Paris: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will do battle once more when they meet at the Paris Olympics on Monday (4pm UAE) while Australia’s Ariarne Titmus is hotly tipped to win her second swimming gold of the Games.
Also on the third day of action, Britain’s Tom Daley will try to prevent an anticipated Chinese clean sweep in diving, while China and Japan will duel for gold in the men’s team final of the gymnastics.
Gold medals are also up for grabs in archery, canoeing, mountain biking, equestrian, fencing, judo, shooting and skateboarding.
Nadal has the edge
The hottest ticket in town will be at Roland Garros, where Djokovic and Nadal will clash for a 60th time, with the Serb up 30-29 in their rivalry.
Nadal has had an undeniable edge on the clay in the French capital down the years, but after more injury concerns and with his career winding down, the 38-year-old Spaniard admitted Djokovic was “clear favourite” this time.
“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.”
Titmus eyes more gold
Another night of red-hot competition is in the offing in the pool, where the best swimmers on the planet will compete for five titles.
The last race of the night sees Titmus attempt to add the 200-metre freestyle crown to her dominant 400-metre triumph on Saturday, when she blew away rivals Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky to retain her title.
The 23-year-old Titmus is the favourite at 200m — she is the reigning champion and world record-holder.
Her biggest threat is fellow Australian Mollie O’Callaghan, who boasted the fastest time ever until Titmus smashed it in June.
Leading from start to finish
Following her emphatic victory over 400 metres, when she led from start to finish, Titmus, who hails from Tasmania, said it was hard to take it all in.
“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.”
The other swimming finals on Monday are in women’s 400m individual medley, men’s 200m freestyle, men’s 100m backstroke and women’s 100m breaststroke.
Pressure on China?
China are the unparalleled force in diving and at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games three years ago they collected seven of the eight golds.
The one they did not win went to Daley and Matty Lee in the men’s synchronised 10-metre platform.
It was gold at last for Daley, who also has three bronze medals, the first coming at London 2012, four years after he made his Olympic debut as a 14-year-old at Beijing in 2008.
China scooped the first diving gold in Paris with victory ahead of the United States and Britain in the women’s synchronised 3-metre springboard.
Skateboarding battle
In other sports, Yuto Horigome defends his men’s skateboarding street title after the event was postponed on Saturday because of rain.
Japan could snatch all three medals, with the 2023 world champion Sora Shirai and 14-year-old Ginwoo Onodera also strongly fancied.
The legendary American Nyjah Huston will have something to say about that.
Japan’s women skateboarders took gold and silver in street on Sunday.
In women’s basketball, the United States launch their bid for an eighth consecutive gold medal in the event when they open their campaign against Japan, with veteran Diana Taurasi aiming to snare a sixth gold in her farewell international tournament.
Rains pollute River Seine
Meanwhile, Olympic organisers cancelled a second day of triathlon training in the River Seine planned on Monday after weekend downpours polluted the waterway.
In a joint statement, Paris 2024 organisers and World Triathlon said they had taken the decision to cancel Monday’s swimming training session because “water quality levels… do not present sufficient guarantees” to allow it to take place.
The triathlon is the first Olympic event due to be held in the Seine, before marathon swimming in the second week of the Games.
