The 2024 Paris Olympics begin on July 26 and, as ever, a strong USA team is expected to head to France to provide tough opposition for the world’s best athletes and come out on top of the medal table.
There are a whole host of Americans who are expected to enjoy plenty of success at the summer sporting extravaganza and we have taken a look at ten of the best who could be the toast of their nation over the two-and-a-half weeks of top competition in the French capital.
Simone Biles (Gymnastics)
Simone Biles can become the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history if she can claim just one more medal at the Paris Games and she has five chances to strike gold, so it is possible that she could end the competition with 12, which would leave her with the second highest tally in women’s gymnastics history.
The 27-year-old will be looking to make up for lost time after having to withdraw halfway through the competition at Tokyo three years ago, where she still won a silver and a bronze, but her aim will be to recapture the magic of her efforts in Rio in 2016 when she won gold in the all-round, the vault and the floor.
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US Men’s Team (Basketball)
Ever since the Dream Team of NBA superstars first played in the Barcelona Games of 1992, the USA have dominated the men’s basketball tournament, winning the gold medal at six of the next seven Olympics. And that pattern looks set to continue this year with three-time gold medal winner Kevin Durant in the squad alongside LeBron James, who holds the NBA’s all-time scoring record.
Other top names such as Stephen Curry and Anthony Davies have also been included to play in the team under the directorship of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, and it will be a seismic shock if they did not add another gold medal to their collection.
Nevin Harrison (Canoeing)
Nevin Harrison became the first US woman to win a canoeing gold at the Tokyo Games and the 21-year-old is in a strong position to boost her haul in Paris.
There is no room for slack in the 200m sprint canoeing, but she has shown her ability by claiming gold medals at both the Pan-American Games and the World Championships, so there is a strong chance that the Seattle native could prove a competitor to be reckoned with again after putting the sport on the American map.
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Nelly Korda (Golf)
Nelly Korda claimed a one-shot victory in the last Olympics in Tokyo and, if anything, she appears to be in an even stronger position to take glory in Paris.Korda has emerged in the last 12 months as undoubtedly the best female golfer on the planet, winning four of her first five tournaments in 2024 on the LPGA Tour.
That run included success at the Chevron Championship, her second Major triumph and she looks to be the one who will take all the beating when the competition gets going at Le Golf National.
US Women’s National Team (Soccer / Football)
The USWNT qualified for the Olympics by winning the Concacaf Cup, but there will be pressure on them to perform after two disappointing Games. The USA won four of the first five gold medals after the sport was introduced in 1996, but they have suffered since they last came out on top when they won in London in 2012.
Losing to Canada in the semi-finals three years ago was a huge disappointment and they will be looking to do much better than the bronze medal they collected on that occasion, especially as the players look to impress their new manager Emma Hayes.
Caeleb Dressel (Swimming)
Swimming sensation Caeleb Dressel had time away from the pool from 2022 to the start of this year, but he should be right back in the zone for what he hopes will be another successful Olympics.
The 27-year-old Floridian already has seven Olympic gold medals to his name and he became only the fifth American to win five at the same Games in Tokyo three years ago.
Despite his break from the action, he still holds the world records for the 100m butterfly, the 50m freestyle and the 100m individual medley, so it seems likely we will still be hearing a lot about him when the Games get going in July.
Katie Ledecky (Swimming)
The top American female swimming hope remains Katie Ledecky, who has been dominating middle-distance events since making her debut at London as a 15-year-old. She has won seven Olympic golds and 21 world championships in a glittering career and holds the women’s world records for 800m and 1500m freestyles, which has left her regarded by many as the greatest female swimmer of all time.
At Tokyo, she became the first American female swimmer to win a gold medal at three straight Olympiads and few people would be surprised if she extended that this summer.
Katie Ledecky with a Gold Medal
Ryan Crouser (Athletics)
While American sprinters tend to grab all the headlines, Ryan Crouser has been talked about as the greatest shot-putter of all-time. He has won the competition at the last two Olympics and the three-time world champion will be hot favourite again, having set the world record of 23.56 metres in May last year.
Noah Lyles (Athletics)
Noah Lyles will be the face of the USA track-and-field team in Paris and he is looking to complete the treble of 100m, 200m and 4x100m triumphs. That may seem like a far-fetched idea, but that is exactly what he did at the world championships in Budapest last year, when he emulated the great Usian Bolt.
He took bronze in Tokyo in the 200m, but America expects big things this summer and the 26-year-old from Florida may not disappoint.
Sha’Carri Richardson (Athletics)
Sha’Carri Richardson also has her eyes on a sprint treble, although no American woman has won the 100m since Gail Devers in 1996.
Richardson was banned from Tokyo despite success at the US trials, so will see this as an opportunity to make up for lost time, especially as she won the 100m gold at last year’s world championships and was also a part of the winning 4x100m relay team.
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