Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, will aim to win her fifth Olympic gold when she appears for the United States in the women’s team final later on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the triathlon, set to be a centrepiece of the Olympics, was postponed due to too high pollution levels in the Seine river.
Here’s what you need to know about the Olympics on Tuesday:
Covid hits
It is not Tokyo, where the Olympics were delayed by a year due to the Covid pandemic and took place largely without spectators, but Australian swimmer Lani Pallister, a medal hope in the women’s 1,500 metres freestyle, has withdrawn from the event after testing positive.
Biles for gold
Biles is hoping to clinch gold in the team final, due to start at 6.15pm (1615 GMT), in her second appearance at the Paris Games after her return to the Olympic stage on Sunday.
Swimming in the Seine?
The men’s triathalon was postponed as pollution levels in the Seine were too high on Tuesday, World Triathlon said in a statement, leaving athletes facing more uncertainty.
The race is now scheduled for Wednesday, immediately after the women’s event. Should levels of bacteria remain too high by Wednesday morning, the men’s and women’s races are likely to be postponed to Friday.
It’s very hot today
And we’re not just talking about the fight for medals. A heatwave is hitting France and the temperature is due to rise to 35 degrees Celsius (95°F) in Paris and 37 in Chateauroux, where the shooting competitions are taking place.
In Marseille, sailors donned ice vests to beat the searing Mediterranean heat.
But not everyone is bothered by the weather. “I hope it gets even hotter. So the hotter it gets, the better it is,” Greek world number eight tennis player Maria Sakkari said.
Read also: Alcaraz shrugs off Olympics injury scare, hopes to be 100% with Nadal
Eleven golds
Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec won the 10-metre air pistol mixed team gold. In total, 11 gold medals are up for grabs on Tuesday, including women’s rugby sevens, table tennis mixed doubles and a series of swimming races. For now, Japan tops the medal table with six golds, ahead of hosts France and China, who have five each.
Agbegnenou carries French hopes in judo
French judo champion Clarisse Agbegnenou defends her title in front of a partisan home crowd in the under-63kg division.
In the men’s under-81kg category, three-time world champion Tato Grigalashvili of Georgia is the clear favourite and could take on Japan’s reigning Olympic champion Takanori Nagase.
Nadal’s last match?
After losing to Novak Djokovic in singles on Monday, 14-time French Open champion Rafa Nadal now has only the doubles competition left to add to his two Olympic gold medals.
Partnering world number three Carlos Alcaraz, they face a Netherlands team on Tuesday in the second round.
