The stars are out: 10 international athletes to follow
Clockwise from main: Sha’Carri Richardson, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Antoine Dupont, LeBron James, and Simone Biles — some of the biggest names to keep an eye on.
At times the Olympics can feel overwhelming. With 32 sports, over 10,000 athletes and 329 events across 19 days, Paris 2024 is about to intrude on your senses and consume your attention.
But amid the avalanche of live action, it’s easy to get confused. Staying tuned to RTÉ in the coming weeks will ensure you don’t miss a beat when it comes to Irish interest, but of course this is 2024 — the era of live streaming, unlimited choice — so other options are also available.
Because as much as the Olympics are about those nation-uniting medal moments, they’re also about watching two guys you’ve never heard of go at it hammer and tongs in badminton or table-tennis.
They’re about watching a sport you’ve never seen and realising how much you love it. They’re also about seeing global stars becoming sporting legends, sealing their place in the Olympic pantheon. But time is limited and you can’t catch them all. With that in mind, here are 10 international names to follow in the coming weeks.
Is there anything he can’t do? Having powered Toulouse to the Champions Cup title in May and the Top 14 title in June, the superstar scrum-half is looking to make July all the more unforgettable by leading his nation to Olympic gold at the Stade de France. Dupont bypassed the Six Nations to commit to the Sevens cause and he helped France to victory at major build-up events in Los Angeles and Madrid, which — along with the benefit of home advantage — has made them favourites to take gold on July 27.
You either retire a hero or play long enough to see your son join you on the roster. That will be the case for 39-year-old LeBron James in the NBA next season, with his 19-year-old son Bronny joining him at the Los Angeles Lakers. But before his 22nd season in the league, the greatest basketball player of his generation has business to do in Paris: Winning his third Olympic gold medal. James bypassed the last two Games but is back with an all-star cast including Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum, all led by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Gold almost certainly awaits.
At the age of 23, the Norwegian is already an Olympic champion, two-time world champion, a husband, a father, and the most successful male athlete in the history of the European Championships. A man in a hurry. But after tasting defeat in the last two world 1,500m finals — behind Britain’s Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr — many wonder if he truly is the world’s best middle-distance runner. Ingebrigtsen will be a heavy favourite for the 5,000m final in Paris on August 10 but to truly reestablish his legend, he’ll have to win the 1,500m before that on August 6. Kerr could well stop him.
At the Tokyo Olympics, one of the biggest upsets of all was that the world’s best gymnast failed to win gold, Biles limited to team silver and bronze after experiencing the twisties— a loss of spatial awareness in the air —and withdrawing. But the 27-year-old has bounced back brilliantly since, winning four gold medals at last year’s World Championships. She also won four golds at her first Olympics in Rio, and given the form she’s been in this year, she should again prove a four-foot-eight inch colossus for Team USA in Paris.
Every Olympics needs its poster boy/girl, and across the three showpiece sports at the Games (athletics, swimming and gymnastics) Marchand looks the most likely to fill that space for the hosts.
The 22-year-old won world titles last year in the 200m butterfly and 200m and 400m individual medley. In the latter, he broke Michael Phelps’ world record, clocking 4:02.50, and that will be his first final in Paris, on July 28, where he could become the first man ever to break four minutes.
The 24-year-old Texan has a saying she likes to repeat: “I’m not back. I’m better.” Having missed the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for cannabis at the US Olympic Trials, Richardson will go to Paris as the favourite for the women’s 100m. After a sub-par 2022 season, she bounced back better to win the world title in Budapest. Coached by disgraced drug cheat Dennis Mitchell, Richardson has a confident, sometimes abrasive personality and tends to polarise fans, who root strongly either for or against her.
For all that he’s done, and won, the most successful male tennis player in history has one gaping omission from his CV: an Olympic gold. From four previous visits to the Games, the Serbian has only accrued a bronze medal: in the men’s singles at his first Games in 2008. He reached the semis in the singles and doubles last time in Tokyo and, at 37, he knows Paris is likely his last chance. But to win Olympic gold on the clay of Roland Garros, he’ll have to topple French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic will be an underdog to do so.
Given her dominance, and longevity, it’s hard to believe Ledecky is still only 27. Over the last 12 years the US star has accrued 10 Olympic medals, seven of them gold. But adding to that tally is no formality in Paris. Ledecky is set for a showdown with Australia’s Ariarne Titmus in the 400m and 800m freestyle, with Titmus favoured in the shorter distance and Ledecky in the longer one. In the 1,500m, which she has long ruled like a dictator, Ledecky should prove unstoppable.
The Dutch 29-year-old is something of a master of all trades on two wheels, a stage winner at the biggest Grand Tours and a world champion in both cyclo-cross and road racing. The road race at the Olympics is always tough to predict, given the critical role teammates play in getting their star man in the right place at the right time. But Van der Poel looks the man to beat, especially after the withdrawal of Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, who cited fatigue following his latest Tour de France win. With 2,800m of climbing across 273km, it’s a course that looks tailor-made for the Dutch star to cover all the major moves and then unleash his sprint finish for gold.
The British-Japanese skateboarder made all of us feel old and unaccomplished at Tokyo Games, winning bronze in the park event at the age of just 13. She won gold at the 2023 World Championships but has since battled back from an MCL tear. She’s been in a race against time to get back to 100% and will have gold in her sights in the park final on August 6. Kids today, eh?
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
