So this article will be made up of the events that I couldn’t find another category to put them in! However, don’t let that fool you. Some of these events have the potential to be highlights of the Games.
Modern Pentathlon
First up, a sport that owes its very existence to the Olympics. Created for the 1912 Games and consisting of five disciplines – swimming, fencing, show jumping, shooting and running – it is said to be inspired by the demands expected of a cavalry officer trapped behind enemy lines in the late 19th century – to be able to ride a horse, fight their enemies with sword and gun and, if needed, be able to swim or run back to their comrades. Whether that story is true or not, this remains one of the most unique of Olympics events.
Great Britain and France are both expected to be challenging for medals. One huge word of caution though in regard to making successful predictions. The show jumping section is notorious for its impact on making medal chances. This is because the riders do not ride on their own horses but rather are assigned a horse 20 minutes before the event starts who they may never have seen before. This unfamiliarity between horse and rider can be crucial.
Triathlon
As the name will suggest, triathlon at the Olympics consists of three disciplines – a 1500m swim, 40km bike ride and finally a 10km run (in the individual events that is, the mixed relay is a much shorter sprint event).
These Games will be without Alistair Brownlee, who has won the men’s event at the last two Games, although his younger brother Jonny – the bronze and silver medal from London and Rio respectively – returns. The favourite, however, is Vincent Luis (France).
On the women’s side, we will also see a new champion crowned, as Gwen Jorgensen of the US is not returning to defending her title. Flora Duffy (Bermuda) is possibly the favourite, although has only recently returned from injury. Another athlete to watch out for is Nicola Spirig Hug (Switzerland) who competes sparingly on the international circuit but who has historically peaked at the Olympics. And, as in the men’s event, expect strong challenges from the French and British.
Golf
Golf is one of the sports that is most difficult to predict, as form and conditions can vary wildly week to week and certain courses can drastically favour some athletes more than others.
That being said, there are some reasonable guesses that can be made – on the women’s side, South Korea will expect to be amongst the medals as they dominate the world rankings, and the USA will hope to medal in both men’s and women’s events. Don’t forget Jon Rahm of Spain, who is ranked world number one.
Equestrian
There are three disciplines in Equestrian at the Olympics – Dressage, 3-Day Eventing and Show Jumping.
As is traditional, because it is a sport where the competitors sit on something, Britain has a strong record (seriously, look at the British medal list – the number of medals they have won in seated sports like rowing, cycling, sailing and others is bizarre. But I digress) in these events, including double Olympic Dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin and will always fancy their chances in the team events.
Other nations that will expect to feature well include Germany, who could well dominate the Equestrian medal table with a hatful of golds, the USA and New Zealand.
Skateboarding
Our final two events in this preview are both making their Olympic debut in these Games. First up we have skateboarding, which has two disciplines on show here – street and park. Essentially, the difference (at least to my inexpert eye) is that the street format utilises more rails, stairs and ledges, whilst the park element uses more of the ‘traditional’ half and quarter pipes. I think.
Either way, as with many of the more modern extreme sports, expect the USA and Brazil to be strong medal contenders. Japan also has realistic chances of multiple medals in this event. Finally, it is impossible not to mention Sky Brown who, at 13 years of age, is the youngest person ever to represent Great Britain at the Games. Born in Japan to an English father and Japanese mother – and partially raised in the US – she has a legitimate medal chance.
Sport Climbing
Sport climbing is another of the new events and, I’ll be honest, is one that I know almost nothing about, at least in terms of predicting form! Looking at the world rankings and past events though, the home nation has decent medal chances in both events.
We’re close to finishing up the predictions (phew!), with only diving, artistic swimming, wrestling and athletics left to do. Next up, diving and artistic swimming!
Ian's World Of Sports 