| TOPTHAT | Provocation from a competitor |
| TAUNTS | Provocations from prominent foundation to relatives (6) |
| SCRATCH | Poultry food; the hiss of a stylus on a record; a competitor withdrawn from a race etc; or, a graze (7) |
| PLAYER | An actor; a bugler, cellist or other instrumentalist; a competitor; a gambler or gamer; or, a trifler (6) |
| SKELETON | Winter sport where a competitor goes head-first on a sled down a frozen track (8) |
| ATHLETE | From the Greek for "contest" or "prize", a sportsperson such as a competitor in track and field; or, any person of exceptional fitness (7) |
| UNDERCUT | Offer a better price than (a competitor) |
| AGONIST | A sign to upset a competitor |
| ROYALPAINE | If a competitor of Coke and Pepsi merged with a major investment firm, they'd be ___ |
| FINALIST | A competitor in a heat hopes to become one |
| DARKHORSE | A competitor in a contest about whom little is known (4,5) |
| RIVAL | A viral complication for a competitor or opponent (5) |
| UNDERDOG | What describes a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest? (8) |
| ROWING | A competitor in which sport might have a sliding seat? (6) |
| BACKMARKER | A competitor who is among the last in a race (10) |
| STARTER | What might we call a competitor in a race (7) |
| FENCER | Such a competitor might adopt a lunge or parry (6) |
| QUARTERFINALIST | District record broken by bit of a swimmer, a competitor as yet unbeaten? (7-8) |
| RUNNERUP | A competitor or team finishing second in a contest (6,2) |
| INTHESWIM | Aware of current events, like a competitor at a pool? (2,3,4) |
