Champions of the world: 10 athletes to watch at Paris Olympics 2024
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From legends to rising stars, meet 10 top athletes who will take centre stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
ST ILLUSTRATIONS: CEL GULAPA
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The Paris 2024 Games will have over 10,000 athletes from 205 nations and territories doing battle till Aug 11 in a bid to bring home Olympic glory.
From legends to rising stars, meet 10 top athletes who will take centre stage in the French capital.
1. Viktor Axelsen, 30
Denmark | Badminton
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Achievements: Two-time world champion (2017, 2022)
Games participation: 2
Olympic medals: 1 gold, 1 bronze
2. Simone Biles, 27
USA | Artistic gymnastics
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Achievements: Her seven Olympic medals tie with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast. With 30 medals (23 gold, four silver, three bronze), Biles is the most decorated gymnast in World Championships history.
Games participation: 3
Olympic medals: 4 golds, 1 silver, 2 bronzes
3. Sky Brown, 16
Britain | Skateboarding
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Achievements: At Tokyo 2020, she became Britain’s youngest-ever Olympic medallist and the youngest athlete in the Games in 80 years.
Games participation: 2
Olympic medals: 1 bronze
4. Marta da Silva, 38
Brazil | Football
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Achievements: In 2021, she became the first player to score in five consecutive Olympic Games.
Games participation: 6
Olympic medals: 2 silvers
5. Eliud Kipchoge, 39
Kenya | Athletics
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Personal bests: 2hr 1min 9 sec, Berlin Marathon (2022)
Games participation: 5
Olympic medals: 2 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze
6. Katie Ledecky, 27
USA | Swimming
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Achievements: Holds the world records in both the 800m and 1,500m freestyles, and has 21 world titles.
Games participation: 4
Olympic medals: 7 golds, 3 silvers
7. Noah Lyles, 27
USA | Athletics
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Personal bests: 100m - 9.81 seconds (2024), 200m - 19.31 seconds (2022)
Games participation: 2
Olympic medals: 1 bronze
8. Ma Long, 35
China | Table tennis
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Achievements: Holds the record for the longest reign at world No. 1 and has 14 team and individual world titles.
Games participation: 4
Olympic medals: 5 golds
9. Rafael Nadal, 38
Spain | Tennis
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Achievements: He has a record 14 French Open titles – the most won by any player at a Grand Slam – earning him the nickname “The King of Clay”.
Games participation: 4
Olympic medals: 2 golds
10. Victor Wembanyama, 20
France | Basketball
ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA
Achievements: 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year
Games participation: 1
Sources: OLYMPICS.COM, ESPN, REUTERS, NBC, WORLD ATHLETICS, FIFA, BADMINTON WORLD FEDERATION
