Team GB end Day One of Paris Olympics with two medals as cycling incident denies third
Anna Henderson won silver in the women's road race time trial
REUTERS
Team GB will be hoping Day One of the Paris Olympics is a sign of things to come after picking up two medals.
Great Britain have consistently finished high in the medals table at the Olympics dating back to Beijing in 2008 when they finished fourth for the first time since 1924.
Their tally of 67 medals at the Rio 2016 Olympics is the benchmark for this year's athletes with UK Sport director of performance Kate Baker hoping they could break the 70 barrier.
There was the possibility of six medals on Day One of the Olympics for Team GB.
But there was disappointment in the pool in the evening with neither of Great Britain's quartet in the men's or women's 4x100m freestyle relay able to finish in the medals.
Anna Henderson won silver in the women's road race time trial
REUTERS
Kieran Bird was aiming to upset the odds in the men's 400m freestyle, but he was unable to get out of his heat before the evening's final.
It was diving duo Scarlett Mew Jensen and Yasmin Harper who got Team GB's first medal of the 2024 Olympics.
The British pair looked unlikely to medal with two dives to go in the women's synchronised 3m springboard left them in sixth.
But they pulled off an excellent final dive to pip Australia to bronze medal at the Paris Aquatics Centre.
Mew Jensen and Harper were in tears when their bronze medal was confirmed - the first female diving medal for Team GB at an Olympics in 64 years.
"A month ago I didn't think I would be here," Mew Jensen said.
"To be up on the boards and to come away with that [bronze medal], I can't imagine anything better."
Anna Henderson soon won Great Britain's second medal of the Games in a chaotic women's road race time trial.
The 25-year-old was making her Olympics debut and she finished with a stunning time of 41 minutes and nine seconds to take silver.
Australia's Grace Brown was out of sight in the gold medal position, who finished a remarkable 90 seconds quicker.
Henderson and Brown expertly made their way around the treacherous 32.4km route without any issues, but their rivals suffered multiple falls and scrapes in the wet conditions.
Josh Tarling was up next in the men's time trial and was strongly favoured to be in the mix for a medal.
Scarlett Mew Jensen and Yasmin Harper won bronze in the Women’s Synchronised 3m Springboard
REUTERS
But the 20-year-old suffered a puncture to his front wheel that ultimately cost him a medal as he finished fourth.
Tarling was just 2.16 seconds shy of a podium finish with the puncture delay costing him at least 12 seconds of time.
"The stars were miles apart today," he said.
"I had no choice really but to make the change before that corner and then try my best.
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"There's not a lot I can do really, a bit of bad luck. We move on to the road race."
There will be more opportunities for Team GB to add to their medal tally on Sunday with Adam Peaty looking to win the men's 100m breaststroke for a third consecutive Olympics.
Judoka Chelsie Giles will be hoping to become the first British athlete to win gold in judo having picked up bronze four years ago in Tokyo.
There will be other opportunities in swimming, archery, canoeing and cycling. GB News will provide all the latest on Team GB's medal tally.
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