The floods that hit Paris this Saturday affected the races of several Portuguese athletes. Some did not even compete, others did so in very difficult conditions.
That’s exactly what happened in the time trial, which was always held in pouring rain. Remco Evenepoel won the race, but Italy’s Filippo Ganna was only 14 seconds behind after almost falling when he momentarily lost control of his bike due to the slippery surface. “The rain makes it very difficult. When the women went out, there were a lot of falls. The men also fell. Because of that, I had to change the route at the roundabout. It was difficult, we couldn’t take any risks. Luckily, I arrived safe and sound,” said Nelson Oliveira, who won Portugal’s first Olympic diploma by finishing 7th, the same position he had already achieved in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. “It was a rainy day, which didn’t help much. The risk is in the turns and in the decisions the advantage is gained there, and then it is a question of luck,” added Rui Costa, who finished 25th.
Manuel Grave also finished the first day of full equestrian competition this Saturday in the rain. In dressage, the Portuguese rider finished 59th. A position he will try to regain this Sunday in the cross-country and this Monday in the obstacle course.
Bad weather in Paris has forced the postponement of the street skateboarding event this Saturday. Gustavo Ribeiro will therefore only be able to fight for the desired medal this Monday: the qualification matches are scheduled for the morning, and the final for the afternoon.
Nuno Borges, on the other hand, had a jam-packed calendar due to Saturday’s flooding. The tennis tournament only played the games scheduled for the two indoor courts of Roland Garros, with the outdoor games postponed, including Nuno Borges’ singles match. The Portuguese tennis player’s encounter with Argentina’s Mariano Navone was the third scheduled for this Sunday on Court No. 13. However, the first round of doubles between Borges and Francisco Cabral against Greek brothers Petros and Stefanos Tsitsipas is scheduled for the sixth game on Court No. 14 on the same day, just a few hours apart.
Author: Joao Moniz
Source: CM Jornal
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