Every edition of the Olympics provides an opportunity for lesser-known players to test their mettle against the established stars. While past editions have seen the odd ‘minnow’ impress against the big fish, Paris 2024 saw several of them step up to the challenge and prove they are not far behind. Here are some of those who stole the spotlight, even if for brief periods:

Kaloyana Nalbantova

Just 18 years old, the Bulgarian did enough to suggest she could be one of the women’s singles players to watch from Europe. Unfazed by An Se Young in Group A, Nalbantova impressed the world champion with her physicality. Next up was home hope Qi Xuefei, and the Bulgarian made light of the difference in ranking and experience by beating the Frenchwoman in straight games.

Juliana Viana Vieira

The 19-year-old Brazilian, in women’s singles Group D with 11^th seed Supanida Katethong and Happy Lo, gave an excellent account of her abilities as she stretched Katethong in a close two-game loss, 21-16 21-19, before beating Happy Lo – the first win for a Brazilian women’s singles player.

Julien Carraggi 

Drawn in the men’s singles ‘Group of Death’ with Jonatan Christie, Lakshya Sen and Kevin Cordon, the 24-year-old Carraggi nearly caused the upset of the opening day as he took Christie the distance, eventually falling in 65 minutes, 18-21 21-11 21-16.

Luis Ramon Garrido

The 28-year-old Mexican was involved in perhaps the most fraught match of the early rounds when he played Lee Cheuk Yiu. Having stood up to Chou Tien Chen in his first match (21-17 21-13), Garrido took the battle to Lee Cheuk Yiu, winning the second game and in sight of an upset, before his higher-ranked opponent edged him at the end, 21-5 15-21 21-17.

Collins Valentine Filimon

The No.111 Austrian, in Group E with fourth seed Anders Antonsen and Ade Resky Dwicahyo, had his moments in both matches. Against Antonsen in the second game, Filimon didn’t look out of his league at all, and did give the Dane something to think about before he went down 21-10 21-18.

Jenjira Stadelmann

Playing Carolina Marin in Group L, the 24-year-old Stadelmann gave a great account of her abilities, taking her idol the distance in the second game. Although the fourth seeded Marin did close her assignment in straight games, Stadelmann’s spirited performance appeared to have aided her confidence, as she won her next match against Rachel Darragh after fighting off match point.

Johanita Scholtz

The South African world No.97 had a modest start in Group H against Kim Ga Eun but produced a vastly improved performance against Goh Jin Wei. With a 19-16 lead Scholz had a shot at taking the opening game, but Goh edged her in a tight finish and closed out the match in straight games (23-21 21-11).

Thet Htar Thuzar

After suffering a demolition job by Akane Yamaguchi in her opening match, the No.43 fared much better against Michelle Li. Thet led Li all the way in the second game, with the Canadian managing to catch up at the very end in a thrilling finish, 21-16 23-21.

Le Duc Phat

The No.71 Vietnamese, who has mostly plied his trade at the International Challenge, Series and Super 100 levels, made a good impression in Group K beating Fabian Roth and taking 13^th seed HS Prannoy to three games.

Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori

Perhaps it was his training stint with Pusarla V Sindhu in Saarbrucken before arriving at Paris 2024, but Opeyori did give a good account of himself. After falling to Austrian Tobias Kuenzi, Opeyori was unfazed by sixth seed Li Shi Feng, going down 21-17 21-17 in a well-contested match.