TOKYO - Following are the top 10 athletes to watch out for at the Tokyo Olympic Games to be held from July 23 to August 8: The names listed by Xinhua News Agency are:
Athletics: Allyson Felix, United States. The 35-year-old Allyson is at her fifth and final Olympics. The American sprinter, who runs the 400m and 4x400m relay, has won six Olympic gold medals and three silvers. She will become the most successful female athlete in history by adding to her tally.
Badminton: Kento Momota, Japan. Kento Momota will compete in his first Olympics, on home soil. The 26-year-old holds the record for winning 11 men's singles champions in one season in 2019. As the world number one, he is the favorite for the men's singles gold.
Gymnastics: Simone Biles, United States. With four Olympic golds and one bronze in hand, Biles will be hoping to leave her legacy as the most dominant female of all time. The 24-year-old will try to change the bronze from Rio to gold in balance beam in Tokyo.
Tennis: Novak Djokovic, Serbia. Fresh from securing his 20th Grand Slam title, Novak Djokovic will be focusing on his first-ever Olympic gold in Tokyo. In his past three Games, the Serbian won only a bronze medal in 2008. The 34-year-old will be a clear favorite with the absence of both, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and with reigning champion Andy Murray injury prone.
Table Tennis: Fan Zhendong, China. Once a wonder kid, Fan Zhendong was picked as a substitute in Rio. The current world number one will use his attacking style to prove himself. The 24-year-old is expected to help China sweep the men's singles and team events.
Basketball: Kevin Durant, United States. The US men's team started the gold-winning streak in Beijing 2008. Two-time NBA champion and Olympian Kevin Durant will attempt to carry on that tradition. However, the team has only three players who competed at past Olympics and a lot rests on the 32-year-old to lead the team to glory.
Football: Marta, Brazil. The 35-year-old Marta, who currently plays club football in the United States, has been the Ballon d'Or winner six times. She won silver at the 2004 and 2008 editions. As a Brazilian veteran forward, Marta is making her fifth appearance at the Olympics and this could be her last. Little wonder then she will be striving for gold in Tokyo to atone for the disappointing fourth in Rio.
Volleyball: Zhu Ting, China. Having made her national team debut at the age of 18 in 2013, Zhu led Team China to the Olympic gold in 2016 and became a superstar. As one of China's flagbearers at the Tokyo Olympic Games, the 26-year-old is determined to retain the title.
Swimming: Katie Ledecky, United States. Katie Ledecky, 24, will compete in her third Games with the hope of grabbing her sixth Olympic gold. She is expected to compete in multiple events, including the women's 1500m, which makes its debut in Olympics. Ledecky could become the most successful female swimmer in the Olympic history and holds the Olympic records in the 400m and 800m freestyle, and the world record in the women's 1500m freestyle.
Diving: Shi Tingmao, China. The 29-year-old won the gold in the individual and synchronized three-meter springboard in Rio. Shi was also named the Best Female Diver of the Year by FINA for five consecutive years from 2015 after winning her third consecutive gold in the 3m springboard event at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships. The Olympic champion will be bent on repeating her success in Tokyo. - Bernama. July 24, 2021
