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COVER
STORY: OLYMPICS SPECIAL
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Stars To Watch
Amongst
the 10,500-odd athletes for Sydney, there is a handful who could become
Olympic legends before the big fortnight is out. Keep track of these 10
and watch history being made.
Marion
Jones: Sprints, Long jump, Relays
 She
is tipped to be the Star of Sydney. The American wants five golds which
will overtake Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis and Fanny Blankers-Koen's record
four in one Olympics. She says, "All I want is to bring back the
hardware. I'm not going there for silver or bronze."
Haile
Gebrselassie: 10,000 M
 The
ethiopian is considered one of the greatest long-distance runners the
world has ever seen. He's only 5 ft 3 in but has a devastating finishing
kick, and is reigning Olympic champion in the 10,000 m. He grew up sharing
one pair of sneakers with nine siblings and in 1994 announced his arrival
to the world by breaking the 5000 m world record. He has broken 15 world
records and trains for a big event like the Olympics by running a trifling
18 miles a day.
Maurice
Greene: 100 m, Relays
 There
is no title as glamorous as that of the fastest man in the world. The
chief contender for Sydney is this cocky American who has run the year's
fastest 100 m two weeks before the Games opened. Greene has run the 100m
in under 10 seconds no less than 17 times in three years.
Lance
Armstrong: Cycling-time trial
 Lance
Armstrong goes to The Olympics already a legend. He has battled the odds
and beaten testicular cancer to return to competitive cycling. After brain
surgery three years ago, he returned to his bike 20 pounds lighter and
won the world's most gruelling race, the Tour de France. Twice.
Simon
Lessing: Triathlon
 Triathletes
are called ironmen. And Lessing, born in South Africa, trained in France
and running for Britain is a five- time world champion. The Olympic triathlon
begins with a 1.5 km swim, moves on to a 40 km cycle ride and finishes
with a 10 km run. Lessing thinks the course in Sydney is "fairly
straightforward".
Svetlana
Khorkina: Gymnastics
 At
21 THE RUSSIAN is among the older and more experienced women in her sport.
She is a four-time world champion, two-time European champion and an Olympic
champion in her favourite event, the uneven bars, regarded as the most
demanding of gymnastic routines. In Sydney, Khorkina looks for the one
medal she does not possess, the Holy Grail of international gymnastics:
the all-round individual Olympic gold. Russian coach Leonid Arkyev once
compared her to the legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova and in Sydney she
will show the world why.
Inge
De Bruijn: Freestyle, Butterfly Sprints
 Holland's
startling new swimming sensation will be closely watched at the Games,
if only for the speed with which she has smashed world marks. In a few
months this year, De Bruijn has set records in the 50 m and the 100 m
in both the freestyle and the butterfly. In preparation for Sydney, she
changed her training routines both in and outside the water. It paid off
only this year when at the relatively advanced age of 26, De Bruijn was
named the European Swimmer of the Year.
The
Sisters Williams: Tennis
 The
terrific twosome of the tennis courts, Venus and Serena have changed the
face of women's tennis. The superathletic, hyperactive soul sisters are
also a ferocious doubles team and will be one of the most celebrated attractions
of the Olympic tennis competition. Wimbledon champion Venus is 6 ft1 and
aged 20, while US Open title holder 19-year-old Serena is 5 ft10 and heading
for the No. 1 ranking in the world. With the Williamses around, Olympic
tennis will never be the same again.
Ian
Thorpe: 200 M, 400 M Freestyle
 Nicknamed
"thorpedo", the 17-year-old is already an Australian icon, the
prince of the pool. Known as much for his size 17 feet as his explosive
style across the water, Thorpe is 400 m freestyle world champion. But
as a first-time Olympian, he wants to make a bigger splash in his home
Games.
Steven
Redgrave: Rowing-coxless fours
 Four
Games, Four Golds. The 38-year-old Briton thought he was satisfied with
his Olympics tally, but he returns, to the great gloom of rivals. A competitive
rower for 18 years, Redgrave has won Olympic golds in the coxless pairs
and coxed fours. This time he is part of the British team tipped for gold.
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The
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its too late, suggests INDIA TODAY associate Editor V. Shankar Aiyar
in 
