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Sprint and repechage rounds grab attention on day three in Paris

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Kishane Thompson in the 100m heats at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (© Dan Vernon)

This Saturday, in the men’s 100m heats, world leader Kishane Thompson had time to look around and slow down before winning the opening race in 10.00.

Noah Lyles, seeking four golds in Paris, finished second in his heat in 10.04 as Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe, the NCAA champion who is coached by Carl Lewis, crossed first in 9.98 to a perplexed silence, cupping his hand ironically to his ear.

Jacobs, who has let it be known that he sees Thompson as the challenge to his title rather than Lyles, finished second in his heat in 10.05. Thompson’s teammate Oblique Seville won his heat in 9.99.

The aspirations of Hinchliffe’s team-mate Jeremiah Azu had ended before they begun after he was disqualified for false starting in his opening heat.

Among the athletes racing in the men’s 100m preliminary round, on a universality place, was Montenegro’s multi-eventer Darko Pesic, who came to wider notice as he competed barefoot in the discus during this year’s European Championships decathlon in Rome.

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Pesic wanted to run in Paris in memory of his father, Velisa, who died in 2020. A few days before his race he broke a bone in his right foot and he arrived in the French capital wearing a protective boot. He achieved his ambition as he completed his race in 11.85, posting afterwards on Instagram: “Father – we made it! I have always dreamed of being an Olympian.”

While the decathlon was missing the home world record-holder Kevin Mayer, unable to compete because of injury, the men’s pole vault lacked the presence of France’s former world record-holder, Renaud Lavillenie, who was desperate to sign off with an appearance at the home Games aged 37 but missed out by one place at the national trials.

Lavillenie at least got his moment in the sun, literally, as he was introduced trackside before the men’s pole vault qualifying and received warm waves of appreciation.

Just as Mayer’s fellow French decathlete Gletty inherited the massive home support, so did the home athletes in the pole vault, Anthony Ammirati and Thibaut Collet. 

But it proved not quite enough as both failed to progress in a competition where Sweden’s defending champion and world record-holder Mondo Duplantis topped the list of those who cleared 5.75m.

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“Compared to Tokyo, it’s just night and day,” said Duplantis. “It’s super cool. I can’t even imagine how amazing the final’s going to be.”

World silver medallist Ernest John Obiena of Philippines, who had been hoping against hope that he would be sufficiently recovered from injury to compete in Paris, had his wish – and after passing after two failures at his initial height of 5.60m he recovered his fortunes with first-time clearances of 5.70 and 5.75m.

The repechage round, open to all who fail to earn automatic qualifying places in events ranging from 200m to 400m hurdles, offered progression to race winners and the two next fastest finishers overall in the women’s 800m.

The first athlete to qualify by this new method was Australia’s Abbey Caldwell in a heat where Uganda’s 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi, who had missed qualification by one place the previous day, finished sixth.

The din as home athlete Bourgoin overtook Allie Wilson of the United States around the final bend to claim the qualification place in heat two was ear-splitting, and she crossed the line as triumphantly as if she had won a medal. It was a very good advertisement for the repechage round.

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“My feet hurt a bit but when I heard the stadium, I let the pain go and I had to keep going,” said Bourgoin. “You have a lot of emotions when people scream your name.”

Majtie Kolberg of Germany and Rose Mary Almanza of Cuba were the other winners, with Kenya’s Vivian Kiprotich and Switzerland’s Valentina Rosamilia claiming the next two fastest places.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Olympic rings removed from Eiffel Tower

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The Eiffel Tower and the Olympic Rings

The Olympic rings installed on the Eiffel Tower since June to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games were removed from the Parisian monument early on Friday morning, as confirmed by an AFP photographer. But the Paris City Hall intends to replace them with a more permanent structure until 2028.

The five-coloured rings, measuring 29 metres in length and 15 metres in height, were placed between the first and second levels of the iconic iron structure on 7 June. 

According to Inside the Games publication, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo  wants the Olympic symbol to continue decorating the monument until the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

But the descendants of the tower’s creator, Gustave Eiffel are opposing the move. They are insisting that the Olympic rings are aesthetically in conflict with the concept and design of the Tower.

The 30-tonne rings initially installed on the Eiffel Tower were also not designed to withstand winter weather conditions.

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Despite Egypt winning 3 medals at Paris Olympics, President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul

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Ahmed El-Gendy won Egypt's only gold at the Paris Olympics

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered  a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that  participatedat the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.

The mandate includes a thorough expenditure check and a performance review to better highlight areas of improvement and fund allocation in future Games.

Additionally, the president plans to take necessary measures against federations —such as limiting funds— that had negative results in the Paris Games.

Egypt’s participation in sports where it lacks a competitive advantage will also be limited, as the president aims to direct resources to promising athletes to ensure optimal results. The president also aims to reduce administrative and technical staff within Olympic delegations and task relevant ministries with preparing future Olympic athletes.

Al-Sisi’s Olympic overhaul is to be presented to the cabinet for approval and urged the government to prioritise amending the sports law for the House of Representatives for review. 

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Egypt took home a total of three medals in the Summer Games. Ahmed El-Gendy triumphed in modern pentathlon, Sara Samir claimed the silver in weightlifting, and 21-year-old fencer Mohamed El-Sayed earned the bronze.

-Insidethegames

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Paris 2024 Games break record ticket sales

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Beach Volleyball - Men's Gold Medal Match - Sweden vs Germany (Ahman/Hellvig vs Ehlers/Wickler) - Eiffel Tower Stadium, Paris, France - August 10, 2024. REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo

Paris 2024 sold a record 12 million tickets for the Olympics and Paralympics, beating the Games record previously set by London 2012, organisers said on Sunday.

Some 9.5 million tickets were sold for the Olympics and 2.5 million for the Paralympics, which end on Sunday.

In 2012, London organisers set the record for the Paralympics with 2.7 million tickets sold but only 8.2 million were sold for the Olympics.

-Reuters

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