Tokyo 2020 Olympic Battles To Look Forward To

The wait is over as rescheduled games kick off this week in Tokyo, Japan. Despite the uncertainty due to the Covid19 vaccine rollout, the stage is set for athletes to battle it out in search of an elusive Olympic medal. Here’s a look at the interesting battles expected to draw spectators’ attention.

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Joshua Cheptegei v Jacob Ingebrigtsen (5 000m)

The 20-year-old Norwegian sensation, , is set to bring some fireworks to the 5000m race in the upcoming Olympics Games. He already has the world-leading time (12:28) in the distance, the youngster is set to exceed what he did in the 2019 World Championship in Doha where he led the race only to settle for fifth in the end.

Already tipped as the next big star, Ingebrigsten will challenge a World record holder Joshua Cheptegei in his quest to conquer the distance. The two have already faced off this year in a event in Italy (June), where Ingrebrigsten managed to take top honours on his way to setting a European record. The distance provided a close finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele edged out Eluid Kipchoge by 5 seconds to set a games record of 12:57.

Elaine Thompson Herah v Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce (Women’s 100m)

The battle between Thompson Herah, the Olympic 100m and 200m champion, while Fraser-Pryce, a two-time Olympic and three-time world champion is set to be prolonged in Tokyo this year. The two Jamaican sprinters provided some highlights already during the national championship in June, especially in the 100m where both crossed the finish line together and clocked 10:71 to win the race. Meanwhile, Thompson Herah had to settle for the third.

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But recently their rivalry was revived in women’s 100m at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting. Thompson Herah clocked 10.71 seconds, .01 off her personal best. Fraser-Pryce was second in 10.82, one month after running 10.63 to become the second-fastest woman in history. Expect some more fireworks in this intriguing battle.

Katie Ledecky v Ariarne Titmus (Women’s 200m, 400m and 800m Freestyle)

The 24-year-old Ledecky, a record holder in 400m and 800m had dominated the distance for quite some time grabbing Gold at the . But the American has to look close and check the rising star Titmus. The 20-year-old young prospect from Australia has managed to get the better of her opponent in a 400m race during the 2019 World Swimming Championship in Hungary. What makes Titmus dangerous is that she recently swam the second-fastest times in both 200m and 400m during Australia Olympics Trials in June. She also holds a world-leading time this year and will be a huge threat for Ledecky. And will also challenge for 800m.