A metal horse appears in the ceremony (2024)

What to watch on Day 2 at Paris 2024

Good Morning and welcome back to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live blog!

After Saturday’s rain, Sunday is forecast to be a nice and sunny day in the French capital. Thirteen sets of medals are due to be handed out on Day 2 of Paris 2024, including in women's street skateboarding where Brazil'sRayssa Leal is the defending champion. Which ones will you be looking forward to? Don't miss our selection of the day's events:

Artistic gymnastics - Simone Biles returns to the Olympic Games
Three years after she withdrew from the women's team all-around final at Tokyo 2020 due to thetwisties,Simone Bilesis back competing inartistic gymnasticsat an Olympic Games.
She is in action as the women's artistic gymnatics programme begins withqualificationat theBercy Arena(Subdivision 1 from 9:30am), with an eye on qualifying for the individual all-around as well as apparatus finals.

Basketball - South Sudan make historic bow
Barely seven years after playing their first official match,South Sudan's men's basketball team willmake their Olympic debuton Day 2 when they facePuerto Rico(11am).
It's been a remarkable journey for the team representing the world's newest independent state, who earned their spot in Paris by finishing as the best African team at the 2023 FIBA Men's Basketball World Cup.
Team USA also begins its campaign, taking on Serbia (5:15pm; 11:15am Eastern time).

Swimming - Can Marchand end French drought in pool?
Hosts France haven't won gold in aswimmingevent in 12 years since French swimmers won four events at London 2012. On Day 2, one of the nation's biggest hopes this summer,world record holderLéon Marchand, will look to end the drought.
If he qualifies from the morning heats (11am), Marchand will take part in his favourite event, the men's 400m individual medleyfinal (8:30pm), which happens to be the night's first swimming final and could set the tone for the rest of the evening for the home crowd.
There's also themen's 100m breaststrokefinal (9:54pm), whereAdam Peaty will look to defend his Olympic title after having taken time off from the sport.

Medal events
Archery
16:48–17:34:W team medal matches
Canoe slalom
17:45–18:30:W K-1 final
Cycling (mountain bike)
14:10–15:30:W cross-country
Fencing
20:50–22:40:W foil individual medal bouts; M épée individual medal bouts
Judo
17:18–17:48:M -66kg medal contests;17:49–18:19:W -52kg medal contests
Shooting
09:30–10:15:M 10m air pistol final;12:00–12:45:W 10m air pistol final
Skateboarding
17:00–18:30:W street final
Swimming
20:30:M 400m individual medley final;20:45:W 100m butterfly final;21:54:M 100m breaststroke final
Full daily schedulehere.

We're underway at one of the most stunning venues of these Olympic Games - the Eiffel Tower stadium, where the beach volleyball competition is taking place (just check out the shot taken last night below!).

Spanish pair Liliana Fernández and Paula Soria Gutiérrezhave just won the first set of their match against the Italian duo ofV****alentina Gottardi and Marta Menegatti24-22.

We've also started in the volleyball!

In women's Pool C, Italy are leading the Dominican Republic18-13 in the first set. Both teams are playing in their first match of Paris 2024.

The first handball game of the day has started between Brazil and Hungary - it's currently all square at 1-1in the women's Group B contest.

Brazil are looking to make it two wins out of two after overcoming Spain 29-18 in their first game on Thursday. Hungary are looking to bounce back after losing to defending champions France 31-28 on the same day.

The day's badminton action has just started over at La Chapelle Arena, with matches in men's singles, mixed doubles, and women's doubles.

In Group D, world No.2 mixed pair Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping (CHN) are in a tight battle with Terry Hee and Jessican Tan (SGP) - who also happen to be husband and wife.It's currently 13-11 in the first game.

Feng and Huang are the 2024 Asian champions and the 2024 French Open winners, with Huang the defending Olympic gold medallist in this event - though she partnered with Wang Yilyu in Toko.

Moore (USA) advances with a dramatic flury in the final moments of Heat #8

There is a reason why Carissa Moore (USA) is widely considered one of the best competitive surfers of all time. The defending Olympic champion and a 5x World Champion, Moore scored her two best waves in Heat #8 in the final 5 minutes. A feat made even more impressive by the fact that she earned her 9.0 and 7.5 in a span of roughly 90 seconds. Her total heat score of 16.50 was a heat winner and one of the highest of the day amongst both male and female waveriders.

Moore was trailing for most of the heat, surfing behind a very in form Shino Matsuda of Japan. Matsuda's (JPN) 8.33, courtesy of an all but flawless tube ride early in the heat, was the score to beat until Moore, sitting out the back with priority for several minutes, found the wave she was looking for and parked herself deep in a spinning, frothy barrel. She came out with the spit and then, less than two minutes later, paddled straight into another one. It was only after this wicked sequence of waves that Moore was able to move past Matsuda's total score of 11.16.

Teresa Bonvalot of Portugal finished third with a combined score of 10.34.

Moore's win in the final heat of the day means that all 5 Team USA surfers- John John Florence, Griffin Colapinto, Moore, Caity Simmers, and Caroline Marks- have advanced on to Round 3.

Spain's Nadia Erostarbe navigates big barrels to win Heat 7

With pristine conditions and some increasingly heavy waves on the offer at Teahupo'o, Nadia Erostarbe (ESP) was grinning in the tube while winning Heat #7. Surfing on her frontside, the goofy foot exuded style and joy while finding her way in to and out of multiple big barrels. Her best two, an 8.33 and a 5.50, had her handily advancing to Round 3.

However, Saffi Vette of Team New Zealand and Siqi Yang from The People's Republic of China were both impressive in their own right, turning in memorable performances in the day's second to last heat. Vette (NZL) was very much in the hunt for the win until the very end thanks to a 7.50 single wave score while Yang (CHN), the youngest competitor in the surfing comp at the age of 15, was absoluetly charging on the set waves. Though she never got the high scores to prove it, her committed approach was undeniably world class. This week marked the first time Yang has ever surfed Teahupo'o. Though the results weren't there today, she will be one to watch in Round 2 as she surfs to avoid elimination.

Silva (BRA) moves on to Round 3

It wasn't the highest scoring heat of the day but it was one of the most fiercely faught. Two surfers from Brazil, Tainá Hinckel and Luana Silva, battled each other and Germany's Camilla Kemp for the right to surf in Round 3. After a series of exchanges, it was Silva (BRA) who came out on top thanks to a combined wave score of 5.73, a result that was anchored by the highest scoring wave of heat 6, a 4.50.

Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy shines in Heat 5

Brisa Hennessey (CRC) knows a thing or two about escaping scary situations. The goofy foot recently survived a brain tumor, though you never would have known it while watching her charge in her Round 1 heat. Her wild, no-hand, backside barrel early in the heat set the tone for what was one of the more impressive showings of the day. She earned an 8.50 for that wave and backed it up with 6.50 a few minutes. The result was a heat win and one of the day's highest heat totals, a 15.56.

France's Johanne Defay recovered quickly from a brutal wipeout at the start of the heat to finish second with combined score of 9.50. While Candelaria Resano from Nicaragua never found a big second score after posting a 6.00. Her heat total of 9.43 was good for third place.

Simmers (USA) takes hotly contested Heat #4

In what was amongst the most anticipated heats of the day, Team USA's Caity Simmers punched her ticket on to Round 3.

This heat featured 3 of the current Top 10 Women surfers in the world and it didn't dissappoint. Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb took an early lead with strong, committed tube riding. But Simmers (USA) wasn't behind for long. She consistently took off deep and pulled into barrels that make would most amongst us blush with concern. Her trademark casual stye was on full display as she stacked multiple 6 point plus rides for a total heat score of 12.93. Weston-Webb (BRA) had a highest wave score of 5.83 on her way to a 10.33 total heat tally and a second place finish.

For her part, Molly Picklum (AUS), despite her third place finish, was in the hunt until the end thanks to a strong 5.77 single wave score but could never find a second high scoring wave.

It is safe to say that no one is looking forward to facing Picklum and Weston-Webb in Round 2.