Paris Olympics: what to know and who to watch during the volleyball competition

PARIS– A roadmap to follow for the volleyball competition at the Paris Games:

—Jordan Larson, United States: Larson, 37, will be making his fourth appearance at the Olympics.

—Jordyn Poulter, United States: The 26-year-old setter suffered a serious knee injury in late 2022, underwent surgery early last year and only recently resumed full action.

—Earvin N’Gapeth, France: The 33-year-old outside hitter helped France win gold in Tokyo three years ago. He is also a good rapper.

—The French are looking to repeat the gold medal in front of their fans. France beat the Russian team in Tokyo to become champions. They had never made it past the quarterfinals before.

-Can you US women repeat? Larson fell to the ground and cried after Brazil failed to return their spike on match point for the United States to win gold in Tokyo. The outside hitter seemed to be retiring, but she’s back. USA coach Karch Kiraly considers her the best American of all time. Outside hitter Kelsey Robinson Cook will be competing in her third Olympics. Kiraly says Poulter “has been working hard to return to full capacity” from knee surgery.

—USA coach Karch Kiraly did it all in volleyball – beach and indoor.

The preliminary round begins on July 27, with the playoffs starting on August 5 and the gold medal matches on August 10 (men) and August 11 (women).

—Men: France.

—Women: United States.

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AP Summer Olympics: