PARIS: Icons of their sports. Voices for equality and social justice. Elite performers.
Simone Biles and LeBron James lead the list of athletes likely competing at their final Olympics.
Add in that Andy Murray will be retiring after the Paris Games and that Rafael Nadal may bid goodbye to tennis, too, and the stage is set for some emotional, high-profile goodbyes.
Here’s a look at some of the top competitors expected to say “adieu” to the Olympics — or their sport in general — in the French capital:
Simone Biles
At 27, Biles is the oldest American woman to make an Olympic gymnastics team since the 1950s. Having returned from a two-year break last summer, Biles can add to her career haul of seven Olympic medals — four of them gold — when she competes at the Bercy Arena.
LeBron James
At 39, James is about to become the first US men’s basketball player to compete at the Olympics in three different decades. To get an idea of what stage he’s at in his career, consider this: When James and the US team opened their Olympic training camp in Las Vegas, his son, Bronny, was making his pro debut for the Los Angeles Lakers in the California Classic summer league.
Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal
Murray’s goodbye to Wimbledon didn’t go the way he had hoped. The British player is hoping for a better result in the Olympic tennis competition on the red clay of Roland Garros, home of the French Open. Paris will mark Murray’s fifth Olympics, having won back-to-back singles golds in 2012 and 2016. While Murray has indicated that he plans to end his career after the Olympics, Nadal’s status is less clear. But playing the Olympics at the site where he won 14 French Opens — and where there’s a statue of him outside Court Philippe Chatrier — will be special no matter what Nadal does next. Nadal has won Olympic gold in both singles (in 2008) and doubles (in 2016) and will team up with Carlos Alcaraz for doubles in Paris.
Shelly-Anne Fraser Pryce
Jamaican sprinter Fraser-Pryce has announced that the Paris Games will be her fifth and final Olympics. The 37-year-old Fraser-Pryce, who has won eight Olympic medals, wants to spend more time with her husband and 6-year-old son, Zyon. Fraser-Pryce will run against Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100 meters.
Gianmarco Tamberi
One of the biggest showmen in track and field, the Italian high jumper Tamberi wants to go out on top by defending the gold medal that he shared with his good friend Mutaz Barshim in Tokyo. Both Tamberi and Barshim have indicated this will be their final Olympics.
Sarah Sjöström
At age 30, Swedish swimming standout Sjöström will be competing in her fifth Olympics. A winner of four medals at the Olympics, Sjöström is focusing on one individual event for Paris. She’ll race the 50-meter freestyle — an event she holds the world record in — plus three relays. Sjöström made her Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008 at the age of 14.
Tom Daley
Daley was Britain’s youngest athlete in 2008 at 14. Three years ago in Tokyo he won his first Olympic gold with partner Matty Lee in 10-meter synchronized and now he’s back for a fifth Olympics. Daley drew attention for knitting between dives in Tokyo as a way of relaxing.
Mikkel Hansen
With his shoulder-length hair and headband, the powerful left back Hansen is one of the most familiar faces in Danish sports. A three-time men’s world player of the year, a record he shares with longtime rival Nikola Karabatić, Hansen is considered one of the best handball players ever. He led Denmark to gold in Rio and then silver in Tokyo.
Teddy Riner
The French heavyweight judoka Riner is one of host France’s top medal hopes. He’s looking to add to his haul of five Olympic medals, including three gold. He’s also won a record 11 golds at worlds.