July 27 (UPI) — Team USA and Australia won five medals apiece to top the medal table Saturday in Paris, the first day awards were handed out at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
France earned four medals, while China, Italy and Korea won three apiece. Belgium, Japan, Kazakhstan and Great Britain each win two medals. Four of Team USA’s medals came from swimming-related events.
Divers Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook gave the Americans’ their first medal of the Paris Olympics, clinching silver in the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard final.
“It means everything in the world to me,” Cook said on the NBC broadcast. “I’m so stoked. I knew we were so capable of making that podium, but to actually do it, to have these dreams come to fruition, makes me feel all the joy in the world.”
China won the first gold medal of Paris 2024, earning first place in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team final, held in Chateauroux, France. Korea earned silver in that event. Kazakhstan beat Germany in the bronze medal match.
Yani Chang and Yiwen Chen then teamed up for another gold medal for China in the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard final, edging the second-place Americans and Great Britain’s Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen, who earned bronze.
Australia’s Grace Brown won gold in road cycling, winning the women’s individual time trial. Great Britain’s Anna Henderson and American Chloe Dygert earned silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert won respective gold and bronze medals in the men’s road cycling time trial. Italian Filippo Ganna earned silver.
Kazakhstan’s Yeldos Smetov and Japan’s Natsumi Tsunoda earned gold in judo. Smetov beat France’s Luka Mkheidze in the men’s 60-kilogram final. Spain’s Francisco Garrigos won the 60-kilogram bronze medal match.
Tsunoda beat Mongolia’s Basankhuu Bavuudorj in the women’s 48-kilogram gold medal match. Sweden’s Tara Babulfath and France’s Shirine Boukli earned 48-kilogram bronze medals.
France beat Fiji in the men’s rugby sevens gold medal match. South Africa edged Australia in the bronze medal match.
Hong Kong’s Man Wai Vivian Kong won the women’s epee individual gold medal fencing bout. She beat France’s Auriane Mall-Breton. Hungary’s Eszter Muhari won the bronze medal bout.
Korea’s Sanguk Oh beat Tunisia’s Fares Ferjani in the men’s sabre individual gold medal fencing bout. Italian Luigi Samele won the bronze medal bout.
Swimmer Caeleb Dressel helped the Americans win their first gold medal of the Summer Olympics. He teamed up with Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano and Hunter Armstrong to win the men’s 4×100-meter relay.
Australia placed second, followed by Italy.
Australian Ariarne Titmus won the women’s 400-meter freestyle. Canada’s Summer McIntosh placed second, while American finished third Katie Ledecky, earning her 11th career Olympic medal.
Australia also won the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Team USA swimmers Katie Douglass, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske and Simone Manuel placed second, followed by China.
German Lukas Maertens became the first swimmer to win gold in Paris, clocking a 3:41.78 in the men’s 400-meter fresstyle. Australia’s Elijah Winnington and Korea’s Kim Woomin earned respective silver and bronze medals.
