Tokyo 2020: Olympic comebacks and athletes with points to prove
- Host of athletes hoping to be back in Tokyo after missing out on Rio
- Singapore surfer, 73, dreams of return to Olympics for first time since Tokyo Games in 1964
The Olympics comes around just once every four years and the gap between Games only adds to the intrigue.
Some of the names and faces will be the same, retirement means others will have changed. It will be no different in Tokyo this summer, where Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps leave big shoes to fill after ruling out comebacks.
There are athletes who have been building to the Olympics for the past four years and the nature of sport is that many of them will be disappointed. But there is more to the Olympics than medals, as “Eric the Eel” and “Eddie the Eagle” have proved, there is always the chance for triumph in the face of adversity.
This summer there are plenty of athletes looking to add their names into the history books with their own comeback stories and points to prove. Here are some of those with unfinished business who are hoping to compete in Tokyo:
Michael Eu (Singapore): surfing
The 73-year-old would be the oldest athlete in Tokyo if he achieves his dream of representing Singapore in surfing’s debut. Eu has been surfing for 53 years and has been integral to the sport’s growth in the city state. Before retiring he was an airline pilot and before that, some 56 years ago, the 18-year-old swam for Singapore at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He missed the cut for their Southeast Asian Games squad last year.
Vijender Singh (India): boxing
The 34-year-old won bronze in Beijing and then reached the quarter-finals in London four years later. He missed out on Rio in 2016 having turned professional, and his plans did not change when the decision to allow professionals to enter was made in the weeks leading up to the Games. Singh has indicated he would fight in Tokyo if his country calls on him. They would do worse than an Olympic medallist with a pro record of 12-0.
Ed Fernon (Australia): modern pentathlon
The 31-year-old has qualified for Tokyo, months after returning to the sport he gave up to get into property. Fernon represented Australia in London in 2012 but had hung up his running shoes by the time Rio came around and prior to the qualifiers in China he had not competed internationally since 2015.
Perry Baker (USA): rugby sevens
The American’s comeback is more macro as it has been a case of rebuilding a sporting career after injury cut short his time in the NFL. Unperturbed, Baker has become one of the finest rugby sevens players in the world, twice being named World Series player of the year. No doubt he and the rest of Team USA will want to improve on their showing in Rio where they failed to get out of the pool stage.
Sun Yang (China): swimming
The small matter of a ban from the pool hangs over China’s star swimmer like the sword of Damocles. While a decision on that is expected from the Court of Arbitration for Sport at some point in January, Sun is making it clear that he is out for another Olympic medal in Tokyo. “From Rio to Tokyo, how time flies,” he told China’s Xinhua news agency. “After the Rio Olympics, many people thought that I would retire, but I didn’t. I’m still going today after four years of ups and downs. My goal, of course, is to stand on top of the podium.”
Florent Manadou (France): swimming
A gold medal in London and a silver in Rio were not enough to maintain Manadou’s interest. He walked off into the sunset and on to the handball court, with commentating for French television as close as he got to swimming. He’s had another change of heart and returned to the pool last summer vowing to be Olympic champion again.
Mo Farah (Great Britain)
Mo Farah said he plans to return to the track for the Tokyo Olympics, going for a third straight 10,000m gold medal after spending the last two years as a marathon runner. “Next year, I’ve decided, Tokyo 2020, I’m going to be back on the track … give it a go in the 10,000m,” he said in a video published last Friday. “Hopefully I haven’t lost my speed, but I will train hard for it and see what I can do.” Farah, a 36-year-old Briton, retired from major track racing in 2017, making the switch to road running that so many distance greats do in their 30s.
Sydney McLoughlin (USA): running
The youngest track and field athlete since Carl Lewis, the 16-year-old reached the semi-finals in Rio. Four years later she is one of the best in the world and can prove it in Tokyo. She finished second to teammate Dalilah Muhammad at the worlds last year. A medal could make the rising star a household name.
Jordan Burroughs (USA): wrestling
The wrestler took gold in London before a disappointing ninth in Rio, a performance he has struggled to explain. The 31-year-old will look to right that in Tokyo providing he qualifies. He improved his chances with his bronze at the world championships giving him a bye to the semi-finals of the trials.
Katie Ledecky (USA): swimmin g
The swimmer is another with a point to prove in Tokyo. She was beaten in last year’s worlds by Australia’s Ariarne Titmus in the 400m freestyle. That stopped her bid for a record fourth straight world title and was the first time she had been beaten in the event on the international stage since 2013. Titmus, the 19-year-old Aussie, has set her stall out but Ledecky, who won gold in Rio with a world record, remains the one to beat.
Ryan Lochte (USA): swimming
Redemption is what the 35-year-old is looking for in Tokyo after a few years that started to go wrong in Rio. Lochte was celebrating his sixth gold but ended up in a tale of robbery before being banned twice. He has only just returned to the pool, but the second-most decorated swimmer in history means business.
