Courtesy of Los Angeles Times
The 2024 Paris Olympics will feature 10,714 athletes from 206 nations across 32 sports. For the first time in Olympic history, an equal number of men and women will compete.
With women making history this year, I believe it’s important to give attention to and recognize the women who will be contributing to it.
Aquatics
Artistic Swimming
For the first time since 2008, the United States qualified a team for artistic swimming (formerly known as synchronized swimming). Jamie Czarkowski and Megumi Field will be competing in the duet event and will also be members of the eight-woman team. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) won the gold medal in the team event in 2020, with China winning silver and Ukraine winning bronze. Russia is banned from the Olympics this year, so a new nation will take home the team gold in artistic swimming. Each nation will have exciting and unique routines, fun for all Olympic viewers to enjoy.
Diving
In the 2020 Olympics, China had a gold medal sweep in the four women’s diving events. China will have returning gold medalists competing in two events: Quan Hongchan in the 10m platform, and the duo of Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi in the 10m synchronized platform. Both springboard events will see new gold medalists.
Marathon Swimming
The 10km open swim will take place in the River Seine. Reigning gold medalist Ana Marcela Cunha, the first Brazilian woman to win a gold medal in swimming, will be competing, along with 2016 gold medalist and 2020 silver medalist Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands.
Swimming
There’s no swimmer more notable than Katie Ledecky. Heading into the 2024 Olympics, Ledecky has 10 medals. Ledecky needs only 3 more medals to become the most decorated woman swimmer of all time. Ledecky is favored to win the 1500m and 800m freestyle. Ledecky has closer competition in the 400m freestyle with Summer McIntosh of Canada and Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, the reigning gold medalist and favorite in the event. Titmus will also look to defend her gold medal in the 200m freestyle where she will go head to head with her teammate Mollie O’Callaghan; both Titmus and O’Callaghan have beaten the world record in the event. O’Callaghan is also competing in the 100m freestyle. For the 50m freestyle, Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström, the reigning silver medalist and world record holder, is expected to take home the gold.
Both backstroke events are expected to be a showdown between Australian Kaylee McKeown, the reigning gold medalist, and American Regan Smith. Lilly King of the United States and Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa will look to win more medals in the breaststroke events. Regan Smith, the reigning silver medalist in the 200m butterfly will compete in the event again. World record holder Gretchen Walsh of the US and reigning Olympic gold medalist Maggie Mac Neil of Canada will go head to head in the 100m butterfly.
Summer McIntosh, a 17-year-old heading to her second Olympics, is the world record holder and favorite in the 400m individual medley. The 200m individual medley is expected to be a tight race between McIntosh, McKeown, and the reigning silver and bronze medalists, Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass of the United States.
Water Polo
The US women’s water polo team, led by now four-time Olympian Maggie Steffens, has won three straight Olympic gold medals and hopes to win its fourth.
Archery
20-year-old Casey Kaufhold is making a case for herself as the face of archery. Kaufhold, a returning Olympian, is ranked #1 in the world for archery. She is favored to win the gold medal in Paris, but if she wins any medal she would be the first American woman to do so in archery since the 1976 Olympics.
Athletics
Track
Sha’Carri Richardson will get her chance at the Olympics this year, and I’m so excited to watch her! Richardson will compete in the 100m and 4x100m. Gabby Thomas, another member of the 4x100m team, is the reigning bronze medalist in the 200m and will look to add another medal in both events. The 4x400m team of Kaylyn Brown, Shamier Little, Isabella Whittaker, and Quanera Hayes looks to win another gold medal for the US, an event the country has won in every Olympics since 1996!
In Tokyo, Marileidy Paulino became the first woman to win an individual Olympic medal in track and field for the Dominican Republic when she won silver in the 400m. This year, Paulino, the reigning world champion in the event, could be the first from her country to bring home the gold. The 800m could likely be between reigning world champion Mary Moraa of Kenya and reigning silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, the 2016 and 2020 gold medalist in the 1500m looks to win her third straight Olympic gold medal. Kipyegon just recently broke the world record for the event with a time of 3:49.04. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands looks to defend her gold medals in the 5000m and 10,000m; Hassan will also be competing in the 1500m and the marathon. Anna Hall overcame injuries to make her first Olympics. Hall will compete in the heptathlon and could become only the third American woman to win a medal in the event. Peruth Chemutai of Uganda will defend her gold medal in the 3000m steeplechase.
Now, let’s set up the hurdles. Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico will look to win another gold medal in the 100m hurdles. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the greatest hurdler of all time, will also look for another gold medal. McLaughlin-Levrone will be racing her opponents to defend her gold medal in the 400m hurdles, while also racing the clock to beat the world record held by… herself! The record was set at 50.65 seconds at the Olympic Trials. In each race, McLaughlin-Levrone always looks faster than her last.
Field
Let’s finally give the field athletes the recognition that they deserve. Pole vaulter Katie Moon, one of my favorite athletes, will get to defend her gold medal in her second Olympics. Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh is the defending bronze medalist and world record holder in the high jump, at 2.10m (6ft 10.5in), and will be the favorite to win gold. Defending gold medalist Malaika Mihambo of Germany and Tara Davis-Woodhall will go head-to-head in the long jump. Thea LaFond, one of only four athletes representing Dominica at the Olympics, will be making her third Olympic appearance as the favorite to win the triple jump.
Now, over to throwing. Gong Lijao of China will look to defend her gold medal in shot put. American Valarie Allman will get to defend her gold in discus. Poland’s Anita Włodarczyk has won the gold medal in the hammer throw in the past three Olympics and will look to add her fourth gold. Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado, owner of the world's leading distance in the javelin this year, will be making her fourth Olympic appearance and will most likely win her first Olympic medal.
Badminton
Chen Yufei of China, the reigning gold medalist, is expected to win gold again in the women’s singles. In the women’s doubles, the first seed team from China will face off against the second seed team from Indonesia, which features Apriyani Rahayu who is looking to win gold again, this time with her new partner Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti.
Basketball
In both the 5-on-5 and 3x3 tournaments, the women competing for the United States will have the chance to defend the gold medal. The US women’s basketball team has won gold in every Olympics since 1996.
Boxing
The future of boxing in the Olympics is unknown, but, for now, we know this year the sport has gender parity for the first time. There will be 7 weight classes for men and 6 for women, with more women competitors across the events to have an equal number of athletes. An athlete to watch for is Nikhat Zareen, the reigning World champion in the light flyweight class; she could become India’s first athlete to win boxing gold.
Breaking
Breaking, commonly known as breakdancing, is the latest sport to be added to the Olympics. With the sport being in its debut, I think it will be fun for everyone to watch and enjoy all of the athletes. The B-Girls representing the United States are Sunny Choi and Logan “Logistx” Elanna Edra, and they look to bring the US the first Olympic gold medals for the sport. 17-year-old Dominika “B-Girl Nicka” Banevič of Lithuania is the reigning World champion and expected to be the first B-Girl to win gold at the Olympics.
Canoeing
Lisa Carrington, the most dominant canoeist, and New Zealand’s most successful Olympian, will be returning for her fourth Olympics. In Tokyo, Carrington won gold in three sprint events: K-1 200 meters (she also won gold in this event in Rio and London), K-1 500 meters, and K-2 500 meters with Caitlin Regal. In the K-1 500, Carrington will go head-to-head with teammate Aimee Fisher, who has the world-leading time this year. 20-year-old Evy Leibfarth, returning for her second Olympics, is the first American woman to compete in three whitewater events. Leibfarth will compete in the canoe slalom, kayak slalom, and kayak cross. American Nevin Harrison will look to defend her title in the C-1 200 meters.
Cycling
The USA’s Jennifer Valente will have her chance to defend her gold in the omnium. Chloé Dygert has two Olympic medals for the USA’s women’s team pursuit and could win her first individual Olympic medal in the time trial. Reigning Olympic silver medalist in the BMX freestyle, Hannah Roberts will look for redemption and gold in Paris.
Equestrian
With 12 Olympic medals, 7 of them gold, Germany’s Isabell Werth has won the most Olympic medals for any equestrian athlete. Werth will be competing in her seventh Olympics this year. She and her horse, Wendy, will be competing in the individual and team events for dressage.
Fencing
Ukraine’s Olga Kharlan, one of the best sabre fencers, will be competing in her fifth Olympics. Lee Keifer, the first American to win Olympic gold in individual foil in Tokyo, will be making her fourth Olympic appearance.
Field Hockey
The #1 ranked field hockey team from the Netherlands is looking to defend its gold medal in Paris.
Football
Team Canada will look to defend its gold medal while Team USA hopes to win its first gold since the 2012 Olympics.
Golf
In the 2020 Olympics, Nelly Korda became the second American woman to win gold in golf after Margaret Abbott in 1900. Korda will get the chance to defend her gold medal in Paris.
Gymnastics
Artistic Gymnastics
After winning silver in Tokyo, the United States will look to win the country’s fourth gold medal in the team event and have fun while doing so. Don’t mistake the absence of Russia, though, as an easy win for the United States. In the 2020 Olympics, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won the country’s first women’s artistic gymnastics medal with her silver medal-winning performance in the all-around, and a few days later won the first gold medal on vault. Brazil qualified for a women’s team this year and is coming off a second-place finish at the 2023 World Championship, behind the United States, and is looking for its first Olympic team medal. France is coming off a bronze medal performance at the 2023 World Championships and could win a team medal at home, while Italy and China also have a chance at medaling.
The all-around competition will feature two gold medalists in the event: reigning champion Suni Lee and the GOAT Simone Biles. With Biles’ difficulty and level of performance, the gold medal is all but hers. Andrade, the reigning Olympic and World silver medalist, will be Biles’ biggest rival. However, don't take “rival” as something negative, as the competition between Biles and Andrade has made them both better gymnasts, and is great for the sport’s growth. Suni Lee is also a favorite in the running for winning another all-around medal.
Competing a vault named after her, which only she is capable of doing, Biles will most likely be the vault champion like she was in 2016. Andrade is the reigning Olympic and world champion in the event, but Biles’ difficulty on vault puts her far ahead of the competition.
If you haven’t seen Kaylia Nemour of Algeria compete on the uneven bars, please go watch a video of her routine right now. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gymnast swing as smoothly as she does. Nemour’s difficulty and form make her a favorite to win gold in the event. The competition will be tight, though, as Nemour will also compete against the reigning world gold medalist, Qiu Qiyuan of China, reigning Olympic champion Nina Derwael of Belgium, and Suni Lee.
Biles has won bronze on the balance beam in the past two Olympics. She is also the reigning world champion in the event, beating China’s Zhou Yaqin by a tenth of a point. Lee also has a goal of winning a medal on beam. Beam is always the most nerve-racking event to watch and compete in, so anything can happen in qualification and for any of the eight athletes who will compete in the event finals.
The floor exercise finals will be an exciting event to watch. The past two Olympic gold medalists in the event, Jade Carey and Simone Biles, will both have a chance at medaling again. The Americans will have competition in Brazilians Andrade and Flávia Saraiva, who won silver and bronze respectively at worlds.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
At the 2023 World Championships, Darja Varfolomeev of Germany swept the individual event titles. The 17-year-old is the medal favorite going into the 2024 Games. Bulgaria will look to defend its gold medal in the team event.
Trampoline
China’s Zhu Xueying will defend her gold in the trampoline event. Great Britain’s Bryony Page is heading to her third Olympics. Page has silver and bronze Olympic medals under her belt and looks to add a gold. Page upset Zhu Xueying at the World Championships last year and could do so again at the Olympics.
Handball
The home French team will have the chance to defend its gold medal in handball.
Judo
France and Japan were both dominant in judo in the 2020 Olympics, France having 5 women take home medals and Japan with 6 winning medals at home. All 5 of France’s 2020 medalists, Amandine Buchard, Sarah-Léonie Cysique, Clarisse Agbegnenou (gold medalist in the 63kg), and Madeleine Malonga, are returning to compete in their home country. Japan will only have two returning gold medalists: Uta Abe (gold medalist in the 52kg) and Akira Sone (gold medalist in the +78kg).
Modern Pentathlon
Reigning Olympic gold medalist Kate French of Great Britain and reigning world gold medalist Elena Micheli from Italy will face off for the gold medal in the modern pentathlon in Paris.
Rowing
Karolien Florijn won silver in the coxless four in 2020. She has since switched to the single sculls and is now the favorite to win gold in the event. Ancuța Bodnar of Romania will look to defend her gold medal in the double sculls with her new partner, Andrada-Maria Moroșanu. In the lightweight double sculls, Emily Craig and Imogen Grant, the back-to-back world champions from Great Britain, are expected to take home the gold.
Rugby Sevens
New Zealand is coming back strong and expected to defend their gold medal from 2020. France won silver in Tokyo and is ready to fight for the gold at home.
Sailing
Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark is competing in her fourth straight Olympics. In the laser radial, she is the reigning Olympic gold medalist, and she’s still consistently the most dominant in the event. The duo of Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze from Brazil are going to attempt to win their third straight Olympic gold medal in the 49erFX. Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge and France’s Lauriane Nolot will face off in kiteboarding.
Shooting
Nino Salukvadze of Georgia, at the age of 55, is going to become the first woman to compete in 10 Olympics. Salukvadze has competed in every Olympics since 1988 and has three Olympic medals, one in each color. She will be competing in the 25m pistol.
Skateboarding
16-year-old Sky Brown of Great Britain will be competing in her second Olympics. Brown won bronze in the 2020 Olympics and is the reigning world champion. She will be a fun athlete to watch in this Olympics and likely many Olympics to come!
Sport Climbing
American rock climber Natalia Grossman has many World Cup medals and a couple of World Championship medals under her belt. She will look to add an Olympic medal in her Olympic debut.
Surfing
Carissa Moore, the first and reigning gold medalist in Olympic surfing, will have the chance to defend her title in Tahiti, French Polynesia.
Table Tennis
Sun Yingsha of China, the reigning Olympic silver medalist and top-ranked woman, is expected to win gold this year.
Taekwondo
Panipak Wongpattanakit of Thailand is the reigning gold medalist and top-ranked athlete in the 49kg. She will look to defend her medal and will compete again against the reigning silver medalist Adriana Cerezo of Spain.
Tennis
Coco Gauff will make her long-awaited Olympic debut this year. She is ranked second in the world behind Poland’s Iga Świątek who has won the French Open singles title the past three years.
Triathlon
In Tokyo, Flora Duffy won Bermuda’s first-ever Olympic gold medal. This year, competing in her fifth Olympics, Duffy will look to defend her title and win her country another medal.
Volleyball
The United States will look to defend its gold medal in volleyball. In beach volleyball, reigning world champions Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes will look to win gold and maintain the United States’ dominance in the event.
Weightlifting
19-year-old Yekta Jamali will be competing for the Refugee Olympic Team in Paris. After facing discrimination for being a woman athlete, she fled to Germany from Iran. Jamali has won world medals as a junior and will be making her Olympic debut. I think it will be important to cheer on and show support for Jamali.
Wrestling
Helen Maroulis, who won gold in Rio and bronze in Tokyo, could become the first American woman to win three Olympic medals in wrestling.
The Opening Ceremony takes place on July 26!
Edited By: Bailey Massey
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