotage, says media report

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Monday retweeted a media story that reported that a far-left activist was arrested in connection with the sabotage attack on France's high-speed rail network last Friday.

The government has not publicly announced any arrest since the attack, which took place hours before the Olympic Games' opening ceremony got underway. (Reuters)

BOXING: Taiwanese boxer gets walkover after Nigerian opponent's provisional suspension

Taiwan's Wu Shih Yi was handed a walkover in her lightweight round of 16 bout on Monday after Nigerian opponent Cynthia Ogunsemilore was provisionally suspended following positive test for a banned substance.

On Saturday, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and African Games champion Ogunsemilore tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic on WADA's prohibited list, in an out-of-competition doping control collected on Thursday.

In the quarter-finals, Wu will next meet either Australia's Tyla McDonald or Maria Jose Palacios of Ecuador, who face off later on Monday. (Reuters)

SHOOTING: Arjun Babuta in action in final of men's 10m air rifle event

SHOOTING: Arjun Babuta jumps to 3rd spot, just 0.8 pts behind leader

DIVING: China's Yang and Lian win men's synchronised 10m platform

China's Yang Hao and Lian Junjie won the gold medal in the men's synchronised 10 metre platform event on Monday.

The pair led from the first round and finished on 490.35 points.

Tom Daley and Noah Williams of Britain took silver with 463.44 points, followed by Canada's Ryan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray who won bronze. (Reuters)

SHOOTING: Arjun Babuta at second spot now; seven shooters left in fray

Kremlin rejects Western media speculation that Russia was behind rail sabotage in France

The Kremlin on Monday dismissed Western media speculation that Russia was behind a series of attacks against the French railway system and said that Western media frequently tried to blame Moscow for everything without evidence.

Saboteurs struck France's train network in a series of pre-dawn attacks across the country on Friday, causing travel chaos and exposing security gaps just hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. (Reuters)

SHOOTING: Arjun Babuta remains at second spot; six shooters left in fray

SHOOTING: Arjun remains second, 1.3 points behind leader; five shooters left in fray

SHOOTING: India's Arjun Babuta misses medal in men's 10m air rifle final, finishes fourth

Indian shooter Arjun Babuta buckled under pressure and finished fourth in the men's 10m air rifle competition after coming close to winning a medal in his maiden Olympics here on Monday.

Babuta shot a total of 208.4.

A 9.5 in response to Croatia's Miran Maricic's 10.7 put paid to his hopes of finishing on the podium. (PTI)

BADMINTON: Malaysia ends China's winning streak in Paris

China suffered its first badminton defeat of the Paris Olympics on Monday, when mixed doubles favourites Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping were upset by Malaysian duo Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei in the opening session of group play.

The country has long dominated Olympic badminton, winning 47 medals, or more than double the combined tally of Indonesia and South Korea, the second- and third-most successful teams. In 17 group stage matches in three days in Paris so far, it has now been defeated once, while in Tokyo, China lasted four days before losing a match. (Reuters)

HOCKEY: India takes on Rio Olympics champions Argentina

The Indian hockey team beat Argentina in their last five clashes.

HOCKEY: India, Argentina tied at 0-0 at the end of first quarter

HOCKEY: India trailing 1-0 as Argentina scores in second quarter

HOCKEY: India trailing 1-0 to Argentina at half-time

SHOOTING: China's Sheng wins his second gold at Paris Games

China's Sheng Lihao claimed his second gold of the Paris Olympics on Monday by winning the men's 10-metre air rifle event, while South Korea's Ban Hyo-jin won the women's gold.

The 19-year-old Chinese won with an Olympic record aggregate of 252.2 to finish ahead of Sweden's Victor Lindgren, who scored 251.4 to take the silver medal.

Miran Maricic won the bronze for Croatia.

Sheng was part of the Chinese duo who won the mixed team gold on Saturday. (Reuters)

TENNIS: Swiatek pummels France's Parry to reach Paris Games third round

Poland's Iga Swiatek powered past France's Diane Parry 6-1 6-1 on Monday to cruise into the third round at the Paris Games and stay firmly on course for an Olympic gold medal.

The world number one, who less than two months ago clinched her fourth French Open title on the same court, gave Parry no chance despite the home crowd's vocal support, racing through the first set in 38 minutes. (Reuters)

HOCKEY: Argentina still leading India 1-0 at the end of 3rd quarter

EQUESTRIAN: Britain win eventing team gold as France pay for jumping errors

British eventing riders Ros Canter, Laura Collett and Tom McEwen won team gold on Monday after solid rides in the show-jumping final as France missed out on a victory in front of a euphoric home crowd due to too many glitches and had to settle for silver.

The team gold medal, Britain's fifth, makes them the Olympic Games' most-winning eventing nation.

The British team ended the three-day competition with a combined score of 91.3 penalty points ahead of France with 103.6 and Japan with 115.8. (Reuters)

BOXING: Top-seeded American Joshua Edwards eliminated

American super heavyweight Joshua Edwards was eliminated from the Paris Olympics after losing to Italy's Diego Lenzi, while Australia's Harry Garside and Tyla McDonald also suffered defeats on Monday.

Top seed Edwards, one of the favourites to win a medal in the super heavyweight competition, tried to use his range and keep Lenzi at bay with his jab, but the Italian connected with a couple of powerful right hands in the first two rounds.

The American, who was given a point deduction in the second round, just about edged the third, but it was too little too late. (Reuters)

HOCKEY: India score last minute equaliser to level game at 1-1 with Argentina; two minutes left to play

HOCKEY: India-Argentina clash ends in 1-1 draw after dramatic comeback by Men in Blue

Nicolas Della Torre of Argentina in action with Sukhjeet Singh of India.

India skipper Harmanpreet Singh once again came to his side's rescue, scoring a late equaliser to salvage a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Argentina in their second men's hockey pool match at the Paris Olympics here on Monday.

Lucas Martinez gave Argentina the lead in the 22nd minute before Harmanpreet converted India's 10th and last penalty corner to pick up a crucial point from the game. (PTI)

BADMINTON: Lakshya Sen takes on world number 52 Julien Carraggi

BADMINTON: Lakshya Sen wins 1st game 21-19 against Julien Carraggi

TABLE TENNIS: China's Fan and Chen cruise past first round in Paris

China's number two seed Fan Zhendong and defending champion Chen Meng swept past their opponents 4-0 in the first round of the men's singles event at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

Fan beat Ukraine's Yaroslav Zhmudenko while Chen ousted Algeria's Lynda Loghraibi to reach the round of 32. (Reuters)

FOOTBALL: Brazil great Marta says it's not over after late loss to Japan

Brazil's all-time top scorer Marta called on her team to move on from their stoppage-time loss to Japan that saw them miss a chance to secure a quarter-final spot in the women's Olympic football tournament, and marred her 200th international cap.

The six-time Olympian left the pitch to a standing ovation six minutes from time at Parc des Princes, then had to look on as her team conceded two goals in the final minutes of their Group C clash on Sunday. (Reuters)

BADMINTON: India's Lakshya Sen beats Julien Carraggi of Belgium 21-19, 21-14

Lakshya will take on world number 5 Jonatan Christie on Wednesday in his final group stage match.

JUDO: France's Cysique and Gaba reach semi-finals

France's Sarah-Leonie Cysique and Joan-Benjamin Gaba beat Japanese opponents to reach judo semi-finals at the Paris Olympics on Monday at Champs-de-Mars Arena.

Cysique, a silver medallist in Tokyo, took nine seconds to beat Haruka Funakubo by ippon in the women's under-57kg quarter-finals to the delight of the 8,000 fans packed into the arena.

The atmosphere ratcheted up further when Gaba, making his Olympic debut, took down former world champion Soichi Hashimoto in the last eight of the men's under-73kg. (Reuters)

ARCHERY: India suffer 6-2 defeat to Turkey in men's quarter-finals

The Indian men's archery team, comprising the likes of stalwart Tarundeep Rai, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Pravin Jadhav, came up short against a fired up young Turkish team to be knocked out 2-6 in the quarterfinals at the Olympics here on Monday.

India's success hinged a lot on whether Tarundeep could show the way and young Dhiraj Bommadevara and Pravin Jadhav were ready to rise up to the challenge. But nothing of that sort happened.

The final scoreline read, 53-57, 52-55, 55-54, 54-58. (PTI)

TENNIS: Djokovic survives wobble to ease past error-prone Nadal

Serbia's Novak Djokovic overcame a brief bout of nerves in the second set to beat 14-times French Open champion Rafael Nadal 6-1 6-4 at the Paris Olympics on Monday and move into the third round.

Djokovic, who has won 24 Grand Slam singles titles but is chasing an elusive Olympic gold, left nothing to chance, stretching the 38-year-old with punishing groundstrokes and perfect drop shots, making him look his age as he raced to a 6-1 4-0 lead.

Nadal, who had dominated at this venue like no other player, managed to claw his way back to level 4-4, much to the delight of the home crowd who were ready for a mouth-watering epic encounter between two of the greatest players to have graced the sport on their record-extending 60th encounter.

Despite his second set comeback, Nadal lacked precision and consistency at this level and could do nothing to stop the 37-year-old Djokovic from sealing victory on his first match point with an ace. (Reuters)

CYCLING: Pidcock wins thriller to retain mountain bike title

Britain's Tom Pidcock roared back after suffering a puncture to retain his Olympic men's road race after a thrilling battle with France's Victor Koretzky on Monday.

World champion Pidcock, who won gold in Tokyo, found himself 35 seconds adrift after a front wheel puncture on the fourth of eight laps on the 4.4 km circuit carved in to Elancourt Hill.

Surging with adrenaline, Pidcock sliced into the deficit and hit the front on lap seven and looked set to power ahead.

But Koretzky and South Africa's Alan Hatherly stayed with him to set up a blockbuster final lap. (Reuters)

EQUESTRIAN: Germany's Michael Jung wins gold in eventing

German eventing rider Michael Jung won his fourth Olympic gold medal on Monday after beating his main challengers Christopher Burton from Australia and Briton Laura Collett in the final showjumping contest.

Jung, riding on his bay Hannover gelding Chipmunk, won the three-day competition combining dressage, cross-country and showjumping with a final score of 21.8 penalty points, ahead of Burton with 22.4 and Collett with 23.1. (Reuters)

BASKETBALL: Belgium upset by debutants Germany, Nigeria stun Australia

Fancied Belgium's Olympic campaign began poorly as they were upset by debutants Germany 83-69, while Nigeria shocked Australia 75-62 at the Paris Games in the women's basketball tournament at the Pierre Mauroy stadium on Monday.

In a tough Group C, where defending champions the United States begin their quest for gold against Japan later on Monday, Belgium were partly undone by Germany's dynamic Sabally sisters, Satou and Nyara, who secured 33 points between them.

There was also a shock in Group B as point guard Ezinne Kalu scored 19 points to help 12th-ranked Nigeria, who are three-times defending African champions, beat third-ranked Australia. (Reuters)

GYMNASTICS: Biles doing well, back at practice after injury scare, mom says

Simone Biles is doing well and was back at practice on Monday, a day after the American made a triumphant return to the Olympic stage despite being hobbled by pain in her left calf, her mother Nellie told NBC's 'Today Show'.

The four-times Olympic champion left the competition area on Sunday after performing on her first apparatus, the balance beam, but returned to complete her routines on the floor exercise, vault and uneven bars with her left leg and ankle wrapped at the qualifying session.

Despite the nagging pain, Biles was dominant, leading the US to a huge win in team qualifying while also qualifying first in the all-around before an ecstatic, star-studded crowd at the Bercy Arena. (Reuters)

CANOEING: France's Gestin destroys field to take top spot for slalom final

World number three Nicolas Gestin of France powered into the men's canoe slalom single final on Monday, registering a time of 93.12 on his semi-final run, more than three seconds faster than his closest rival.

Miquel Tave of Spain had long held the lead and Britain's Adam Burgess slotted comfortably into second place at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Centre, but Gestin rocketed through the course on the last run of the day to snatch top spot. (Reuters)

DIVING: Ukraine's Sereda says training during a war has been tough

Ukraine diver Oleksii Sereda opened up on Monday about how hard it was to train during a war after he and Kiril Boliukh finished fifth in the men's synchronised 10-metre platform event.

The 18-year-old and his teammate, 17, spent most of their time training in Kyiv, while air alerts and shell bombing were part of their daily lives following Russia's invasion.

"We had a lot of troubles, problems. With like light, for example. We don't have light in Ukraine, sometimes they turn that off," he told reporters after the competition.

"Shells are flying about our houses. Every single day we had like air alerts, we had to go downstairs, hide, then go for the training and always like that, always tired," he said.

Sereda finished sixth in the men's synchronised and individual 10-metre platform events in Tokyo. In his second Olympics, however, the focus is not always on the sport. (Reuters)

RUGBY SEVENS: Okemba keeps French fans rocking as France beat US

Seraphine Okemba scored four spectacular tries as France beat the United States 31-14 on Monday to complete a sweep of pool victories and earn a quarter-final against Canada as the home fans again turned the Stade de France into a cauldron of noise.

Defending champions New Zealand also won their third game, thrashing Fiji, and will play China in the quarter-finals later on Monday. Australia will face Ireland after beating them in Monday's tight pool game, while the US face Britain. (Reuters)

SWIMMING: Britain's Peaty tests positive for Covid-19 after silver medal

British swimmer Adam Peaty has tested positive for Covid-19, Team GB said on Monday, a day after he narrowly missed out on the 100 metres breaststroke goldat the Olympic Games in Paris.

Peaty shared the silver with American Nic Fink after both finished 0.02 seconds behind Italy's Nicolo Martinenghi. (Reuters)

GYMNASTICS: With Russians out, more countries eye podium in men's team final

The absence of the Russian team in the men's Olympic gymnastics has left a void many countries would like to fill, but many gymnasts say their outlook on the competition has changed little in the absence of the reigning champions.

Russians and Belarusians teams are banned from taking part in the Games over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Only certain individuals have been authorised to compete after undergoing a screening process designed to root out anyone who has publicly supported the war or military. No Russian gymnasts are competing in Paris.

At the Tokyo Games, the Russian men's team clinched gold, edging Japan by a slim 0.103 points, while its gymnasts won medals in several individual events. (Reuters)

ARCHERY: South Korea win gold in men's team event

South Korea won the gold medal in the men's team archery event at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

France took silver and Turkey claimed the bronze medal. (Reuters)

CANOEING: Gestin grabs gold for France in men's canoe slalom single

Nicolas Gestin of France claimed Olympic gold in the men's canoe slalom single final on Monday.

Britain's Adam Burgess secured the silver medal, with Matej Benus of Slovakia picking up the bronze. (Reuters)

JUDO: Canada's Christa Deguchi wins women's under 57kg gold

Canadian Christa Deguchi won the gold medal in the women's under 57kg judo at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

South Korea's Huh Mi-mi took the silver, while Haruka Funakubo of Japan and France's Sarah-Leonie Cysique earlier won bronze medals. (Reuters)

SKATEBOARDING: Horigome of Japan takes gold in men's street event

Japan's Yuto Horigome retained his Olympic title in men's street skateboarding in Paris on Monday.

Jagger Eaton of the United States took silver, while his compatriot Nyjah Huston claimed bronze. (Reuters)

FENCING: Carnage for world number ones in third day of Paris Games

It was a day of carnage for world numbers ones in fencing at the Paris Games on Monday, with Japan's Misaki Emura in women's sabre and Tommaso Marini of Italy in men's foil both getting knocked out before the quarter-finals.

Emura, the 2022 and 2023 world champion, was evicted 15-7 by 24th ranked Choi Se-bin of South Korea in the round of 16. (Reuters)

WATER POLO: Spain edge three-times reigning Olympic champions US

Spain's women's water polo team exacted a bit of revenge on three-times reigning champions the United States in a rematch of the 2020 Olympics gold-medal game, holding on for a 13-11 preliminary round victory at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

Spain lead Group B with six points, while the Americans are third with three.

The 13 goals conceded in the match were the most the Americans have allowed in three Olympics. (Reuters)

BASKETBALL: Sabally sisters lead debutantes Germany to dream win

WNBA dynamic duo Nyara and Satou Sabally got Germany off to a smashing start at their Olympic debut on Monday, scoring a combined 33 points to help beat world champion Belgium 83-69 in the second Group C match at the Pierre Mauroy stadium.

Satou Sabally, 26, who plays for the Dallas Wings, was ecstatic to share the dream win with her younger sister.

"It feels great, I love playing with her and I'm happy she's such a great player... We wanted to get that first one and I think we just put a stamp on it," the forward said. (Reuters)

JUDO: Azerbaijan's Heydarov wins men's under 73kg gold

Hidayat Heydarov of Azerbaijan won the gold medal in the men's under 73kg judo at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

Joan-Benjamin Gaba of France took the silver, while Adil Osmanov of Moldova and Soichi Hashimoto of Japan earlier won bronze medals. (Reuters)

TENNIS TABLE: North Korea to challenge China for gold mixed doubles

North Korea has secured its first Olympic medal in eight years after the nation's enigmatic mixed doubles team defeated Hong Kong, advancing to the finals for a showdown with the formidable China.

China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha also made it to the final after a tough match against the third-seeded Korean team of Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin.

Lim and Shin claimed the first set and fiercely contested the following two sets, both ending 11-9, as they alternated winning points. However, they ultimately succumbed with a 4-2 defeat.

To claim gold, China will need to overcome the North Korean team of Kim Kum Yong and Ri Jong Sik, who have rarely competed in international tournaments until the Paris Olympics. (Reuters)

BADMINTON: Satwik-Chirag qualify for men's doubles quarterfinals

Medal contender Indian men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty on Monday qualified for the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics with one group match left in hand after the withdrawal of one pair and the loss suffered by another.

The world number three Indians were scheduled to meet the German duo of Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel on Monday in what was supposed to to be their second Group C match. But the match was cancelled following the withdrawal of Lamsfuss due to injury.

As per BWF General Competition Regulations for group-stage play, the results of all matches played, or yet to be played, involving Lamsfuss and Seidel will be considered "deleted". Any points from matches played against the Germans will not be counted.

As a result, the Group C of the men's doubles competition will be considered as a three-pair affair, with the duos of Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar of France and Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Fajar Alfian of Indonesia being the other two. (PTI)

Surfing-Florence and Robinson to meet in heavyweight round three clash

John John Florence of the United States will take on Australia's Jack Robinson in the third round of the Olympic surfing competition in Tahiti on Monday, in a heavyweight clash worthy of a final.

Waves at the venue of Teahupo'o have picked up from Sunday's second round, where Robinson scored the highest single wave score of the day - an intense, spitting barrel that garnered a near perfect 9.87 out of 10.

But larger conditions will also suit Florence, a renowned tube rider who grew up at Hawaii's famous Pipeline and who has been travelling the world to ride the heaviest waves since before he was a teen. (Reuters)

Golf giant Scheffler feels small in Louvre as he soaks up atmosphere

World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler conceded that he felt star-struck in the Louvre museum as he took in some of the Paris sights with his family before turning his attention to the men's Olympic competition this week.

Scheffler, who bagged a second U.S. Masters title in April as part of a spectacular six tour successes this year, headlines a US team that also features world number two and reigning Olympic champion Xander Schauffele.

Like other athletes, Olympic debutant Scheffler is taking advantage of the absence of COVID-restrictions that marked the Tokyo Games to soak up the atmosphere of the host city and watch other sports.

That included a visit to the world's biggest museum on Saturday where was able to roam freely with little attention, he told reporters. (Reuters)

Sailing-Windsurfers get races under their harnesses after delays

Briton Emma Wilson made a strong start to the Olympic windsurfing on Monday with a first and a second in the series, which had been postponed due to a lack of wind.

It is early days in the event, where the windsurfers ride above the Med on foils, with up to 20 races possible in the series before culminating in a quarter, semi and final.

"It was pretty light winds ... we trained a lot in these conditions and I just got off the start line well," Wilson said after returning ashore following another day of long delays.

She said there was some relief at getting started.

"It was just nice to go windsurfing," she said, adding that she was drinking lots of water and jumping in the sea to stay cool as some sailors suffer from the intense heat in Marseille.

In the men's windsurfing, officials only managed to complete one race, with Nicolas Goyard of France making the most of home waters with a first place once racing began.

Noah Lyons of the United States, who like many sailors was sporting an ice vest to lower his core temperature, said that delays were "just the nature of the game". (Reuters)

Gymnastics-Japan edge out China in thrilling final to win men's team gold

Daiki Hashimoto turned heartache into unimaginable joy as he overcame a fall from the pommel horse to power Japan to the gold medal, edging China in a pulsating gymnastics men's team final at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

While Hashimoto led Japan to their eighth men's team title at the Games, the United States were celebrating their first Olympic team medal since 2008 as they grabbed bronze.

Just when it looked like China had the title in the bag as they led Japan by more than three points with only three more performance left on their final apparatus, the high bar, Su Weide fell twice during his routine, turning the title race into a nail-biter.

When the chalk settled, Japan emerged victorious with a total of 259.594 points, less than a point ahead of China.

The US men put on a superb performance and locked up the bronze after nailing most of their landings in the competition. (Reuters)

Olympics-Swimming-McIntosh wins 400 metres individual medley gold

 Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh blew away the field to win the gold medal in the women's 400 metres individual medley (IM) at the Paris Olympics on Monday, securing her second medal of the meet.

World record holder McIntosh touched the wall in four minutes 27.71 seconds, ahead of American silver medallist Katie Grimes and her bronze-winning U.S. teammate Emma Weyant.

McIntosh's triumph comes two days after taking silver behind Australian powerhouse Ariarne Titmus in the 400m freestyle on the meet's opening Saturday.

Having dominated the gruelling four-stroke event, McIntosh will target more medals in the 200m IM and the 200m butterfly. (Reuters)

Olympics-Swimming-Popovici takes men's 200 metres freestyle gold

Romania's David Popovici beat Britain's Matt Richards by 0.02 of a second to win the men's 200 metres freestyle gold at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

Luke Hobson of the United States took the bronze.

Popovici won in a time of one minute 44.72 seconds after being behind until the final 50.

Reigning Olympic champion Tom Dean failed to qualify for the event after finishing third at the British trials in April behind Richards and Duncan Scott. (Reuters)

Manika Batra becomes first Indian table tennis player to reach round of 16 in Olympics, thrashes Prithika Pavade of France 4-0.

Assured Alcaraz eases into Paris Games third round

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz defeated Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor 6-1 7-6(3) on Monday to reach the third round of the Paris Games tennis tournament showing the form that will make him hard to beat but also some sloppiness as he strives for Olympic gold.

The world number three, who won this year's French Open and Wimbledon titles was back on Court Philippe-Chatrier and set the tone from the start with an ace and two forehand winners.

With the crowd having seen fellow Spaniard Rafa Nadal beaten by Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz appeared determined to show he was ready to take up the baton at Roland Garros, breaking Griekspoor immediately and racing through the first set in 32 minutes.

But the Dutchman, ranked 28 in the world, made a better fist of it in the second set. He repeatedly held his serve under pressure, giving back as much as Alcaraz threw at him and at times forcing the Spaniard into some uncharacteristic errors.

The set went to a tiebreak with the 21-year-old Alcaraz stepping up the pace and showing subtlety to win the match.

In the third round he will play Russian Roman Safiullin, the world number 67, who is competing as a neutral athlete. (Reuters)

Swimming-Smith takes 100 metres breaststroke gold

South Africa's Tatjana Smith won the women's 100 metres breaststroke gold at the Paris Olympics on Monday, adding to the 200m title she won at Tokyo 2021 under her maiden name of Schoenmaker.

China's world champion Tang Qianting took the silver medal and Ireland's Mona McSharry the bronze. (Reuters)

Australia's O'Callaghan wins women's 200 metres freestyle gold

Australia's red-headed rocket Mollie O'Callaghan upset teammate and defending champion Ariarne Titmus to claim gold in the women's 200 metres freestyle at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

O'Callaghan stopped the clock in an Olympic record 1:53.27 at La Defense Arena, 0.54 seconds ahead of Titmus, with Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey taking bronze.

Only weeks after Titmus swiped her world record at Olympic trials, O'Callaghan turned the tables on her clubmate with a sizzling final lap.

She also foiled Titmus's bid to become the first swimmer to successfully defend a 200 metres freestyle Olympic gold. (Reuters)

Boxing-Brazil's Ferreira aiming to end amateur career with a bang at Paris Games

Four years after missing out on gold to Kellie Harrington at the Tokyo Olympics, Brazil's Beatriz Ferreira is eager to once again take on the Irishwoman in Paris and put on a show in her last competition as an amateur.

Ferreira, who has been fighting in professional bouts since 2022, has said this Olympics will be her last. Professional boxers have had the green light to compete at the Olympics since 2016.

On Monday, the 31-year-old beat American Jajaira Gonzalez in a bruising clash to advance to the quarter-finals of the women's lightweight division.

If she is able to beat Dutchwoman Chelsey Heijnen and Harrington can defeat Colombian Angie Valdes, it would set up a rematch of the Tokyo Olympic final in the semis.

"It's what I want the most. I'm rooting for her to win so we can have this rematch," Ferreira said after her unanimous win over Gonzalez.

"I'm saying goodbye to the Olympics and I'm going to end up making history in the Olympics. I want to put on a show with Kelly and be the Olympic champion." (Reuters)