Page 29 - Olympics

Paris Olympics: What to know, who to watch during table tennis competition

A roadmap to follow for the table tennis competition at the Paris Olympics: Athletes to Watch: Ma Long, China: The 35-year-old table tennis icon is the reigning Olympic champion. He also won the Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Sun Yingsha, China: Sun is the top-ranked woman and helped China win gold at the Tokyo Games in the women's team competition. Wang Chuqin, China: No. 1 in the men's singles ranking, Wang was an alternate for the Chinese team at the Tokyo Games. Felix Lebrun, France: The 17-year-old Lebrun is considered one of the rising stars in the sport. At No. 5 in the world, Lebrun is the highest-ranked player from anywhere outside of China. Timo Boll, Germany: The 43-year-old will retire from international table tennis after the Paris Games, ending a 25-year career. He will become the sixth table tennis player to participate in seven different Olympic Games. Storylines to Follow: China aims to increase its dominance of the sport that was added to the Ol

Olympics 2024: What to know, who to watch in marathon swimming competition

A roadmap to follow for the marathon swimming competition during the Paris Olympics: Athletes to Watch: Florian Wellbrock, Germany: He is the defending Olympic champion who qualified for Paris with a wire-to-wire victory in the marathon swimming event at the 2023 world championships. At Tokyo in 2021, Wellbrock narrowly missed out on his goal of winning golds in the open water and in the pool when he had to settle for bronze in the 1,500 meters. He's aiming for a double in Paris, where the open water events will be staged within view of the Eiffel Tower. Kristof Rasovszky, Hungary: He won the men's open water title at the world championships in Doha, Qatar, in February after finishing with the silver medal behind Wellbrock at the Tokyo Olympics and at the 2023 worlds in Fukuoka, Japan. Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands: The 30-year-old Dutch swimmer won Olympic gold at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and was the silver medalist in the open water event in Tokyo. She surged to the finish at

India's Olmypics preparations should be continuous process: Ex-Olympians

India's preparation for the Olympics should be a continuous process and the authorities should not wake up just months before the commencement of the 'greatest show on earth', former Olympians said. They were speaking at a panel discussion here "In search of glory: India's prospects in the 2024 Olympics" organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce at a city hotel on Friday night. Hockey icon Gurbux Singh, a member of the gold-winning hockey team in 1964 Olympics and bronze-winning team in 1968 Olympics, underscored the importance of inculcating a sports culture among the youth, to have sporting infrastructure and grounds at every educational institution. "We wake up when the Olympics comes. The whole country wakes up. That attitude must change," he said, adding that 90 per cent of parents want their children to pursue vocations other than sports. About India's prospects in hockey in the 2024 Olympics, Singh said, "We are in a difficult group and our first target should be to secure a .

Paris Olympics: What to know, who to watch during water polo competition

A roadmap to follow for the water polo competition at the Paris Games: Athletes to WatchMaggie Steffens, United States: The decorated attacker was banged up at the Tokyo Olympics, but she still helped the U.S. to an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal. She is the highest scoring woman in Olympics history with 56 goals. Alvaro Granados, Spain: The 25-year-old Granados rallied Spain to a dramatic 11-10 victory over Croatia in January for the country's first European championship. He scored a team-high 18 goals when Spain finished fourth at the Tokyo Games. Simone van de Kraats, Netherlands: One of the leaders for the high-scoring Dutch, the 23-year-old van de Kraats poured in a tournament-high 28 goals in her first Olympics in Tokyo. She powered the Netherlands to the world championship last year for its biggest title since it won gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Marko Bijac, Croatia: The goalkeeper remains one of the best in the world. He won silver at the 2016 Olympics,

Where play meets politics

Gender rights at Olympics emerge as the next frontier where sports and politics are set to collide

Country's top steeplechaser Sable hopes to win a medal in Paris Olympics

India's top 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable does not want to be just a participant at the Olympics and believes he can a win a medal at the Paris Games beginning later this month. The 29-year-old Sable, who recently broke his own national record, will be competing in his second Olympics. He had failed to make it to the finals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. "I don't want to just participate, I believe I can win a medal. I am working hard with my eyes set on that goal, if everything falls into place I win a medal," Sable said when asked about the Paris Olympics. "I used to think Olympic medallists had a unique and difficult approach to training, but my experiences over the past two years have boosted my confidence," he said in a JioCinema release. Sable had clocked 8 minutes and 9.91 seconds to break his earlier national record while finishing sixth at the Paris Diamond League earlier this month. At the Paris Olympics, he will face at least seven competitors who have run at better

Paris 2024: What to know, who to watch during modern pentathlon competition

A roadmap to follow for the modern pentathlon competition at the Paris Games: Athletes to WatchJoe Choong, Britain: Modern pentathlon's star athlete won gold at the last Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 and followed it up with two world titles. Last year, he won the world championship title in his home city of Bath, England. Elena Micheli, Italy: After winning the last two women's world championship gold medals, the 25-year-old Micheli is looking for her first Olympic medal after placing just 33rd last time in Tokyo. Storylines to FollowA chance to watch the ultimate all-round athletes in Paris. Probably the quirkiest sport at the Olympics, modern pentathlon challenges athletes to swim, run, fence, ride an unfamiliar horse and shoot a laser pistol. The Palace of Versailles is the setting for the semifinals and finals. The men's and women's final will each be contested in a 90-minute format designed to be more fan friendly than previous day-long competitions. After 112 years on the Olympi

Airbnb sees 30% bookings surge from Indian guests for Paris Olympics

Held once every four years, the hospitality major has observed that travellers from more than 160 countries have booked their stays for the duration of the Games

Paris 2024: What to know, who to watch during sport climbing competition

A roadmap to follow for the sport climbing competition at the Paris Games: Athletes to WatchJanja Garnbret, Slovenia: The eight-time world champion and reigning Olympic champion has been the most dominant climber in the sport. Sam Watson, United States: The 18-year-old speed-climbing specialist qualified for Paris by winning the gold medal at the Pan American Games. Aleksandra Miroslaw, Poland: She set the women's speed-climbing world record at the final in the Tokyo Games and lowered that mark seven other times since then. Sorato Anraku, Japan: The 17-year-old Anraku is the top-ranked athlete in lead and boulder. Jakob Schubert, Austria: The six-time world champion won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Storylines to FollowThe 25-year-old Janja Garnbret has been one of the sport's greatest stars and will try to repeat her Olympic gold from Tokyo. She has attracted attention for speaking out about how eating disorders have hurt athletes who believe staying skinny is the only

Paris Olympics: What to know, who to watch during the sailing competition

A roadmap to follow for the sailing competition at the Paris Games: Athletes to WatchMarit Bouwmeester, Netherlands: She's returning for her fourth Games in the ILCA 6, formerly known as laser, after a bronze in Tokyo, gold in Rio de Janeiro and silver in London. Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, Brazil: They won gold medals at the last two Olympics in the women's skiff known as 49erFX. They face stiff competition from Dutch duo Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz, the current world champions, and Sweden's team of Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler, world champions in 2023. Max Maeder, Singapore: At only 17, he's widely considered the man to beat in kitesurfing. Stu McNay, United States: The 42-year-old McNay has competed in the past four Olympics and will race in Marseille in the mixed dinghy known as 470 together with Lara Dallman-Weiss. The reigning world champions in this new Olympic event are Spain's Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman. Daniela Moroz, United States: The San Francisco B

Paris 2024: What to know, who to watch during beach volleyball competition

A roadmap to follow for the beach volleyball competition at the Paris Games: Athletes to WatchAnders Mol and Christian Srum, Norway: Mol had surgery in March to repair a broken bone in his left foot. Chase Budinger, United States: The 6-foot-7 former NBA player earned a berth with Miles Evans as the No. 2 U.S. men's pair. Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, United States: The reigning world champions are hoping to keep alive a streak of U.S. medals on the women's side. Cheng could be the only American with Olympic experience. Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, United States: Going to their first Olympics. Kloth is 6-foot-4 and Nuss is 5-foot-6. Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands has qualified after serving time in prison for a rape conviction. Storylines to FollowOne of the Olympics' most telegenic sports will bring its beach party vibe to the Champ de Mars, between the Eiffel Tower and the cole Militaire, in a park that once served as the training grounds for Napoleon Bonaparte. There

Paris 2024: US gymnast Chiles' long journey back to Oly is rooted in joy

Jordan Chiles still remembers the first time someone handed her a ribbon for something she did at a gymnastics meet. She was maybe 7 or 8 and a Level 4, the entry point to competition for the thousands of kids who take up the sport. The details of what Chiles did that day are fuzzy at best. The jolt of adrenaline that sprinted through her as she caressed the first of what has become countless gold ribbons is not. I was like, Oh, this is what it feels like to win? Okay, I got this. This is cool,' Chiles said. It still is, only Chiles' definition of winning has evolved nearly two decades after that initial blush with success. Sure, she remains intensely competitive, a trait Chiles says she inherited from her mother Gina. Yet Chiles realized a while ago the competition she faces whenever she steps onto the podium doesn't come from the outside, but from within. When Chiles walks into Bercy Arena in Paris on July 28 to begin a second trip to the Olympics very few outside of her inner

Paris 2024: US swimmer Ryan Murphy aims to reclaim top spot on medal podium

Ryan Murphy longs to reclaim the top spot on the medal podium at the Paris Olympics. America's backstroke star was relegated to silver and bronze in his individual races at Tokyo a performance that still irks him just a bit. There's definitely no shortage of motivation from my end, said Murphy, who will be competing in the men's 100 and 200-meter back for the third Olympics in row. I feel like I've always got a fire under my butt." The 29-year-old Floridian, who trains at Cal-Berkeley, has been a worthy successor to the long run of backstroke success in the U.S. Picking up the baton from giants such as John Nabor, Rick Carey, Lenny Krayzelburg, Aaron Peirsol and Matt Grevers, Murphy has left his own impressive mark. At the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, he swept the men's backstroke events and added a third gold as part of the 4x100 medley relay. He followed up at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games with a runner-up finish in the 200 and a third-place showing in the 100, to go al

Expecting Aditi to win a medal at Paris Olympics, says PGTI head Kapil Dev

India's leading golfer Aditi Ashok can go one step further and win a medal at the Paris Olympics provided her form does not betray her in pressure situations, feels legendary cricketer and newly appointed PGTI president Kapil Dev. Aditi won hearts by finishing fourth at the Tokyo Olympics after being in medal contention till the very end. She finished a stroke behind the bronze medallist Lydia Ko and two strokes behind gold winner Nelly Korda. Aditi's form deserted her on the final day after she was second overnight. "I want to see Aditi playing with the same pomp that she played with in the Tokyo Olympics. For cricketers and golfers, form is very important. If Aditi plays in the same form, she has a good chance to win a medal. And if she has a bad week, then she can only sit out and rue the loss," Kapil told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview. The World Cup winning captain, who has been playing on the PGTI circuit for many years, felt there was a severe dearth of quality ...

Olympics Cell clears proposals for equipment of Paris-bound athletes

The Sports Ministry's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) on Thursday approved multiple proposals for assistance towards equipment by athletes and para athletes in the build up to the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games. At its weekly meeting, the MOC has approved a proposal of paralympic table tennis medallist Bhavina Patel for assistance to compete in ITTF Para Table Tennis Asia Training Camp 2024 in Thailand from July 16 to 20 along with her coach and escort. It also approved the request of para shooters -- Manish Narwal, Rudranksh Khandelwal, Rubina Francis and Sriharsha R Devareddy -- for various sport shooting related equipment. These include air rifle for Sriharsha and Morini pistol for Rubina and assistance towards procurement of two javelins (Valhalla 800g Medium NXB and Diana Carbon 600g) for para-athlete Sandeep Choudhary. The MOC also approved the request for financial assistance towards procurement of equipment for archers Ankita Bhakat, Deepika Kumari and para-archers Sheetal

Russia war threatens Ukraine's Olympic future; a young gymnast offers hope

When Oleksandra Paskal first took to the mat as a 4-year-old, her rhythmic gymnastics coach saw nothing but potential in a sport where the Olympics is the ultimate goal. Then a Russian missile crushed her summer house in the southern Odesa region, burying her beneath the debris and severing her left leg. Oleksandra's coach, Inga Kovalchuk, prides herself on her ability to spot the future. But it's increasingly clear that Russia's war on Ukraine is demolishing the seeds of a sports culture that was a European powerhouse. Two years after she was injured in May 2022, Oleksandra was among 12 girls diligently following the instructions of their demanding coach. No one paid attention to her prosthetic leg, but although she has even more of the grit and dedication that first caught Kovalchuk's eye, she will never be quite the same. Oleksandra, you do the exercise on full foot, the others on half toes, Kovalchuk told the group. Now 8, the girl who once aimed to compete at the Olympics now

Ukrainian boxer sacrifices Olympic dream to fight against Russia's invasion

Maksym Halinichev won silver at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in a match described at the time as two of the best young fighters going for glory. He considered the bout a loss it wasn't gold, after all but it gave him a map for the future. So Halinichev made plans: He would defeat that boxer the next time around. He would teach his daughter the basics of his sport so she could defend herself. And he would win a medal for Ukraine at the Paris Olympics. Halinchev outlined those ambitions as an athlete in an interview for the Ukraine Boxing Federation website in December 2021, as Russian troops were already massing at Ukraine's borders. Asked if he was afraid before a fight, he described his thinking. Fear can influence people in various ways. Some people are paralyzed by it. Some react by becoming more liberated, he said then. If you can control yourself and your body and if you can set yourself the right way, then the fear will retreat. He'll not get to prove that philosophy

In his 5th Olympics, flagbearer Sharath Kamal feels his best is yet to come

Set for his fifth Olympic appearance in Paris, Indian flagbearer Achanta Sharath Kamal feels he is scaling new heights with each passing year and believes his "best is yet to come." The 41-year-old turned the clock back to win three gold medals, including one in men's singles, at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. He returned empty-handed at last year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, but Sharath helped Indian men's team clinch a historic Paris Olympics quota via world rankings following their last-16 finish at the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan in February. "I am happy that I'm scaling new heights with each passing year, besides improving both physically and mentally. I hope the best is yet to come," the top-ranked Indian told PTI. "To highlight one particular achievement from my career would not do justice to my other achievements. The Asian Games bronze (Jakarta 2018) and Commonwealth Games gold are two of the highs of my career," said the Sharath, who boasts of 13 C

Paris Olympics 2024: Sindhu to be flag bearer, Narang to be Chef de Mission

London Olympics bronze medallist shooter Gagan Narang on Monday replaced Mary Kom as India's Chef-de-Mission for the Paris Olympics where ace shuttler PV Sindhu will be the female flag bearer during the opening ceremony. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha said the 41-year-old Narang's elevation from deputy CDM's position was an automatic choice in the wake of Mary Kom's resignation. "I was looking for an Olympic medallist to lead our contingent and my young colleague is an apt replacement for Mary Kom," PT Usha said in a press release. PTI had earlier reported that Narang was in race to become the CDM of the Indian contingent. Six-time world champion Mary Kom had resigned from the position in April, saying she was left with no choice but to step down owing to compelling personal reasons. She was named CDM by the IOA in March this year. Chef-de-Mission is an important administrative post as he is responsible for ensuring the welfare of the participating athlete

Paris Olympics 2024: All about tickets, stays, ways to get around Paris

Paris Olympics 2024 is set to be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Check details about tickets, stays get around and other things