The Paris Olympics: Major Absentees
The Paris Olympics, starting in less than a week, will bring together the best athletes in each specialty. However, injuries, accidents, or poor results in qualifying phases have sidelined some major figures and teams from the event.
Here are the main absentees:
- Yulimar Rojas (Triple Jump, Venezuela): The reigning Olympic champion, world record holder, and four-time world champion suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in April, preventing her from defending her title in Paris. The absence of Rojas, 28, leaves a significant void in the women's triple jump, where she was the main favorite for gold.
- Elaine Thompson-Herah (Athletics, Jamaica): The Jamaican sprinter, 32, and four-time gold medalist in the 100 and 200 meters at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, bid farewell to Paris 2024 after an Achilles tendon injury last June.
- Oksana Chusovitina (Gymnastics, Uzbekistan): The legendary Uzbek gymnast will not be able to compete in her ninth Olympics due to an injury sustained during the Asian Gymnastics Championships in April. This is a significant blow for the athlete, who aspired to bid farewell to the Olympics with a historic mark. Chusovitina, 49, is one of the longest-serving and most decorated gymnasts in history.
- Kelvin Kiptum (Athletics, Kenya): The Kenyan marathon runner and world record holder died in a car accident in February at the age of 24. Kiptum was one of the great promises of world athletics, and his premature death shocked the sports world.
- Brazilian Men's Football Team: The “Seleção” did not qualify for Paris 2024 after losing to Argentina in the South American pre-Olympic tournament, thwarting their dream of winning a third consecutive gold medal at the Olympics.
- Argentine Men's Basketball Team: The "Albiceleste" will also miss the Olympics after failing to qualify in the continental pre-Olympic tournament. Figures like Campazzo, Laprovittola, Deck, and Vildoza will miss the Paris event. Argentina, Olympic runner-up in 2004, will miss the Olympics for the first time since Los Angeles 1984.
- Katie Archibald (Track Cycling, United Kingdom): The double Olympic champion will miss this Paris event due to injuries sustained in a fall at her home in June. Archibald, 30, will not be able to defend the medals she won in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
- Kawhi Leonard (Basketball, United States): Leonard, a two-time NBA champion and one of the multiple stars of the “Dream Team,” is out due to various physical problems. Another great figure on the team, Kevin Durant, has calf issues and has missed several preparation games, though he remains with the US squad for now.
- Kylian Mbappé (Football, France): Despite expressing his desire for years to compete in the Olympics in his home city, the French football star will not participate due to a decision by his new club, Real Madrid, and after having competed in the recent EURO in Germany.
- Bruno Fratus (Swimming, Brazil): Bronze medalist in the 50 meters freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics and with multiple trophies in world championships, Fratus will not be in Paris due to a series of physical problems, for which he underwent knee surgery in February.
- Tadej Pogacar (Cycling, Slovenia): The Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar, who won the Tour de France for the third time with six stage victories, has withdrawn from participating in the Paris 2024 Olympics to rest, announced the Slovenian Olympic committee on Monday.
