Veterans in race against Tokyo time
From Federer to Felix, the postponement of the 2020 Games appears problematic for a number of aging superstars
With the 2020 Olympics postponed until next year, there are fears the delay will shatter the gold-medal hopes of many aging athletes.
AFP Sport looks at six veteran stars for whom a delayed Tokyo Games might be a step too far.
ROGER FEDERER
The 20-time tennis Grand Slam champion, who will be 40 in August 2021, won Olympic gold when he partnered Stan Wawrinka to the men’s doubles title at the 2008 Beijing Games. Federer was a singles quarterfinalist in China and a silver medalist at London 2012 before injury forced him to miss Rio 2016.
At Sydney 2000, Federer made the singles semifinals but those Games still hold a special place in his heart because it where he first started his romance with Mirka Vavrinec, now his wife.
“Overall it was probably the most unbelievable Olympics I ever had,” said Federer, who was also Switzerland’s flag-bearer in Beijing and at Athens 2004 where he exited in the second round.
SERENA WILLIAMS
The American tennis great will be 40 in September 2021 although her desire to play in Tokyo might not be as pressing as that of Federer.
Williams already has four Olympic gold medals — singles at London 2012 and doubles with sister Venus in 2000, 2008 and 2012.
The sisters lost their openinground match at Rio 2016 while Serena’s gold-medal defense in the singles was ended by Elina Svitolina in the third round.
TIGER WOODS
Woods, who will be 45 in December, would have struggled to make the US team for the Games if they had remained in their 2020 slot. He is currently only the sixth-ranked American with just the top four guaranteed to make the squad.
Woods, the winner of 15 majors, has been fighting a recurrence of a back injury so at least the delay to 2021 for the Olympics gives him renewed hope of a golden swansong.
Organizers would be desperate for Woods to play after he missed the return of golf at Rio 2016 due to injury.
LIN DAN
The colorful Chinese badminton superstar will be 37 by the time the next Games roll around.
Lin already has gold from Beijing in 2008 and London four years later, adding to his five world titles.
However, there is a hint of unfinished business for Lin who was defeated in the bronze-medal match at Rio 2016, having been downed in the semifinals by great rival Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, the man he beat in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic finals.
Regardless of the postponement, it looks likely that Lin will not secure enough qualification points to make the Chinese team for Tokyo.
ALLYSON FELIX
The only female track-and-field athlete to win six Olympic golds, Felix had spent the last two years preparing for a golden farewell at Tokyo 2020. Felix, who turns 35 at the end of this year, will be racing against Father Time as she attempts to improve her medal tally in what would be her fifth consecutive Olympics appearance.
The American can take comfort from the fact she is by no means the oldest woman to chase Olympic glory in sprint events. Merlene Ottey was 40 when she anchored Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team to a bronze medal at Sydney 2000.
JUSTIN GATLIN
Gatlin had planned to retire in 2020 after competing in his fourth Olympics at the age of 38. However, the controversial American star now plans to extend his career in order to compete in the rescheduled Tokyo Games.
“I think a lot of people think that time is against me or against older athletes in this situation, and it’s far from the truth,” said Gatlin, who has twice served suspensions for doping offenses during his career.
Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic champion, could face a battle to even qualify given the depth of the US men’s sprint squad, with Christian Coleman
and Noah Lyles the favorites in the 100m and 200m.
However, there is plenty of time for this pair...
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