PARIS – Stade de France will host the athletics competition of the Paris Games on Friday, featuring a highly anticipated men’s 10,000 metres final where the world record holder faces the defending Olympic champion.
French judoka Teddy Riner, who lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony alongside Marie-Jose Perec, aims for his fourth Olympic gold medal. Local swimmer Leon Marchand seeks his fourth title of the Games.
Olympic champions will also be declared in badminton, equestrian, rowing, windsurfing, and shooting.
The men’s 10,000m race will award the first track gold, with Uganda’s world record holder Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo vying to upgrade their Tokyo silver and bronze medals, and Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega defending his title.
Canada’s Damian Warner starts the defense of his Olympic decathlon title against competitors, missing reigning world champion Pierce Lepage, who withdrew due to a back injury. Germany’s Leo Neugebauer has the season’s best score.
At La Defense Arena, three medals are at stake, including the quickest swimmer in the 50m freestyle final and the women’s 200m backstroke champion. France fans will watch Leon Marchand go for a fourth gold in the men’s 200 individual medley after his record-breaking efforts earlier in the week.
China is on track for their fourth Olympic diving gold in Paris in the men’s synchronised 3-metre springboard event, defended by Long Daoyi and Wang Zongyuan. Mexico and Britain are among other medal contenders.
France’s male riders hope for Olympic medals in the BMX racing finals on home soil, aiming to end a long drought despite success in World Championships. Britain’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan have been underdogs in women’s badminton, now facing China’s top-ranked duo in the semi-finals.
In men’s doubles badminton, Olympic champions Wang Chi-lin and Lee Yang of Taiwan face Denmark’s Anders Rasmussen and Kim Astrup. For women’s 50-metre rifle three positions, American Sagen Maddalena aims for gold, closely followed by China’s Zhang Qiongyue and Switzerland’s Chiara Leone.
Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting competes in a featherweight round of 16 bout, with Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan defending his super heavyweight boxing title against Australia’s Teremoana Junior.
French judoka Teddy Riner aims for a third individual Olympic gold in the over-100kg category, joined by Romane Dicko, the women’s over-78kg favorite. South Korea targets retaining their mixed team archery gold, with competitors from France and China standing by.
The new kayak cross makes its Olympic debut on Friday, promising an action-filled race. Additionally, four rowing regatta medals are on the line.
In 3×3 basketball, the U.S. teams face potential elimination on Friday. Trampoline gymnastics features Britain’s Bryony Page against defending champion Zhu Xueying, and the men’s competition includes Belarusian Ivan Litvinovich and New Zealander Dylan Schmidt.
Sailing competitions aim to complete the postponed men’s and women’s skiff medal races, along with the scheduled windsurfing finals and medal deciders.