Everything you need to know about the Men's and Women’s Olympic Medal Contenders
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Dreams Come True in Paris 2024
Before we jump into the upcoming medal contenders, let's take a moment to reflect on some of the biggest surprises that have occurred at the Olympics this year.
The first and arguably biggest shock at the Games this year came on Day 14, when Botswana's Letsile Tebogo upset the odds to win gold in the Olympic 200m, denying hot-pot favourite Noah Lyles a double in Paris. The 21-year-old African sprinter's 19.46 will go down in history, as he became the firth-fastest man of all time and the first athlete from Botswana to win Olympic Gold in any sport.
Our next mention goes to Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, who stunned onlookers with an Olympic record throw of 92.97 meters in the second round of the javelin final. The distance proved unbeatable for the rest of the field, including the fancied Neeraj Chopra of India, and Nadeem earned Pakistan their first Olympic medal since 1992 in the process.
Our final pick of surprise champions goes to Jamaica's Roje Stona, who rose to the top in the Men's Discus at the Paris 2024 Games. Lithuania's Mykolas Alekna looked to have the competition won with a mark of 69.89m but the Jamaican hurled a whopping 70.00m with his final throw, clinching not just the gold but the Olympic record as well.
Team USA Gunning for Fifth Consecutive Gold
Team USA's record at the Olympics is nothing short of remarkable. Since their first appearance at the Games in 1936, the Stars and Stripes have now featured in 20 editions and have won a medal every single time, 16 of which were gold.
The star-studded United States Men's Basketball Team came to France as the favourites to win their fifth consecutive Olympic Gold medal and have lived up to expectations so far as they prepare to take on the host nation France in the grand final on August 10.
Led by NBA superstars LeBron James and Steph Curry, the US dragged themselves back from the verge of elimination in the semi-final against a resilient Serbia to run out 95-91 winners from being 76-63 down heading into the final quarter.
Up next for Americans are Les Bleus, who have the sensational rookie Victor Wembanyama in their ranks and the support of thousands of fans behind them. Can France pull off the seemingly impossible? Check out our Men's Olympic Games - Basketball prediction to get our experts' thoughts.
Poland to Bring 48-year Medal Wait to an End?
Over in the Men's Volleyball competition, a potential fairytale is in the making, as Poland prepare to face France in the grand final on Saturday. The White and Reds last featured in a gold medal match at the Olympics in 1976 and they will have a chance to earn their second gold this weekend at the South Paris Arena.
However, standing in their way are the defending champions France, who have arguably been the pick of the sides in the competition, and sent a clear message to their upcoming opponent when they overcame the formidable Italy in the semi-final in commanding fashion, without losing a single set.
This has all the makings to be a match that could go down as one of the greatest Olympic battles of all time, and you can get all the relevant facts and inside information on our Olympic Games Volleyball predictions right here on SportyTrader!
Place your pre-match Volleyball final bets
Denmark to Reach the Podium in Men's and Women's Handball
The Handball competition at the Paris Olympics has been an absolute nail-biter, and Denmark are still in contention to earn medals from both their Men's and Women's teams heading into the final weekend of action.
Handbolddamerne were beaten by Norway in the semi-final but are set to face Sweden for the final step on the podium, while the Men's team, led by Niklas Landin Jacobsen, are one win away from guaranteeing themselves a medal this year, following gold in Rio 2016 and silver in Tokyo 2020.
The Women's Team's bronze medal matchup gets underway on August 10, while the men's medal match will play out on the final day of the Games. Don't forget to check out our Olympic Games - Handball predictions for all details of the remaining matches in the competition.
