PARIS (Reuters) -Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola won the men’s marathon, crossing the finish line in front of Les Invalides in an Olympic record time.
His win marks the start of a bumper day of athletics, with eight finals in track and field taking place later on Saturday.
Late on Friday, Imane Khelif became the first Algerian woman to win a boxing gold medal and decried the social media storm over her gender eligibility as “immoral”.
Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who has also been at the centre of a gender dispute, fights later on Saturday.
Here is what you need to know about the Olympics on Saturday.
ETHIOPIA’S TOLA BREAKS OLYMPIC MARATHON RECORD
Tamirat Tola ran the men’s marathon in two hours, six minutes and 26 seconds, an Olympic record time, to win Ethiopia’s first gold of the Games.
Against the spectacular drop of Les Invalides, he crossed the line ahead of Belgium’s Bashir Abdi Kenya’s Benson Kipruto.
KHELIF TRIUMPHS
Imane Khelif beat China’s Yang Liu to claim the gold medal via unanimous decision in her welterweight bout in front of a packed house of adoring Algerian fans at Roland Garros.
Khelif, a silver medallist at the 2022 world championships, has been in the spotlight at the Paris Games amid a gender eligibility dispute that has dominated the headlines.
BREAK OUT STARS
B-Boys will be battling for the first ever men’s breaking gold medal following a headline-filled women’s competition on Friday when Japan’s Ami Yuasa won a battle with Lithuania’s Dominika Banevic to take the title.
However, Afghan B-Girl Maniza Talash, a member of the refugee Olympic team, was disqualified for wearing a cape with the words “Free Afghan Women” on during her routine.
And Australian university lecturer Rachael Gunn went viral for the floor-flailing antics in her set.
U.S. TRIUMPH AND TRIBULATIONS IN THE RELAYS
The United States raced to the gold medal in the Olympic women’s 4×100 metres relay, capturing their 12th title as Britain made a mess of their final baton exchange.
The American men’s team stumbled, however, botching a handover that led to disqualification and a gold medal for Canada.
Elsewhere on the track, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet surged to the Olympic women’s 10,000 metres gold medal to add to her 5,000 title at the Games while Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam won her third successive Olympic heptathlon gold medal.
SPAIN SPOIL FRANCE’S SOCCER PARTY
Spain secured the gold medal in the Olympic men’s football tournament after substitute Sergio Camello scored twice in extra time to earn a dramatic 5-3 win over hosts France.
The win gave Spain their first Olympic men’s soccer title since 1992.
(Compiled by Rachel Armstrong; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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