At the postponed Tokyo Olympics, more than 11,000 athletes competed in 339 events, and tracking each athlete's situation could be a challenge for sports fans who watch an Olympic match every four years, this time five years apart, according to the website of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on July 25. Now that the Olympic Games have begun, here is a list of the 10 Olympians who are considered the best in their respective events in this article, and you should not miss it. The full text is excerpted below:
Simone Byers, who won the limelight at the Rio 2016 Olympics with 4 gold and 1 bronze, returned to the biggest stage in sports to defend her titles of all-around, vaulting, free gymnastics and team titles.
The gymnastics legend has won a record 25 world championship medals, including 19 gold medals. Although she fell from the balance beam at the U.S. Olympic Trials, she was still a favorite to win the championship because of her stable performance and the difficulty of the whole set of actions. She will lead the U.S. women's gymnastics team, which is made up of four talented athletes, to compete for the team championship.
Biles, 24, has said she will retire after the Tokyo Olympics, but has since said she may continue to play for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Simone. (AFP)
"Volleyball Queen": Zhu Ting
The Chinese "queen of volleyball" will serve as the chinese women's volleyball captain for the Tokyo Olympics and hopes to replicate the success of the 2016 Rio Olympics. At the time, she was crowned champion and most valuable player. She also became the first female flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Chinese delegation at the Olympic Games.
The 26-year-old, who left Turkish Bank club in 2019, returned to China to prepare for her second Olympics.
Zhu Ting is 1.98 meters tall and 3.27 meters tall, and is known for slamming fiercely and penetrating the opponent's defense. Zhu Ting was recruited to the Chinese national team in 2013 by legendary coach Lang Ping, helping the national team win the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, while also earning the title of Most Valuable Player.
Zhu Ting is expected to show off her signature smash against top U.S. teams and old rivals such as Brazil, Turkey and Japan. The women's volleyball final will be held on August 8.
Zhu Ting (first from right). (Xinhua News Agency)
Dunk Master: Kevin Durant
History proves that the U.S. men's basketball team definitely won medals at the Olympics — often gold medals. While this year's lineup is missing many big-name stars, there's Brooklyn Nets star Durant. He is considered one of the best players in NBA history.
The two-time Olympian, NBA champion and Most Valuable Player has shown his commitment to the U.S. men's basketball team, which he suffered a thigh injury in April and is now fighting for a third consecutive Olympic title.
If the U.S. men's basketball team eventually wins gold for the fourth consecutive Olympics, Durant will join Carmelo Anthony as the only two men's basketball players in U.S. history to win three Olympic championships.
Kevin Durant (first from left). (Reuters)
Track and field veteran: Shelly Ann Fraser Price
The 34-year-old Jamaican sprinter competes in the 100m and 200m and women's 4×100m relays and is determined to win.
One of the world's most famous track and field athletes, Fraser Price has won 6 Olympic medals and 9 World Championships – a testament to her explosive start and textbook status. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she finished third in the 100 meters before helping the relay team win a silver medal.
Fraser Price won the gold medal in the 100m at the 2021 IAAF Diamond League in Doha in May and was in good shape. She ran a personal best of 10.63 seconds in June, setting a national record in Jamaica.
She will make her debut in the 100m race on 30 July and, if successful, will return to the stage the following day in the semi-finals and finals. The women's 200m race starts on 2 August and the final will take place on 3 August. The women's 4×100m relay will take place from 5 to 6 August.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price. (Reuters)
Diving Prince: Chen Aisen
Chen Aisen will return to the Olympic arena to defend the individual and double 10m platform champion honours. At the last Olympic Games, Chen Aisen defeated the runner-up Mexican Herman Sanchez in an individual competition with a 50-point advantage. Similarly, the duo of Chen Aisen and doubles partner Lin Yuebi, who finished second, led by nearly 40 points.
The native of Guangzhou has maintained its momentum of success, winning the world championship in 2017 and 2019 respectively, with a World Cup gold medal in Wuhan in the middle.
This time, the 25-year-old will only compete in the 10-meter platform jump doubles, with cao yuan.
Chen Aisen. (AFP)
Sprinting Mother: Allison Felix
The Tokyo Olympics will be the fifth time that 35-year-old sprinter Felix has competed in the Olympics. She has said it will be her last Olympics — but the enthusiasm for winning gold is still burning in her heart.
After 10 months of a difficult birth of her daughter, Felix won her 12th World Championship gold medal at the 2019 IAAF World Championships, becoming the athlete with the most world championships.
Although the nine-time Olympic medalist failed to qualify for the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics (in which she won gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Athens 2004), she finished second in the women's 400m finals at the Olympic Trials in June.
Felix will compete in the women's 400m and 4×400m relays, which begin on August 3.
Alison Felix. (Reuters)
Tennis Queen: Naomi Osaka
The 23-year-old Japanese tennis star will make his Olympic debut in the women's singles tournament. She withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon for mental health reasons, but the medal contender was ready to recover to her best in front of her hometown audience.
World number two Naomi Osaka lacks Olympic experience, but she started the New Year confidently after she closed the Australian Open in February (her fourth Grand Slam event winner).
A new problem with Naomi Osaka's tennis success story is that she has disclosed that she is deeply troubled by anxiety and depression.
In May, she refused to attend a post-match press conference on the grounds that she was prioritizing mental health, and was fined by the french open. Despite his modest age, the Mixed Japanese-Haitian advocates not only mental health awareness, but also racial equality.
The women's singles tournament began on 24 July, with the final taking place on 31 July.
Naomi Osaka. (Reuters)
Swimmer: Caleb Drexel
After the 2016 Rio Olympics, Michael Phelps said goodbye to a record-breaking career and Drexel became the leader of the U.S. men's swimming team.
The professional freestyle and butterfly won two gold medals at the Rio Olympics before breaking Phelps' 10-year-old 100m butterfly record at the 2019 World Championships with a staggering time of 49.50 seconds.
Drexel, 24, is also one of the world record holders for the 4×100m freestyle relay and the 4×100m medley relay.
After a highly successful FINA season, he will compete in the 50m and 100m freestyles and the 100m butterfly. He is targeting his first Olympic gold medal in individual events – starting with butterfly swimming.
Caleb Drexel. (Reuters)
Hurdles Rising Star: Carsten Warholm
In the 400m hurdles on 30 July, everyone will have their sights set on Carsten Warholm as he broke the world record in July.
The 25-year-old Norwegian is currently in good shape and has maintained the title of men's 400m hurdles champion for 106 consecutive weeks.
However, the match in Tokyo will not be easy, and he will be challenged by the world's second-placed Rai Benjamin. The American is the only other 400-meter hurdles runner at the Olympics to score 47 seconds this season.
The men's 400m hurdles final will be held on 3 August.
Carsten Warholm. (AFP)
Water Flowers: Katie Ledecki
The 24-year-old U.S. swimmer has a glorious record of 5 Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold medals, making her one of the most gold medal-winning female swimmers in history.
Ledecki made her olympic debut in 2012 at the age of 15, the youngest player on the U.S. Olympic swimming team, and won the 800-meter freestyle. She won four more gold and one silver medal at the Rio Olympics.
Today, Ledecki is a veteran of the team, holding world records in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle. She performed well in the U.S. Olympic Trials, winning a place at the Tokyo Olympics. She will compete in 4 individual events and will compete in the 4×200m freestyle relay.
Katie Ledecki. (Reuters)
Source: Reference News Network