Paris Olympics track and field schedule, key dates: all you need to know
- The 48 events unfolding across track and field in Paris give the Chinese a chance to exceed their six medals at the last Games
It’s nearly time for the blue ribbon events of the Games.
As track and field pushes off with the start of the month, 200 metres Asian record holder Xie Zhenye will lead the Chinese contingent, while Felix Diu Chun-hei will fly the flag for Hong Kong.
The 48 events unfolding across the track and field in Paris give the Chinese a chance to surpass their six-medal haul from Tokyo.
Athletes to watch
Sha’Carri Richardson (United States)
The 100m world champion will make her Olympic debut after a positive test for recreational drugs saw her suspended from the Tokyo games three years ago. Following the interruption, she proceeded to steamroller personal bests and slapped more accolades to her resume.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (United States)
Defending champion and world-record holder in the 400m hurdles, McLaughlin-Levrone punched a world record in her Tokyo title, and has since improved on the women’s record three times.
Noah Lyles (United States)
Yet another addition to the American dominance, he is expected to go for the 100-200m double after capturing both titles in last year’s World Championships and commanding both events at this year’s US Olympic trials.
Mondo Duplantis (Sweden)
Veering off the track, the world outdoor and indoor record holder is primed to defend his pole vault title, becoming the first man since 1956 to win the event at consecutive Olympics. Puncturing the world record eight times in four years, Duplantis has nearly any and all distinctions to his name.
Storylines to follow
Need another shelf?
Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will enter her fifth Games – but perhaps more impressively, she is aiming to expand her cabinet of eight medals. Exceeding that of any woman, Fraser-Pryce has achieved three of those laurels in the blue-ribbon 100m.
For national pride
Yaroslava Mahuchikh is already a world champion, and could soon be Ukraine’s heroine if she earns an Olympic gold in the high jump for her war-torn home. The 37-year-old has declared her intent to uphold her country’s honour and “sign the nation of Ukraine into the history of world athletics”.
