12 Team USA Olympic athletes you should know
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Clockwise from top left: Victor Montalvo, Fred Richard, Kate Douglass, Sophia Smith. Photos: Zheng Huansong/Xinhua, Elsa, Soobum Im, and Soobum Im via Getty Images
Here are 12 Olympians to watch throughout the Paris 2024 Games.
The big picture: While Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Sha'Carri Richardson and Katie Ledecky are among the most popular American athletes we're watching, there are a few lesser-known names to keep on your radar.
- These rising stars are contenders to win gold for Team USA.
Casey Kaufhold
Archery; Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Last year, Kaufhold became the first American to rank No. 1 in the world in women's recurve at 19 years old.
Victor Montalvo
Breaking; Kissimmee, Florida
- Montalvo was introduced to breaking at 6 years old by his father and uncle, who were enthusiasts of the sport in Mexico.
- What they're saying: The world champion told Axios his top three favorite breakers include K-Mel, Ken Swift and Swift Rock.
Nick Itkin
Fencing; Los Angeles, California
- The Olympic bronze medalist holds the No. 2 world ranking in the men's foil event.
Fred Richard
Gymnastics; Stoughton, Massachusetts
- Stunning stat: In 2023, the University of Michigan gymnast became the first American man to win a world medal in all-around since 2010.
Ilona Maher
Rugby; Burlington, Vermont
- Maher, who is headed to her second Olympics, has grown a sizable social media following for promoting body positivity.
Gavin Bottger
Skateboarding; Vista, California
- The 17-year-old's impressive resume includes three X Games medals, a world skate championship and the No. 3 ranking in park skating.
- The first-time Olympian told Axios that Brazil and Australia are the United States' biggest competitors. "They're just gnarly," he said.
Sophia Smith
Soccer; Windsor, Colorado
- By the numbers: The National Women's Soccer League's leading scorer has contributed to 25% of Team USA's goals this year.
Sam Watson
Sport climbing; Southlake, Texas
- What we're watching: If the 18-year-old world record holder can beat his best time (4.79 seconds) on the Olympic stage.
Kate Douglass
Swimming; Pelham, New York
- Douglass — a University of Virginia graduate — published a study on how she improved her swim times using analytics.
Jack Alexy
Swimming; Morristown, New Jersey
- Driving the news: The Cal-Berkeley senior beat seven-time gold medalist Caeleb Dressel in the 100-meter freestyle to secure a spot in his first Olympics.
Coco Gauff
Tennis; Delray Beach, Florida
- This will be the first Olympics for the world's No. 2 ranked player. Gauff won her first Grand Slam at last year's U.S. Open.
Olivia Reeves
Weightlifting; Hixson, Tennessee
- Reeves started doing CrossFit at her mother's gym in Chattanooga as a fourth grader before switching to weightlifting.
