There were no second round fortunes for Haiti’s Alexandre Grand'pierre, Antigua and Barbuda’s Jadon Wuilliez, or Guyana’s Raekwon Noel in the pool as both failed to progress from their respective heats on the opening day of the Paris Olympic Games at the Paris La Defence Arena on Saturday.

Wuilliez and Grand'pierre, finished second and fourth in their 100m breaststroke heats after clocking 1:02.70 and 1:02.85, respectively, but did not make the semi-finals as those times placed them 26th and 28th overall.

Noel also had a credible second-place finish in his 400m freestyle heat, but his time of 4:02.29 wasn't enough to progress. He finished 34^th overall.

Wuilliez, 22, has had a wonderful track record thus far, earning a gold medal in the 50m breaststroke and a bronze in the 100m event at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships (CCCAN) held in Mexico in June earlier this year.

Grand'Pierre, 21, is Haiti’s current record holder for the 50m and 200m breaststroke and the 200m individual medley (IM). He also won multiple New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) championships and is an NCAA Division III All-American. Earlier in June, he won the 100m breaststroke at the CCCAN in 1:02.39.

Meanwhile, this was Noel’s Olympic Games debut. The 18-year-old has established himself as one to look out for in the future, as he shattered five team records for the South Jersey Aquatic Club at the Middle Atlantic Senior Championships. He finished his short course season, winning five races and setting nine personal best times in addition to his records.

Noel won the competition and broke team records in the 500 free, 1000 free, and 200 fly. He boasts a track record in swimming, with five gold medals at the 2023 Carifta Swimming Championships. Breaking five nation records.

Aruban sport shooter Philip Elhage failed to advance past the preliminaries of the men's 10-metre air pistol qualification round.

The Curaçao-born athlete finished 33rd with a score of 554-7x, failing to qualify for the next round.

Despite falling short, the performance represented an improvement for Elhage, who shot 556 points in the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he placed 35th.

Elhage previously competed for the Netherlands Antilles in the men's 10-metre air pistol at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Then, he placed 46th with a total score of 566 targets.

Jamaica’s Judoka Ashley McKenzie secured a spot in the Men’s 60kg Round of 16 following a comprehensive 10-0 victory over Yemen’s Hesham Makabr in preliminary round action at the Champ de Mars Arena in Paris on Saturday.

McKenzie, the first Jamaican athlete to compete at the Paris Olympic Games, defeated Makabr by throwing a tai otoshi.  He received one yellow card, while his opponent, Makabr received two.

The United Kingdom-based McKenzie, who is making his fourth Olympic Games—first under the Jamaican flag—displayed his immense ability ahead of the Games when he won an historic bronze medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) for Jamaica in El Salvador last year.

McKenzie, 35, previously represented the UK at his last two Olympic Games.

His opponent for the next round is Salih Yildiz of Turkey.

Cuba's Reidy Cardano Blanco progressed to the quarterfinal of the Men's Single Scull, while Bermuda's Dara Alizadeh will contest the Repechage round after placing third and fifth in their respective heats of the rowing competition, which got the Paris Olympic Games under way at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Saturday.

Though quick at the start, Blanco couldn’t match the pace of his more fancied rivals and settled for third in seven minutes and six seconds (7:06.45) to book his spot in the next round. Germany’s Oliver Zeidler (6:54.72) and Uruguay’s Bruno Cetraro (7:04.04) were the top two finishers in that heat.

Prior to the 28-year-old Spanish-speaking Caribbean representative’s feat in heat five, Alizadeh was the first Caribbean athlete in action at this edition of the global multi-sport showpiece. He crossed the line in seven minutes and 23 seconds (7:23.70) as he just missed out on a top-three automatic qualifying spot to the quarterfinal from heat four.

However, the Bermudan will have another chance to qualify for a spot through the repechage round to be contested on Sunday.

Alizadeh, 30, who switched from team to individual competition in 2019, after a few medal-winning feats, also represented Bermuda at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he placed 18th in the single sculls.

Reigning 400m Olympic champion Steven Gardiner and World Indoor 60m hurdles champion Devynne Charlton will be flag bearers for The Bahamas at the much-anticipated Paris Olympic Games opening ceremonies on Friday.

Gardiner and Charlton are among the 20 athletes that will represent The Bahamas at the global multi-sport showpiece, which is currently under way and is scheduled to end on August 11.

Track and field and swimming are the two disciplines that the Bahamian contingent will contest at the Games.

Quartermiler Shaunae Miller-Uibo, high jumper Donald Thomas, who is making his fifth Olympic appearance, NCAA and national record holder in the javelin Rhema Otabor, decathlete Ken Mullings, and Charisma Taylor, who contests the triple jump and the 100m hurdles, are also on the team.

Rhaniska Gibbs and Lamar Taylor will represent the Bahamas in the pool.

Meanwhile, quartermiler Lacarthea Cooper finished third in the women’s 400m at the BAAA’s Nationals in 53.38 seconds behind second place finisher Quincy Penn in 53.35 seconds, but did not make the team.

However, Shania Adderley finished fifth in 54.50 seconds and was named to the Olympic team for her contributions as a member of the 4x400m mixed relay team at the World Relays.

By all indications, Guyana’s top table tennis player, Chelsea Edghill is relaxed and ready to go at the Olympic Games as she continues to get acclimatised to conditions in Paris.

Edghill, who is relishing her second Olympic Games appearance, is the only English-speaking Caribbean representative set to compete in table tennis at the global multi-sport showpiece, which got underway with football action on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old, who was eliminated in the first round at the 2020 Tokyo Games, pointed out that she has so far engaged in some solid practice sessions since her arrival in Mulhouse, France, as she hopes to go at least one better on this occasion.

“It was just Guyana in the camp, so we took the time to train with some of the local players and practice with the world master’s bronze medalist and the practice session was good,” Edghill told Chronicle Sport.

“We go back to Paris to settle in for the games but so far we have to train and getting used to the environment. It (table tennis) takes so much skill and practice, I have been doing it for 18 years and it is still very difficult…misconception is that it is easy,” she added.

While her preparation aimed at fine-tuning her skills and focus leading up to the multi-sport event, Edghill has always been self-motivated.

“I am really working on grounding myself and looking inward. If the plan doesn’t work, we just scrap the plan and then start over,” Edghill said in an Instagram post, as she hopes to break barriers and possibly create opportunities for other Guyanese players.

She is joined in Paris by National Coach Idi Lewis, the country’s top swimmer, Aleka Persaud and coach Sean Baksh, as well as track and field star Emanuel Archibald.

Cristian Medina equalised 16 minutes into second-half stoppage time as Argentina fought back for a 2-2 draw with Morocco in their opening game at the Olympic Games in Saint-Etienne.

Morocco looked set to open their Group B campaign with a memorable win when Al Ain striker Soufiane Rahimi scored twice in a five-minute spell either side of half-time.

However, substitute Giuliano Simeone halved the arrears for Javier Mascherano's men, who twice hit the woodwork before Medina nodded home with the final contribution to an incredible game.

Morocco inched ahead two minutes into first-half stoppage time, Ilias Akhomach bamboozling the Argentina defence with a wonderful backheel that allowed Bilal El Khannouss to cross for Rahimi to tap home.

Within four minutes of the restart, Morocco had a chance to double their lead as the tricky Akhomach was pushed inside the area by Julio Soler. Rahimi stepped up to the spot and made no mistake, stroking his kick into the bottom-left corner.

Mascherano's team dragged themselves back into the contest with 22 minutes to play, though, as Soler's cross-shot was prodded in by the stretching substitute Simeone.

The Albiceleste struggled to carve out clear-cut chances to equalise, but Medina saved the day in dramatic circumstances with 116 minutes on the clock.

Munir Mohamedi spilled Thiago Almada's long-range shot then tipped Bruno Amione's follow-up onto the woodwork. Nicolas Otamendi then looped his header against the crossbar but Argentina made sure at the fourth attempt as Medina nodded into an unguarded net.

Data Debrief: Albiceleste leave it late

Medina's leveller was officially timed at 105 minutes and 24 seconds, the lengthy period of stoppage time a result of several heavy challenges and a number of supporters encroaching on the playing field throughout the match.

Few could argue they did not deserve their point, though, having ended the game with a tally of 2.41 expected goals (xG) to Morocco's 1.46.

Sergio Gomez led Spain to a winning start at the Paris Olympics, making amends for his penalty miss to score the winner in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Uzbekistan. 

La Roja took the lead through Marc Pubill, only for Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov to level from the spot before the break. 

Gomez would see his own spot-kick attempt saved, but dusted himself down to net the decisive goal for Santi Denia's side.

A teasing free-kick delivery from the left-hand side was flicked on at the near post by Abel Ruiz, with Pubill providing the telling touch to give Spain the lead in the 28th minute.

However, Timur Kapadze's side drew level in the third minute of injury time when a VAR review saw Pau Cubarsi penalised for a pull inside the box, with Shomurodov firing beyond Arnau Tenas. 

Spain were rewarded for a bright start to the second half when Aimar Oroz was tripped by Abbosbek Fayzullaev. 

Gomez assumed responsibility but saw his effort brilliantly saved. However, he atoned for his error three minutes later as he swept home from Juan Miranda's inviting cutback.

Uzbekistan had the opportunity to snatch a first point at the Olympics late on, only for Umarali Rahmonaliyev to slice his shot wide in the sixth minute of injury time. 

Data Debrief: A mixed bag for La Roja

Former Manchester City defender Gomez was the standout for Spain, registering more shots (three), more shots on target (three) than anyone on the pitch, finishing the encounter with an xG of 1.01.

Barcelona youngster Cubarsi endured a difficult afternoon having given away a penalty, but was strong in possession, completing 54 of his 57 passes (94.7%). 

Despite registering six shots on target from the eight they attempted, Spain underperformed their expected goals (xG) by 0.60, something that will need to improve should they want to win a second gold medal. 

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have been generating excitement as they prepare to represent Spain at the Paris Olympics, but have been tempering expectations despite their impressive credentials.

Alcaraz triumphed at Wimbledon for a second time against Novak Djokovic earlier this month, adding to the French Open title he claimed in June and becoming the youngest player to win major titles on three different surfaces (also the US Open in 2022).

Nadal, a 22-time grand slam winner, has struggled with injuries over the past two years but reached his first final since 2022 at the Swedish Open last week, only to fall to straight-sets defeat to Nuno Borges in Bastad. 

The competition gets under way on July 27 at Roland Garros, but Nadal was cautious about Spain's chances of winning a gold medal.

"I understand a little bit the morbid illusion of seeing us play together but let's not think that this translates into success, I think it's a mistake," Nadal said.

"Carlos hasn't played many doubles and I haven't played many doubles or many singles lately."

"We are going to do our best to try, at least, to leave with the peace of mind of having done everything possible to get where we can get (but) obviously, we have not been able to prepare together for a tournament like this, where there are other doubles teams that have been preparing."

Nadal has previously triumphed in both the singles and doubles events at the Games, winning gold at Beijing in 2008 and in Rio eight years later. 

Having missed the London and Tokyo Games due to injury, the Spaniard suggested the Olympics were even more special than grand slams. 

"Unfortunately I have missed Tokyo and London due to injury and it is something that has hurt me more than missing Grand Slams," he said.

"In the end they are unique experiences, of which there are few in the world, in one's career.

"The others are very important tournaments for us, but in the end we experience them every year, and well, I value being here very much."

Alcaraz arrives in Paris full of confidence after claiming his first French Open title a month ago. 

The 21-year-old believes his success at Roland Garros will be to his advantage heading into the Games. 

"I have not had the opportunity to play many doubles tournaments, but obviously having the illusion of returning to Roland Garros, to these courts that I have always enjoyed playing... makes it easier," he said. 

"We also have days of training, individually and doubles to adapt as best as possible again, for my part to return to clay and be able to gain confidence to start the tournament in the best possible way."

The Spanish pair will find out their opponents for the first round on Thursday, when the draw takes place. 

Chelsea's new signing Caleb Wiley is hopeful of clinching Olympic success with the United States in Paris.

Wiley secured a move to Stamford Bridge from Atlanta United for a reported £8.5million ($11m) on Monday.

But before linking up with his new team, Wiley will play for his country as the Stars and Stripes aim to claim gold at the Paris Games.

The USA are playing at the Olympics for the first time since 2008, and open their account against France in Marseille on Wednesday, and the aim for Wiley is clear.

The left-back told the Associated Press: "A medal. That's what we're going to fight for, and I have full belief that we're going to do it."

Wiley has been overwhelmed with congratulatory messages after his transfer to one of the giants of English football, but he has credited the Olympics with helping him take his mind off one of the biggest moments of his career so far.

He said: "I think for me the most important moment was staying present. It's been an ongoing thing for a while now, for a few months.

"Just knowing where I was, staying focused with Atlanta at that time and then now with the Olympics has helped me kind of just be in the moment.

"I think it's important to enjoy it first. You know this doesn't happen to many kids and so I think you need to embrace the feeling."

The 19-year-old registered six goals and seven assists in 77 MLS matches across two and a half seasons with Atlanta.

The USA, along with Thierry Henry's France, have also been grouped with Guinea and New Zealand in Group A.

And coach Marko Mitrovic is embracing the enormity of facing the hosts in their first match after a 16-year absence, but stressed the result against Les Bleus will not define his team's tournament.

He said: "We are very grateful to play that game. It's going to stay forever for us, but it's only one of three games that we have in the group stage and the points of the game count the same as in the other games."

For Jamaica's Andrenette Knight, the path to the Paris Olympic Games has been a journey marked by both triumph and heartbreak.

Knight had always envisioned her first Olympic Games appearance contesting an individual event, particularly the 400m hurdles, a race in which she has consistently excelled. However, despite her determination and hard work throughout the season, the JAAA National Senior Championships did not go as planned.

This, as she placed fourth in the women’s 400m hurdles final in 54.37s, well short of her 53.26s personal best, and her attempt in the 400m also ended in a disappointing sixth-place finish in 51.65s. Still, the 400m run was merely targeted at securing a spot on the country’s 4x400m relay team, which she accomplished.

“My ultimate goal was to represent my country at the Olympics in my individual event,” Knight admitted.

“But, despite falling short of that target, I am still on a path where I can still call myself an Olympian, and that in itself is a big accomplishment for me, and I’m still very proud of myself,” she told Sportsmax.TV from the team’s base in France.

Knight finds solace in her selection for the 4x400m Mixed Relays team, an event that combines male and female athletes, as her performance at the National Championships was hampered by two significant challenges –the loss of her grandfather and an injury that took away from her preparation.

“Honestly, this season has been tough for me. I found myself having more lows than highs. I lost my grandfather a couple weeks before the trials, and I took it very hard. And then, in the days leading up to the trials, my foot was swollen, and I was in a lot of discomfort. I later found out it was a minor stress reaction,” she shared.

“But regardless of everything, I think I went into the trials with an objective to make the team and I did that so I guess that was the high. I can’t complain too much about the setbacks; life happens and everything doesn’t always go according to plan but I would say this season has taught me to be resilient,” Knight added.

Though she can manage to put on a brave face now, Knight pointed out that pushing through the pain and adversity was by no means easy, as she harboured thoughts of giving up on herself.

In fact, the 27-year-old revealed that it is the strength of her grandfather’s memory and support of other family and friends that have kept her going. But more than that, the United States-based athlete, who boast two NACAC Championships silver medals and made the World Championships final last year, believes she still has so much more to achieve in the sport.

“My journey getting here wasn’t easy. Being a track and field athlete at the professional level is not easy, and I think just navigating it all by myself away from my family and my support system makes it 10 times harder. I felt like quitting on myself in the moment before but I never thought about giving up because I believe that I have not scratched the surface on what I am truly capable of yet,” Knight declared.

Andrenette Knight (right) in action against compatriot Rushell Clayton and Dutchwoman Femke Bol. 

“I enjoy what I do; I love to see myself making improvements, and I know that I have so much more in store, so I never really thought about it as difficult or easy. I just know this is what I have to do to get to where I want to.  More importantly, I have a host of people who support me and also believe in me, so whenever things get difficult, I can always rely on them, just knowing that this too shall pass,” the Vere Technical and University of Virginia alumna noted.

It is the resilience that has brought her to this moment that Knight is hoping to draw on to possibly assist Jamaica into medal contention in the Mixed Relays when track and field takes centre stage at the July 26 to August 11 multi-sport showpiece.

“The Olympic Games only come around every four years, so I’m definitely living in the moment and continuing to work on my overall well-being. When competition day comes, I can only do what I’m prepared to do and control what I can control. My goal at the end of the day is to get to my fullest potential and accomplish all that God has in store for me,” the Puma athlete ended.

NB: The Olympic Games will be live on Sportsmax and the Sportsmax App.

Team USA basketball coach Steve Kerr says there is "no thought" of replacing Kevin Durant in the Olympic squad despite him suffering with a calf strain.

The USA played their final warm-up game ahead of the Games, with LeBron James starring as they beat Germany 92-88 in London on Monday to make it five wins on the bounce.

However, Durant has not played in any of those five pre-Olympic games due to a right calf injury he sustained while training last month.

Despite stepping up his training in the last week, he is still a doubt for their opener against Serbia on Sunday.

Kerr has until Saturday to finalise his roster for the Games, and insisted he would not be calling up a replacement for Durant, who he hopes will get to train with the rest of the team when they travel to Paris.

"There's no thought of replacing Kevin," Kerr said. "I was hoping he would get a game in here, but it just didn't work out that way.

"When he missed time, he came right back - and he is who he is.

"He's one of the most skilled players of all time. So, we hope he comes back soon, and I think he'll fit right in."

The USA are aiming to win a fifth consecutive gold medal at this year's Olympics, and will also face South Sudan and Puerto Rico in Group C.

Andy Murray has confirmed he will retire after the Olympic Games in Paris.

The 37-year-old is set to compete in both the men's singles and doubles at what will be his fifth Olympics.

Murray first competed in Beijing in 2008 and won his first gold medal four years later in London with a straight-sets victory over Roger Federer.

He then became the first male player to win two singles titles at the Games by beating Juan Martin del Potro in Rio in 2016.

In a post on X, Murray wrote: "Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament.

"Competing for Team GB has been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I'm extremely proud to get to do it one final time!"

Murray made his final appearance at Wimbledon, where he is a two-time champion, before the Olympics, suffering a first-round defeat with brother Jamie in the doubles.

He later received an emotional tribute on Centre Court to mark his achievements at the tournament. 

Alexander Zverev is confident of claiming a second Olympic gold medal at the Paris games despite picking up an injury at Wimbledon earlier this month. 

Zverev slipped during his third-round triumph against Cameron Norrie in SW19, bowing out of the competition in a five-set to Taylor Fritz in the following round. 

The world number four has since competed in the Hamburg Open, a title he won a year ago, but fell at the final hurdle to Arthur Fils in a decisive final set tie-break. 

Zverev, who became the first German to win an Olympic gold medal in singles since Steffi Graf did so in 1988, beat Karen Khachanov in the final in Tokyo four years ago.

The German described his injury as a bone edema and torn capsule and said that it did not require surgery ahead of the games. 

"To be honest, you know, the risk will stay for the next two, three, four weeks maybe because that's how long the bone heals, and that's what everybody told me," Zverev said.

"But, at the end of the day I also knew that I don't want to rest for four weeks because, now we're playing on the surface where I don't see that big of a risk of doing the same motion again and doing the same movement again."

The tennis will take place at Roland Garros, a venue well-known to Zverev who reached the French Open final earlier this year, losing out on a first grand slam title to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets. 

Zverev is also on the shortlist of German athletes who could be flagbearer for the nation during Friday's opening ceremony.

"If someone told me that I should walk in as a flag bearer, it would mean even more to me, to be honest (than winning the Olympics)," Zverev was quoted by SpilXperten.

"Leading an entire nation and so many top German athletes into the Olympics is simply the greatest honour an athlete can receive.

"And of course, the gold medal I won at the last Olympics is one of the highest achievements you can have in sports and for me personally the greatest success in my career."

Attorneys for Jamaica’s hammer thrower Nayoka Clunis have followed through on their promise, and have filed an urgent appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) Ad Hoc Division to seek a resolution regarding the athlete’s Olympic Games omission.

As a result of the application, the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) has once again been given a deadline to respond.

In accordance with Article 15 lit b. of the CAS Ad Hoc rules, the JAAA, as the Respondent, has until Friday, July 19, at 6:00pm Paris time (11:00am Jamaica time) to file a reply to Clunis’ application.

World Athletics, Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) and the International Olympic Committee were also listed as “Interested Parties” in the issue.

“Within the same timeline, the interested Parties are entitled to file a written submission if they wish to do so. Upon receipt of the written submissions of the Respondent and interested Parties, the panel will decide shortly after whether to hold a hearing,” the CAS Ad Hoc rules stated.

It is unclear what the outcome would be if the JAAA or the Interested Parties fail to respond.

Prior to filing the application, Clunis’ representatives, Sayeed Bernard and Emir Crowne, wrote to the JAAA and the JOA on Wednesday seeking an update about Clunis’ Olympic team status by 5:00pm, but their deadline was not met.

The issue stems from the fact that Clunis, who achieved a National Record of 71.83 metres in May, to be ranked in the top 32 in the world this year, was initially named to the JAAA’s athletics team for the Paris Olympics.

However, the 28-year-old’s dream of competing on the world’s biggest stage is now hanging in the balance due to a blunder from the JAAA, as her name was later omitted from the JAAA’s official list submitted to World Athletics.

“Following the Jamaican Olympic Trials, I was elated to receive notification of my official selection to Team Jamaica. Unfortunately, I have since found myself in a difficult position. Due to an omission made by the Jamaican Athletics Administration Association, my name was not officially submitted to World Athletics. As such, I do not have a position in the Olympic Games,” Clunis shared in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

CAS’s Ad Hoc Division deals with the arbitration of disputes that arise regarding major sporting events and usually decides within 48 hours.