HOME FAVOURITE LEON Marchand wrote his name into the Olympic history books with a phenomenal double gold on a pulsating night in the Paris pool Wednesday, as Japanese gymnast Shinnosuke Oka took a thrilling all-around title.

In another action-packed Olympic day in a sweltering French capital, fans waved a possible farewell to tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, who crashed out of the men’s doubles.

The hottest ticket in town was at La Défense Arena, where a raucous crowd wildly cheered every stroke as Marchand, rapidly becoming an Olympic superstar, staged a remarkable late surge to tap home in the 200m butterfly.

Trailling world record holder and defending champion Kristof Milak of Hungary until the final strokes, Marchand dug deep to secure gold in a new Olympic record time.

He followed up less than two hours later with victory in the 200m breaststroke, tricolore flags waving around the stadium as the crowd cried out every time he bobbed his head up to breathe.

The double gold added to his dazzling victory in the 400m medley on Sunday and took the hosts to eight golds, briefly topping the medal table.

In another electric night in the Olympic pool, China’s Pan Zhanle produced the first swimming world record of the Paris Games, winning the 100m freestyle in 46.40sec and taking the Chinese back ahead of France in the standings.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjoestroem turned in the performance of a lifetime to pip Torri Huske from the United States to the wall in the women’s 100m freestyle.

But Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan will have to wait another four years for a freestyle double as the 200m champion was beaten into a surprising fourth place.

US great Katie Ledecky, a seven-time gold medallist, also comfortably defended her 1500m freestyle crown, as the battle for swimming medals reaches the halfway stage.

- ‘NadAlcaraz’ -

Over at Roland Garros, fans flocked to see 14-time French Open champion Nadal partner up with rising star Carlos Alcaraz in a Spanish dream team.

But the dream fizzled as “NadAlcaraz” never really got going against United States pair Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, losing 6-2, 6-4.

At the age of 38 and beset with injuries, Nadal is unlikely to grace the Roland Garros clay again but his record there will probably never be beaten.

Alcaraz however remains on course for a blockbuster tennis showdown with 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, who is eyeing an Olympic gold to complete his impressive CV.

Nobody could’ve predicted that! Another amazing All Around final. Congratulations to all who participated🤝

— Rhys Mcclenaghan (@McClenaghanRhys) July 31, 2024

Another shock came in the gymnastics, where Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka claimed victory in the Olympic men’s all-around title, dethroning compatriot and defending champion Daiki Hashimoto in a thrilling final.

Oka, 20, claimed gold ahead of Chinese duo Zhang Boheng in second, with Xiao Ruoteng taking bronze as Hashimoto finished sixth.

- ‘Shameful for our sport’ -

Day five had started with a boost for organisers as the triathlon finally went ahead after concerns over hazardous pollution levels in the River Seine.

Organisers cancelled training this week and postponed the men’s race on Tuesday after the Seine was found to be too dirty for athletes following rainstorms last week.

But when athletes finally dived into the Seine at the historic Alexandre III bridge, the race resulted in more home joy as Cassandre Beaugrand seized gold.

She told reporters it would have been “shameful for our sport” if the swimming had not gone ahead.

The men’s race saw a nailbiting finale, as Britain’s Alex Yee overhauled New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde in the final stretch to improve on his silver from Tokyo.

In other action on day five, China’s table tennis world number one Wang Chuqin suffered a shock defeat, a day after having his bat broken.

Wang won mixed doubles gold on Tuesday but his elation turned to anger after a photographer accidentally snapped his bat while jostling to take a picture.

Less than 24 hours later, Wang went out in the singles after a 4-2 defeat to Truls Moregard of Sweden.

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There was better news for China and their bid for a clean sweep in diving, as they prevailed in the women’s synchronised 10m platform ahead of North Korea and Britain.

China have won all three golds in the sport in Paris so far.

In women’s football, title-holders Canada must beat Colombia if they are to advance to the quarter-finals following a six-point deduction over a spying scandal.

– © AFP 2024