PARIS OLYMPICS 2024: What you need to know right now

Athletics kicks into gear at the Olympics on Friday, while home crowd favourite Leon Marchand goes for his fourth swimming title of the Paris Games and French judo great Teddy Riner eyes a fourth Olympic gold medal.

Olympic champions will also be crowned in badminton, equestrian, rowing, windsurfing and shooting.

Here's what you need to know about the Olympics on Friday.

MORE DIVING GOLD FOR CHINA

China's Wang Zongyuan and Long Daoyi won the men's synchronised 3-metre springboard event, snatching China's fourth gold in diving. Both second-time Olympians, the pair finished on 446.10 points.

RIFLE GOLD FOR SWITZERLAND

Switzerland's Chiara Leone won the gold in the women's 50-metre rifle three positions at the Paris Olympics on Friday.

Sagen Maddalena from the United States won the silver while China's Zhang Qiongyue took the bronze.

BIRTHDAY GOLD

Croatian rower Valent Sinkovic celebrated his 36th birthday by coming from behind to win a sensational gold in the men's pair together with his brother Martin.

SWIMMER COLLAPSES

Slovakia swimmer Tamara Potocka is under medical assessment after collapsing following her women's 200 metres individual medley heat on Friday, a venue official said. The venue's media manager confirmed Potocka was conscious and under medical assessment.

ATHLETICS

Track gold will be awarded in the men's 10 000 metres, where Uganda's world record holder Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo aim to improve on their Tokyo silver and bronze medals respectively, as Ethiopia's Selemon Barega defends his Olympic title.

Canada's Damian Warner begins the defence of his Olympic decathlon title against a field missing teammate and reigning world champion Pierce Lepage, who announced less than two weeks ago that he was withdrawing with a back injury.

MARVELLOUS MARCHAND

France's Olympic star Leon Marchand goes for a fourth gold at his home Games in the men's 200 individual medley.

At the Paris pool, rapturous crowds go mad each time the 22-year-old swims, chanting his name at every stroke.

SURFING EMOTIONS

Emotions ran high at the surfing venue in Tahiti on Thursday, with reigning Olympic champion Carissa Moore and local favourite Vahine Fierro knocked out, while Brazil's Gabriel Medina set up a blockbuster semifinal with Australia's Jack Robinson.

COMEBACK QUEEN

Simone Biles won her second gold medal of the Paris Summer Games on Thursday, delivering an electrifying performance to triumph over her Brazilian rival Rebeca Andrade and cap a stunning comeback.

GENDER ROW

The International Olympic Committee defended its decision to allow two female boxers to compete at the Paris Olympics despite a gender row, saying the pair were facing "aggression" because of an arbitrary decision.

Taiwan's presidential office and former president on Friday expressed support for Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting who has been embroiled in the row.

HOME HOPES IN FOCUS FOR JUDO

Teddy Riner, who lit the Olympic cauldron last Friday alongside French athletics great Marie-Jose Perec, chases a third individual Olympic gold in the over-100kg category, beginning with the round of 16.

SUPPORT FOR PAN

China's state media, athletes and netizens rallied to support Olympic swimming champion Pan Zhanle after critics including an Australian swim commentator said his world record swim in the 100 metres freestyle was not "humanly possible".

DISTRACTED

One in four Americans say their work productivity has declined since the Games began, and half say they have rearranged daily routines to watch the action, NBCUniversal said.