What to expect from Rafael Nadal, Simone Biles and other seasoned veterans at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Rafael Nadal, Simone Biles and some other seasoned veterans will be looking to have huge impact at the Paris Olympics.
The Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11, and will be kickstarted by a historic opening ceremony, which will begin with an armada of boats carrying athletes over the river Seine till Pont d'Lena, which is nearby Eiffel Tower.
Paris Olympics will have as many as 10,500 athletes participating and all eyes will once again be on some seasoned veterans, who will be under the spotlight.
Also Read | Paris Olympics: From Armada of boats over river Seine to the Eiffel Tower - All you need to know
Here are the top-five seasoned veterans to watch out for:
5. Rafael Nadal (Tennis)
2024 is probably Nadal's swansong year, and Nadal skipped Wimbledon to prepare for the Paris Olympics. What makes it better for the Spaniard is that it will be held on the clay courts at Roland Garros where he has won the French Open a record 14 times. He was out of action for most of last year due to a hip issue made a comeback this year, which was then stalled by other injury issues. He already has an Olympic singles gold and also a doubles one, from 2008 and 2016 respectively. Maybe, we will see the Spanish legend add another to his tally!
4. Caleb Dressel (Swimming)
The swimmer from the USA will be a gold medal contender in his events in Paris. He won five golds at the Tokyo Olympics and then stepped away from the sport in 2022 due to mental health issues. He made a comeback, and didn't qualify to defend his 100m freestyle gold, but won the 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly, and will be defending two of his three individual golds.
3. Simone Biles (Gymnastics)
The USA gymnast pulled out of multiple events at the Tokyo Games due to twisties, which is a temporary loss of spatial awareness. She has booked her third straight Olympic appearance, with an all-round win at the US trials, and will look to make her mark.
2. Shelly-Ann Freser Pryce (Athletics)
The Jamaican sprinter is a legend. This will be her fifth and final Olympics in the women's 100m, and she already has eight Olympic medals, including three golds. She will retire after this edition and has established her as an all-time great.
1. LeBron James (Basketball)
The NBA legend is turning 40 soon and is also going to feature in his fourth Olympic appearance, but also his first since 2012. "I still love the game of basketball. And Team USA has done well by me, so I felt like it was important for this summer to be able to go out there and play with the rest of the guys," he said.
He is a three-time Olympic gold medallist, and also NBA's all-time leading scorer. He is a four-time NBA champion.