Ecuadorian cyclist Richard Carapaz was proclaimed Olympic road cycling champion on Saturday, thus achieving Latin America's first gold at the Tokyo Olympics on the first day of competition.
Mexico, on its side, celebrated its debut in style with a bronze medal in mixed archery.
The United States, one of the great favorites of the Olympic event, is still waiting for its first metal.
'La Locomotora', as the Ecuadorian cyclist is known, made an impressive attack with 6 kilometers to go.
His assault left American Brandon McNully without options, who tried not to lose his wake.
Carapaz crossed the finish line alone, after traveling 234 kilometers in a time of 6:05:26.
The Belgian Wout Van Aert and the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar finally completed the podium with silver and bronze respectively in a final between them that was decided by the photo-finish.
Carapaz's feat is also the third Olympic medal that Ecuador has achieved in all its history and the second gold since the one won by Jefferson Pérez in Atlanta-1996 in a 20-kilometer march.
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As a curiosity, the road cycling test had an audience unlike what happens in most Olympic tests.
The measure that prohibits spectators in the face of the increase in COVID-19 cases only applies in the city of Tokyo.
But the cycling event started from the Japanese capital and ended at the Fuji International Circuit, which allowed numerous fans to congregate along the route to cheer on the athletes.
For its part, Mexico celebrated almost like a victory the bronze won by Alejandra Valencia and Luis Álvarez in mixed archery after beating Turkey.
The pair lost in the semifinals against South Korea, but managed to change their minds and get on the podium.
It is the first Mexican medal in Tokyo, but also the first time that Mexico has achieved a medal on the first day of Olympic competition.
Mexicans Alejandra Valencia and Luis Álvarez celebrate their bronze in mixed archery
Suffocating heat
The Games are already in full swing after the spectacular opening ceremony on Friday.
One of the athletes who advanced in his Olympic goal was Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, who beat Bolivian Hugo Dellien in his debut.
The unbearable heat that has plagued Tokyo for days was precisely an uncomfortable guest on the tennis courts.
The high temperatures and humidity gave the sensation on Saturday of playing at 100º F (38 Cº).
These weather conditions forced organizers to reschedule rugby matches and mountain biking competitions, and to move some track and field events to the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the scorching afternoon sun.
Other events, such as the marathon and the running march, were eventually transferred to the city of Sapporo, capital of the island of Hokkaido, in northern Japan, and site of the 1972 Winter Olympics, which has a cooler climate. .
In the Japanese capital, organizers pitched tents for athletes to cool off, installed water mist fans and provided ice creams to Games volunteers.
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Illustrious spectators
Despite the veto to the public, the stands had two luxury spectators on Saturday: the first lady Jill Biden and the president of France, Emmanuel Macron.
Both went together to the 3x3 women's basketball game that faced their countries and that the United States won.
This type of basketball, in which only three people play per team, makes its debut at these Olympics.
First lady Jill Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron during a women's 3x3 basketball game
Biden also went to the ambassador's residence to watch the women's softball game against Mexico with diplomatic personnel.
The Americans also won 2-0.
COVID-19 is also another of the protagonists of the appointment.
Despite the strict measures imposed by the Japanese authorities to prevent the spread of the virus, infections continue to grow in the Olympic Village.
The organization reported a positive from a member of the Dutch delegation on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections to 127.
With information from AP and El Financiero