8 UP-AND-COMING U.S. ATHLETES TO WATCH DURING THE OLYMPICS
written by OLIVIA WETTENGEL
July 25, 2024



We are high-jumping for joy (get it? 😏) over the start of the Paris Olympics. T-24 hours until the Opening Ceremony! What better way to spend the summer before school starts?!
This year’s summer games are stacked with state-of-the-art stars. As we root for our home country, here are eight promising US athletes to keep an eye out for in the next few weeks:
COCO GAUFF

Honored with the task of bearing the American flag alongside basketball star Lebron James for Team USA at the Opening Ceremony, Coco Gauff is a tennis queen ready to steal the show this year. In 2020, her dreams were forced to a quick halt as she tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew from the Tokyo Games. Four years later, she is back and better than ever, holder of the 2023 US Open Grand Slam Trophy. Gauff will play in the women’s tennis singles and doubles events.
JACK ALEXY
21-year-old Jack Alexy brings swimming skills like no other to Parisian pools. Specializing in freestyle events, Alexy only sprang into the world swimming scene recently. At the 2023 World Swimming Championships, the 6-foot-8 Cal-Berkeley senior won the silver in the men’s 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle races. He has earned his title as Team USA’s top male sprinter, so keep an eye on Alexy if you want to strike gold this summer!

KELLY CHENG & SARA HUGHES

This powerful pair will be the talk of the town in beach volleyball all throughout the games. With beginnings at the University of Southern California, Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes unstoppably won back-to-back NCAA titles. After parting for a time so Cheng could compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, they have now reunited as a force to be reckoned with. A sweet reminder that true friendship never fails, the duo won the FIVB Volleyball World Championships in October and are expected to continue their winning streak this summer.
JIMMER FREDETTE
Brigham Young University MVP and legend Jimmer Fredette took the world by storm with his unmatched 3-pointer talent back in 2011. Thirteen years later, after playing for teams in Greece and China, the basketball phenomenon will represent his home country in Men’s 3×3 Olympic Basketball. He elevates the US 3×3 team to the next level, not only qualifying them for the Olympics this year but also contending strongly for the gold medal.

NOAH LYLES

Qualifying for the Track & Field 200-meter race at the Olympic Trials with a scorching 19.53-second win, his mother watching from the sidelines and prouder than ever, Noah Lyles intends to win “all of the medals” this year in Paris. The 26-year-old sprinter won the bronze in Tokyo four years ago, and today he has set his sights even higher. Tune into Lyles’ events (the 100m, 200m, & 4x100m relay) to witness Team USA strike gold!
SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE
This track prodigy first stepped foot on the Olympic stage at the mere age of 16 in Rio. Since then, she has made her mark at various world competitions, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she won the gold in the 400-meter hurdles. Not only is she the owner of a gold medal, but also of a world record. She set a record of 50.68 seconds in the same event at the World Championships in 2022. It’s never a dull moment watching Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and we’re sure that won’t change in Paris.

PAXTEN AARONSON

Following in the footsteps of his older brother Brendan Aaronson (US national soccer team midfielder), young 20-year-old Paxten Aaronson will be the midfielder for Olympic Team USA this year. The soccer star scored seven goals during the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship, an influential factor in the Olympic qualification of the US. This year being his first Olympics participation ever, Aaronson is sure to steal the ball as well as many hearts as he plays in Paris.
We know who we’re watching this year! We hope this year’s Olympic Games are as entertaining as they are fulfilling. Let these up-and-coming athletes inspire you to reach your goals, whether they be in sports, academics, or another field. Happy Olympic Games!
Olivia Wettengel
Olivia is a current Journalism major at Brigham Young University. She has contributed to her school's various publications since high school, and currently works as a Marketing Intern at Book & Ladder, Inc. With a first-hand view of college life, Olivia brings experience and passion to the content she creates for The Open Book.