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Tokyo Olympics Highlights: Biden 1, Macron 0

July 25, 2021 00:50 IST

The first host nation gold is often one of the loudest spectator highlights of an Olympic Games. On Saturday, Japan won its first Tokyo 2020 gold medal in the men's 60kg judo in front of a few press and athletic staff.

Here's what you need to know about the Tokyo Games:

BIDEN 1, MACRON 0

IMAGE: US First Lady Jill Biden, right, and President of France Emmanuel Macron cheer during the women's basketball pool match between Italy and Mongolia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Aomi Urban Sports Park in Tokyo, on Saturday. Photograph: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

First lady Jill Biden cheered her countrywomen to an upset victory over the French in the debut of 3x3 basketball at the Olympics as President Emmanuel Macron watched on from the sidelines.

 

Macron and Biden are among the few dignitaries attending the delayed Games.

The French president sat in the third row courtside, wearing a tie but no jacket on a steamy evening. Both Macron and Biden wore face masks and, after a brief greeting, the first lady sat one row behind him in accordance with social distancing norms.

REIGN ENDS IN SILENCE

IMAGE: Japan's Kohei Uchimura loses his grip as he competes on horizontal bar during men's qualification. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

"King" Kohei Uchimura, the only active gymnast close to matching American Simone Biles' gravity-defying skills and popularity - at least in Japan - crashed out on the high bar during qualifying.

What had been a routine start to the gymnastics competition turned into an emotion-packed afternoon when the curtain was brought down on a brilliant Games career in the quiet of an empty arena.

A COVID-19 pandemic that has left all Olympic venues empty of spectators and an uncharacteristic slip denied the world and Olympic champion the rousing sendoff he deserved.

FIRST MEDALS

HOPES DASHED

13 MINUTE RECORD

One element of Friday's opening ceremony stood out for many Japanese: Olympic boss Thomas Bach's 13 minute speech.

Bach's speech, which drew on familiar themes of peace, solidarity and gratitude for overcoming the coronavirus hardships, earned him a trending Japanese hashtag on Twitter that translated means "Chairman Bach micro Bikini club."

"From tomorrow, we'll give Bach the nickname 'the guy who gives long speeches'," said user @Riko_Murai in a tweet reposted 7,730 times and liked by more than 20,000 people.

User @SatoHaruhiko said, "The length of the speeches: Seiko Hashimoto - 6.5 minutes; Bach - 13 minutes; the Emperor - 13 seconds."

QUOTE OF THE DAY

IMAGE: Austria's Liu Jia during the women's singles preliminary match against Hend Zaza of Syria. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

"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!' -- Austrian table tennis player Liu Jia, 39, after defeating the youngest Olympian of the Games, 12-year-old Syrian Hend Zaza.

Source: REUTERS
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