There are now just 100 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. With excitement building, GiveMeSport Women looks at the five names to look out for this summer.
Simone Biles
Simone Biles was one of the stand-out performers at Rio 2016, finishing with gold in the vault, all-around, floor and team contests. She also placed third in the balance beam. Despite this impressive performance, the 24-year-old will still be looking to earn even more medals at Tokyo 2020.
She may even have a few new tricks up her sleeve. Biles already has three elements named in her honour in the International Gymnastics Federation scoring system, but is currently fine-tuning a potential fourth for the Olympics. This alone will make the American well worth watching this summer.
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka is one of Japan’s best chances of a gold medal at their home Olympics this summer. The four-time Grand Slam winner is in commanding form, having triumphed at the Australian Open in January and the US Open last year.
Osaka will not only have the advantage of an all-Japanese crowd, but will also be able to play on her favoured surface – a hard court. She will be aiming to establish herself as the best women’s tennis player around by adding an Olympic title to her trophy cabinet.
Dina Asher-Smith
Dina Asher-Smith will be one of Britain’s best bets at Tokyo 2020. She consolidated her status as one of the most exciting sprinters around at the 2019 World Athletics Championships, clinching gold in the 200 metres and silver in the 100m race.
Her battles over both distances against Jamaica’s finest – Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce – will be thrilling to watch.
Shaunae Miller-Uibo
If track and field is your thing, Shaunae Miller-Uibo is another key contender for glory at Tokyo 2020. The sprinter from the Bahamas is the reigning Olympic champion in the 400m, edging past American legend Allyson Felix to take gold in Rio. Miller-Uibo was also the fastest over 200m in 2019.
The 26-year-old is unlikely to compete across both distances, however. Doing so would create a congested schedule that would be near impossible to navigate. Don’t rule it out though – Miller-Uibo is likely to be up for the challenge.
Sky Brown
If she qualifies, which is looking likely, Sky Brown will be one of the youngest athletes in Tokyo this summer. Indeed, at 12-years-old, she will become the youngest ever British athlete to compete at the Olympics.
The skateboarder will not just be there to make up the numbers, either. Her third place finish at the 2019 World Skateboarding Championships showed she is a real contender for an Olympic medal. Brown has even been honing her craft with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk in preparation for the Games.
