Like every year, many of them end their careers. In 2024, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Mark Cavendish and Rafael Nadal said goodbye to their audience after having made the heyday of world sport.
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For its last Olympics in Paris, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce failed to win a medal. But the 37-year-old Jamaican will remain as the most talented sprinter of her generation. Her story begins at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. She crushes the 100m final in 10.78, two tenths ahead of Sherone Simpson, and Kerron Stewart, her compatriots, second. tied. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has two Olympic titles in the 100m (2008 and 2012), a third place in Rio in 2016 and a second place in Tokyo in 2021. This for a total of 8 Olympic medals (3 titles) , to which are added 10 world champion titles.
Stage record holder on the Tour de France with 35 successes, the British sprinter Mark Cavendish put away his bike at the end of the season. The Briton had postponed his retirement for a year to beat Eddy Merckx’s victory record on the Grande Boucle. He succeeded in his mission by winning the fifth stage of the last Tour de France. Mark Cavendish has 168 successes in total, including 55 victories over the three Grand Tours. He also wore the world champion jersey after winning in 2011 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
In tennis, a legend has put an end to his immense career. After 22 Grand Slam titles, Rafael Nadalking of clay, put away his rackets after the Davis Cup finals last November. Among the many tributes received by the Spaniard, we can read that of the Serbian Novak Djokovic: “Thank you for always pushing me to the limits of my abilities in our rivalry which impacted me the most as a player. Your passion for representing Spain has always been remarkable. »
Crowned with a 2018 world champion title, defender Raphaël Varane ended his prolific career in October. Last summer, he attempted a final challenge with Como in the Italian Serie A. But a new injury persuaded him to put away his crampons.
The man with 93 French caps, played 360 matches with Real Madrid, won four Champions Leagues and three Spanish championship titles. After leaving the Merengue, Raphaël Varane played three seasons at Manchester United (95 matches) where he won the League Cup then the FA Cup, despite an increasingly diminished physique. Trained at RC Lens, Raphaël Varane left France at 18 and over time became one of the greatest representatives of French football.
Triple individual European champion, Olympic and world bronze medalist, Christophe Lemaitre chose to retire at the age of 34 before the Paris Olympics after a new injury which stopped his preparation. The first white sprinter under 10 seconds over 100m, Christophe Lemaitre collected international medals between 2010 and 2016. He reached the pinnacle of his career at the Rio Olympics in 2016when he climbs onto the podium in the half-lap with the legend Usain Bolt. At the 2012 London Games, he was part of the 4x100m bronze medalist.
He holds two national records on his favorite distances: the 100 m with 9.92 s, established at the 2011 French Championships in Albi, and 200 m with 19.80 s during the 2011 World Championships in Daegu where he was one of the sprinters. the most prominent. He left South Korea with silver in the 4x100m, bronze in the 200m and fourth place in the 100m.
Youngest MVP in history, playing for the Chicago Bulls at the age of 22, Derrick Rose ended a sixteen-year career in the NBA. The 1.91m point guard, No. 1 in the 2008 Draft, spent eight years in Chicago and then had a slump, with stints at the Knicks, Cavaliers and Timberwolves. At 35 years old, after a final adventure last season with the Grizzlies, Derrick Rose has no longer managed to regain the 20 points average he reached at the start of his career. One of the most explosive players in history, his body was often weakened by injuries which did not allow him to have a career that matched his talent and ambitions.
Joël Matip, Cameroonian international with 27 caps, also worn out by the increase in injuries in recent years, has decided to put away his crampons at the age of 33. The central defender trained in his hometown with SC Weitmar 45 and played for eight years with Liverpool, between 2016 and 2024 after a long stint at Schalke 04 (2009-2016). With the Reds he won a Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup, a Club World Cup, a Premier League title, an FA Cup and two League Cups. With the Indomitable Lions, he participated in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the next one in Brazil in 2014. In Brasilia, the Cameroonians drink the chalice to the dregs. They lost 4-1 against Neymar’s Brazil. Joël Matip scores the only goal for the Cameroonians during this World Cup.