Analysis
Paris 2024
The embarrassment of Tokyo triggered a post-mortem. The rebirth was glorious
The last Olympics ended in snapped-handlebars and ignominy. And if the Paris response was emphatic – it could peak in LA.
- by Emma Kemp
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Hoisting a baby grand piano and Missy Elliott: Why weightlifting is the best show in Paris
Heightened feats of primal strength performed by athletes who put the super in super heavyweight? Sign us up.
- by Emma Kemp
The velodrome’s untouchable king, and the Australian who dared to dethrone him
Sprint gold medallist Harrie Lavreysen has for so long been the velodrome’s untouchable. For the first time in years, he has a genuine threat in the Australian.
- by Emma Kemp
They called her ‘Pele in skirts’. Now they call Marta by her name
Whether or not Brazil win Olympic gold on Saturday, the player who has been a giant for her nation and global women’s soccer will retire a legend of the sport.
- by Emma Kemp
Dart of sharpness: How teen star Luke Littler hit the bullseye
The 17-year-old Brit, a rugby league fan who has turned darts into a sexy sport, will compete at the Australian Darts Masters in Wollongong this weekend.
- by Emma Kemp
World records are being obliterated at the Olympic velodrome. Here’s why
Paris may have offered up a slow pool, but there is no shortage of speed at the track cycling, with a combination of factors contributing to insanely fast times.
- by Emma Kemp
The handlebars snapped, and the fallout was dire. It’s why no one saw them coming
It was cohesive, slick and fiercely focused. It was as beautiful as it was nerve-racking. Really, it was everything Anna Meares had described.
- by Emma Kemp
This Subway worker has sights set on breaking a 24-year Australian Olympic medal drought
No Australian has stood on the taekwondo podium since Sydney 2000, but a post-Tokyo program overhaul has raised hopes the team can make it rain in Paris this week.
- by Emma Kemp
‘A lot of relief’: Australia’s unluckiest Olympian finally wins a medal
Matthew Glaetzer has finally broken his run of fourth-place finishes, on a night when Australia also broke the men’s team pursuit world record.
- by Emma Kemp
Can bikes keep getting better or is the track cycling arms race over?
After decades of expensive aerodynamic one-upmanship and pushing regulations to the limits, the gap between well-funded Olympic nations appears to have closed in time for Paris.
- by Emma Kemp
‘Just getting started’: US reign again but Dolphins leave Paris with silver linings
The rivalry will continue in the four years to LA 2028, but head coach Rohan Taylor has one eye on the rest of the world after 13 countries won at least one gold.
- by Emma Kemp