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Mack Horton, of Australia, and winner Yang Sun, of China, at the podium medal awards after the men's 400m freestyle final at the Fina World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea in 2019. Photo: EPA

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Explainer | Iconic Olymic Games rivalries through history: Johnson vs Lewis, Lin vs Lee, Coe vs Ovett, Sun vs Horton

The ‘dirtiest race in history’ in 1988 saw Ben Johnson test positive for steroids while Carl Lewis was handed the gold, while Nadia Comaneci and Nellie Kim fought with grace in gymnastics
Taiwan’s Yang was second to his college mate Rafer Johnson in the 1960 decathlon; Mary Decker and Zola Budd were involved in the most famous fall in Olympics folklore in 1984

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Cheryl Heng

Published: 8:00am, 12 Jul 2021

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Rivalries are the essence of sport and nowhere are these battles more fervently fought out than at the Olympic Games. The more intense the animosity between two world-class opponents the deeper the divisions for fans, neutrals and the media. Aside from the classic hero vs villain narratives, there are the good-natured rivalries where adversaries maintain mutual decorum and respect but – in elite competitor fashion – fight like their lives depended on it.

Here is a look back at some of the fiercest rivalries, often sprinkled with controversy, that the Summer Games have witnessed through the years.

Malaysian badminton player Lee Chong Wei on his knees after getting an injury during the men's singles final match against Lin Dan of China at the BWF World Championships in Guangzhou, China in 2013. Photo: EPA

Lin Dan vs Lee Chong Wei

For two decades, the illustrious pair have captivated badminton fans across Asia and the world. Malaysian Lee Chong Wei was the world’s No 1 for nearly seven years, dominating the Badminton World Federation rankings. But the major titles were won by China’s two-time Olympic and five-time world champion Lin Dan.

Lin won 28 out of the 40 matches played against Lee. After finishing runner-up to Lin at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, Lee finally triumphed in an epic clash at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games semi-finals. He was beaten by Lin’s compatriot Chen Long in the final.

Despite their heated matches, both shuttlers have attributed much of their success to their rivalry. In 2019, Lee retired after undergoing treatment for nose cancer. In response, Lin wrote on Weibo: “I will be alone on the court and no one will accompany me.”

Lin retired a year later, citing pain and injuries, to which Lee paid tribute with a poem.

Great Britain’s Sebastian Coe crosses the finish line in front of East Germany’s Jurgen Straub (338) and Great Britain’s Steve Ovett (279) to win the 1,500-metre race at the Moscow Olympics in the Lenin Stadium in 1980. Photo: AP

Sebastian Coe vs Steve Ovett

The world saw a flash of English sporting excellence in the early 1980s. Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett tussled for the world mile record but had never faced-off in a major event. Coe was tipped to win the 800m run, while Ovett was three years undefeated in the 1500m.

Squaring off at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Ovett won the 800m, which should have been Coe’s event, who then won the 1500m. Their rivalry fizzled out by the next Olympics, as Ovett suffered from bronchitis and eventually dropped out of finals while Coe battled to a silver.

Yang Chuan-kwang and Rafer Johnson

Crossing the 1,500m finish line at the 1960 Rome Olympics, an exhausted American decathlete Rafer Johnson collapsed his head into the shoulder of Taiwan’s Yang Chuan-kwang. Johnson claimed gold in the 10-event decathlon, but Yang’s silver was monumental as he became the first Chinese Olympic medallist.

Johnson and Yang had trained together under the same coach at the University of California, Los Angeles. They remained lifelong friends post-competition. Johnson visited “Iron Man of Asia” Yang in his final days before his death in 2007, while the American passed away in 2020.

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt and USA’s Justin Gatlin after the final of the men's 100m at the IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in 2017. Photo: AFP

Justin Gatlin vs Usain Bolt

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt is the undisputed fastest man in the world. Clinching gold in the 100m and 200m for the third Olympics in a row at Rio 2016, “Lightning Bolt” has met his fair share of rivals in his legendary decade-long career.

Bolt’s greatest competition arguably came from American Justin Gatlin – who came first in his retirement race at the World Championships in 2017. The US sprinter, who has previously served two drug bans, claimed pre-Bolt era gold in Athens in 2004. At 39, Gatlin is eyeing another gold at the Tokyo Games.

(From left) USA’s Gary Hall with the silver medal, Russias Aleksandr Popov with the gold, and Brazil’s Fernando Sherer with the bronze stand on the podium after the 50m men’s freestyle at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Photo: Reuters

Gary Hall Jnr vs Alexander Popov

“He is definitely a trash-talker,” American swimmer Gary Hall Jnr said of his rival Alexander Popov, to which the Russian retorted: “He comes from a family of losers.”

Hall hailed from a family of Olympic swimmers. Known for his showbiz-style struts to the pool, his rivalry with “Sprint Tsar” Popov made for compelling theatre.

At the 1996 Atlanta Games, Popov defended his golds in two individual races to Hall’s silvers. Hall went on to clinch relay golds in the 400m freestyle and 400m medley.

The American was later diagnosed with diabetes but went on to win two golds at Sydney 2000, including in the hotly contested 50m freestyle, and defended it in Athens in 2004.

Michael Phelps (right) and Ryan Lochte at the final of the200m freestyle race event at the 2012 US Olympic Swimming Team Trials at the CenturyLink Centre in Omaha, Nebraska in 2012. Photo: AFP

Michael Phelps vs Ryan Lochte

With 23 gold medals, Michael Phelps is hands-down the most decorated Olympian of all time. Dominating four consecutive Olympic Games since 2004, the now-retired American has had plenty of podium competition to fend off.

Teammate and six-time Olympic gold medallist and former roommate Ryan Lochte is one his longest-running rivals. Lochte defeated Phelps in the 400m individual medley at the 2012 London Games before edging him in the 100m butterfly two years later upon Phelps’ comeback from retirement. Though he trails behind as the second most decorated men’s swimmer in Olympic history, Lochte’s career has been marred with controversy.

Lilly King vs Yulia Efimova

Finger-wagging at the Olympics? Lilly King went for it at the 2016 Rio Games. The American swimmer also called her Russian rival Yulia Efimova, who was initially banned for being part of her country’s state-sponsored drug doping scandal, a “drug cheat”.

Efimova won her 100m breaststroke semi-final and raised her finger to signal she was “No 1”. Watching from the live stream backstage, King waved her finger back in disapproval. She went on to win her own race in a quicker time and repeated the finger-wagging gesture.

“You wave your finger ‘No 1’ and you’ve been caught drug cheating ... I’m just not a fan,” said King, who later beat Efimova to win gold, while the Russian took home bronze.

King would later say that the pair had moved on from their feud, clasping hands and exchanging pecks on the cheek in 2019.

Nadia Comaneci vs Nellie Kim

Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci captured one of the Olympics’ most memorable moments when she achieved a perfect 10 at the 1976 Montreal Games. The then-14-year-old was the first and youngest to achieve the maximum score, with the sport later revising its minimum age and scoring system.

Comaneci would score perfect 10s six more times and bag three gold medals at the same Games, eclipsing 1972 Olympic champion Olga Korbut of the Soviet Union.

It was rising Russian star Nellie Kim who matched Comaneci’s brilliance in the 1980 Moscow Games. Kim left Montreal with two flawless scores of 10 and three golds, but trailed Comaneci’s first place in the individual all-around.

Comaneci ended her career with a total of nine Olympic medals, while Kim netted six, both clinching five golds each.

US’ Mary Decker-Slaney grimaces and clutches her leg after a collision with rival Zola Budd during the women's 3,000m final at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Photo: AP

Mary Decker vs Zola Budd

The most infamous fall in Olympics history convulsed the careers of two elite runners at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. US world champion Mary Decker collided with South Africa-born Zola Budd at the midpoint of their 3000m race. Their legs tangled twice with Decker eventually knocked off balance and forced to withdraw in tears.

Budd, who would often run barefoot, continued the race with a bleeding ankle against a chorus of boos. She was representing Great Britain at the time to bypass an international ban imposed against apartheid-era South Africa. Budd finished seventh.

Decker initially accused Budd of tripping her up, reportedly saying “don’t bother” in an attempted post-race tunnel apology, but has since forgiven her. Reconciliation came decades later, when the pair met for a jog at the same stadium for the 2016 documentary titled The Fall.

Ben Johnson of Canada crosses the finish line before Carl Lewis to win the 100m final in a world record 9.79 at the 1988 Seoul Olympics stadium on 24 September 1988. Photo: AFP

Ben Johnson vs Carl Lewis

The 1988 Seoul Olympics men’s 100m final went from being a race to determine the fastest man alive, to being remembered as “the dirtiest race in history”.

It was a showdown between Jamaica-born Canadian world champion Ben Johnson and defending Olympic champion and nine-time gold medallist Carl Lewis. Johnson defeated his American rival with a world record time of 9.79 seconds.

But Johnson was later disqualified for doping and his gold medal was awarded to Lewis in what was one of the most controversial cheating incidents in Olympic history. Johnson would forever remain an athletics disgrace, attempting a comeback after completing his ban and promptly testing positive for drugs again. Lewis would go on to become a decorated nine-time Olympic gold medallist.

Australia's Mack Horton (left) refuses to stand on the podium with gold medallist Sun Yang of China and bronze medallist Gabriele Detti of Italy after the final of the men's 400m freestyle event at the 2019 World Championships at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Centre in Gwangju, South Korea. Photo: AFP

Mack Horton vs Sun Yang

The enmity between Australian swimmer Mack Horton and Chinese rival Sun Yang remains fresh in the swimming world. Three-time Olympic champion Yang served a three-month ban in 2014 for taking a heart medication that was only months earlier added to the banned list of substances.

That drew the ire of Horton, who dubbed Sun a “drug cheat” after the Australian won the 400m final at the 2016 Rio Games. Their feud boiled over at the 2019 World Championships when Horton refused to share a podium with Sun, who won the race.

While Horton will be part of the relay team at the Tokyo Games this year, he will not be defending his title after failing to qualify for the 400m. Meanwhile, Sun will miss the Games after the Court of Arbitration of Sport banned him for four year and six months over a disputed doping test in 2018. He was originally banned for eight years in 2019 before the ruling was overturned at the Swiss Supreme Court last December.

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