Stay tuned as we bring you all the latest updates, scores and results from Day 0 of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 on our LIVE blog!
Archer Atanu Das at the Tokyo Olympics.
Tokyo 2020 curtain raiser
While we wait for the men's archery ranking round to get underway, why not get the mood of things in Tokyo? Our correspondent Amit Kamath has gone through numerous coronavirus tests and is in Tokyo. He has his ear to the ground (not literally, obviously) and brings us the feel of things in the Japanese capital. [Read]
Archery - Men's Ranking Round
Atanu Das will begin his knockout campaign with a very winnable fixture against Yu-Cheng Deng of Chinese Taipei, and right after that, he could have a serious challenge on his hands in the shape of former gold medallist Oh Jinhyek.
Archery - Men's Ranking Round
Oof, brutal draw for Tarundeep Rai, but that was to be expected. Rai begins 28th-ranked Ukrainian Oleksii Hunbin, and should he get past that first hurdle, he can look forward to matches against fifth-ranked Hiroki Muto in the second round and then a potential quarter-final against fourth ranked Kim Woo-jin. Tough to see Rai making his way out of this, but never say never.
Youngest athlete at Games Syria's Hend Zaza, 12, wants to become an Olympic champion
She is only 12 and will be representing Syria at Games.
Civil war in her country almost put an end to her dreams of becoming an Olympian.
Read her story here.
News from elsewhere: Swiss athlete accepts ban
The Swiss Olympic team says 400-meter hurdler Kariem Hussein has accepted a nine-month ban after testing positive for a banned stimulant.
The 2014 European champion was entered in the event at the Tokyo Games. The heats start next Friday. It is unclear if Hussein will be replaced in the 40-athlete lineup.
The Swiss Olympic body’s tribunal backdated the ban by one week from the time Hussein was provisionally suspended. That suspension had not been disclosed.
'It's not going to be easy', India's medal hope PV Sindhu feeling pressure at Games
India's badminton superstar PV Sindhu admits that the pressure is on at the Tokyo Olympics and she will be in the firing line.
The 26-year-old world champion, who won silver at the Rio 2016 Games, begins her tilt at gold on Sunday against Israel's Ksenia Polikarpova.
With Rio champion Carolina Marin out of Tokyo with a serious knee injury, world number seven Sindhu is among the favourites in what looks to be an open field.
"There is definitely a lot of expectation. There are a lot more responsibilities and definitely there will be pressure," said the Indian, reflecting on her status as reigning world champion
Click here to read more quotes from the shuttler.
News from elsewhere: Race walker banned for doping
South African race walker Lebogang Shange has been banned for four years for doping and will miss the Tokyo Olympics.
The former African champion was entered in the men’s 20-kilometer race on 5 August. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on the case in Tokyo.
The 30-year-old Shange tested positive for the anabolic steroid trenbolone and was provisionally suspended in December 2019. His ban will expire before the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Archery - Men's Team
The Indian men's team rank ninth in the table.
What a performance! Maturity beyond his years
#Archery
— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) July 23, 2021
Kim Je Deok, 17, youngest archer at Tokyo #Olympics, finishes with a 688 (43 10's, 15 X's) to take top spot
(πΈ - @worldarchery)#Tokyo2020 LIVE: https://t.co/TdsKN3JqFB pic.twitter.com/uAodglPb0J
Archery - Mixed Team
An update on the mixed team event as well!
Pravin Jadhav's performance in the men's ranking round means he will partner Deepika Kumari in the mixed team, and with a total score of 1319, the pair will be ranked 9th.
Archery - Men's Ranking Round
Alright then, the final end is done, and we have a clear picture of how the male archers performed! India's highest ranked archer for the knockouts will be Pravin Jadhav, who recorded a 54 (10 9 9 9 9 8) in the tenth end to put together a total of 656. Up next, rather surprisingly, is Atanu Das, whose 53 (X 9 9 9 8 8) in the final end sees him post 653. And finally, just a couple of places below Atanu is Tarundeep Rai, who started poorly but did well towards the end of the round, and finished with 652 thanks to a final end score of 55 (X X 10 9 9 7)
Towards the top of the rankings, South Korean pair of former gold medallist Oh Jinyek and Olympic record holder Kim Woo-jin were both displaced thanks to a late surge from Brady Ellison of America, who finishes in second place. 17-year-old archer Kim je deok finishes in first, having spent most of this round in the lead.
Day 0 Preview: The Tokyo Olympics 2020 will begin in earnest on 24 July, after the lavish opening ceremony on 23 July, but there is already sporting action to look forward to.
India's archery squad will be in action on Friday morning in the ranking round, where the likes of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das will be hoping to get off to a good start and set themselves up for a potential medal finish.
Rowing will be another of the sports thatΒ has an early start in the tournament, with many of the initial heats across all disciplines taking place on Friday.
Of course, the main event of the day will be the opening ceremony, which is expected to begin at around 4.30 pm IST later on in the day.