Here’s The First American To Qualify For The Team USA Olympics Team
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Summer is just around the corner, which means it's almost time for the world's top athletes to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Over 500 incredible U.S. athletes will make up the Olympic Team roster, according to NBC Sports. From finalizing teams, the lighting of the torch, and breakdancing making its official debut, there's a lot to look forward to this summer.
The competition kicks off on July 26, but you start keeping an eye on these Team USA athletes right now. Ahead, get to know 11 of the all-star women competing in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Sha’Carri Richardson
Age: 24
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Sport: Athletics
American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is known for her impressive speed and distinct style. The Dallas native found her love for sprinting in high school, excelling at both the AAU Junior Olympics and college competition at LSU, per her Olympics bio.
In 2019, Sha’Carri impressed the world by breaking two U20 world records on the same day at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, per the Olympics. Two years later in 2021, Sha’Carri competed in the US Olympic Trials, but was disqualified for testing positive for THC. She had to serve a one month suspension and was not selected to compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
But 2023 led to one of Sha'Carri's best seasons yet. That year, she clenched a new competition record of 10.65 seconds in the 100m in Budapest World Championships. She then ran her personal best during the 200m, finishing the race at just 21.92 seconds to take bronze. To top it all off, she served as an anchor in the women’s 4x100m relay, where the team won gold.
Sha’Carri doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. You’ll want to keep an eye on her during the 2024 Olympics as she helps lead Team USA to victory.
Sunisa “Suni” Lee
Age: 21
Hometown: Saint Paul, MN
Sports: Gymnastics
You may have heard of Sunisa “Suni” Lee during the last Olympic Games: In 2021, the then-18-year-old secured three medals in Tokyo (gold in the individual all-around category, silver for the team event, and a bronze for the uneven bars, per USA Gymnastics).
Suni, who grew up in Minnesota and currently attends Auburn University, has won a plethora of awards and honors throughout her career, including 2022 SEC All-Freshman Team and Freshman of the Year, 2022 WSF Sportswoman of the Year, and 2022 NCAA beam champion, according to her Tigers bio.
During the 2023 season, the gymnast was sidelined with an unspecified kidney illness after competing in eight meets, per People. However, she finished the year strong with two All-American honors and 18 event titles, according to her bio. Since she’s healthy now, there’s no denying this momentum will continue throughout the Olympic games this summer.
Katie Ledecky
Age: 27
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Sport: Swimming
Seven-time gold medalist Katie Ledecky has competed in three Olympics, making the 2024 competition her fourth time in the games. When she was just 15 years old, the swimmer won her first gold medal in the 800m freestyle at the 2012 London Olympic Games, catapulting her to become one of the all-time greats.
The 27-year-old, who is an Olympic champion at every distance from 200 to 1500 meters, began swimming at just 6 years old. In high school, she broke several long-standing records and even earned an athletic scholarship at Stanford University, per her Olympics bio.
Katie has excelled in her sport and is the only swimmer to win five consecutive world titles in an individual event (the 800m freestyle), according her Olympics bio. With so much success, all eyes are on her this summer in Paris.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Age: 24
Hometown: New Brunswick, NJ
Sport: Athletics
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's athleticism isn't a surprise, given her sporty family. In 1984, her father, Willie, made the 400m semi-finals at the U.S. Olympic trials. Meanwhile, her mother was a middle-distance runner, and her older brother, Tyler, won a silver in the 400m hurdles at the 206 IAAF World U20 Championships, per her Olympics bio. But Sydney has surpassed them all—in the 2020 Games, she won two gold medals, one for the 400m hurdles and the other as a part of the winning 4x400m relay. Following this, she was named World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year.
Sydney hasn't stopped there. In 2022, she improved her world record in the 400m hurdles in the U.S. National Championships, and then improved it once again at the World Championships.
But 2023 came with some battles for Sydney, with a minor knee injury resulting in her withdrawing from the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. She's since recovered and is ready to dominate the competition in the upcoming Olympics, per her bio.
Trinity Rodman
Age: 21
Hometown: Newport Beach, CA
Sport: Soccer
In 2021, soccer player Trinity Rodman was drafted in the National Women’s Soccer League second overall at 18 years old, making her the youngest player ever to be drafted. Since joining the Washington Spirit, the pro has shattered records, receiving the titles of NWSL Rookie of the Year and Young Female Player of the Year, her Olympics bio states.
The 21-year-old seemingly got her athletic genes from her father, basketball legend Dennis Rodman. During the 2020 CONCACAF U20 Women’s Championship against Mexico, Trinity scored two goals and went on to make her first appearance in the FIFA Women’s World Cup alongside Team USA, per her bio. But this soccer pro is just getting started, and her first Olympic appearance will certainly be a treat to watch this summer.
Katie Grimes
Age: 18
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Sport: Swimming
During the last games in 2021, Katie Grimes became the youngest person to qualify for Team USA. The Las Vegas native, who was 15 at the time, qualified for the Olympics in the 800m freestyle, placing second behind Katie Ledecky. And, although she didn't take home a medal (she placed fourth in the final), she found a teammate for life, with Katie Ledecky nicknaming the duo "Katie squared," per the New York Post.
Katie has only improved since then. In 2022, she won two World Championship silver medals, according to Swim Swam. Since 2021, the swimmer has won three medals in pool events while competing at the World Aquatics Championships. She's also one of the few swimmers who've won medals at both pool and open-water events, per Nevada State Bank.
Katie, now 18 years old, will give swimmers a run for their money this year at the Olympics in Paris, where she was the first athlete to qualify for Team USA, according to NBC Sports.
Sophia Smith
Age: 23
Hometown: Windsor, CO
Sport: Soccer
Stanford University alum Sophia Smith has been a soccer star since she was a child. At 16 years old, she received her first Senior National Team call-up; however, she didn’t make the team until three years later in 2020. The forward was the first player born in the 2000s to earn a cap for the U.S. women’s national team, per US Soccer.
Unstoppable on the field, Sophia scored 11 goals during the 2022 NWSL season. She also won the 2022 BioSteel U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, was named MVP, and helped lead the Portland Thorns to victory in the NWSL Championship, US Soccer states.
Sophia has been a key player for Team USA since making her World Cup debut in July 2023. She scored two of the USWNT’s three goals against Vietnam, leading her team to victory in the tournament's first game, according to TODAY. The squad will certainly be in good hands with this newcomer running the field.
Shilese Jones
Age: 21
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Sport: Gymnastics
Shilese Jones, 21, began dominating international competitions in 2018, per USA Gymnastics. Despite her elite skills, the gymnast didn't make the 2020 Olympics team, but after a few years of serious determination and hard work, she's become one of the best gymnasts in the world.
In the 2021 Winter Cup, she became the all-around silver medalist and the uneven bars and floor exercise bronze medalist, according to the Olympics. She's only gotten better since then—in 2022, she became the World team champion, plus an all-around and uneven bars silver medalist. It's pretty clear she'll be a huge asset to the USA Gymnastics team this summer.
Carissa Moore
Age: 31
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Sport: Surfing
Carissa began surfing at just 5 years old when she began riding the Waikiki waves with her father, according to her Olympics bio. As she began competing, she quickly climbed to the top, leading her to a successful surfing career filled with top titles and championships.
Throughout her career, she's won 11 NSSA amateur titles, and even made history in 2008 when she became the youngest champion of the Reef Hawaiian Pro, per her Olympic bio. Three years ago, Carissa won the sport's first-ever Olympic gold medal when the sport made its debut at the Tokyo Games.
Now, Carissa is optimistic about the upcoming contest and defending her Olympic title, per her bio.
Anna Hall
Age: 23
Hometown: Denver, CO
Sport: Athletics
Track and field star Anna Hall hasn't had the easiest journey to the world stage—she broke a bone in her left foot during the 2020 Olympic trials, derailing her from advancing to the Tokyo Games. After healing and transferring to the University of Florida ahead of the 2022 season, Anna has been dominating the sport. She shattered collegiate records, won NCAA titles, and earned the bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships in 2022, per her Olympics bio.
At the 2023 U.S. Indoor Championships, Anna broke the North American pentathlon record, and claimed the 400-meter title. She also secured a silver medal in heptathlon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, according to her bio. She'll be a key asset to Team USA in just a few months.
Sara Hughes
Age: 29
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
Sport: Beach volleyball
Sara Hughes has been playing beach volleyball since she was eight years old, per the Association of Volleyball Professionals. Her talent led her to play beach volleyball at the University of Southern California, where she won four national championships, according to her school bio.
Since 2022, Sara has been partnered up with Team USA's Kelly Cheng, and the two have won match after match. Most recently, they secured gold at the 2023 Beach World Championships and bronze at the 2024 BPT Doha Elite 16, per USA Volleyball.
Sara is a beast in the sand and will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
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