The British newspaper "The Telegraph" reported that French basketball player, Victor Wembanyama, has become the tallest athlete in the Paris 2024 Olympics, with a height of 7 feet and 4 inches, or 2.24 meters.
Wembanyama is one of the tallest basketball players in the world and plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The young player (born in 2004) was taken first in the 2023 NBA DRAFT, and is seen as one of the biggest rising talents in basketball.
The newspaper said, "What distinguishes Wayambayama is his style of play. He is flexible and easy to handle the ball, and he has good hands for a tall man."
American basketball legend LeBron James, nicknamed "King James", described Wembanyama after his brilliance during an exhibition match in 2022 in Las Vegas, saying: "No one has ever seen someone as tall as him but smooth and graceful on the court."
"The versatility that Wembanyama brings, the ability to play like a goalie with his height, he can dribble the ball easily, he can shoot from the perimeter, even as a rookie, he was so influential that other players were afraid to attack the basket when he was near it," NBA analyst Muncy told the BBC.
The newspaper pointed out that "Wembanyama carries the hopes of the French in the men's basketball tournament during the Olympics, which is usually a competition for second place behind the United States, but winning any medal of any kind would be impressive."
France lost four consecutive friendly matches ahead of the Olympics and lacks elite players besides Wembanyama, with the exception of Minnesota Timberwolves midfielder Rudy Gobert, according to the newspaper.
According to the NBA website, Wembanyama has been playing professionally since 2019, starting with French club Nantes 92 before moving to ASVEL Lyon Villeurbanne two years later, where he won the French league title.
Wembanyama spent the 2022-23 season with French club Metropolitans 92, before moving to the American club San Antonio Spurs.
Wembanyama also won two silver medals at youth level with France, and set the FIBA world record for most blocks per game at the 2021 U-19 World Cup.