Tokyo (AFP)

Already a surprise!

From the first day of the finals in the Olympic swimming pool in Tokyo on Sunday, the Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui, 18, created a huge surprise by winning the 400m freestyle title while earlier surfing and skateboarding officially became Olympic sports.

Eighth in the semi-finals and placed at the outside water line (N.8), Hafnaoui was hilarious on arrival and his trainer jumped everywhere in the stands, taking advantage of the open spaces thanks to the closed session decreed for health reasons.

The young swimmer, a specialist in long distances, clocked the third time of the year (3: 43.36), topping the last length of the Australian Jack McLoughlin and the American Kieran Smith.

Another swimmer to write the history of these very special Olympics: Chase Kalisz.

The American won the 400-meter medley, the first of 35 swimming titles, on Sunday, while young Frenchman Léon Marchand took 6th place.

Starting very quickly, taken back, author of a superb breaststroke and blunt on the last length of the crawl, Léon Marchand finished far from his recent French record (4: 11.16 against 4: 09.65).

No worries, the 19-year-old Toulousain is mostly scheduled for Paris-2024.

The tricolor performance of the morning is to be blamed on Marie Wattel.

Wattel, 24, smashed the French record to afford her first Olympic final in the 100-meter butterfly, a distance for which she became the European champion in the spring.

- Skateboarding shows off its stripes -

Eighth in the series on Saturday, the sprinter swallowed the round trip, atomizing the French record (56.16 against 56.89).

Monday at 10:30 am local (03:30 in France), Wattel will also find the reigning Olympic champion, the Swedish Sarah Sjöström, long uncertain after having broken her elbow in February.

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But the first aquatic eddies came from Chiba.

About a hundred kilometers to the far east of Tokyo and since 7:00 a.m. local time, twenty surfers and then as many surfers challenge the Olympic waves.

Brazilian Italo Ferreira became the first Olympic surfer in history by opening this preliminary round.

If the weather, a more than determining element in this discipline, allows it, the first Olympic champions in history will be known on Wednesday.

Johanne Defay, among the ladies, and Jérémy Flores, who will however have to go through the repechage after a failed first round, can believe in the French camp.

From Tuesday, a big depression, which could even become a typhoon, is however expected in Tokyo and its region.

In the process, skateboarding also released its Olympic stripes and will award its first title this Sunday with the men's street event.

It was the Brazilian Gustavo Felipe who had the honor of the first "run", just before that of the French Vincent Milou, who qualified for the final.

Aurélien Giraud also, achieving the best score of the series.

The street consists of a series of figures in an area reproducing street furniture (ramps, stairs, benches, etc.).

Surfing and skateboarding are two of the five additional sports at this Japanese event.

- NBA stars in Saitama -

The other big meetings of this day at the 18 Olympic finals, will be for the Blues the sure values.

After the first medal of the tricolor delegation on Saturday, the bronze of the judoka Luka Mkheidze (-60 kg), France still has in judo on Amandine Buchard, in the -52 kg.

In fencing, the swordsman Yannick Borel, in particular, has the task of making people forget the disillusionment of the eliminations in the first round on Saturday of his two compatriots.

In shooting, on the other hand, Céline Goberville (10 m pistol), could not repeat her feat of London-2012, where she had won the first French medal, in silver.

She placed 8th in the final while Mathilde Lamolle took 7th place.

Finally, in team sports, the match of the day will undoubtedly be scheduled in basketball.

In the evening (9:00 p.m. local, 2:00 p.m. French), the Blues who have to do without nine members of their isolated management because of contact since July 19, face the formidable Americans.

NBA stars on both sides of the floor who promise a nice meeting in the room of Saitama, north of Tokyo.

André-Pierre Gignac and his young comrades must also react (5 p.m. local, 10 a.m. French) after being crushed by Mexico (4-1) at the opening of the football tournament.

© 2021 AFP