Mark Spitz: ‘Somebody someday’ can beat Michael Phelps’ Olympic record

Katie Ledecky (United States): Ledeki was one of the biggest stars of 2016, winning five Olympic gold medals and setting two world records – one in the 400-meter dash and the other in the 800-meter freestyle. She has been the first swimmer since 1968 to win the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle at the same Olympics and she will be looking for all of these titles in Tokyo. She will also excel in the 1,500-meter breaststroke, which is her first time on the women’s side this year. The 24-year-old Ledeki has broken 14 world records during his glorious career.

Nyjah Huston (United States): Skateboarding is making its debut at the Tokyo Olympics, and Houston is one of the hallmarks of the sport. The 26-year-old, who has nearly 5 million followers on Instagram, has won three of the world’s last four titles in the street category. He also won the most street medals in the history of the X Games.

Noah Liles (United States): Liles, center, is the reigning world champion in the 200-meter dash and a favorite of many to win the race at the Olympics, where Usain Bolt has won all three of his previous games. Bolt’s resignation will also open the door for a new 100-meter champion. The 23-year-old Liles was also expected to compete in the event, but she finished seventh in the U.S. Olympics and was unable to qualify. The winner of the race, Trayvon Bromell, is now among the favorites.

Stephanie Gilmore (Australia): Surfing will be competing in the Olympics for the first time this year, and the highly adorned Gilmore will be one of the favorites on the women’s side. The 33-year-old has won more world titles than any of his rivals – seven. She will be looking to defeat American Carissa Moore, the current world champion.

Caeleb Dressel (United States): Michael Phelps, the most beautiful Olympian of all time, called it a career. But Dressel can be the biggest thing in men’s swimming. The 24-year-old has already won two Olympic gold medals and is a world record holder in the 100-meter butterfly. He will also compete in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle.

Shi Tingmao (China): Chinese diving teams have dominated the Olympics since 1984, winning 40 of the 56 possible gold medals. The 29-year-old Shi won two gold medals in 2016 and will try to add that score before calling it a career. She has been hosting the 3-meter springboard event since 2015 and misses at least one event.

Hand Zaza (Syria): Zaza is expected to be the youngest Olympian in Tokyo at the age of 12 and the fifth youngest person to compete in the Olympics. The table tennis player actually became a professional in February 2020 at the age of 11 because his coach said he had not been able to qualify for many tournaments due to the country’s civil war.

Zhu Ting (Chin): Zhu is the captain of China’s domestic volleyball team, which won Olympic gold five years ago in Rio de Janeiro. The 6-foot-6 hitter is 26 years old on the outside, but he is already considered one of the greatest volleyball players of all time.

Rio Kiyuna (Japan): Kiyuna is from the island of Okinawa, the birthplace of karate, and he is one of the favorites to win gold as the sport first appears in the Olympics. The 31-year-old competes in the kata event, which is an individual event in which athletes show different shapes.

Kevin Durant (United States): The U.S. team has dominated men’s basketball since 1992, when NBA players were first allowed and “Team Dream” became a global phenomenon. The Americans have won their last three gold medals, and six of the last seven – in 2004 alone. Durant, 32, is one of two returning players to the team who won in 2016 and was expected to lead him and score. Durant led the team in scoring in 2016, and he averaged 34.3 points in the NBA playoffs this year.

Ariarne Titmus (Australia): The biggest threat to Katie Ledeki’s dominance in the pool could be Titmus, a 20-year-old Australian nicknamed “Terminator”. Titmus defeated Ledeki in the 400-meter freestyle at the World Championships two years ago. Ledeki was struggling with the stomach virus at the time, but since then, Titmus has improved. He almost broke Ledeki’s world record in the 400 meters in June and crossed the finish line in just .44 seconds.

Diana Tauras and Sue Byrd (United States): If the U.S. women’s basketball team wins gold – as it has in every Olympics since 1996 – then Tauras will go and Byrd will be the first basketball player of any gender to win five Olympic gold medals. The two guards are the two greatest female basketball players of all time. The 39-year-old Taurus is the WNBA’s best scorer. The 40-year-old Birdie is the all-time leading scorer in assists.