The new born Youth Olympic Games saw its first ever gold medal go to Japanese girl Yuka Sato in the women's triathlon on Sunday.

The opening day of the competition featured a new Olympic format for basketball and the opening of the World Culture Village.

Japan's Yuka Sato reacts during the awarding ceremony for women's triathlon final at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, Aug. 15, 2010. Yuka Sato won the title with 1:00:49.69. [Xinhua/Qi Heng]

Sato, 18, led the pack to finish the 750-meter swim in open water, a 20km ride, and a 5km run ahead of Australian Ellie Salthouse and pre-race favorite Kelly Whitley of the United States.

"It's a first ever Games, first ever medal and it makes me and Japan very proud," said an ecstatic Sato.

Kim Heesun of South Korea collided with Cristina Luizzet Betancourt de Leon and was taken to hospital where she remains in a stable condition under observation.

On the basketball court, the 3-on-3 basketball made its debut in the Olympics. The three-a-side format was clearly a new attraction to the spectators.

One impressed spectator soaking up the excitement of the new format was Singapore's deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean.

"I think it's wonderful, the players are obviously enjoying themselves," he said. "It's a new format and I think it's very suitable for the young people."

For the Chinese athletes, they were not only working hard for themselves, but also devoting their good results to the victims in a massive mudslide disaster in Northwest China.

The Chinese delegation Sunday paid a silent tribute to the mudslide victims in the Aug. 8 disaster that left at least 1,200 people dead and 500 missing in Zhouqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture while the whole nation was bowing its head for the dead on the national day of mourning.

Chinese athletes said that the pains and hardships caused by the disaster would become impetus for them to move forward and achieve good results. And they honored their words.

Weightlifter Tian Yuan set two youth world records in the women's 48kg, with a 190kg total lift to take gold, and there was more success for China when Dai Jun captured the first swimming gold medal in the men's 400m freestyle.

China also captured in the inaugural mixed 4x100m freestyle relay event where each team consists of two boys and two girls.

Chinese delegation official Li Jinsong singled out Tang Yi in the team's victory.

"She is suffering from the wisdom tooth pain and her throat got swollen up because of it. But she took part in the competition all the same and helped to win," Li said. "That was not an easy win for her."

Tang, 17, was a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay team that finished fourth in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

As important as the competition, the Games culture and education programs continued.

Athletes flooded into the World Culture Village, which will host 205 booths created by Singaporean schools and twinned colleges around the globe to teach athletes about different cultures, languages and food.