Leading contenders for the sprint races at the 2024 Olympics
23/06/2024 14:38
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The Track and Field events are many people's highlights of the Olympic Games and this year should be set to see some mouth-watering clashes on the track in Paris.
Here is a look at the 100 and 200 metres events, and who are the leading contenders for the gold medal.
Men's 100 Metres
Noah Lyles dominated the men's sprint events at the World Championship in Budapest in 2023, taking gold in both the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay competitions. His focus in Paris will be to land gold in the men's 100m, adding his name to the history books alongside the likes of Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis and Jesse Owens.
No American athlete has won gold in the men's 100m since Justin Gatlin prevailed in Athens in 2004. The race was dominated by Bolt between 2008 and 2016, while in Tokyo in 2021, Marcell Jacobs gave Italy a first triumph in the event.
It's only getting faster from here pic.twitter.com/B4i2YzRLGd
— Noah Lyles, OLY (@LylesNoah) April 28, 2024
Lyles is the favourite for the 100m, with a host of betting sites having the Floridian at odds as short as 6/4 to bring home the gold medal.
One of the leading rivals to Lyles in the men's 100m is Akani Simbine. He finished fourth in the event in 2021, just missing out on a medal. The South African has been running consistently well since then and goes into Paris with high hopes of at least a medal this time.
Women's 100 metres
The women's 100m is one of the most fascinating events at this year's Olympics. Jamaican trio Shericka Jackson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah are among the leading contenders once again.
Fraser-Pryce won gold in 2008 and 2012, while Thompson-Herah has been successful in the last two renewals, with gold coming in 2016 and 2021. No woman in history has won this event three times, so the pair are on the verge of a historical success.
Jackson could spoil the party for the Jamaican legends. She ran the fifth fastest 100m time in history by a female athlete when she clocked 10.65 in Kingston in 2023. The Bronze medallist from Tokyo is hopeful of at least one gold medal this summer.
Men's 200 metres
Lyles is aiming to win four gold medals in Paris this summer, bettering the three picked up by Bolt in London (2012) and Beijing (2016). He is hoping to win gold in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay.
The 26-year-old's best chance in the four events is likely to be the 200m. The American won bronze in the final four years ago in Tokyo behind Andre De Grasse and Kenneth Bednarek respectively.
Silver medallist Bednarek will go into the 2024 Olympic Games full of confidence following his performances in the Diamond League this year. In Doha, he set a personal best of 19.67 in the 200m event, prevailing with ease.
The former world number one ranked athlete in the 200m division believes he can run faster than he did in Doha. If he breaks his PB again, he will have an excellent chance of going a place better than he did in Tokyo.
The Kid from St.Ann(Ocho Rios), Jamaica.
World 200m Champ pic.twitter.com/mSpkl5DyiM
— Shericka Jackson (@sherickajacko) July 24, 2022
Women's 200 metres
Jackson won gold medals at the World Championships in Eugene (2022) and Budapest (2023). She heads into the 2024 Olympic Games as the athlete to beat in the women's 200m competition.
The 29-year-old ran the second fastest 200m time by a woman in history in Budapest last summer. She recorded 21.41, a personal best and a national record in Jamaican. That performance has given her confidence that she could even break the world record in this event in Paris.
Jackson was successful in the Diamond League in Marrakech earlier this year. She has been working with coach Stephen Francis recently to ensure she goes into Paris in the best possible condition.
Gabrielle Thomas finished second to Jackson at the World Championship in Budapest in 2023. The US champion has consistently performed well in this event over the last few years, and she is considered the leading challenger to the Jamaican.
The 2024 Olympics Games begin on Friday, 26th of July, with the track and field events set to start on Thursday, 1st of August.
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