James GordonAt the end of a colorful, year-long campaign, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are less than 18 months away. With much of the world gearing up for the biggest sporting event in history, let’s take a closer look at the likes of Usain Bolt, Jordan Spieth, Simone Biles, Serena Williams and a host of other favorites who will be expected to bring home the gold.
Since the first modern Olympics, held in 1896, there have been hundreds of future Olympic athletes who have come from all over the world. One of the best ways to track an athlete’s progress is to follow them on their journey towards the Olympics. With the 2012 Olympic Games just around the corner, let’s take a look at some of the best athletes who will be participating in the games.
At the Olympics, the spotlight often focuses on athletes from the host country, and with good reason—the Olympics is an international competition. But there are a handful of Olympic athletes from other countries whose accomplishments have caught the attention of fans all over the world. From diving to Nordic skiing, from team rowing to shooting, here are ten star athletes who you need to see for yourself.. Read more about sky brown and let us know what you think.
There will be 33 sports and 339 medal events in the Tokyo Olympics, which will take place in 42 locations throughout Japan.
| Tokyo, Japan is the host city. Dates: July 23rd through August 8th Tokyo time is BST +8. |
| Coverage: Watch live on TV, iPlayer, Red Button and online; Listen on Radio 5 Live, Sports Extra and Sounds; Live text, video clips & highlights on Sport website and app. |
After a year of waiting, the Tokyo Olympics will begin on Saturday, with just over 11,000 competitors from all around the globe hoping to create a name for themselves.
In the days ahead, Sport will look at the major names from Team GB and Japan, but first, we’ve selected ten foreign athletes to keep an eye on in Tokyo.
Simone Biles is a gymnast from the United States.
During her spectacular floor routine at Rio 2016, Simone wowed viewers with her trademark technique, ‘The Biles.’
Simone Biles has gone from ‘talented American gymnast’ to ‘2016 Rio royalty’ to ‘the best of all time’ since her debut on the global gymnastics stage as a 16-year-old.
However, she has had to overcome obstacles like as abuse, fatigue, lockdowns, and the inevitable passage of time. She is a seasoned gymnast at the age of 24.
Biles recently told Sports Illustrated that her athleticism isn’t what it was five years ago, and that she nearly gave up during the first lockdown.
For the Texan, putting her body through the rigors of Olympic preparation for another year was too much.
Biles, on the other hand, returned stronger, equipped with a new technique that no other gymnast had tried in competition. It was the fourth talent to bear her name.
Since 1968, no Olympic gymnast has been able to retain the coveted all-around championship twice.
Sunisa Lee, a teammate from the United States, will give it her all, but given Biles’ form and the complexity of her routines, it will take something really exceptional to defeat her.
On Sunday, July 25, the women’s gymnastics competition will begin.
Dressel, Caeleb
Sounds familiar: an American swimmer gunning for several Olympic gold medals.
Caeleb Dressel, on the other hand, is adamant about ignoring comparisons to Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 23 golds, three silvers, and two bronzes.
In June, Dressel told GQ Magazine, “You have people comparing Michael Jordan with LeBron James.”
“Look, I’m going to watch LeBron James on TV. It makes no difference to me whether he’s better than Jordan. He is excellent at what he does. What difference does it make if he’s better than MJ or not?”
Besides, Dressel claims that he is not attempting to defeat anybody other than the version of himself from yesterday.
And, with “just” two Olympic gold medals to his credit, he still has a long way to go before catching up to Phelps, but the 24-year-old is favored to win up to six gold medals in Tokyo.
He is competing in three individual events – the 50m & 100m freestyle, plus the 100m fly – and will feature in three, possibly four, relays.
The 100m freestyle will begin on Tuesday, July 27.
Springsteen, Jessica
Were you born to run? Because of limitations on foreign spectators, Springsteen’s parents will not be able to see her participate in Tokyo.
Jessica Springsteen is connected to “The Boss,” better known as American music icon Bruce Springsteen, before you ask.
She is his daughter, and she has been riding since she was five years old. Her family owns and lives on a ranch in New Jersey, which accounts for her show jumping lineage.
Springsteen, 29, will compete in her first Olympic Games after being an alternative rider in London and missing out on the squad in 2016.
But Jessie, as she is known, isn’t only on the squad because of her famous last name. The rider is now rated 14th in the globe and has won major competitions all over the world.
She’ll be riding Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, a 12-year-old stallion with whom she finished 18th at Windsor in early July.
Individual jumping will begin on Tuesday, August 3rd.
Laurel Hubbard Laurel Hubbard Laurel Hubbard
Before coming out as transgender in 2013, Laurel Hubbard competed in men’s competitions.
Laurel Hubbard, a 43-year-old transgender weightlifter, is perhaps one of the most anticipated performances of the Games.
Hubbard of New Zealand, who set male national records as a youngster, will participate in the women’s 87kg weightlifting division and is a medal contender.
Hubbard’s inclusion is being hailed as a watershed moment for trans equality, with many applauding the International Olympic Committee’s inclusive policy and the New Zealand organizing committee’s choice.
Hubbard will be the first transgender athlete to participate in an individual event at the Olympics, and she is unlikely to be the last.
On Monday, August 2nd, the women’s 87kg weightlifting competition will begin.
Fraser-Pryce, Shelly-Ann
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a six-time Olympic medalist, is returning for what might be her last shot at the gold.
Fraser-Pryce, 34, enters the Games in excellent shape, having recorded the second-fastest 100m time in history – 10.63 seconds – in June.
Fraser-Pryce is one of only three women in history to defend her Olympic 100m title twice (in 2008 and 2012), and no one has ever won the event three times.
Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah, as well as Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, will compete against the nine-time world champion.
The women’s 100m heats begin on Friday, July 30.
Novak Djokovic is a tennis player from Serbia.
In July, Djokovic won Wimbledon for the sixth time.
Novak Djokovic will be attempting to complete the so-called ‘Golden Slam’ of tennis, having just won his 20th Grand Slam championship at Wimbledon.
Steffi Graf of Germany is the first player to win the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Olympic gold, and the US Open all in the same calendar year, which she did in 1988.
Djokovic has won the first three events, but he has to win gold in Tokyo and then the US Open in September to clinch the title.
After it was revealed that supporters would not be able to attend, the Serb was split on whether or not to travel to Tokyo, but he has since confirmed his attendance.
With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal missing, Djokovic will be the obvious favorite in Japan, with defending champion Andy Murray a distant second following a string of ailments.
On Saturday, July 24, the Olympic tennis tournament will begin.
Van Niekerk, Wayde
Since illuminating the track at Rio 2016, Van Niekerk has battled injuries.
Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa was the breakout athletics hero of the Rio Olympics five years ago, but it has not been an easy road since then.
Van Niekerk, who set a new world mark in the 400m in 2016 (43.03 seconds), was hurt in a charity touch rugby competition shortly after the Rio Olympics and has failed to regain form since.
In the lead-up to the Games, the 29-year-old focused on the 200m but fell short of qualifying time.
He returned to his specialty distance, the 400m, and just missed qualifying in June, much to the relief of his South African supporters.
Not only is this a huge summer for him professionally, but he’s also about to become a parent later this year. Van Niekerk’s return to the Olympic track will undoubtedly be emotional.
The men’s 400m heats begin on August 1st.
Teddy Riner is a character in the film Teddy Riner
In 2010, Riner won his fourth world championship in Tokyo.
Winning one Olympic gold medal in judo is a significant accomplishment. It would be unusual to win three games in a row.
Teddy Riner, a French judoka, may be the first person to accomplish so.
At the age of 32, the 10-time world champion, who also won bronze in his debut Olympics in 2008, is still going strong, earning +100kg gold at the World Judo Masters tournament earlier this year.
‘Teddy Bear,’ as France’s flagbearer is called, is one of the most decorated athletes at the Games, and at 6ft 8in, he is also one of the most intimidating.
On Thursday, July 29, the first round of Riner’s +100kg division will begin.
The women’s soccer team of the United States of America
At the 2019 World Cup in France, the United States won their fourth World Cup.
Why select one guy when the whole squad is a ferocious force of international superstars?
The four-time world champions are aiming for their sixth Olympic gold (1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012) and will be looking for revenge after being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2016 event due to a penalty shootout.
Their first group game in Tokyo is against Sweden, the shootout champions.
Who would bet against them this time with a 44-game undefeated run and their key players in peak form?
Nine members of their team have won more than 100 caps, including Carli Lloyd, who has more over 300 and is only five appearances away from tying Christie Pearce (formerly Rampone) for second all-time with 311.
Megan Rapinoe is also three assists shy of Abby Wambach’s 73, which would put her in third place on the all-time list.
On Wednesday, July 21, the United States will play Sweden.
Kevin Durant is a basketball player who plays in the NBA
Durant is aiming for his third Olympic gold medal.
Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets is one of the 12 NBA superstars that will go to Tokyo.
The two-time Olympian will not want to disrupt Team USA’s gold-medal history, but it has not been an easy road to the Olympics, with two losses in a warm-up tournament in Las Vegas.
Durant (or KD as he is called) was the top scorer for the United States in the last two Olympics.
The men’s team will play France in their first encounter on Sunday, July 25.
The 28th Summer Olympic Games are underway in Japan—and workers here are expecting the best ever. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, 24 countries will be competing in Tokyo, with athletes from countries such as Russia, South Korea, and Iran expected to put on stellar performances.. Read more about when are olympics 2021 and let us know what you think.
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