Games off to flying start for Bahrain
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
It was raining gold in Tokyo yesterday as the Olympic Games burst into life, bringing the all familiar and much-needed vibe back into the stadiums. The elite athletes of the world ran, rode, fought and swam in Tokyo, casting aside the woes of the pandemic and controversies that overs h a d owe d the global sporting extravaganza.
Joining them in the fightback of the sport and humanity was also athletes from Bahrain. Bahrain began their campaign in Tokyo by searching for glory in the preliminary rounds of handball against Sweden in Yoyogi National Stadium and Superheavy boxing against Azerbaijan in Kokugikan Arena.
Twenty-seven nations, including India, China, Japan, Korea, Iran, France and Isreal, opened their accounts on day one as China made an instant statement of intent with the Games’ first gold.
The sight of an athlete, eyes glistening with joy, was always going to be a welcome one for organisers, and 21-year-old Chinese shooter Yang provided it first, holding her nerve in the women’s 10-metre rifle competition to overhaul Anastasiia Galashina.
Japanese judoka Naohisa Takato lifted home hearts with gold on the mat, a day after tennis superstar Naomi Osaka lit the cauldron, officially opening the pandemic-delayed Olympics. Iranians were also cheering early after Javad Foroughi won the men’s 10m air pistol event. Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz won the men’s cycling road race as unexpected nations featured at the top of the medals table.
But fans, banned from all venues under COVID-19 protocols, were served an early reminder of the pandemic’s potential impact as two US archers said they are unvaccinated through personal choice, and organisers said another athlete had tested positive for the virus.
Later, American archers Brady Ellison and Mackenzie Brown said they were free to choose whether or not they got vaccinated against COVID-19, after a US Olympic swimming gold medal prospect who had declined the vaccine was widely criticised on social media. “It’s one hundred per cent a personal choice, and anyone that says otherwise is taking away people’s freedoms,” Ellison, the world’s No.1, said on the competition sidelines. Organisers are also preparing for a typhoon, having already reworked Monday’s rowing competitions to integrate them into the schedule for Saturday and Sunday.
The 3x3 basketball tournament made its debut and US First Lady Jill Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron led the cheering as the American women beat France.
At 12, Syria’s Hend Zaza was the youngest athlete competing in Tokyo but her table tennis tournament was over in a flash as she lost to Austria’s Liu Jia, before taking a selfie with her conqueror.
Liu, who has a 10-year-old daughter, had struggled to sleep on the eve of the event. “Yesterday I asked my daughter, ‘Do you know your mother is playing against someone two years older than you?’ Her first response was, ‘Then you better not lose!’”
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