Zhang Yufei hopes Chinese swimmers will be accepted as clean after dozens of tests ahead of Paris
NANTERRE, France (AP) — Zhang Yufei hopes her international rivals will believe she is competing clean. The Chinese swimming star estimates she took between 20 and 30 drug tests monthly in the lead up to the Paris Olympics. She won her preliminary race in 56.50 seconds during the first day of swimming competition at Paris La Defense Arena. She said afterward that she is anxious about what others are thinking about the Chinese team in the wake of a doping scandal revealed earlier this year from the lead up to Tokyo.
Canada tops Giannis and Greece on Day 1. Wemby and France also win, as do Germany and Australia
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — Canada was tested, then held on to get its first Olympic win in 24 years. RJ Barrett scored 23 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 21 and Canada survived a big effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo to beat Greece 86-79 in the Paris Olympics opener for both teams in Group A play on Saturday night. Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 34 points for Greece. Other winners on Day 1: Victor Wembanyama and France over Brazil, Australia over Spain and World Cup champion Germany over Japan.
China surges past rival Japan during men’s Olympic gymnastics qualifying
PARIS (AP) — China stormed to the lead at Olympic men’s gymnastics qualifying, putting together a team total of 263.028 while competing next to rival Japan. The five-man Chinese team, missing veteran Sun Wei after he was injured during training, used a series of spectacular routines on rings and parallel bars to stamp itself as the favorite heading into the final. Japan, the reigning world champion, dealt with a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes by current world and Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto and finished at 260.594. Britain, Ukraine and the U.S. were well back of the leaders in third, fourth and fifth.
US water polo star cheered on by her husband at Paris Olympics as he deals with lung cancer
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Pat Woepse smiled. He cheered for his wife, Maddie Musselman. He hung out with a buddy at the Paris Olympics. It was a very special day. A few precious moments away from the reality of lung cancer. Woepse was on hand as the U.S. women’s water polo team cruised to a 15-6 victory over Greece. Musselman scored in her return to the Olympics after she was the tournament MVP when the U.S. won its third consecutive gold medal at the Tokyo Games. The 30-year-old Woepse set a goal of making it to the Olympics to watch Musselman play after he was diagnosed in September with NUT carcinoma — a rare, fast-growing cancer.
Simone Biles will serve as the anchor on three of four events for the U.S. during Olympic qualifying
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles will begin her quest for a second Olympic all-around title when she competes in all four events during qualifying. Biles, 2020 Olympic champion Sunisa Lee and 2020 Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles will compete in all four events in qualifying. Jade Carey, the 2020 Olympic champion on floor exercise, will compete on vault. Hezly Rivera, at 16 by far the youngest member of Team USA, will compete on balance beam and uneven bars. Biles will go last for the U.S. on three of the four events. The top eight teams during qualifying advance to the team finals on July 30.
Terminated again: Titmus hands Ledecky another Olympic defeat, claiming gold in the 400 free
NANTERRE, France (AP) — It was billed as one of the most anticipated races of the Paris Olympics. Ariarne Titmus turned it into a blowout. Titmus left Katie Ledecky in her wake at La Defense Arena, leading from start to finish to win the 400-meter freestyle. Canada’s Summer McIntosh won the silver, while Ledecky settled for a bronze. Titmus also beat Ledecky in the 400 free at the Tokyo Olympics, after Ledecky won gold in that event at Rio in 2016. The Aussie women also took their fourth straight gold in the 4×100 freestyle relay. But the Americans picked up a gold in the final event of opening night at the pool when Caeleb Dressel anchored a win in the men’s 4×100 free relay. It was the eighth medal of Dressel’s career — all of them gold.
All he does is win gold medals: Caeleb Dressel captures 8th gold as anchor of US relay team
NANTERRE, France (AP) — Veteran U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel only knows the top of an Olympic podium in a decorated career. The American veteran on a youthful men’s swim team added another relay victory to his long list by anchoring the winning 4×100-meter freestyle as the Americans beat out the rival Australians and scrutinized Chinese.