Australia's Ariarne Titmus defeated five-time Olympic gold medallist Katie Ledecky of the United States to grab gold in a thrilling women's 400m freestyle final on Monday.
Britain's Adam Peaty repeated his gold medal success from Rio in the 100m breaststroke while Canadian Maggie MacNeil stormed to victory in a close women's 100m butterfly.
Ledecky has been the dominant force in women's swimming but in the first of three head-to-head showdowns with Titmus at these Games it was the Australian who triumphed with a superbly timed swim.
The American was 0.66 seconds ahead at the halfway point but Titmus had closed that gap to 0.16 seconds by the 300m turn and grabbed the lead at the 350m mark and never looked back.
"I can’t believe it, I’m trying to contain my emotions," said Titmus, who praised her rival for raising the bar in the sport.
"I thanked her, I wouldn’t be here without her. She set this incredible standard. All credit to her for the swimmer she is.
"In the race I tried to stay as composed as I could and I can’t believe I pulled it off," she added.
In the women's 100 butterfly China's Zhang Yufei lead at the halfway mark with MacNeil trailing in seventh but the Canadian produced a brilliant turn to power away from her rivals and pip Zhang by five one-hundredths of a second.
Australia's Emma McKeon was not far behind, taking bronze just 0.13 behind the winning time.
"It was incredible. I touched the wall and heard my name so I think I did something good," said the Canadian, who won the event at the 2019 World Championships.
"I don't have words right now. I don't think it will sink in for a little while," added MacNeil, who also won silver on Sunday as part of Canada's 4x100m freestyle team.
Sarah Sjostrom, the gold medallist in Rio and world record holder, finished seventh, 1:32 off MacNeil's time.
The Swede, competing at her fourth Olympics, had surgery for a broken elbow suffered falling on ice in February, leaving her out of the water for months.
"I did everything I physically could, I couldn’t do anything more ... I needed to be ice cold," she said.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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