The City of Lights is about to get a whole lot brighter with these sports stars headed for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Paris Olympics is a celebration of world-class talents, a showcase of sporting greatness, and a gathering of the top athletes from all over the world. And this year’s cast is packed with the sports world’s biggest and brightest names.
From NBA greats to tennis legends, here are some of the most well-known athletes who will be competing in the Paris Olympics.
Team USA Basketball
Remember when American track and field athlete Noah Lyles made a controversial comment (that quickly became viral) questioning why NBA Champions are labeled as “World Champions” when they don’t compete against the entire world? Well, Team USA will get the chance to prove why they deserve this title, as they have a squad that boasts a collection of the biggest NBA stars right now.
Bam Adebayo. Devin Booker. Stephen Curry. Anthony Davis. Kevin Durant. Anthony Edwards. Joel Embiid. Tyrese Haliburton. Jrue Holiday. LeBron James. Kawhi Leonard. Jayson Tatum.
From league legends to the future faces of the league, this is arguably Team USA’s best basketball team yet.
Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama may only be 20 years old, but he isn’t afraid to put himself to the test against Team USA as he represents France at the Olympics. In fact, he said in a news conference in Paris, “I can’t wait to face them.”
This would definitely be an interesting match to watch, and would definitely draw many fans to their screens all over the world. And there is no doubt that Wemby will want to avenge his country, as France was beaten by the US in the finals of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
The star athlete may be making his Olympic debut, but we know this Rookie of the Year knows how to make a good first impression.
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy is one of the world’s most well-known athletes, and as a former World No. 1 golfer and a four-time major champion, he will no doubt be one of the top contenders at the golf competition at the Paris Olympics.
Representing Team Ireland, he will be heading to Paris as a man on a mission. In the Tokyo Olympics, McIlroy concluded his campaign with a fourth-place finish — just one step away from a podium finish. With this, he will no doubt have his sights set on a medal from Paris.
Iga Świątek
Iga Świątek should feel that she has already conquered the world, at least to some degree. After all, she is a five-time Grand Slam champion and is currently ranked World No. 1. And she is only 23 years old.
But, even while she chases Grand Slam after Grand Slam, she has expressed that the Olympics is the most important tournament on her schedule at the moment, and for a very personal reason.
Her father, Tomasz Świątek also represented Poland in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but for a different event. He competed in the men’s Quadruple Sculls rowing competition.
In Tokyo, Iga fought hard to finish on the podium but fell short in the second round. This year, she will be aiming for the top once again, with three more years of experience to back her up this time.
Simone Biles
As far as gymnastics goes, no one can touch Simone Biles. As of writing, she has seven Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals, making her the most decorated gymnast in history, and the Olympics is where this athlete made her name.
In Rio 2016, her first Olympics appearance, she won an incredible four gold medals and one bronze, what they call the “Final Five.” This instantly put her on the map. However, in Tokyo, she only went home with one silver and two bronze medals — still accolades to take pride in, but it wasn’t what she was expecting, especially given her gold rush in 2016.
But as she heads to Paris, she is eager to win gold once again.
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a sporting legend who will always be a part of the tennis’ GOAT conversation as he holds the record of 24 Grand Slam titles. And even though we have gotten so used to seeing him dominate nearly every Grand Slam he enters, he has been having a difficult year.
Djokovic was forced to pull out of the French Open earlier this year due to a knee injury and had to undergo surgery. Following this, he had a big comeback run in the recently concluded Wimbledon, but the young Carlos Alcaraz swept the Serbian in three sets in the finals — a rarity for Novak.
But the Olympics is a chance at redemption for this athlete. While he still does not seem to be 100% recovered from his knee injury, given his performance at Wimbledon, the Olympics may be where he finds his stride yet again.
Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz is standing at the precipice of greatness.
Just this year, the 21-year-old tennis player became the youngest player to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, and he beat the legendary Novak Djokovic in the latter tournament to do it, no less. This pair currently makes him a four-time Grand Slam champion — and he won’t stop counting there.
This year, he has the chance to add to his list of accomplishments as he heads to the Paris Olympics to represent Spain.
Rafael Nadal
Spain sure is lucky. Not only do they have Alcaraz on their tennis squad, but they will also have the legend Rafael Nadal firing shots for them.
The 22-time Grand Slam Champion has also been showing several signs of his age, as he exhibited when he bowed out from the French Open in the first round, his earliest exit in the competition. But according to reports, he has been playing well as he gears up for Paris. He even skipped out on Wimbledon to set his sights on the Olympics. After all, he knows how sweet an Olympic medal tastes — he has tasted this feeling twice already.
If this should mark a comeback for the Spaniard, he stands a chance at becoming a three-time Olympic medalist, as he won gold medals for the singles and doubles events in the past already.
Banner images from USA Basketball, Rafa Nadal, and Simone Biles on Instagram.
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