Tokyo Olympics: Athletes to Watch This Summer
Looking for some names to root for? Start here.
By The New York Times
June 1, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
No list of Olympic athletes could encompass all the stories of human achievement on display at the Summer Games. But if you’re looking for some names to root for (or against) in Tokyo, here are a few to start with. (Note that some still need to qualify to compete this year.)
Gymnastics
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Simone Biles competing on the beam at the U.S. Classic in May. She is in line for more gold medals in Tokyo.Credit.Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
CAIRO (AP) Denmark will go to the Tokyo Olympics as world men’s handball champion after beating Sweden 26-24 in the final on Sunday.
Mikkel Hansen scored seven goals and goalkeeper Niklas Landin Jacobsen had 15 saves as Denmark kept the title it won for the first time in 2019. The Danes are also the reigning Olympic champions after beating France in the 2016 final.
Spain added a world bronze medal to its European title after beating France 35-29 with eight goals from Alex Dujshebaev.
The world championship took place amid disruption because of the coronavirus pandemic, with three teams the United States, the Czech Republic and Cape Verde withdrawing due to virus cases, either before the tournament began or during the preliminary round.