Paris diary, day one: Antoine Dupont and friends lift the mood
You suspect, all things told, Paris and these Olympics really needed Saturday night.
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Antoine Dupont and the French rugby sevens team delivered not only the home nation’s first gold medal but an important morale boost for a Games which had not exactly gotten off to a great start.
First there was Friday morning’s sabotage job on the railways which delayed the arrival of tens of thousands into the city, before the deluge which soaked even more during the evening’s opening ceremony, an altogether strange event perhaps just about saved by a spectacular finish.
The heavy rain has caused problems in the Seine, which may or may not now be clean enough to host tomorrow’s Triathlon event.