Team Great Britain finishes Day 3 even stronger than before

Team Great Britain is full of rising stars as well as seasoned veterans and Day 3 of the Paris 2024 Olympics proved why it's wise to have a mixture of both. The day was full of individual and joint accomplishments.

Under the weather

First, an update. Adam Peaty, one of Day 2's silver medalists, was previously quoted as saying inThe Independent that "you can train for eight years for something and not feel 100 percent and that 100 percent will cost you 0.02 secs." As it turns out, that phenomenal athlete had just cause to feel less than 100%. He has tested positive for COVID-19. As reported by the BBC, Peaty "said he had been slightly unwell with 'a little bit on my throat...the 29-year-old's conditioned worsened overnight and he has now tested positive for coronavirus."

With different guidelines surrounding the virus compared to the Tokyo games, it is possible that Peaty could participate in later competitions such as the relay races. A statement from the team emphasized that "the situation is being managed appropriately, with all usual precautions being taken to keep the wider delegation healthy." Peaty himself has expressed his intention to focus on recovery and thanked his supporters, relating that "it has truly been an unforgettable journey."

Riding to victories

At the Château de Versailles, equestrian team event was dominated by Team Great Britain to take the gold in the event. Pulling ahead of the host nation's team and Japan, Laura Collett, Tom McEwen, and Ros Canter won Great Britain's first gold of the Paris 2024 games. It was the culmination of three days' effort and the presentation of the medals was made even more poignant as Princess Anne, wearing a necklace of the Olympic rings, was the member of the IOC to honor her home team.

Collett and McEwen competed in the individual eventing and took third and fourth places respectively, with Collett winning the bronze with 23.10 penalties. Of the day's victories Collett had this to say on the daily update at TeamGB.com:

"So many years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears. An emotional rollercoaster doesn’t even do it justice. But for moments like this, every bad day is so worth it, and you just have to never give up and never lose hope, you can never dream too big."

- Laura Collett'

Among the cheers heard round the world for the first gold medal was a special message from Queen Camilla on the Royal Family's social media.

Defending champion

Cross-country mountain biker Tom Pidcock got an early birthday present. He returned to the Olympics as the reigning gold medalist in the sport and on the eve of his 25th, he took home Team Great Britain's second gold medal.

The cyclist went from first place to ninth earlier in the race when he suffered a puncture, but in the final lap, he and Frenchman Victor Koretzky pulled ahead of the other competitors. Said Pidcock, "The Olympics is so special and you need to never give up. You need to give everything."

Tom and Noah are dynamic

Meanwhile, at the men's synchronized 10 meter platform final, Tom Daley and Noah Williams earned a place just behind China's gold medal-winning team of Lian Junie and Yang Hao. Their final score was an impressive 463.44 points.

With this silver medal, Daley has become the most decorated British Olympic diver in history. Williams has a decorated history of his own, having won silver and bronze at the 2019 European Diving Championships and having taken home gold from the 2020 FINA Diving World Series. His total medal count is 28 across many competitions.

The pair began diving together in June of 2023 and Daley credits his son with the choice to return for this year's Olympics.

The 0.02 second difference

Swimmer Matt Richards took home a silver medal in the men's 200 meter freestyle race with a time of 1:44.74. The 0.02 difference between his time and that of the gold medalist is the same as that of Adam Peaty in Day 2's victories.

The swimmer who won gold at the World Championships last year took it with a great attitude:

"Obviously two hundredths off gold is excruciatingly frustrating but if anything it’s added fire to my belly."

- Matt Richards

Slalom silver medal

Finally, in the men's C1 canoe slalom Adam Burgess outshone his Tokyo performance. In the prior games he was 0.16 seconds short of medaling.

in the finals qualification round, he again found himself in fourth place in Paris. His time in the last round of competition was 96.84 and must have been a difficult wait to watch the three remaining canoeists attempt to beat his time. He recalled his drive afterwards:

"I’ve been dreaming of winning an Olympic medal since I was 10 years old. It was what I was thinking about in that start pool, I just wanted to do that kid proud that dreamt of this moment."

- Adam Burgess

Team Great Britain has picked up significant momentum and we are all excited for news to come on Day 4.