With a total of 32 sports to watch at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to catch everything that’s happening – unless you’re extremely dedicated, and to that we applaud you.
But for the rest of us, it will be important to know key games, matches and races to tune into once the Olympic torch has been lit.
We’ve put together a list of the people, teams and events that you’re definitely not going to want to miss witnessing compete this year.
Women’s marathon
The oldest Olympic discipline, the marathon is always one of the top events to watch out for, with this year’s course set to weave its way through the city of Paris in vibrant fashion.
The course is a nod to the Women’s March on Versailles, a pivotal moment from the French Revolution when 6,000 people marched from Paris to Versailles to protest the cost of bread and demand political reform.
The field of contenders in the women’s race looks to be incredibly strong this year, with Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir set to defend her Olympic winning title from the 2020 Tokyo Games, where she ran in a time of 2:16:16.
Ethiopia is sending Tigist Assefa, the world record holder in the event, with an astounding 2:11:53 time.
The 2022 New York Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi will also be there, as well as the winner of the US Olympic marathon trials Fiona O’Keefe. And Hellen Obiri, who won the Boston and New York City marathons is likely to make a strong show as well.
The women’s marathon will take place on August 11, 2024 at 4pm AEST.
Canoeist Jessica Fox
Not only has Australian paddler Jessica Fox been selected to be the nation’s flag-bearer at this year’s Games, she’s also looking to dominate at Paris.
Only a month ago, Fox became the first person to win three fold medals at the Canoe Slalom World Cup. Ahead of the Olympic Games, the string of victories brings her World Cup medal tally to 51, after taking out all three canoe slalom events in Krakow, Poland.
Born in Marseille and moving to Australia aged four, Fox is the first Australian canoe slalom athlete to compete at four Games, , having made her debut as an 18-year-old at the 2012 London Games.
Canoe slalom events begin on July 27th, and the canoe sprint events begin August 6th.
Ariarne Titmus
This Aussie swimming powerhouse smashed the 200m freestyle world record by 0.86 seconds recently, in one of the most thrilling races in Australian swimming history. She’ll be going into the Olympic 200m freestyle race as a top contender to take home the gold.
Titmus is also involved in a thrilling rivalry with US swimming great Katie Ledecky. When Ariarne Titmus beat Katie Ledecky to gold in the 200m and 400m freestyle in Tokyo, it ended a stranglehold the American had on women’s swimming. This year, the pair will go head to head in the women’s 400m freestyle, as well as multiple other events over the course of nine days at the La Defense Arena.
Swimming events begin the evening of July 27th.
US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson
American sprinting sensation Sha’Carri Richardson is heading to Paris as the world’s fastest woman, having earned the title by winning the 100 meter race at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The 24-year-old will be competing in the 100m and 200m running events at the 2024 Olympics.
Last month, at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field in Eugene, Oregon, the reigning world champion in the 100m ran three races to not only earn her spot at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, but set a world lead time of 10.71 as well.
Back in 2020, Richardson had to sit out of the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for THC, a chemical found in marijuana. She’s been open about the fact that she’d been grieving the passing of her biological mother, which led to her turning to marijuana to help cope with the “nerve-shocking” news.
This year, however, she will be making her Olympic debut, telling Vogue in an interview: “I’m not back, I’m better”.
The Paris Olympics track and field program commences on August 1.
Skateboarding
Beginning to capture more widespread attention around the globe, skateboarding is not a sport you’re going to want to miss at this year’s Games. And it’s girls and young women who are increasingly in the limelight.
In the past 12 months, we’ve seen 14-year-old Arisa Trew become the first female skateboarder to land the 720 and 900 tricks.
There are five girls or women who’ve been selected as part of Australia’s Olympic Team for Paris, including Arisa Trew, Ruby Trew, Chloe Covell, Liv Lovelace and Haylie Powell.
Skateboarding street events begin July 27th, while skateboarding park events begin August 6th.
Australian equestrian team
The Australian equestrian team heading to Paris for the Olympic Games is one that will go down in history. The team’s Mary Hanna is turning 70 at the end of the year, and she’ll be the oldest competing Olympian in the reserve side as she heads to her seventh games.
Hanna is currently in Paris as an AP athlete (otherwise known as a non-competing athlete) for Australia’s dressage team. Hanna’s debut Olympic appearance was in 1996 in Atlanta and has appeared at every Olympic Games since, except for Beijing in 2008.
The equestrian competitions will be broadcast from Saturday 27 June in the evenings (AEST).
Middle distance star Jessica Hull
Australian middle distance runner Jessica Hull has been breaking records left and right as she heads into this year’s Olympics looking to be a strong medal contender.
Earlier this month, Hull set a world record in the women’s 2,000 metres at the Monaco Diamond League meet with a time of 5:19.70. Her sensational performance came less than a week after she broke the national and Oceania record in the 1,500m.
The Paris Olympics track and field program commences on August 1.
Afghan sprinter Kimia Yousofi
Australian-based Afghan athlete Kimia Yousofi will be competing in her third Olympic Games for the 100m sprint event.
Yousofi, the flag bearer for Afghanistan at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, is one of three women athletes who will represent Afghanistan in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Yousofi said her appearance at this Olympic Games will be dedicated to the women and girls who continue to live under the oppression of the Taliban.
The Paris Olympics track and field program commences on August 1.
Simone Biles
This list wouldn’t be complete without the mention of the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Simone Biles.
Already a four-time Olympic gymnastics champion, Biles will return to the Games with unfinished business, after pulling out of the Games in Tokyo 2020 to take care of her mental and physical health. This year, she’ll be looking to claim the women’s individual all-around title once more.
With 30 world championship medals and five unique skills to her name, Biles is more than prepared for an epic comeback in Paris.
Gymnastics is traditionally one of the most popular events of the Games and, this year, competition will start as early as Saturday, July 27th.