In Simone Biles for Sha’Carri Richardson It is Diana Taurasi for Katie Ledecky, Team USA will provide some of the biggest stars at the 2024 Olympic Games.
And it will be women who will lead the way as the U.S. looks to top the overall medal table for an eighth consecutive Olympic Games.
The nearly 600 athletes heading to the Paris Games include more than 250 returning Olympians and 122 Olympic medalists. Golf players Xander Schauffele and Nelly Korda, along with surfer Carissa Mooreare among the numerous Olympians who will defend their titles in France.
It is a list loaded from the USA where the women outperform men 314 to 278 years old, and ages range from 16 to 59 years old. The most decorated member of the US team in Paris will be Ledecky, who is looking to add to his collection of 10 medals (seven gold).
Biles is back in action after pulling of several gymnastics finals in Tokyo to protect your mental health and safety. There’s Richardson making his Olympic debut after a much-debated absence three years ago because of a positive marijuana test.
Biles leads a North American women’s gymnastics team full of familiar faces and searching for redemption in Paris. The team settled for silver three years ago, behind Russian athletes competing in the Russian Olympic Committee.
Richardson became a media sensation for his speed, charisma and perseverance. The 100m world champion earned a place in Tokyo in 2021 but was banned after testing positive for marijuana. This sparked intense debate over whether she was being unfairly singled out for taking a non-performance-enhancing substance.
Richardson, 24, who appears on the cover of Vogue Magazinesaid she was “overwhelmed with emotions of just joy” after joining the team.
On the court, basketball royalty LeBron James and Diana Taurasi lead their teams. And it’s no surprise that the talent-packed men’s and women’s basketball teams are the heavy favorites to take home the gold.
James, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry join forces to lead a US contingent in search of a fifth consecutive Olympic title. A’ja Wilson, Brittney Griner and Taurasi lead a female team who won seven consecutive Olympic gold medals. Taurasi was part of five of them.
Decorated swimmers Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel are on deck to shine again in the pool, and major tournament winners and the world’s No. 1 golfers Scottie Scheffler and Korda access the links.
“We’re telling these stories — we’re laughing, we’re crying, we’re rooting for them,” said Lyndsay Signor, senior vice president of consumer engagement at NBC Sports. “So it really justifies the combination of the athletes themselves and the celebrities that we partnered with.”
NBC is on the air olympic promotional material 24 hours a day. There’s Biles being interviewed by singer SZA. Other athletes featured in the spots include Richardson, sprinter Noah Lyles, 400 meter hurdles world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Ledecky and current Olympian All-around gymnastics winner Suni Lee.
The US women’s national soccer team, led by new coach Emma Hayeschasing its first Olympic gold since 2012 and Victor Montalvo – “B-Boy Victor” – will be a contender when breakbreaking makes its Olympic debut in Paris. Coco Gauff is among the favorites to take home a medal on the clay courts of Roland Garros, local French Open.
This abundance of star power is why Nielsen’s Gracenote provides for shipping from the USA in 123 medals. This is ahead of China (87), Britain (62) and France (56). This could be the eighth consecutive Olympic Games in which the Americans lead the medal table.
“If American athletes win, it increases ratings and endorsements, and makes it attractive for American companies to invest in the Olympic movement,” said Dr. Yoav Dubinsky, sports business instructor at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business. “It’s all part of the history of the American way of life. Your successes, and sometimes failures or adversities, contribute to Brand America.”
NBC hired Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg to narrate a short film titled “Land of Stories,” where the Olympics created a backdrop for storytelling.
Even more stars will join the network’s coverage with appearances from celebrities Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning, Colin Jost, Leslie Jones and Jimmy Fallon.
Snoop is already showing off his tracksuits for work. The 52-year-old hip-hop star ran a 200-meter race against Ato Boldon and Wallace Spearmon at the Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, last month.
Your time was 34.44 seconds. Usain Bolt’s world record of 19.19 remains safe.
“(Snoop) really brought a perspective that’s not only fun and interesting,” Signor said, “it’s adorable too.”
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