Thomas through as fastest qualifier in women's 200m

PARIS, Aug 04 (Agencies): The United States' Gabby Thomas cruised into the women's semi-finals of the 200 metres at the Paris Olympics, showing she is the woman to beat with the quickest time of Sunday morning's preliminary round.

Jamaica's world champion Shericka Jackson withdrew earlier on Sunday less than a month after suffering an injury in a tune-up meet in Hungary.

The 27-year-old Thomas clocked 22.20 seconds, while Nigeria's Favour Ofili -- who missed the 100 in Paris after Nigeria officials failed to enter her in the event -- was second at 22.24. Britain's Dina Asher-Smith was third in 22.28.

Fresh off her thrilling 100 victory the previous evening, St. Lucia's Julien Alfred showed she is a threat in the 200 as well, easing up well before the finish line to cross in 22.41, sixth fastest of the morning.

Thomas, 27, won bronze on her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, and silver behind Jackson at last year's world championships, and has said she expects to claim gold in Paris. Thomas has the fastest time in the world this season of 21.78.

Meanwhile, Liu Yang clinched China's first men's gymnastics gold of the Paris Olympics on Sunday, delivering a formidable display of strength and skill to retain the rings title he won in Tokyo.

Liu, a two-time world champion on the apparatus, scored 15.300 points to lead a Chinese one-two ahead of silver medallist Zou Jingyuan, with Greece's 2016 Olympic champion Eleftherios Petrounias taking bronze.

Known for his strength elements, Liu didn't disappoint, with the crowd at Bercy Arena applauding as gave a little lift of his chin during his iron cross.

A small hop on his double-somersault, double-twist dismount proved immaterial as Liu seized the lead from Zou, who had opened the competition with a routine that garnered 15.233 points.

Petrounias -- who added bronze in Tokyo to the gold he won in Rio -- put himself in bronze medal position with a score of 15.100 on the third routine of the day.

That proved enough to make the podium as France's Samir Ait Said came up just short in his quest for a medal to mark his return from a horrific broken leg suffered in vault qualifying in Rio de Janeiro.

Greeted by a massive ovation and cheered throughout his routine, Ait Said scored 15.000 points to finish just out of the medals.

In another event, Cindy Ngamba guaranteed the Refugee Olympic Team their first medal in history after comfortably winning her boxing quarter-final in Paris on Sunday.

Ngamba, who was born in Cameroon but sought safe haven in Britain aged 11, beat France's Davina Michel with a unanimous points decision to reach the last four of the women's 75kg category and win at least bronze.

Meanwhile, Kim Woo-jin completed a South Korean sweep of the Paris Olympic archery titles when he won the individual men's gold on Sunday in a shoot-off with American Brady Ellison.

South Korea cemented their status as archery supremos with their fifth Paris gold medal, adding to the women's individual title and the three team golds - in men's, women's and mixed.

Ellison took silver in the individual men's event and South Korea's Lee Woo-seok won the bronze. Kim had knocked out defending champion Mete Gazoz 6-4 in the quarter-finals and the Turk looked devastated as his coach tried to console him.