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Ira Gorawara

A fresh wave of global talent will shine under the City of Lights over the next two weeks.
Athletes from across the world, and at different ends of their careers, will be making their Olympic debuts in Paris.
Among those reaching a place inhabited by just 0.0001 per cent of the world’s population are NBA stars, a 58-year-old, children not yet old enough to watch a PG-13 film and more.
The new faces cover a broad scope of experience, with seasoned professionals parading in the opening ceremony alongside athletes just starting their journeys among the elite.
Here are five names making their Olympic debuts in the French capital.

Steph Curry
It surprises many that arguably the world’s greatest shooter is yet to make his Olympic bow.
Curry’s wiry frame and unimposing stature saw him labelled “undersized and scrawny”. Failing to receive a scholarship from any major college basketball brand, Curry committed to Davidson College.
The son of NBA veteran Dell Curry, he became a national sensation after one year at Davidson, averaging 28.6 points the season before he entered the NBA Draft and has been with he Golden State Warriors ever since.
His meteoric rise was unprecedented. He quickly earned the moniker of the best long-distance shooter in the world, revolutionising modern basketball.
After sitting out the 2016 Olympics because of injury and making a personal decision to opt out of the Tokyo Games, an Olympic gold is on the line for Curry.
Already a four-time NBA champion, the NBA’s all-time leading three-point shooter, and a two-time NBA MVP, Curry will add a Summer Olympics to his resume.

Zhiying Zeng
Zhiying Zeng is a living example of Justin Bieber’s famous lesson to “never say never”.
The Chinese-Chilean table tennis player – one of the oldest athletes in this year’s Games – will make her debut at 58.
Affectionately called “Auntie Tania”, Zeng quit table tennis in 1986, but Covid-19 unexpectedly swung Zeng back to the sport. Extinguishing her restlessness during Chile’s lockdown, Zeng returned to her roots, buying a table and playing at home for hours on end.
Before she knew it, Zeng was effortlessly winning local tournaments after the pandemic, and surged to Chile’s highest-ranked woman by 2023.
After a 38-year hiatus, she clinched her berth with a string of tournament victories to catapult her among the top-eight in the Americas.
Already training three hours a day, five times a week, Zeng wants more, but points to her age and increased risk of soreness as limiting obstacles.

Sha’Carri Richardson
Usain Bolt’s female counterpart, the world’s fastest woman is not a typical Olympic debutant.
The two-time World Championships gold-medallist graduated high school just six years ago, emerging as the No 1 ranked female spring recruit in the country.
After racking up a plethora of accolades in just one year, Richardson left Louisiana State University to pursue her professional career, qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics soon after.
But the US doping agency suspended her before the Games, because she tested positive for cannabis during the US trials.
Following the interruption to her career, she bulldozed personal bests and added more to her repertoire, including a 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and her first World Championship crown in Budapest that same year.
Her 100-metre gold at the 2023 World Championships came with a record-breaking time of 10.65 seconds. Not stopping there, Richardson also grabbed gold in the 4x100-metre relay.

Hezly Rivera
The debutants in the United States’ Olympic delegation boast talent across all sports.
Curry on the court, Richardson on the track and Rivera in the gymnasium.
She will join a storied crew of American gymnasts, headlined by 37-time Olympic and World Champion medallist Simone Biles, widely considered one the greatest athletes of all time.
But in June’s US Olympic Team Trials for gymnastics, 16-year-old Rivera proved a serious contender alongside Olympics all-around gold medallists Suni Lee and Biles, Olympic floor champion Jade Carey and Olympic silver medallist Jordan Chiles.
As the only debutant on the US gymnastics roster, the teenager made her senior gymnastics debut at the 2024 Winter Cup, tying for first on the balance beam and third in the all-around.
There may not be much more she can add to her portfolio after this year’s Games.

Zheng Haohao
The 11-year-old has officially become the youngest Chinese Olympian, securing qualification for the skateboarding event after the Qualification Series in Budapest and Shanghai.
At seven-years-old, an age many are still developing their hand-eye coordination, Zheng took up skateboarding with her then coach Wei Naizhang, who repeatedly praised her rapid progress and persistent drive.
Zheng’s keenness for skateboarding was apparent at a young age – her mother quickly recognised her fascination with exploring uneven terrains and climbing rocks.
Nothing piqued Zheng’s fancy as much as the skateboard she received on her seventh birthday.
It took just three years for Zheng to soar to “prodigy” status, winning a national skateboarding competition at the Guangdong Provincial Games.
Should Zheng claim victory, she would become the youngest athlete to ever step atop the Olympic podium.


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National Games: outspoken Chinese hurdler Wu Yanni chasing beauty as well as results

National Games: Su Weide, Chinese gymnastics’ fallen figure, hopes for redemption

Final cost of staging Paris Olympics, Paralympics €6.6 billion, French auditors say

Paris 2024 Olympic Games

NBA superstar Steph Curry, Chinese auntie, preteen among Olympic debutants at Paris Games

Steph Curry (right) will be making his Olympic debut playing alongside LeBron James (left) for Team USA basketball in Paris. Photo: AP

Despite his incredibly storied NBA career, Steph Curry has never before competed at the Olympic Games. Photo: AP

At the age of 58, table tennis player Zhiying Zeng will be competing at an Olympics for the first time this year in Paris. Photo: AFP

Sha’Carri Richardson has been in inspiring form as she prepares for her first-ever Olympic Games in Paris. Photo: AP

Hezly Rivera (far right) with US gymnastics teammates (from left to right) Jade Carey, Suni Lee, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles. Photo: TNS

Despite not yet being a teenager, Zheng Haohao will be skateboarding for China at the Paris Olympics. Photo: The Paper

Paris Olympics: Hong Kong cyclists’ bodysuits ‘best in world’. How fast can Ceci Lee go?

The new bodysuits will be worn by Hong Kong’s cyclists. Photo: HKUST

Ceci Lee tests kit and equipment on a stationary bike in HKUST’s cutting-edge wind tunnel. Photo: HKUST

A mannequin is put to work testing the design of the bodysuit for the Olympics. Photo: HKUST

Paris Olympics: psychologist warns Hong Kong stars of being ‘hijacked’ by Games ‘circus’

Cheung Ka-long is feeling the heat as defending Olympic champion ahead of the 2024 Summer Games. Photo: Handout

Vivian Kong is concerned about letting down her fellow Hongkongers in Paris. Photo: Elson Li

Tiger Woods mastered the psychological element of golf at the peak of his powers. Photo: AP

GB pair Helen Richardson-Walsh and Kate Richardson-Walsh won hockey Olympic gold in 2016. Photo: Reuters

Paris Olympics: star names in short supply in men’s football, which is also minus Brazil

Julian Alvarez, who stars for Manchester City, will be one of Argentina’s highest-profile players as they set out to defend their gold medal without Lionel Messi. Photo: AP

French coach Thierry Henry (right) with Japan counterpart Go Oiwa before the teams’ draw in Toulon. Photo: Kyodo

France’s Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Olise (left) will be one of the more recognisable names. Photo: AFP

Argentina coach Javier Mascherano (right) talks Nicolas Otamendi of Benfica during a training session. Photo: AP

Paris Olympics: more than 1,800 foreign police officers from 43 countries to patrol city

More than 1,800 international police officers from 43 countries will be deployed in Paris during the Summer Olympics. 

Paris Olympics: Fiji seek to outshine Antoine Dupont and defend rugby sevens ‘legacy’

Fijian players celebrate after beating New Zealand to defend their rugby sevens gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: EPA-EFE

France’s 15-a-side captain Antoine Dupont has made a successful switch to sevens. Photo: AP

Two-time winner Jerry Tuwai says the return of former teammate Osea Kolinisau has given Fiji a reset. Photo: AP

Sport

Paris Olympics 2024

China

Athletics

Gymnastics

New faces cover a broad scope of experience, with seasoned professionals and new starters parading in the opening ceremony


The new faces cover a broad scope of experience, with seasoned professionals parading in the opening ceremony alongside athletes just starting their journeys among the elite.


Simone Biles

Jade Carey

Zhiying Zeng

Jordan Chiles

NBA superstar Steph Curry, Chinese auntie, preteen among Olympic debutants at Paris Games

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}New faces cover a broad scope of experience, with seasoned professionals and new starters parading in the opening ceremony

Steph Curry

New faces cover a broad scope of experience, with seasoned professionals and new starters parading in the opening ceremony