AW Magazine

25 July 2024

The August issue of AW is your indispensable guide to the athletics at the Paris 2024 Olympics. This 116-page special provides everything you need to know about every run, jump and throw in the French capital. Steve Smythe delves into each discipline to present the key facts, the main contenders and predict which athletes will finish on the top of the podium. There are also exclusive interviews with two current Olympic champions – middle-distance superstar Faith Kipyegon and marathon man Eliud Kipchoge – with both having had to deal with adversity on their respective roads to Paris. The sprints are always some of the most watched events at any major championships and three-time Olympic sprinter Adam Gemili assesses which of the fastest humans on the planet might excel this time around. The men’s 1500m – and in particular the showdown between reigning world champion Josh Kerr and Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen – is also eagerly awaited. The Rio Olympian Chris O’Hare, who knows Kerr well from their days together at Edinburgh AC and also raced Ingebrigtsen on more than a few occasions, outlines the huge impact that both of these current stars have had on middle-distance running. Dame Kelly Holmes also knows a thing or two about Olympic success, having struck 800m and 1500m gold 20 years ago in Athens. She explains what it took to become a champion, as well as giving her thoughts on Keely Hodgkinson’s prospects of reaching the top of the 800m podium in Paris. Katharine Merry also provides her insight on what it’s really like to experience the Olympics as an athlete, while British coach James Hiller talks about his role in trying to turn India into a force to be reckoned with on the global athletics stage. Our columnists discuss the impact of the controversial UK Athletics selection policy, while the packed performance section offers the usual expert advice, athlete insight with Irish Olympian Thomas Barr, as well as a coaching conversation with Geoff Wightman and Paul Freary’s reviews of the latest footwear.