Japan leads medal count as Paris Olympics heat up

PARIS: On the third day of competition at the Paris Olympics, Japan emerged as the leader on the medal table, securing six golds among their total of 12 medals on Monday.

China and South Korea trail closely with five gold medals each, while France and Australia round out the top five.

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In archery, South Korean athletes secured gold in the men’s team event with a 5-1 victory over host France. Turkey took the bronze. South Korea’s Bin Hyun made headlines by equaling the Olympic record in the women’s 10m air rifle event with a score of 251.8 points.

China’s Sheng Lihao won in the men’s 10m air rifle, with Sweden and Croatia taking silver and bronze, respectively. In the men’s diving 10m synchronised platform, China secured gold, while United Kingdom and Canada earned silver and bronze.

The United Kingdom marked its first gold of the Olympics in the equestrian team jumping event, defending their title. They added a second gold through Thomas Pidcock’s victory in the men’s cycling mountain bike cross-country, with France and South Africa finishing second and third.

Germany’s Michael Jung won gold in the equestrian individual jumping final, becoming the first rider to win three Olympic gold medals.

In canoeing, France’s gold in the men’s singles slalom was complemented by Great Britain’s silver and Slovakia’s bronze. Canada also claimed its first gold in Olympic judo with Krista DeGucci’s win in the women’s 57kg category, while Korea took silver.

Japan’s Horigumi Yuto won the men’s skateboarding gold, with the United States securing the silver and bronze. In men’s judo 73kg, Azerbaijan’s Hidayat Haydarov earned gold and France’s Yohan Benjamin took silver.

Japan’s artistic gymnastics men’s team earned gold, with China and the USA winning silver and bronze, respectively.

The current standings see Japan leading with 12 medals: six gold, two silver, and four bronze. China follows with ten medals, including five gold, three silver, and two bronze. South Korea is in third place with nine medals, comprising five gold, three silver, and one bronze.

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France, despite leading in total medals with 14, sits fourth with four gold, seven silver, and three bronze. Australia rounds out the top five with seven medals, including four gold and three silver.