Athletics rivalries to watch out for at the Paris Olympics
Athletics rivalries to watch out for at the Paris Olympics
With just days to go until the Paris Olympics, competition is heating up. Here are some of the hottest rivalries in athletics to watch at the upcoming Games:
Men’s Marathon: Kenenisa Bekele vs. Eliud Kipchoge
Ethiopian running legend Kenenisa Bekele and reigning Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge will unexpectedly face off at the men’s marathon in Paris.
41-year-old Bekele’s last Olympic appearance was in London 2012. However, his second-place finish at the London marathon in April earned him a place in the Paris Olympics, where he will line up against former marathon world record holder Kipchoge.
While Bekele has three Olympic golds in the 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre under his belt, Kipchoge has won two Olympic marathon golds and is aiming for an unprecedented third.
High Jump: Gianmarco Tamberi vs. Mutaz Essa Barshim
In one of the most iconic moments of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Tamberi and Barshim shared the high jump gold medal after both jumping 2.37 metres. These friends and rivals are once again vying for the gold at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Tamberi recently defended his European high-jump title last month with a championship record of 2.37m. Barshim tops the rankings with Tamberi but has expressed his desire to retire after the Paris Games.
Barshim and Tamberi have said there would be no sharing if they found themselves in the same situation in Paris.
Women’s 100m: Sha’Carri Richardson vs. Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce
Sha’Carri Richardson is set to make her Olympic debut after missing Tokyo due to a positive marijuana test. Richardson not only triumphed in last year’s World Athletics Championships but also holds the world-leading record of 10.71 seconds this season.
But the 27-year-old will have to take down the world’s most decorated 100m sprinter for the crown. Fraser Pryce has eight Olympic medals to her name, including two golds in their showpiece event. The two have faced off many times before, but so far it it has been an even contest. This will be the first they face off on the Olympic track and it will surely be an epic showdown.
Men’s Javelin: Neeraj Chopra vs. Arshad Nadeem
The age-old rivalry of India versus Pakistan comes in the form of reigning gold medallist Neeraj Chopra versus his friend Arshad Nadeem.
Chopra captured India’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in athletics when he threw 87.58 metres in Tokyo. Last year, he also became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships beating Nadeem with an 88.17m throw.
However, Chopra is yet to hit the 90m mark, unlike his rival Nadeem who threw a 90.18 at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham —ending Pakistan’s 60-year wait for a CWG gold medal.
