10 Must-See Olympians at 2024 Paris Games

by Eric Fulton & Julian Spivey

10. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has already proven to be one of the greatest hurdlers in Olympic history, with a gold medal performance at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the 400-meter hurdles and an Olympic record time of 51.46. She also won gold in the 2020 Games in the 4 x 400 meters relay. At the U.S. Olympic Track & Field trials in late June, McLaughlin-Levrone set the World Record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 50.68. The women’s 400-meter hurdles heat races will be on Sunday, August 4, the semifinals on Tuesday, August 6, and the final on Thursday, August 8. JS

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9. Nikki Hiltz 
Nikki Hiltz can make history in Paris by becoming the first American transgender athlete to medal when she competes in the women’s 1,500-meter. Hiltz qualified for the Olympics by winning the women’s 1,500-meter event at the U.S. Track & Field trials in late June. The women’s 1,500-meter heat races are on Tuesday,  August 6, the semifinals on Thursday, August 8 and the final on Saturday, August 10. JS

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8. Sha’Carri Richardson
Simone Biles will have the opportunity for the biggest redemption story at the Paris Games. The athlete with the second most significant chance at redemption is U.S. track & field star Sha’Carri Richardson. Richardson had qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Games but was suspended due to testing positive for marijuana use, which, let’s face it in this day and age, is dumb as hell. Richardson will compete for the “fastest woman alive” title in the women’s 100-meters. The heats for that event will begin on Friday, August 2. The semifinals and gold medal match will be on Saturday, August 3. Richardson may also compete in the women’s 4x100-meter relay. JS  

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7. Stephen Curry 
Stephen Curry has done almost everything there is to do in basketball. He’s a four-time NBA champion, a multiple-time NBA MVP, and will be a no-doubt first-ballot Hall of Famer following his retirement. However, Curry has not yet competed with Team USA in the Olympics. At age 36, Curry will make his Team USA debut at the Paris Games. A gold medal is all he needs left for a perfect basketball resume. The Olympic men’s basketball tournament begins on Saturday, July 27 and the gold medal game will be held on Saturday, August 10. JS

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6. Editor's note: 
This article originally erroneously had Kylian Mbappe competing in the Olympic soccer tournament for his home country of France. He is not on the France Men's Soccer Olympic roster. 

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5. Scottie Scheffler
I initially made this list before Xander Schauffele won his second major tournament of 2024 at The Open Championship last weekend. The possibility of him attempting to top that by repeating as men’s golf gold medalist at the Paris Games may make him a more popular pick, but I’ll stick with the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler has arguably had the best year in golf, despite Schauffele one-upping him in majors won. Scheffler has won six tournaments in 2024, including the Masters and the Players Championship, the biggest non-major tournament of the PGA Tour season. The men’s golf Olympic tournament begins on Thursday, August 1 and ends on Sunday, August 4. JS 

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4. Victor Wembanyama
The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year has the most significant career opportunity with the 2024 Olympics in his home country of France. Wembanyama is the top player in his home country and will make a lot of noise for his team. The France team is in Group B alongside Germany, Brazil, and Japan.  If France medals in these games, it will be because of the brilliance of Wembanyama. The Olympic men’s basketball tournament begins on Saturday, July 27 and the gold medal game will be held on Saturday, August 10. EF

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3. Caeleb Dressel
Caeleb Dressel has become the face of men's swimming in the post-Michael Phelps era. He won two gold medals in the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil. He topped that by winning five gold medals in Tokyo's 2020 Summer Olympics games, becoming the fifth American to achieve the mark. Dressel is a perfect seven for seven in Olympic gold medals and will surely add to his total in Paris. Dressel will likely compete in three Paris events: 100 free, 50 free and 100 fly. The men’s 100 free gold medal event is on Wednesday, July 31. The men’s 50 free final is Friday, August 2. The men’s 100-fly final is on Saturday, August 3. EF

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2. Katie Ledecky
Katie Ledecky will compete in her fourth Summer Olympic Games. She started at 15 and has since become the best women's swimmer in the world. In her three previous Olympic appearances, the Maryland native won seven gold and three silver medals. With a solid performance in Paris, Ledecky will have a great shot at becoming the most decorated female swimmer ever. Ledecky is expected to compete in at least three events in Paris: women’s 400 free, women’s 800 free and women’s 1,500 free. The women’s 400 free final is on Saturday, July 27. The women’s 1,500 free final is on Wednesday, July 31 and the women’s 800 free final is on Saturday, August 3. EF

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1. Simone Biles
The biggest redemption story at the 2024 Paris Games could be Simone Biles returning to the Olympics and reclaiming the throne she gave up at the 2020 Tokyo Games due to mental health struggles. Biles has returned to the top of gymnastics with U.S. and World titles but now returns to the biggest stage for her sport. All the eyes of the world will be upon her as she competes in six different events: Team All-Around, Individual All-Around, Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise. The team final is on Tuesday, June 30. The individual all-around is Thursday, August 1. The vault final is on Saturday, August 3. The uneven bars final is on Sunday, August 4, and the balance beam and floor exercise finals are on Monday, August 5. JS