We're heading closer to the start of the Paris Olympics, which promises plenty of riveting on-field action, enhanced by some of the best matchups and rivalries the world of sport has to offer.
Remember those three Games when every sprinter in the world tried to dethrone Usain Bolt? All those rivals that came and got vanquished by Michael Phelps? Those sensational Chinese rivalries in table tennis? That heightened level of competition is the crux of every Olympics and Paris will be no different, with some sensational rivalries to look forward to. Here's a look at some of the best:
Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce vs Sha'Carri Richardson vs Shericka Jackson
The USA vs Jamaica sprint rivalry will continue to burn bright at the Paris Olympics, as the sensational Jamaican duo of Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson will challenge the American world champion Sha'Carri Richardson. In fact, this is an event where the USA will have to bring some glory back from Jamaica who swept the podium in Tokyo. Elaine Thompson-Herah won gold back then, but she won't be in Paris due to an injury. Fraser-Pryce and Jackson won silver and bronze respectively.
At last year's World Championships, Richardson won gold with a sensational timing of 10.65 seconds, ahead of Jackson (10.72s) and Fraser-Pryce (10.77s). A tenth of a second is all that separates three of the greatest sprinters that have been.
Katie Ledecky vs Ariarne Titmus vs Summer McIntosh
The women's 400m freestyle final at the Paris Olympics has already been dubbed as a potential race of the century, as it's likely going to be a battle between the three greatest swimmers in the discipline. The USA's Katie Ledecky, who won the gold in 2016 will face the Australian defending champion (and current world record holder) Ariarne Titmus, who won a stunning race in Tokyo.
However, there's a brilliant Canadian teenager who is threatening to be a thorn for Titmus and Ledecky. In 2023, Summer McIntosh was briefly the world record holder, but Titmus eventually snatched that back. The Australian broke that world record with a sensational timing of 3:55.38, making her the only woman to ever swim the 400m freestyle in less than 3 minutes and 56 seconds. Titmus is definitely the favourite, but there's no way Ledecky and McIntosh can be written off.
Gianmarco Tamberi vs Mutaz Essa Barshim
"Can we share it?"
Can anyone ever forget that moment from Tokyo? The joint-defending champions in the men's high jump continue to remain around the top of their sport. Tamberi is also the defending world champion, while Barshim has had somewhat of a dip in the last year. He's also had a slow start to 2024, with six athletes having jumped higher than him so far.
However, the Qatari has been around long enough to know to raise his game on the big days. New Zealand's Hamish Kerr and the USA's JuVaughn Harrison will also have their things to say at the Olympics, which makes this another terrific event to look forward to.
Karsten Warholm vs Rai Benjamin vs Alison dos Santos
One of the lasting images from the Tokyo Olympics was Karsten Warholm ripping his top off and letting out roar after roar of delight after a scarcely believable world record run to win the gold medal in 400m hurdles.
Warholm is still very much around, but the field continues to be among the toughest in all of track and field. USA's Rai Benjamin and Belgium's Alison dos Santos have consistently put up times in Warholm's realm since Tokyo. The Norwegian's world record still stands, but he's gone through a bit of rollercoaster since. He had finished 7th at the 2022 World Championships but bounced back to win at the 2023 edition.
Their best times in 2024 are within three tenths of each other, with Benjamin leading at 46.46s, dos Santos at 46.63s and Warholm at 46.70s. An all-timer awaits in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic
Tennis's new poster boy can do no wrong in the summer of 2024. Carlos Alcaraz followed up his first French Open title with a second at Wimbledon and now comes back to Roland Garros to tick off another box in what is already a stunning list of achievements at such a young age.
He handed a bruising defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, but the Serbian had just recovered from knee surgery, after an injury at the French Open. Obviously, neither Alcaraz nor Djokovic will have it particularly straightforward in Paris this time, with the likes of Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud having excellent records on clay and the Olympics being best of three.
Djokovic won the last big match between the two on clay ( last year's French Open semifinals), so there is a bit of a score to settle as well for Alcaraz.
Ryan Crouser vs Joe Kovacs vs Tom Walsh
2016 Rio: 1. Crouser, 2. Kovacs, 3. Walsh
2020 Tokyo: 1. Crouser, 2. Kovacs, 3. Walsh
2024 Paris: ?
A unique hat-trick awaits in the men's shot put at Paris. The USA's Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacks, along with New Zealand's Tom Walsh have been at the top of the sport for almost the last decade.
Now there is some additional competition, particularly in the form of Italy's Leonardo Fabbri, but the holy trinity remain right at the top. In 2024 though, Kovacs is the only athlete to have thrown more than 23m, with Fabbri in second and Crouser in third, while Walsh is down at sixth.
Caeleb Dressel vs Kristof Milak vs Josh Liendo
The 100m butterfly was one of the most thrilling races in the pool at the Tokyo Olympics, while also being a record-breaking one. USA's Caeleb Dressel and Hungary's Kristof Milak became only the third and fourth to breach the 50 second mark in the event, on their way to gold and silver respectively, as Dressel even broke the world record, which still stands today.
Dressel is back to defend his title in Paris this time, and Milak is back too for another shot at the gold. But there's also another competitor in town, in young Canadian Josh Liendo. He holds the fastest time of 2024 with a 50.06s swim at the Canadian trials in May. Can Dressel defend his title against the in-form Liendo and a familiar rival in Milak?