Ten legends to retire in Paris

Several legends of their respective sports have chosen Paris as their final Olympic train. Some have officially announced that they are calling it quits, putting an end to an exemplary career. Others may continue for a year or two but it is clear that, due to age, they will not be able to participate in the next Olympic Games, Los Angeles’28. MD chose ten of them, perhaps the most intelligent, to explain how they got here and what they expected to see on the banks of the Seine.

Except for two of them, who share a sport, the others come from different disciplines. Two, both women, are under 30 years old but very early in their debuts, the other two are over 40 years old and the rest are in their thirties.

Of all of them, only one has never won an Olympic gold, and that’s something even his 24 Grand Slam titles can’t match as he’s been chasing it ever since, having to settle for a bronze in Beijing’2008 for him It’s pocket change. Is about Novak Djokovic, which repeatedly failed in the Olympic tournament. At 37 years old and with an increasingly damaged physique, the Serbian faces one last chance to redeem the only remaining score of his career.

His last Olympic executioner was a Spaniard, Pablo Carreno, in Tokyo. And this time, two Spaniards appear on the horizon of the Serb’s life who are sure to worry him. One is the best tennis player today, Carlos Alcaraz, current champion of Roland Garros, tennis headquarters at these Games in Paris. And the other is the second famous veteran on this list, the 14-time French clay champion Rafael Nadal (38 years old), still balancing on the fine line that separates him from retirement. He is in Paris to prove himself and have more arguments to make the most painful decision of his career. But Nadal wouldn’t be here if he didn’t feel strong and capable of competing at the highest level. He has climbed to the top step of the Olympic podium twice, in Beijing, individual gold, and in Rio, doubles gold with Marc Lopezand the third one means a lot in Mallorca.

Another collector of glory is LeBron James (39 years old), who leads the very strong Team USA basketball team. This is his fourth Olympic appearance (Beijing, London and Tokyo) and his balance is two golds and one bronze. And, while he doesn’t need more shine in his showcases, he’s a born competitor and won’t miss for the world the only tournament that matters to Americans beyond the NBA and NCAA.

The fourth myth is the oldest of all and perhaps the most unknown to the general public because its sport, Greco-Roman wrestling, was for an elite minority. Mijain Lopez, Cuban, is 41 years old and his record is simply unmatched. Gold in Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo, he is looking for a fifth consecutive victory in Paris that will establish him as a legend among legends. Almost 2 meters tall and weighing more than 130 kilograms, this Antillean giant competes in the highest category.

And because of the geographical proximity, since he was also born on a Caribbean island (Guadeloupe), the impressive fifth appears, the French judoka. Teddy Riner. Younger than Mijaín (35 years old), however he is taller and heavier (2.04 m and 150 kg) and if he is in Paris it is because of the Olympic Games. They are in their country and there is no better place to say goodbye. He accumulated five Olympic medals, three of which were gold.

A similar case is that of Nikola Karabatic, an old acquaintance of Barcelona fans. At 40 years old, the spiritual leader of French handball ‘Les Experts’ will bring down the curtain on his sixth Olympic Games, where he is seeking his fifth medal after accumulating three golds and one silver in previous experiences.

The last person on the list is a boxer, the Cuban Arlen Lopez, and although he is relatively young (31 years old) this cruiserweight has fought only two fights as a professional, due to the real difficulties of his country in making the leap from amateurism. And his challenge was huge: to chain a third straight gold, something that only three boxers in history, two of them Cubans by the way, have achieved.

The last three are women. The oldest is the New Zealand canoeist Lisa Carrington (35 years old), who is fit enough to qualify for a big increase in the Olympic haul reaching five golds.

Younger people have a lot in common. Both 27 years old, both Americans and both perhaps the greatest legends of their respective sports. The first, gymnast, is Simone Biles, has re-emerged and gone from strength to strength after mental health problems ended her Rio options. It arrived entirely in Paris. By the time the women’s artistic gymnastics program ends, her collection of 7 Olympic medals (4 gold) will likely increase significantly.

The second, the swimmer, is Katie Ledeckyten medals and seven Olympic golds and aspires to surpass his countrymen Jenny Thompson as the most successful in history (12, 8 gold). He is in his Olympic quarters. and among them all, even at the first and at the age of 15, he rose to the top of the podium. Paris was to be his epitaph, as he had already indicated, and he wanted it to be written in large letters and gold.