Meet the San Diego athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
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San Diegan Jennifer Valente is chasing an historic fourth gold medal in cycling. Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
About two dozen athletes from San Diego County are competing in the Summer Olympics that kicked off this week in Paris.
State of play: Several athletes are making their Olympic debuts; others are looking to defend gold medals while representing their hometowns and Team USA in more than a dozen sports.
Zoom in: Young San Diegans dominate the U.S. skateboarding team that's stacked with top-ranked talent, including Gavin Bottger (Vista/Oceanside), Tate Carew (San Diego), Tom Scharr (Cardiff), Ruby Lilley (Oceanside) and Bryce Wettstein (Encinitas).
- Cyclist Jennifer Valente (San Diego) will race for the history books, chasing her fourth Olympic gold medal.
- Team USA's oldest athlete at 59, Steffen Peters (San Diego) is competing in his sixth Olympic Games in equestrian dressage events, while Logan Edra (San Diego) qualified for the first-ever Olympic breaking competition.
- WNBA star Kelsey Plum (Poway) will help lead the women's basketball team in its pursuit of an eighth consecutive gold medal.
More athletes to watch:
🏃🏿♀️Nia Akins (San Diego) is making her debut in track and field after winning the 2024 U.S. trials in the 800 meters.
🤽Water polo player Alex Bowen (Santee) is competing in his third Olympics.
🏐Garrett Muagututia (Oceanside) returns to the Olympics in volleyball, and Chase Budinger (Encinitas) is competing in beach volleyball.
🏉Kayla Canett (Fallbrook) and Sarah Levy (San Diego) made the women's rugby roster, and Lucas Lacamp will play for the men.
🚣🏻♀️Azja Czajkowski (Imperial Beach/Chula Vista) will be rowing in the Olympics for the first time.
🏹Catalina Gnoriega (San Diego) makes her debut in archery, alongside Olympian Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez (Chula Vista).
🎾Taylor Fritz (Rancho Santa Fe) is competing in men's tennis.
🏌️Golfer Xander Schauffele (San Diego) returns to the Olympics to defend his gold medal after winning two major titles this year.
🏄🏻♀️Surfer Caitlin Simmers (Oceanside) is taking her first trip to the Olympics after winning the prestigious Pipe Pro earlier this year.
🏑Megan Rogers Valzonis (San Diego) debuts for Team USA in field hockey.
Between the lines: This list doesn't include athletes who've made San Diego their home or those representing other countries.
- Five San Diego Wave teammates — Naomi Girma, Jaedyn Shaw, Kailyn Sheridan, Emily van Egmond and Kaitlyn Torpey — could face each other in women's soccer games.
- 50-year-old skateboarding legend Andy Macdonald from Encinitas will compete for Great Britain.
- SDSU student Nevin Harrison is seeking her second straight gold medal in sprint canoeing.
Of note: Soccer player Catarina Macario (San Diego) made the original USWNT Olympic roster but will not compete due to injury.
Zoom out: California is sending 120 athletes to Paris for the Olympic Games with Team USA, which is more than any other state by far, according to the official roster of 592 athletes from the U.S. Olympic Committee.
- There are more Olympic athletes from San Diego County alone than from 40 of the 46 states represented.
- The full 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team will be announced Aug. 19, but three local athletes have already qualified.
What's next: Opening ceremonies are Friday at 10:30am local time; coverage will air on NBC and Peacock.
- A prime-time presentation will begin at 4:30pm.