Sawt Falasteen - Biles eyes Olympic gymnastics glory as gender row rocks Games

US star Biles steps back into the spotlight seeking to become the first woman ever to regain the Olympic all-around title after she famously withdrew in Tokyo due to the debilitating condition that gymnasts call "twisties".

But the victory of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who failed a gender eligibility test last year, in just 46 seconds against her overwhelmed Italian opponent in a women's bout threatened to overshadow the sixth day of the Games.

Khelif is one of two athletes cleared to compete in women's boxing in Paris despite failing to meet the criteria for the world championships last year.

Her distraught opponent Angela Carini refused to shake hands with Khelif after the fight and the Italian sank to her knees and sobbed in the middle of the ring.

She said: "My nose started dripping (with blood) from the first hit."

The one-sided bout sparked an immediate reaction from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said the fight was "not on an equal footing".

- Israel's first medals -

In other developments, Israel won its first two medals of this Games, with their judokas taking a bronze and a silver.

Peter Paltchik won the first medal, a bronze, in the under-100kg class before Inbar Lanir took a silver medal in the under-78kg final of the women's competition.

Israel's participation in these Games was strongly opposed by the Palestinian delegation because of Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Early Thursday, the Olympics athletics programme kicked off with golds in the 20-kilometre walk for Ecuador and China.

Torrential early rain forced a half-hour postponement to the start of the men's walk, but the clouds parted and Brian Pintado from Ecuador took gold. China's Yang Jiayu dominated the women's race.

- Marchand mania -

Home hero Leon Marchand launched his campaign for an astonishing fourth medal in the pool, showing few ill-effects from his extraordinary double gold on a pulsating night in the Olympic pool on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old Frenchman cruised through his 200m individual medley heat after admitting he had not got to bed until 4:00am.

Marchand is fast becoming the home nation's Olympic pin-up and fans again went wild when he entered the La Defense Arena, cheering his every stroke.

Britain's Duncan Scott narrowly pipped him in the heat, but Marchand should have plenty left in the tank for the semi-final later Thursday.

"Mentally and physically it hurt a bit but I'm so pleased with what I did last night," he said.

- Biles the draw -

Biles was set to dominate the evening's action as she goes for her first individual gold of the Paris Games.

The 27-year-old returned to the top of the podium on Tuesday with team gold, her eighth Olympic medal of which five are golds, to become the most decorated US Olympic gymnast.

She wants to do it in style with a new skill on uneven bars that would be the sixth unique skill named after her.

But Biles faces a stiff challenge from teammate Sunisa Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champion, who is on a comeback trail every bit as compelling as her compatriot.

Lee was diagnosed with two undisclosed kidney conditions in early 2023. However, she declared herself "in remission" in April and considers herself stronger than she was in Tokyo.

Another top contender is Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, who said it was an honour just to compete against Biles.

"She's a reference, a role model for the whole world, gymnastics and athletes alike, to see how happy she is to compete," said Andrade.

Another packed evening schedule in the pool includes the women's 200m butterfly final, featuring 17-year-old Canadian prodigy Summer McIntosh, who like Marchand is fast becoming one of the stars of the Games.

Already 400m medley champion and 400m freestyle runner-up, McIntosh faces a stacked field including defending champion Zhang Yufei from China.

The men's golf competition teed off with Japan's Hideki Matsuyama shooting a sparkling eight-under-par opening round to take the lead.

Former Masters champion Matsuyama missed out on a bronze medal in a play-off three years ago on home soil in Tokyo.

But he made a magnificent start to his latest medal bid, rolling in eight birdies to move two shots clear of reigning champion Xander Schauffele at the top of the early leaderboard at Le Golf National.

On the iconic red clay of Roland Garros, British tennis legend Andy Murray was again seeking to stave off retirement in the doubles quarter-finals, following two barely believable wins in previous rounds.

Z.Ramadan--SF-PST