Ten for Tokyo

I do not usually link to the articles that appear in the World Athletics site. At this moment two out of three articles are promotional for the Tokyo Olympics and somehow I do not manage to relate to them. But this time I will make an exception. The title of the article is

10 athletes set to make national sporting history at the Tokyo Olympics

It gives a list of ten athletes who have a chance to win an olympic medal, a fact that would constitute a first for their country. 

The article is signed by J. Mulkeen who is an athletics journalist the work of whose I do really appreciate. What I did not like in this article of his is that he refers to the athletes of the list as "underdogs" (admittedly, he is doing so only indirectly, but still I gritted my teeth when I read the "u" word). Well, let's (just for this once) forgive the slightly racist faux pas and get on with the list. 

Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, marathon - Israel

Neeraj Chopra, javelin throw - India

Joseph Fahnbulleh, 200 m - Liberia

Kimberly Garcia, 20 km race walk - Peru

Thea LaFond, triple jump - Dominica

Kyron McMaster, 400 m hurdles - British Virgin Islands

Alex Rose, discus throw - Samoa

Amel Tuka, 800 m - Bosnia & Herzegovina

Andrea Vargas, 100 m hurdles - Costa Rica

Hugues Fabrice Zango, triple jump - Burkina Faso

The athletes of the list are far from being underdogs. 

L. Salpeter is European 10000 m champion. N. Chopra is  Commonwealth and Asian champion.  K. McMaster is Commonwealth gold medalist. A. Vargas won a Pan American gold. H.F. Zango holds the world indoor record in triple jump. 

The raison d'être of the list has more to do with the athletes' countries than with the athletes themselves. In fact none of these countries has ever won an Olympic medal. (And the fact that N. Pritchard's two silver medals from 1900 are attributed to India is a joke: although India-born, Pritchard was definitely of british nationality).  Some of those countries do not even have an olympic finalist. So any success by one of the list of ten will be a big first. 

I will definitely follow all of them in Tokyo. And my favourite (even for a gold medal) is H.F. Zango. I cross my fingers for him.