Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will face off once again at the Paris Olympics on Monday, while Australia’s Ariarne Titmus is highly favored to secure her second swimming gold of the Games.
On the third day of competition, Britain’s Tom Daley will aim to thwart a predicted Chinese clean sweep in diving, while China and Japan will compete for gold in the men’s team final of gymnastics.
Gold medals will also be contested in archery, canoeing, mountain biking, equestrian, fencing, judo, shooting, and skateboarding.
The most sought-after ticket will be at Roland Garros, where Djokovic and Nadal will meet for the 60th time, with Djokovic leading their rivalry 30-29. Nadal has historically excelled on the clay in Paris, but with recent injury concerns and the twilight of his career, the 38-year-old Spaniard acknowledged that Djokovic is the “clear favorite” this time around.
“Of course it’s beautiful to play against one of the two biggest rivals that I had in my career, especially on this court,” Nadal said.
“But situations are completely different for him, for me. He’s being very competitive. I was not being very competitive for the last two years.”
Another thrilling night of competition is set to unfold in the pool, where the world’s top swimmers will vie for five titles.
The final race of the evening will see Ariarne Titmus attempt to claim the 200m freestyle crown, adding to her impressive 400m victory on Saturday, where she decisively outpaced rivals Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky to defend her title.
At just 23 years old, Titmus is the favorite for the 200m event, being both the reigning champion and world record-holder. Her main challenge is fellow Australian Mollie O’Callaghan, who had recorded the fastest time ever before Titmus broke it in June.
After her commanding performance in the 400m, where she led from start to finish, Titmus, who hails from Tasmania, expressed how difficult it was to fully grasp her achievement.
“I’m just the same old goofy Tassie girl out here living out her dream,” she said.
“I hope it goes to show: anyone can do what they want to do if they work hard and believe in themselves.”
On Monday, the other swimming finals will include the women’s 400m individual medley, men’s 200m freestyle, men’s 100m backstroke, and women’s 100m breaststroke.
China continues to be an unmatched powerhouse in diving, having secured seven of the eight gold medals at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games three years ago. The only gold they missed went to Tom Daley and Matty Lee in the men’s synchronized 10m platform event.
This marked a significant achievement for Daley, who also has three bronze medals, the first of which he won at London 2012, four years after making his Olympic debut at the age of 14 in Beijing 2008.
In Paris, China claimed the first diving gold by winning the women’s synchronized 3m springboard, finishing ahead of the United States and Britain.
In other sports, Yuto Horigome will defend his title in men’s skateboarding street after the event was postponed on Saturday due to rain. Japan has a strong chance of sweeping all three medals, with 2023 world champion Sora Shirai and 14-year-old Ginwoo Onodera also considered top contenders.
However, legendary American skateboarder Nyjah Huston is expected to compete fiercely for the podium. Japan’s women skateboarders won gold and silver in street on Sunday.
In women’s basketball, the United States will begin their quest for an eighth consecutive gold medal when they face Japan, with veteran Diana Taurasi aiming to secure a sixth gold in her final international tournament.
Meanwhile, Olympic organizers have canceled a second day of triathlon training in the River Seine, originally scheduled for Monday, due to weekend downpours that polluted the waterway. In a joint statement, Paris 2024 organizers and World Triathlon explained that the decision was made because “water quality levels… do not present sufficient guarantees” for the training session. The triathlon is set to be the first Olympic event held in the Seine, followed by marathon swimming in the second week of the Games.
