Glory and heartbreak: Day 8 of Paris Olympics features historic performances

More than a week into the Paris Olympics and the world has already witnessed legends being made, nail-biting finishes and record-breaking performances.

China dominates women's table tennis and badminton

It's not often that a country has, not one, but two medalists in the same Olympic competition.

China's Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan squared off against compatriots Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in the gold medal match for women's doubles in badminton on Saturday, securing the Asian nation two more medals.

The duo of Chen and Jia took both sets of the match to win gold for China.

Meanwhile, in singles table tennis, China's Chen Meng defeated fellow Chinese competitor Sun Yingsha, adding two more gold and silver medals to the country's total.

History made

Day 8 at the Olympic Games was filled with both heartbreak and glory, with participants like the U.S.' Katie Ledecky breaking her own women's medal record and Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred upsetting the U.S.' Sha'Carri Richardson to bring home the small Caribbean nation's first ever medal.

For Ledecky, she won her record-breaking ninth Olympic medal in women's swimming, as she won the women's 800-meter freestyle, cementing her legacy as one of the greatest Olympians in history.

Ledecky's victory in the 800-meter freestyle also marked the fourth time in her illustrious career that she has won this Olympic swimming event.

The eighth day of the Paris Olympics also featured a first in women's tennis when China's Zheng Qinwen defeated Croatia's Donna Vekic to win the singles gold medal.

This feat marked the first time in history that an Asian player has won a gold medal in the women's singles competition.

Legendary U.S. gymnast Simone Biles delivered a memorable performance in the women's vault competition, as she was able to win her seventh gold and 10th Olympic medal, edging out Brazil's Rebecca Andrade who won silver. 

China has a chance to have two more Olympians win medals in the same competition when Zhang Yufei and Wu Qingfeng race for the gold in the women's swimming 50-meter freestyle on Sunday.

Nail-biting finish

The Olympic mixed 4 x 100m medley relay swimming competition saw an incredibly close race on Saturday.

The U.S. team won the gold after narrowly edging out the Chinese team by 0.12 seconds. The race featured several lead changes and tense competition in one of the most exciting heats of the Paris Olympics.

(Cover: China's gold medallists (C) Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan, silver medallists (L) Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, and Japan's bronze medallists (R) Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida celebrate on the podium with their medals during the women's doubles badminton medal ceremony in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris, France, August 3, 2024. /CFP)

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