Paris Olympics 2024: Chopra vs Nadeem, USA vs Australia in swimming and other rivalries to watch out for

The 33rd Summer Olympic Games is set to officially get underway a little over 24 hours from now in Paris with the opening ceremony scheduled to take place on Friday, 26 July at 11 pm IST (7.30 pm local time).

It will be the third time Paris will be hosting the world’s biggest sporting event, having previously done so in 1900 and 1924. This year’s Games will also feature a first-of-its-kind opening ceremony with more than 10,000 athletes set for a floating parade through the Seine, the river that flows through the heart of the French capital — a departure from the norm of hosting it in a stadium.

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The Olympics has also bore witness to some of the most intense rivalries in sporting history, from Usain Bolt vs Justin Gatlin and Ben Johnson vs Carl Lewis to the United States vs Soviet Union in gymnastics among others.

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On the eve of the opening ceremony, we take a look at some of the rivalries in store in the 33rd Summer Olympic Games:

USA vs Australia in Swimming

USA and Australia are two of the most successful nations in swimming and the rivalry between these two nations in the sport certainly is among the fiercest in Olympic history. The dominance of these two nations can be gauged from the fact that these two powerhouses have accounted for nearly half of all the medals that have been distributed in the Olympics. The Americans, however, are comfortably ahead in the head-to-head rivalry, winning 579 medals till date — more than double of Australia’s haul of 212.

Heading into Paris 2024, the key event to watch out for is the women’s 400m freestyle final, which features USA’s Katie Ledecky against Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and Canada’s Summer McIntosh, their upcoming battle widely dubbed as a potential race of the century.

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Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce vs Sha’Carri Richardson in women’s 100m

While it’s USA vs Australia in the pool, the Americans have been facing some of their fiercest competition on the track from Jamaican athletes since the Caribbean nation made its Olympic debut in London 1948. That includes the legendary rivalry between Bolt and Gatlin in the men’s 100m event.

Heading into Paris 2024, the primary battle to watch out for will be the showdown between Jamaica’s Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce and and USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson. Jamaica had complete a podium sweep in Tokyo 2020 but Richardson, who had won World Championships gold last year, will be hoping to change that. Also in the fray is Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, who had won bronze in both the Tokyo Games as well as in the Worlds.

Kenenisa Bekele vs Eliud Kipchoge in men’s marathon

Ethiopia and Kenya share a fierce rivalry in distance running and dominate both the men’s and women’s events in the Olympics and World Championships as well as in marathons across the world.

Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge and and Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele are perfect examples of this rivalry, having battled each other for two decades now since they first crossed paths in the 2003 World Champions — which incidentally also took place in Paris.

The two stalwarts are set to renew their long-standing rivalry at the Paris Games in the men’s marathon, with Bekele set for his first Olympic appearance in 12 years after a second-place finish in the London Marathon in April. Bekele has three Olympic gold medals across the men’s 5,000 and 10,000m events while Kipchoge has two Olympic marathon golds and will be eyeing a third.

Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal in men’s tennis

As far as tennis is concerned, Paris 2024 might be the last time fans get to witness long-time rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal battle it out on the court one last time.

Nadal’s future was in doubt after a rare first-round exit in the French Open earlier this summer, but the Spaniard later committed himself to representing his nation at the Paris Olympics, which many believe will be the final appearance of his legendary career.

Djokovic, on the other hand, has been going through a rare slump and is yet to win a Major this year. The Serbian superstar will be hoping to finally add an Olympic gold to his collection of 24 Grand Slam titles after coming narrowly close in Beijing 2008, where he lost to eventual gold medallist Nadal in the semis.

According to the draw unveiled on Thursday , Djokovic and Nadal face a potential second-round showdown. Though ‘Djoker’ enters the clash as the favourite given his solid recent form, one can never rule Nadal out, especially since the tennis events are taking place at his beloved Roland Garros — where he has been crowned French Open champion a record 14 times!

Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem

The India vs Pakistan rivalry isn’t just limited to cricket; the two nations shared a fierce rivalry in men’s hockey for decades and remain the most successful nations in the sport as far as the Olympic medal table is concerned, despite their decline towards the end of the 20th century.

With Pakistan failing to qualify for both men’s and women’s hockey, the Indo-Pak rivalry shifts to another sport — in athletics for a change, where reigning champion Neeraj Chopra is set for a fierce battle with Arshad Nadeem in men’s javelin.

Chopra has been on a winning spree, winning India’s first-ever individual Olympic gold medal in athletics besides winning a gold and a silver in the World Championships. Nadeem on the other hand has laid down the marker by breaching the 90-metre mark, something that even Chopra is yet to accomplish.