DMV athletes shine on world stage

As the 2024 Summer Olympics came to a close on Aug. 11, Team USA paraded the streets of Paris, proudly sporting their medals. WIth over 600 athletes competing, Team USA brought home 126 total medals, besting China’s 91 and France’s 64, and tying China’s gold medal count at 40. Over 30 of the athletes for Team USA were from the DMV area. Not only did local athletes compete, they won.

Of the 30 athletes from the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, 22 won medals and contributed to 16% of Team USA’s total medal count. Adding onto their accomplishments, 11 of the 22 medals were gold. This gold medal count would’ve ranked 11th on the final table standings among all competing countries, the DMV above countries like Russia, Spain and Belgium. Sophomore Brody Sullivan said, “It was cool seeing Team USA and the DMV dominate as much as they did.”

Headlining these DMV athletes are Katie Ledecky, Noah Lyles and Kevin Durant, who all took home at least one gold medal. Growing up in Bethesda, Ledecky began swimming at the age of six as she trained at the Palisades Swim & Tennis Club at Cabin John. Now, she is the most decorated female U.S. Olympian with nine gold medal,s including two in this year’s events. Ledecky won gold in the women’s 800 meter and 1500 meter freestyle races.

Another athlete who dominated from the DMV is Alexandria, VA, native, Noah Lyles. After both of his parents were track and field athletes at Seton Hall University, Lyles began running track at the age of 12 and he ran competitively at Alexandria City High School before signing a deal with Adidas in 2016 to go pro. During this year’s games, Lyles won his first gold medal in the 100 meter run to go along with his six world championships.

As Lyles dominated on the track, Kevin Durant took on the world’s toughest competition on the court for Team USA men’s basketball. Durant grew up in Prince George’s County, where he developed his love for basketball. Durant then played high school basketball for Montrose Christian School in Rockville before playing in college for the University of Texas. Now, Durant has won his fourth gold medal playing for Team USA and he holds the record for most points scored ever in Team USA history.

Other notable DMV athletes who struck gold in Paris are track and field stars Quincy Wilson and Masai Russell. WIlson made global headlines as he became the youngest U.S. track Olympian ever at just 16 years old. Wilson attends Bullis School in Potomac, which is also where Russell graduated from. Wilson won as a part of the men’s 4×400 meter race and Russell won the women’s 100 meter hurdles race. First time Olympic watcher, Manny Perez said, ”I couldn’t believe that Team USA had someone who was younger than me, I’m definitely going to be following more Olympics in the future.”

An important aspect of all these athletes’ success is the impact they have on the students at this school. Junior Aava Nik, who follows the summer Olympics every four years said, “It feels good to see the DMV represented so well in Paris and I look forward to seeing more athletes from this area compete in the future.”