The 2024 Paris Olympics commenced with a display of marksmanship as China clinched the first gold medal of the Games in the mixed 10-meter air rifle event. The Chinese duo of Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao outshot their South Korean counterparts, Kim Jihyeon and Park Hajun, with a score of 16-12 in a closely contested final.The victory at the Chateauroux shooting range, located about three hours from Paris, solidified China’s dominance in this event, echoing their gold medal performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Sheng Lihao, at just 19 years old, is also favored to win the individual men’s event, having already made history as the youngest Olympic medalist in shooting at the age of 16.In a surprising turn of events, Kazakhstan secured its first medal of the 2024 Olympics, clinching bronze in the same event. The Kazakh pair of Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev defeated the German team of Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich with a decisive score of 17-5. This upset was particularly notable given that Janssen is the world’s top-ranked individual in this category.The competition took place a day after the Olympics’ opening ceremony, which was held on July 26 along the Seine River. The Games are set to continue until August 11, promising more thrilling contests across various sports.As the first medals were awarded, the Olympics have already showcased the global nature of the competition. While some nations celebrated early successes, others, like Italy’s Barbara Gambaro and Danilo Dennis Sollazzo, who finished 17th, will be looking to improve their performances in upcoming events.
Key points
- China won the first gold medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics in the mixed 10-meter air rifle event.
- Kazakhstan surprised by winning the bronze medal, defeating Germany.
- The competition took place at Chateauroux, about three hours from Paris.
- The Paris Olympics will continue until August 11, 2024.
Contradictions👾There are slight variations in the spelling of some athletes’ names across different sources, such as ‘Shen Lihao’ vs ‘Sheng Lihao’, and ‘Islam Satpayev’ vs ‘Islam Sataev’.
These are likely due to transliteration differences rather than factual contradictions.
