The first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympic Games was awarded to Qian Yang of China in the women’s 10-metre air rifle event on Saturday morning.
The 21-year-old student, already an Asian Games champion, prevailed in the final with an Olympic record score of 251.8.
Russian Anastasiia Galashina, competing as a neutral athlete given her country’s doping ban, came second on 251.1 while Switzerland’s Nina Christen won the bronze medal with 230.6.
“It’s unbelievable that I can be here,” said a delighted Yang, who did not initially realise she had won. “I was really nervous. The competition was really tight, but I’m so happy that I could win.
“I didn’t care so much about the points. I just wanted to fix myself and fix my mood during the competition.”
Multiple Olympic Games participant, Funke Oshonaike, has been sent packing from the Tokyo 2020 Games in the preliminary round.
The 45-year-old Oshonaike lost 1-4 to Juan Liu of the U.S. in the women’s table tennis singles.
Oshonaike, who has represented Nigeria at seven Olympic Games, failed to come to the party losing the first three sets to her opponent.
She lost the first set 7-11, the second 3-11 and the third 4-11, before winning the fourth set 13-11 and then losing the fifth 4-11 to crash out of the Games.
Compatriot Offiong Edem, in her own match, however, thrashed Hungarian opponent, Dora Madarasz, 4-1 in another preliminary round fixture.
Edem came out triumphant after winning the first set 11-8, the second 11-9 and the third 11-9 to complete an amazing 3-0 lead.
Madarasz, however, looked to bounce back in the fourth set after taking it 11-9, before Edem extinguished any comeback hopes when she dismissed her opponent 11-4 in the fifth set.
Naomi Osaka was supposed to have played the first tennis match of the Tokyo Olympics on centre court on Saturday but the match was pushed back.
This was because she was chosen for the lighting of the Olympic cauldron during Friday’s opening ceremony in Tokyo, which she described as “the greatest honour I will ever have”.
Speculation that the 23-year-old winner of four grand slam titles would have a role in the opening ceremony gained space early on Friday.
It started as soon as it was announced on short notice that her first round match against China’s Zheng Saisai would be moved to Sunday.
It turned out that the Japanese star was chosen for the biggest honour of completing the torch relay.
While the stadium was empty, billions watched her via television as she lit the cauldron.
“Undoubtedly the greatest athletic achievement and honour I will ever have in my life,” Osaka said later on Instagram.
“I have no words to describe the feelings I have right now but I do know I am currently filled with gratefulness and thankfulness.”
World number two Osaka is returning to tennis at her home Games after withdrawing from the French Open and not playing Wimbledon and stating mental health problems.
Osaka was born in Japan but moved to the U.S. at the age of three.
Her mother is Japanese and her father from Haiti.
“The most important thing was to deliver a message of diversity and inclusion,” opening ceremony executive producer Takayuki Hioki said.
“In the end we decided on her because she is a great athlete and she has been delivering a variety of messages so we thought she was the best person to be the final torchbearer.
“It was a decision that the whole Organising committee came to.”
Meanwhile, the Copper Queens of Zambia, on Saturday, drew 4-4 with China in their Group F match of the Tokyo Olympics Women’s Football Event at the Miyagi Stadium.
But the match was more eye-catching not in the eight goals scored, but in the Zambian side’s captain scoring her second hat-trick of the competition after playing two games.
She had scored three goals against the Netherlands in their opening game, which they lost 10-3, and she now has six goals from two games.
Wang Shuang of China also made a name for herself by scoring all her side’s four goals, to stay at par with Vivianne Miedema of the Netherlands who scored four against the Zambians.
In this match, the Zambian girls were actually on their way to victory before conceding a late penalty kick which ensured they shared the points.
The Chinese had a flying start when Wang Xiaoxue played a pass through to Zhang Yin in the opening minute but the midfielder was caught offside.
Zambia responded two minutes later when the impressive Barbara Banda, who plays her club football in China, broke through to fire her effort wide, while Avell Chitundu’s tame effort was saved by goalkeeper Peng Shimeng.
The Chinese hit back by opening the scoring in the sixth minute when Zhang Xin found an unmarked Wang Shuang, who slotted home from inside the box.
Zambia came back fighting, drawing level by the quarter of an hour mark when Racheal Kundananji noded home Esther Siamfuko’s cross.
As the match opened up, the Chinese restored their advantage in the 22nd minute through Wang Shuang, who connected beautifully to Wang Shanshan’s header.
Wang Shuang completed her hat-trick a minute later when she converted another Wang Shanshan pass with a clinical finish to give China a two-goal cushion.
However, Zambia pulled one back deep into first half added time when they earned a penalty kick after a foul on Kundananji with Banda making no mistake from the spot.
Banda was on the prowl again after the restart and drew the African side level from a well-organised fast break.
Kundananji was in the thick of the action, breaking away from the Chinese defence before finding Banda, who scored with a sublime finish.
The momentum shifted in Zambia’s favour with Banda coming close again in the 67th minute on the counter-attack.
But Peng was at her best to foil the 21-year-old forward’s attempt from inside the box.
Banda’s persistence paid off two minutes later when she dribbled past two Chinese defenders before slotting home past Peng.
There was, however, to be one final twist in the match as Wang Shuang drew China level in the 84th minute .
She converted from the penalty kick spot after a handball by Zambia’s Lushomo Mweemba.
Li Qingtong’s sending-off brought the pulsating match to an end.
Zambia are in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Brazil and China PR, with both Brazil and the Dutch in three points each and China PR and Zambia one point each.
Zambia are the only women’s football team representing Africa at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury marked themselves out as Olympic medal contenders with a brilliant first-round performance in the men’s doubles at the Ariake Tennis Park on Saturday.
The pair had a tough draw against second seeds and Roland Garros champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut but they brushed the French pair aside in a 6-3 6-2 victory.
Salisbury and Murray had never played a match together before but the former is Britain’s best doubles player while Murray also has plenty of experience in the format.
The partnership sparked straight away in spite of brutally hot conditions, and Murray said: “I think we have the potential to be a really good team. I think the result today showed that.
“Doubles is always tricky because sometimes the matches can come down to a few points. I think we were well deserved winners today. We created lots of chances, but not every doubles match is like that.
“I think if we keep the same sort of attitude and everything, prepare diligently, I think we’ve got a chance of doing well.
“But it’s not easy, just because we won that match. We’ve got a tough match next against a German pair (Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz) and we’ll look forward to that one.”
Murray begins his quest for a third straight singles gold medal on Sunday against ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and he is looking and sounding upbeat about his chances in Tokyo.
He said: “I do like the conditions here in terms of how the court plays and everything.
“Obviously not an easy one against Felix but I’ve played well in the practice sets and the practice matches that I’ve had and obviously today was a good one for the confidence.”
