2024 Paris Olympics Preview: Who to watch

Paris, France is putting on the final touches as the 2024 Summer Olympics is just days away from beginning.  The Opening Ceremonies will commence on July 24 as athletes from over 200 countries around the world gather to participate in over 330 medaling events across 45 sports.  The Olympic games will close August 11 after 19 days of competition between the world’s most elite athletes and players.  

The roster for the USA team will include 592 of the country’s most determined, talented, driven and extraordinary athletes the country has.  Many of them are returning Olympians, Medalists, and World Champions, there chasing another round of gold medals and Olympic glory.  While there are many worth keeping an eye out for, here are a few athletes competing in events from A to Z that will certainly be worth following across their competitions. 

Casey Kaufhold of Lancaster, Pennsylvania is headed to her second Olympic games at just 20 years old, competing in archery.  Kaufhold has the potential to find her place on the medal stand, the first time in nearly 50 years for the USA women’s team.  Since her Olympic debut at the 202 Tokyo Games, Kaufhold finished in second place at the 2021 World Championships and fourth at the 2023 Worlds in the women’s individual event, beating Tokyo gold medalist An San at both competitions.

Artistic swimming has historically been a women’s only event, but the Paris games look to include the sport for the first time at the 2024 Olympics.  45 year old Bill May, known as the greatest male artistic swimmer ever, will have a clear shot of his dream- an Olympic gold medal.  The six time world medalist will compete as a member of the eight person artistic swimming team beginning August 5.

The USA men’s basketball team boasts of a stellar history at the Olympic games, winning 16 gold medals in the 19 summer Olympics it has competed in and looks to add one more.  The twelve man roster includes fan favorite athletes making a Olympic return including Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Competing with just as impressive of a record is the USA women’s basketball team, winning 9 gold medals in the 11 years they have competed.  Legend Diana Taurasi, who has already claimed 5 golds, has the opportunity to set a new record of most gold medals won in women’s basketball history if she adds one more.  Breanna Stewart, MVP at the Tokyo Olympics tournaments, will be joining the team as well, making it a team worth watching

Looking to play basketball at a different speed is Jimmer Fredette as he has been put on the USA 3x3 basketball team.  His quickness, shooting and court awareness will be a key factor in bringing home a medal in a game that is played in a short 10 minutes, capped at 21 points.  He will team up with Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox, and Dylan Travis, a team that has already won the silver medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and gold at 2023 Pan American Games.

Summer game favorite beach volleyball will have two teams to cheer on at the Paris games, Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes and Taryn Kloth & Kristen Nuss.  Cheng and Hughes took the silver medal at the 2023 World Championships with Kloth and Nuss coming in right behind them.  With both dominating on the world stage already, their play is sure to take them places in these Olympic games.

Featherweight boxer Jahmal Harvey will make his Olympic debut in Paris July 2024.  Harvey may be weighing in on the light end of the scale, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t bringing some heavy experience.  He has won a world title in 2021 and, more recently, a Pan American Games gold medal in 2023.

International canoeing star Nevin Harrison has once again been added to the Olympic Team USA roster.  Harrison became the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic canoeing gold medal in 2020 at the Tokyo games, followed by two world titles.

USA’s cycling team is boasting of two rising stars- Hannah Roberts, competing in the BMX Freestyle, and Jennifer Valente, competing in track cycling.  Roberts will come into the games with five world titles and a silver medal from the 2020 games.  Coming in as the favorite, she might just accomplish the dream of a gold medal in Paris.  Valente was the sole gold medal winner of the 2020 Olympic games for team USA and could potentially win back to back golds as a dominant member of the cycling team.

Like so many others, USA golfer Nelly Korda, looks to defend her Tokyo gold medal as she takes the green in Paris.  Korda has dominated her 2024 schedule, winning four of her first five tournaments.  She is coming into the games ranked number one and a favorite to take the top box on the medal podium.

Team USA’s men’s golf team is boasting its own stellar lineup, beginning with favorite Scottie Scheffler.  Coming into the games, Scheffler has strung together a dominating stretch of  tournaments, including a win in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club for the second time.  Joining him as a medal favorite is teammate Xander Schauffele.  With a gold medal already in his golfing career, Schauffele is coming into the games ranked number three.  

Probably the most sensationalized member of Team USA, and with good reason, is gymnast Simone Biles.  Coming into her third Olympic games, her gymnastics resume tallies up 37 world championships and Olympic medals.   Performing skills that have never been accomplished in competitions, Biles has two skills named after her- the Biles and the Biles II.  There’s no doubt the cameras won’t let you miss this next Olympic experience.

Set to compete in his fourth Olympic games, Vincent Hancock has the potential to make history in Paris as a four time Olympic gold medal winner in skeet shooting.  With the debut of the mixed team shoot, he has double the chances of gold.

Age might mean nothing at the Olympic games, but competing in the Paris Olympics at 17 years old is its own incredible feat for skateboarder Gavin-Bottger.  But he isn’t looking to just compete.  As the reigning world champion and currently ranked as the number one competitor in men’s park, Gavin-Bottger has a real chance at bringing home gold from his first Olympic games.  Coming in behind him in the rankings is teammate Jagger Eaton.  Eaton has proven himself a force to be reckoned with as he has accrued multiple world titles, including a bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he competed on a broken ankle.

The USA women’s soccer team has gold in their view with a lineup of stars like Alex Morgan, Trinity Rodman, and Sophia Smith.  The national steam is undergoing a generational shift, seeing longtime members moving on and new young athletes joining in.  Despite the shifting team, one thing that is sure is that they have the speed, talent, and grit to make a gold medal run in Paris this year.

Making a splash in the swimming events is Jack Alexy, currently named as Team USA’s top male sprint swimmer.  In the 2023 World Swimming Championships, Alexy claimed silver medals in both the 50m and 100m freestyle events, and also featured on three medal-winning U.S. relay teams.  A gold medal seems to be a real possibility with where this young athlete is headed.

Olympic gold medals are nothing new to the now four time Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky.  Dominating the pool for more than a decade, Ledecky has become the most decorated female swimmer of all time with 26 medals.  She also holds two world records in the women’s 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle.  The powerhouse swimmer will be a must see athlete of the 2024 Paris Olympic games.

Looking to be a favorite in her own rights in swimming teammate Regan Smith.  Formerly holding the world record in the 100m and 200m backstroke, Smith is unarguably among the very best butterfly swimmers at the Olympic games. Smith is even favored to win the gold medal in the 200m butterfly, a goal she hopes to accomplish in order to surpass her Tokyo performance which ended with two silvers and 1 bronze.

Coco Gauff is looking for redemption at the Paris games as her hopes for Olympic glory were dashed even before the games began in 2020, testing positive for covid.  Doubling down on her tennis play, she has risen to the top on the world stage taking second place in the 2022 French Open, followed by a Grand Slam first place finish at the US Open in 2023.

Claiming the title of the greatest shot putter of all time, Ryan Crouser is returning to the Olympics to defend his two time gold medal standings.  In fact, winning a third gold medal in Paris would be history making for the 31 year old athlete.

Missing out on making the 2020 Olympic team after crashing out in her qualifying hurdle race, Anna Hall is more determined than ever to compete in his first Olympic games.  Competing in the track and field heptathlon event, Hall hopes to become just the third American woman to win an Olympic medal in that event.  The heptathlon will consist of seven events run over two days which will include the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin throw, and 800m. 

Noah Lyleshas declared his intention to win “all of the medals” in Paris. Running in the footsteps of elite runner Usain Bolt, Lyles became the first man since to win gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. 

Continuing to amaze track fans in her 2024 Olympics trials, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record in the 400m hurdles.  For the fifth time.  Pulling out of the World Championships in 2023 for knee surgery, she has had one thing on her mind- make it back to compete in the Olympic trials.  Competing and Dominating at the trials, she now looks to be the woman to beat and will play a crucial role on Team USA’s track team in Paris. 

Sha’Carri Richardson is hoping to bring home a gold medal from the 2024 Olympic games, the first time for an American woman since 1996.  Following her dismissal from the Tokyo games due to a positive drug test, Richardson has been even more focused on competing and winning, taking gold in the 100m at the 2023 World Track and Field Championships as well as leading the U.S. women to 4x100m relay gold.

Team USA is favored, once again, to win gold in the water polo games, in large part because of the dominating performance of goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson.  Going for a third gold medal, Johnson is regarded as the best women’s water polo goalkeeper in the sport. 

Stepping on the Olympic stage of women’s weightlifting ranked in second place in the 71 kg division, 20 year old Olivia Reeves is giving Team USA a real shot at a gold medal even though she technically qualifies as a junior athlete.  Gearing up for her Olympic debit, Reeves set three American records as she won gold at the IWF World Cup in Thailand.

In similar fashion, 20 year old Amit Elor has made US history as she became the youngest woman to qualify for the Olympic wrestling team.  Wrestling at 72 kg, Elor has won two consecutive world wrestling titles.  However, 72 kg is not an Olympic weight, forcing Elor to drop to 68 kg for her first Olympic games.

David Taylor, the reigning Olympic champion wrestler 86 kg is looking for the repeat in Paris.  With a gold under his belt and three world championship victories, it looks like his hope could be a reality, making him the third US wrestler to do win consecutive Olympic gold medals.

These superior athletes are a few dozen of the amazing talent that will soon be taking center stage at the Paris Olympics.  Proudly wearing the red, white and blue, their talent, ability, grit and perseverance will showcase the best that America has to offer.