Olympics day one: GB medal count launched with cycling silver and diving bronze
Anna Henderson’s silver in cycling women’s time trial followed diving bronze for Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen in the women’s 3m synchro.
Great Britain got their medal count started on the opening day of the Paris Olympics with diving and cycling success.
Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen got things started with diving bronze in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard final.
Anna Henderson followed with cycling silver in the women’s individual time trial. But pre-race favourite Josh Tarling saw his hopes punctured in the men’s event.
Here the PA news agency wraps up the first full day of competition in Paris.
Superb silver for Henderson
On the rain-soaked streets of the French capital, Olympic debutant Anna Henderson delivered a ride of poise and power as others tumbled on the slippery surfaces, claiming only Britain’s second ever time trial medal at an Olympics.
The former national slalom champion has already recovered from two broken collarbones this season to reclaim her British title, but this is by far the biggest result of a career that has also included a silver at last year’s Euros after fourth at the world championships.
It was close though. While Australia’s Grace Brown stormed to gold, Henderson beat Chloe Dygert by just nine tenths of a second after the American was among those to crash.
However, Josh Tarling’s hopes were dashed after the 20-year-old Welshman suffered a puncture early in his ride, missing out on bronze by just two seconds after he finished 28 seconds off the pace set by gold medallist Remco Evenepoel.
A dramatic first medal of the Games for GB
GB’s first medal of the Games went to Harper and Mew Jensen, who claimed bronze in dramatic circumstances at the Aquatics Centre.
They had slipped down into sixth place after the third round of the women’s 3m synchronised event before improving to fourth with better efforts in the next two rounds.
Australian pair Maddison Keeney and Annabelle Smith remained in the driving seat in the battle for bronze but a slip on the diving board from the Australians in the final round saw Harper and Mew Jensen move up, with China’s Yani Chang and Yiwen Chen easing to gold.
Dupont delivers
The Games came alive for the hosts in the evening as Antoine Dupont led France to sevens rugby victory over Fiji.
The match was tied 7-7 at half-time but Dupont, the former World XVs player of the year who skipped this year’s Six Nations to focus on the Olympics, led the charge in the second half as France ran out 28-7 winners.
It ended Fiji’s 17-match winning streak in the Olympics, which had brought them gold medals at Rio 2016 and Tokyo three years ago.
Three-peat for Peaty?
Adam Peaty will target a third consecutive 100m breaststroke Olympic title in Sunday’s final after winning his semi-final on Saturday, but this time he is looking to do it after overcoming a foot injury and taking time out of the sport to focus on his mental health.
Former world champion Evie Richards will line up for the women’s mountain bike race, while Chelsie Giles will be in action in the judo in other Sunday highlights.
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