Three New Zealand athletes who are also representing Team LGBTQ at the Olympics enjoyed a successful first outing in Paris on Saturday.
Robbie Manson, who is one of 20 out male Olympians at these Games, was alongside his rowing double sculls partner Jordan Parry in a competitive heat.
The Netherlands took first place, but the Kiwis saw off the challenge of the U.S. pair to take second. All three teams go through to Tuesday’s semifinals.
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Also making progress at Vaires-sur-Marne, which lies to the east of Paris, was reigning Olympic women’s single sculls champion Emma Twigg.
The 37-year-old, who is competing at her fifth Olympics, won her heat and will race again in the quarterfinals, which will also be on Tuesday morning.
In the equestrian eventing competition, Clarke Johnstone sits in joint ninth place after the dressage phase, with the New Zealand team in fourth ahead of Sunday’s cross country.
Johnstone, 37, is at his second Games after being part of the New Zealand eventing team that finished fourth at Rio 2016. He was sixth overall in the individual competition.
Meanwhile, there were tears of disappointment for Arthur Nory in the men’s artistic gymnastics.
The 30-year-old Brazilian is a former world champion on the horizontal bar and had won gold on the apparatus at the Pan American Games in Santiago last year.
Fancied to make the final in Paris, he was being watched by his boyfriend Joao in the Bercy Arena.
However, a mistake at the beginning of Nory’s routine saw him suffer a shock elimination.
He was crying when he faced the media afterwards but vowed to try again in the next Olympic cycle.
“Even before I got here, I was already saying that I was thinking about the 2028 Games in Los Angeles,” Nory was quoted as saying by Mundorh.
“I won’t give up. I know that the next cycle will be even more difficult, which is natural, but I’m going to give it my all again. I’m very proud to represent my country.”
Nory is not participating in the gymnastics team event for Brazil, meaning his Paris Olympics challenge is already over.
In other Team LGBTQ news Saturday, Tabea Schendekehl was part of the German women’s quadruple sculls team that qualified for Final A on Wednesday.
The Germans finished second in their heat, with the U.S. — featuring Grace Joyce and Teal Cohen — last of four teams, putting them into the repechage.
There was better news for Team USA’s Evy Leibfarth, who was in fourth place after the K1 kayak slalom heats, qualifying her for Sunday’s semifinals.
