Paris, France — It was a soggy start to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but that couldn't dampen the excitement of the American athletes set to compete at the highest level. Here's a breakdown of what to expect from Team U.S.A.
🤸🏾♀️Gymnastics The U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team is favored to win the gold medal during the Paris Olympics. They won silver in the team event during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Four out of the five members on the women’s team have Olympic experience, led by Simone Biles. Biles has a chance to become the most decorated American Olympic gymnast in history. She and Shannon Miller are currently in a tie for most Olympic medals with seven. Women’s qualification begins July 28th.
🏃🏽Track and Field Track and field events are always ‘must-see-TV’ during the Olympics, and the Summer Games of 2024 are no exception. All eyes are on 100 meters sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson. Richardson did not compete in the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for THC, the intoxicant found in marijuana. Richardson silenced her critics by setting a meet record in the 100 meters during this year’s U.S. Championships. Sha’Carri enters the 2024 Summer Games as a huge favorite to win the women’s 100 meters. The track and field events in Paris are held from August 1st – August 11th.
— Sha'Carri Richardson🏅 (@ShaCarriSOL) July 13, 2024
⚽ Soccer The U.S. Men’s Soccer Team played their first Olympic match since 2008 on Wednesday, July 24. It did not go as planned. USA suffered a disappointing 3 – 0 loss to France. The U.S. team will attempt to bounce back against New Zealand on Saturday.
Meanwhile The U.S. Women’s Team found themselves on the right side of a 3 – 0 outcome in their opening match against Zambia. Mallory Swanson led Team USA with two goals during Thursday’s victory. The United States will now face Germany on Sunday.
🏀 Basketball The 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona changed the game of basketball on the world stage forever. It was the first time Team USA was allowed to use professional basketball players during Olympic competition. NBA Stars such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley, just to name a few – all came together to form The Legendary “Dream Team.” The United States went on to exert a level of dominance never seen before during the Olympics.
But that was then, and this is now. The gap has been closed. The 2024 Olympics could possibly be the most competitive international men’s basketball tournament, ever! Serbia, Canada, Germany, France, Spain and Australia are all capable of making this year’s Olympics very unpleasant for The United States. With that said, The U.S. Men’s Team, led by LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, are still favorites to win gold. Their quest to be the best begins on Sunday, against Serbia.
Desmond Purnell
