Sibling stars vying for glory in pairs

For some families, Tokyo Olympics are doubly important because they have twice as much at stake. More than 25 pairs of siblings are competing for medals together this time, and in some cases, even against each other.

Leon Hayward, 31 NEW ZEALAND Jeremy Hayward, 28 AUSTRALIA

For this pair of brothers, things aren’t as straightforward as the others – they are representing rival countries in hockey. While both were born in and played for Australia at the start, elder brother Leon eventually moved to playing New Zealand (their mother is from there) after he did not get selected. They faced off against each other on Wednesday, when Jeremy’s Australia came out on top in the battle, winning 4-2.

Hifumi Abe, 23 Uta Abe, 21 JAPAN

On Sunday morning, as Japanese judoka Uta Abe triumphed in the women’s 52kg category, she was etching history. Hours before, her brother Hifumi took gold in the men’s 66kg judo final, making them the first siblings to win gold medals in individual events on the same day. “This has turned out to be the greatest day ever. I don’t think we, as brother and sister, couldn’t shine any brighter on this stage,” Hifumi said after his win.

Bronte Campbell, 27 Cate Campbell, 29 AUSTRALIA

There are many reasons why the Australian women are heavily favoured to win a third straight gold medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay. But key among those is the synergy the women’s team with sisters Bronte and Cate Campbell forming half the team. “We’ve built that through many years of competing together,” said Bronte. “So that’s probably the glue that holds us strong.”

Filip Ingebrigtsen, 28 Jakob Ingebrigtsen, 20 NORWAY

Filip and Jakob are from what is perhaps the first family of Norway’s athletics. Filip, the elder brother, is a former European champ (1500m), while Jakob is one of the country’s biggest athletic find in years. But there’s more to this family – a third Ingebrigtsen brother (the eldest, Henrik) is a four-time Europe champion, while their father Gjert is their coach.

Jessica Korda, 28 Nelly Korda, 23 UNITED STATES

Golfers Jessica and Nelly Korda may not be alone in America’s rich history of sporting siblings, but they are sure here to make a mark. Both sisters are both enjoying successful careers and boast 12 LPGA tour wins between them – six each. Nelly, however, is among the favourites to win gold as heads to Tokyo as World Number 1.