NEW YORK — The Olympic torch has officially been lit, with just 100 days until the 2024 Paris Games. And Team USA is already in the final stages of preparation.
“You can feel the energy and excitement building, certainly not just within the walls of our organization, but across the country,” Sarah Hirshland, chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said Monday. It's also spreading,” he said.
The Paris Olympics are set to return to normalcy after the past two Olympic Games were reduced to made-for-TV events with few or no spectators in the stands due to COVID-19. It has been touted. Wearing a mask or daily nasal swabs will not be required. The arena is expected to be filled not only with fans but also with the players' families and friends. And the Paris Games will be held primarily in and around the center of Paris, rather than being partially or fully contained in a bubble.
For local organizers, the Games will be defined by both the openness and atmosphere that Paris offers, from the daring opening ceremony in which athletes float down the Seine to the venue's backdrop of landmarks like the Eiffel Tower. I hope that. But Team USA's goals remain the same.
“We want to get some medals,” USOPC Director of Sports and Athlete Services Rocky Harris said Monday.
As the Olympics inch closer, much of Team USA is still building. With 100 days left until Paris, here's how teams are preparing, including key upcoming qualifying events and names you should know.
Who is on Team USA's roster so far?
Harris said Team USA will have more than 800 athletes for both the Olympics and Paralympics. However, so far only 89 Olympic and 44 Paralympic athletes have qualified by name.
“With the trial coming up and all the good things coming up over the next three months, this is a really opportune time for us,” Harris said.
Rowers, sailors, and shooters make up the majority of Olympic athletes who have qualified for the U.S. team thus far. One reason is that these sports already hold Olympic trials. Other early qualifiers include 2021 gold medalists Nevin Harrison (canoe) and Carissa Moore (surfing), as well as breakers Victor Montalvo and Sunny Choi. They will represent Team USA in the Olympic debut of freestyle dancing, also known as breaking. Break dance.
The United States also selected five marathoners to represent the Paris Games and named a 3×3 men's basketball team that features former NBA player and BYU star Jimmer Fredette. The men's 3×3 team was unable to qualify for the Tokyo Games.
When will the 2024 Olympic trials take place in gymnastics and other major sports?
In some of the most high-profile Olympic sports, athletes can only book their ticket to the Olympics if they perform well in the Olympic Trials. Some athletes lament that competing at the Olympic Trials is as tough as the Olympics themselves.
Here are the dates and locations of Olympic Trials in several major sports over the next two months. Olympic teams for these sports are typically finalized and announced within one to two weeks of the conclusion of the judging process.
∎ wrestling: April 19-20 in State College, Pennsylvania
∎ swimming: in Indianapolis from June 15th to 23rd.
∎ Athletics stadium: June 21-30, Eugene, Oregon
∎ Gymnastics: June 27-30, Minneapolis
What is Team USA's strongest sport?
The United States has won more gold medals in track and field (343) than in any other summer sport, at least in part because the sport has so many different events. Swimming has similarly seen historic and consistent success.
In terms of sheer dominance, Team USA's strongest sport is probably basketball. The U.S. women will aim for their eighth consecutive gold medal, and the men will aim for their fifth consecutive gold medal. The Paris men's team features a full squad with 12 members including LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
Recently, the United States has enjoyed success in several new Olympic sports, including winning a gold medal in surfing and a silver medal in sport climbing at the 2021 Olympics. The women's water polo team also has an almost unbeatable record, winning gold medals in the past three Olympics.
Will Simone Biles return to Paris?
Biles will have to wait until the Olympic trials in late June to officially book her ticket to the Paris Games, but she is effectively a shoe-in.
After a major withdrawal from competition at the Tokyo Olympics due to his “Twisty” bout, Biles returned to competition last fall and continued to be as dominant as ever, en route to victory in the 2023 World Championships individual all-around final. She also won gold medals in the team events, balance beam and floor exercise.
Barring any surprises, Biles will very likely win his second Olympic gold medal in the individual all-around in Paris. She has won her seven Olympic medals (four gold medals) in her career so far.
Who are the other big names?
Cirice Jones was Biles' closest competitor last year and is expected to be considered alongside 2021 gold medalist Suni Lee, who has been sidelined for the past few years with kidney disease.
Team USA is also expected to have a star-studded team on the track, including sprinter Noah Lyles, who won three gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter dash at last year's World Championships. I'm trying to reproduce my results. Meter dash and 4×100 meter relay. Shakari Richardson (sprints), Fred Curley (sprints), Ryan Crowther (shot put), Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (400m hurdles or 400m hurdles), Ashing Mu (800m dash) There are many big names competing for the gold medal.
And in swimming, Katie Ledecky looks to add to the seven Olympic gold medals she has won over the past three Summer Games, while Lily King and Ryan Murphy could also leave Paris with multiple medals. He will be one of the only other American players with a similar gender.
Who are Team USA's rising stars?
Many of them are on the women's side. The basketball and soccer teams have yet to be decided, but huge young stars could be in the mix, including Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith in soccer and Caitlin Clark in hoops.
Swimmers Kate Douglas, 22, Katie Grimes, 18, and Regan Smith, 22, all competed in Tokyo as teenagers, and will be even more competitive in their second Games. should increase. And Amit Elor, 21, is the current world wrestling champion and is being touted as a potential future star.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.
