Athens Games Off to Hot Start on Day 1

ATHENS, Greece – The host city sizzled, in more ways than one, as the Olympics kicked into high gear Saturday with gold-medal debuts by the world’s two most powerful swimmers, the suspension of Greece’s two star sprinters, and scorching temperatures that plagued athletes and fans alike.

With heat at some venues topping 100 degrees, cycling officials eased their rules so support crews in cars could hand their riders extra water during a grueling road race that looped around the Acropolis and other landmarks for nearly six hours. At the beach volleyball court, athletes in brightly colored bikinis retreated during breaks to the fan-cooled shade of a canopy.

The games’ first gold medal went to Li Du of China, who won the 10-meter air rifle competition on her final shot.

Eight hours later, the highest-profile Olympian, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, won the first of a hoped-for eight gold medals – an unprecedented feat, if he can manage it. He broke his 400 individual medley world record. Ian Thorpe, his Australian archrival, soon followed with a gold of his own in the 400 freestyle, setting the stage for a head-to-head meeting Monday in the 200 free.

Heat aside, it was a successful Day One for Athens organizers – often doubted and criticized during seven years of preparations.

Competition did indeed begin in 20 sports and the venues, some completed with little time to spare, were free of major glitches. The complicated transportation web worked more or less as planned; no major problems were reported by the 70,000-strong security force protecting the games.

There was, however, some gloomy news for the home country fans: Medal-contending sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou, along with their coach, were dropped from the team, pending review by the International Olympic Committee, for missing drug tests.

Kenteris, the reigning 200-meter champion, was Greece’s top hope for a gold medal in track; Thanou, the 100-meter silver medalist in Sydney four years ago, is his training partner. They remained hospitalized Saturday with minor injuries reportedly sustained in a motorcycle crash shortly after drug testers failed to find them in the Olympic Village.

It was a rough day, too, for 15-year-old Katie Hoff, a swimming star who trains at the same North Baltimore club as Phelps. She failed to make the final of the 400 IM and vomited after her heat – team officials blamed her condition mostly on nerves.

The U.S. women’s basketball team had no troubles, trouncing New Zealand 99-47. The Brazilians topped that performance with a 128-62 rout of Japan – an Olympic record for most points by a women’s team.

Aquil Abdullah, the first black rower on a U.S. Olympic team, advanced along with partner Henry Nuzum rowed to the semifinals of the men’s double sculls event.

In cycling, many riders abandoned the road race because of the heat; four others, including world champion Igor Astarloa of Spain, were knocked out by a crash on the opening lap. Some riders sought relief by sliding ice bags down their jerseys, while most of the flag-waving fans clustered in shady areas rather than the scenic but uncovered vantage points beneath the Acropolis.

“Victory is always sweet, especially at the Olympics,” said the weary winner, Paolo Bettini of Italy.

At the roofless swimming pool, the competitors seemed generally unaffected by the heat during their late-morning preliminaries, but many fans used umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun.

By evening, conditions were ideal even for the fans, and Phelps gave them the show they were looking for, pulling inexorably to a huge lead over the field as he launched his quest to break Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics.

Greece, as host country, automatically qualified for team events. Its eclectic opponents Saturday included Russia in women’s basketball, Mali in men’s soccer, China in softball and Kenya in women’s basketball. The two Greeks entered in men’s gymnastics – Dimosthenis Tampakos and Vlasios Maras – had high scores in their specialties, earning standing ovations from the crowd at Olympic Indoor Hall.

The United States, China and Russia were among the early leaders in the medal standings, but some nations with far less sporting prowess also tasted success. A bronze medal in judo, for example, went to Mongolia’s Tsagaanbaatar Khashbaatar.