Around the Games: Day One of Paris 2024

With day one of the Paris 2024 Olympics under wraps, British athletes have been busy putting on some stellar performances.

From eventing to canoe slalom, athletes showed nerves of steel to battle for sweet victory while others demonstrated they are full of fight for the next stages of competition - whatever they may bring.

Here are some of the moments you need to know about from the first day of action in Paris.

Smiles galore after Team GB’s eventing masterclass

The eventing team of Laura Collett, Tom McEwen and Ros Canter set the bar high for fellow Team GB athletes as they posted an Olympic record for the lowest-ever team dressage total in eventing history.

Their score of 66.70 marked the second equestrian record broken by Team GB in just a matter of hours as Laura Collett also set an individual Olympic record in the dressage phase with her trusty horse London 52 - also known as Dan.

The 34-year-old eventer scored a personal best of 17.5 to put herself in firm contention for a medal.

Canter posted 23.40 to sit sixth after day one while McEwen scored 25.80 to end the day 11th. All is still up for grabs, however, with the unforgiving cross-country stage up next.

“I loved every second of today," she said. "I’ve said it all along that he [Dan] loves a crowd. He’s an absolute show-off, he loves being in front of a palace with a lot of people cheering him on. I’m just so lucky to sit on a horse like that.”

Speaking about driving her teammates on Collett added: “We have such an amazing bond as a team. We’re here as individuals but fundamentally we’re a team that wants to go and win a gold medal.

“Tom [McEwen] smashed it out of the park so he gave me the motivation to not leave anything behind and just be brave and give it my best shot.”

Lessons learnt for badminton’s men’s double act

Badminton duo Ben Lane and Sean Vendy faced a tough opening match defeat but have walked away with plenty of positives to set themselves up for a successful second match of their Olympic campaign.

After a fast start which saw them take a 5-1 lead in the French capital, the pair eventually fell 19-21 21-16 21-11 to Tokyo bronze medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.

However, the fact the doubles pair went point-for-point with their Malaysian opponents throughout the Group A contest has left them with plenty to feel confident about going forward.

“We actually performed pretty well today,” said Lane. “The Malaysians also played good badminton and unfortunately in sport there is a loser and that was us today.

“It was a tough match, a good match,” Vendy added. “We came out really strong and tried to put the pressure on them which I think we did really well. They are a top four pair, top four in the world, so they are never going to let us have it easy.

“They came back well and made us work for it and we just couldn’t get over the line today.”

Competing in the newly-built La Chapelle Arena also gave the men a taste of what it could be like to claim Olympic glory as they take on China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang tomorrow.

“The atmosphere [was] unreal," said Vendy. "It feels like a home Games for us because all our friends and family are here. Hopefully the same again tomorrow, just hopefully we are on the winning side this time.”

Stifling conditions a learning curve for Team GB’s shooters

The mixed 10m air rifle team were put to the test in humid qualifying conditions as Seonaid McIntosh and Michael Bargeron finished 26th, but the pair are now raring to channel the crowd’s support in their individual tests.

“Getting used to the atmosphere is so important,” said McIntosh. “The last time in Tokyo there was no music and no crowd so it was really quiet. I really struggle in silent ranges so it was nice to have people in the background.”

“This was always a warm up for us,” added Bargeron. “It was nice to get the nerves out, feel the crowd and the atmosphere.

“Today was about getting the nerves out and experiencing everything so I’m looking forward to the individual 50 m event now.”

Squashed nerves led to stunning scenes in the canoe slalom

Adam Burgess proved he’s on a mission to upgrade his fourth-place finish in Tokyo by qualifying for the men’s canoe singles semi-final with the second fastest time of the competition, clocking 90.87 seconds.

“That was easily the best experience of my life,” he said. “I have never paddled in front of a crowd like this - it was immense - I have absolutely loved every second of it."

Burgess’ performance puts him hot on the tails of France’s Nicolas Gestin, though the Brit is keen to take each moment as it comes.

“It feels great to be right on Nico’s tail, we know he is going to be strong here on his home course. I’ve done some sessions with him in the build-up but I’m going to keep enjoying it.”

Fellow Brit Kimberley Woods was also in action, and secured her spot in the semi-finals with a 12th-place finish.

“It was all about trying to go out there and really enjoy it and the crowd so I could feel more relaxed," she said. "I felt a bit shaky at the start but I was really happy with how I paddled.

“I’m feeling more comfortable after getting the nerves out of the way. I felt really good on my second run, wanted to go out there and attack it and I did. Hopefully I can bring that again.”

Davison loses as boxing begins

Charley Davison was the first British boxer in action as she went in the round of 32 in the women's 54kg.

The Lowestoft mother-of-three was competing in her second Games but lost out to Hatice Akbas of Turkey 3-2.

She said: “Maybe I could have started faster in the first round but then you can’t just rush out and go straight for it, these are the best boxers in the world and you are only going to play into their hands if you do that, she would have caught me more.

“I felt as if I had done enough, I was edging it and throwing shots.”