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Olympic Games Paris 2024: Discover the athletes to look out for
By Shivani Dubey | 25 July 2024 | Culture, Sport
As the Olympic Games kick off in Paris, we take a look at the athletes that are poised for Olympic glory
We are in the eye of the storm. The Olympic Games are about to kick off from 26 July, and athletes from across the globe are arriving in Paris to gear up for the biggest sporting tournament in the world. After the muted festivities at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo thanks to the pandemic, all eyes will be on France as they bring the fanfare back to the tournament.
And given that there are so many athletes that will be competing for the coveted medals at the Olympic Games this year, we decided to take a look at the ones that we should all be looking out for once the tournament kicks off. From Simone Biles to Rafael Nadal, here are the athletes to watch at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Simone Biles, Team USA
Simone Biles will be making a triumphant return to the Olympic Games this year. The four-time Olympic gold medallist pulled out of multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but she is slated to make her return to Paris 2024 this year. Widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, all eyes will certainly be on Simone as she competes to add yet another medal to her roster.
Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal, Team Spain
Carlos Alcaraz is riding on a high. Fresh off his Wimbledon Grand Slam victory in June, the Spaniard has set his sights on Olympic gold. He will be making his Olympic Games debut this year, and, what’s more, he will be partnering with seasoned tennis legend Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz has mentioned time and again how he considers Nadal his idol, so this will be a team-up for the ages. Nadal already has two gold medals to his name, so it will be interesting to see if he manages to nab yet another one this year.
Related: Sports to look out for at the Olympic and Paralympic Games
Tom Daley, Team GB
Tom Daley finally earned himself and Great Britain an Olympic gold medal in diving in Tokyo in 2020. And he will be looking to defend that title in Paris, which will be his fifth Olympic Games appearance. He will be diving alongside Noah Williams, who he won a silver medal with at the world championships earlier this year. Daley will also be the flagbearer for Team GB alongside Helen Glover.
Keely Hodgkinson, Team GB
Keely Hodkinson is well positioned to earn her first ever Olympic gold medal this year. She is widely regarded as Britain’s best ever female 800m runner and has struck gold in every sporting event she has participated in this year. However, she narrowly missed out on her gold at Tokyo 2020, and then the world championships in 2022 and 2023. So she will be more determined than ever to earn that medal this year.
LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, Team USA
If you have ever followed the NBA, then LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant need no introduction. They are three of the biggest names in American basketball today, and they will be competing for the coveted gold in the Olympic Games this year, alongside the rest of their teammates. James already has two Olympic gold medals to his name, and will be making a triumphant return to Team USA, where he hasn’t featured since 2012. He will also be making history as the first US men’s basketball player to compete at the Olympics across three decades. Durant has three Olympic golds to his name, while Curry will be making his Olympic debut this year.
Related: USA Climbing speed coach Matthew Maddison on Olympic opportunity and going for gold
Neeraj Chopra, Team India
Neeraj Chopra is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to javelin throwing. The Indian athlete struck gold at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in the men’s javelin competition and will be looking to defend that title at this year’s tournament in Paris. The 2023 world champion will also be chasing the 90m mark that has so far eluded him in his career, and it will be interesting to see if he manages to achieve it on the biggest sporting stage of all.
Novak Djokovic, Team Serbia
Novak Djokovic will return to the Olympic Games for the fifth time in pursuit of the Olympic gold that has always eluded him. This year, he will be facing off against stars like Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, the latter of whom bested Djokovic at Wimbledon this year. The 24 time Grand Slam winner is a decorated tennis champion, and has even made it to the men’s singles semi-finals on three separate occasions. However, he has yet to make it to the Olympic finals. Will 2024 finally be his year?
Naomi Osaka, Team Japan
Naomi Osaka was on a 15 month sabbatical from tennis due to the birth of her first child. But now she is back, and will be competing in the Olympic Games. This will be the second appearance for Osaka at the sporting tournament, the first time being on her home turf at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, where she finished ninth. As she makes her grand return to the biggest sporting stage in history, competing against the best of the best, the question is: will she win the gold? Only one way to find out.