Black athletes across the globe are getting set to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Paris games are set to kick off on Friday (July 26) with an opening ceremony down the Seine River. Top Black Olympians will represent their respective countries, competing in track and field, basketball, gymnastics, judo, soccer, wrestling, and tennis.
Keep scrolling to find out more about the Black athletes to watch outside of Team USA.
Track and Field
Faith Kipyegon - Kenya
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon is headed to Paris to represent Kenya in the 1500m and 5000m races. Kipyegon, 30, punched her ticket to Paris after putting on a season’s best performance at the Kenyan Olympic Trials in Nairobi. The 30-year-old previously earned gold medals in the 1500m race at the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games. "I am looking forward to a bright summer (at the Games)," Kipyego said in a statement following the Trials.
Beatrice Chepkoech — Kenya
Olympic long-distance runner Beatrice Chepkoech will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, representing Kenya. Chepkoech previously competed in the Tokyo and Rio games in the Women's 3000m Steeplechase. She won gold medals at the 2019 World Championships and 2018 African Championships and a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships.
Marileidy Paulino — Dominican Republic
Sprinter Marileidy Paulino will be representing the Dominican Republic at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Paulino made her Olympic debut in Tokyo, taking home silver medals in the women's 400-meter dash and the 4 x 400m relay mixed. Her Tokyo wins made her the first woman from the Dominican Republic to win an individual Olympic medal.
Winfred Yavi — Bahrani
24-year-old Winfred Mutile Yavi is set to represent Bahraini in the Olympics this year in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Yavi previously won a gold medal at the 2024 World Championships, beating Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya. This year’s Paris appearance will mark her second Olympic showing. Yavi scored 10th in the Women's 3000m Steeplechase in the Tokyo Olympics.
Shericka Jackson — Jamaica
Jackson earned a bronze medal in the 400-meter event at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She then won gold in the 4x100-meter relay during the Tokyo Olympics. Jackson is expected to be the top challenger to American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson in the 100-meter event. In the 100 m, she’s the fifth fastest woman of all time, while in the 200 m, she’s the second fastest woman in history. She also competes in the 200 and 400 meters.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce — Jamaica
Olympic champions Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson head a team of 66 athletes picked to represent Jamaica across 17 track and field events at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Sprint legend Fraser-Pryce will compete at her fifth and final Games in the women’s 100m, alongside Jackson, targeting her first individual Olympic gold in both the dash and the 200m.
The two leading figures will also be part of the 4x100m relay team that includes Tia Clayton, Shashalee Forbes, with Alana Reid as a reserve. She is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a five-time world champion. Pryce's career spans over a decade and a half, from the late 2000s to the 2020s.
Omar McLeod — Jamaica
Omar McLeod is a Jamaican professional hurdler and sprinter competing in the 60 m hurdles and 110 m hurdles. In the latter event, he is the 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 World champion. He attended Arkansas, representing the Razorbacks in the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Oblique Seville — Jamaica
Oblique Seville is considered the brightest short-sprint star and men's medal prospect to emerge from Jamaica since the Usain Bolt era came to an end in 2017. Seville raced into global consciousness at the recent Racers Grand Prix in Jamaica where he beat reigning world champion Noah Lyles with a world-leading time of 9.82 seconds. Seville qualified for his maiden Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020 (in 2021) where he fell short of reaching the 100m final. He also featured in the 4x100m relay final where Jamaica finished in fourth place.
Eliud Kipchoge — Kenya
Four-time Olympic medalist Eliud Kipchoge EGH is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized in the 5000 meters. Regarded as one of the greatest marathon runners of all time, he is the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion and was the world record holder in the marathon from 2018 to 2023.
Lythe Pillay — South Africa
Reigning South African 400m champion Lythe Pillay booked a spot at the Paris Olympic Games last April after dethroning 2023 winner Wayde van Niekerk —the South African that has inspired Pillay to take on the international stage. "To a large part, I am here because of Wayde, and the fact that we saw someone break a world record at the Olympics from South Africa," Pillay told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview. "We always thought that it was the Americans or the Europeans that were made for the sport but then seeing someone do it in our own backyard, it was like, 'but I can do that too!'" Pillay himself has experienced a meteoric rise since his Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020 where he was a member of the men’s 4x400m relay team that failed to make it past the heats.
Marcell Jacobs — Italy
Two-time Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs is set to defend his title in the 100-meter dash at the 2024 games. He is the 2020 Olympic 100-meter champion, the 2022 60-meter world champion, the 2022 and 2024 European 100-meter champion, and a member of the gold medal-winning 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2020 Olympics. He currently holds the 100-meter European record, the 60-meter European record, and is the first person to ever qualify for and win the men's 100-meter Olympic final for Italy.
Dina Asher-Smith — Britain
Thanks to her spectacular win in the 100m final at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in June, then her 200m victory at the UK Athletics Championships in July, Asher-Smith is now fired up to add some Olympic gold to her collection in Paris this August, where she’ll represent Team GB in both individual sprint events: the 100m and 200m. Asher-Smith is also the 2019 world champion in the 200m and a two-time Olympic medallist in the 4 x 100m, having swept up a bronze in the discipline at both the 2016 Rio and 202o Tokyo Games.
Basketball
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — Canada
Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander is a Canadian basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will represent Canada for the second summer in a row at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Gilgeous-Alexander also headlined Canada's squad at the 2023 FIBA World Cup where they defeated Team USA in overtime to capture the bronze medal. He'll be joined in the backcourt by Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. NBA’s Dillon Brooks will likely start with the superstar backcourt and RJ Barrett and Dwight Powell will round out their usual starting lineup.
Victor Wembanyama — France
San Antonio Spurs star and NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama is making his Olympic debut on Team France. With Wembanyama at center, France hopes to clench its first Olympic gold medal in basketball. Team USA beat France 87-82 in the final at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. Webanyama said he was excited to potentially face fellow NBA stars LeBron James and Steph Curry at this year’s Olympics. “I can’t wait to face them, it will be a very interesting matchup,” Wembanyama said in a statement. “As a basketball player, it’s also a dream to play against Team USA and even against all those players, all those legends.”
Gymnastics
Rebeca Andrade — Brazil
Andrade has big plans for the Paris Olympics after she won two medals in gymnastics at the Tokyo Games. The 25-year-old Andrade, who was born and raised in a favela outside Sao Paulo, is looking to return to the podium while competing against her friend Simone Biles. But the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the Summer Games back to 2021, and Andrade’s knee held up just fine. She became the first Brazilian woman to win Olympic medals in artistic gymnastics; gold in the vault competition, and silver in the individual all-around. She is up to nine medals in world championships, including three golds.
Lynnzee Brown — Haiti
Former University of Denver gymnast and alumna Lynnzee Brown has secured her spot at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) announced on Thursday. Brown received the universality (tripartite) spot for women's artistic gymnastics. Universality spots are awarded to athletes in select sports (including gymnastics) from countries that have averaged eight or fewer athletes at the last two Olympic Games with the intent of diversifying countries that are represented at the Olympics.
Boxing
Teddy Riner — France
French heavyweight Teddy Riner bids for a third individual Olympic gold medal, and it could end up being one of the highlights of the Paris Games. The 35-year-old won his 11th individual world title in Doha last year and another gold in Paris would see him match the record of Japan's Tadahiro Nomura, who won successive Olympic extra lightweight titles in 1996, 2000 and 2004. "Having the Olympics at home is what motivates me. It is magical and it brings a lot of emotion", Riner told reporters in February after winning the Paris Grand Slam.
Soccer
Wendie Renard — France
Wendie Thérèse Renard is a French professional soccer player who plays as a center-back and captains both Division 1 club Lyon and the France national team. Renard is one of the most decorated players in modern women's club football. She has won a record 14 French league titles and eight European Cups. Renard previously competed in the London and Rio Olympic games.
Wrestling
Mijain Lopez — Cuba
Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler Mijaín López Núñez is unbeaten at the Olympic Games since Beijing 2008, winning four consecutive 120kg/130kg titles in the process. A flag-bearer for his country at each of the last four Olympic opening ceremonies, he is also a five-time world champion and one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Paris 2024 will be the final competition for the history-making Cuban wrestler, Mijain Lopez. At 41 years old, he will retire from high-performance sport after seeking a historic fifth gold medal at the Olympic Games that would make him the most successful athlete in the history of the Olympics.
Tennis
Arthur Fils — France
Arthur Fils is a French professional tennis player. Fils previously shared his excitement about the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. As a Paris resident and player, Fils feels a strong connection to the event and is looking forward to performing in front of his family and friends. He is currently the No. 3 French player.
Gaël Monfils — France
Monfils previously appeared at the Beijing, Rio, and Tokyo Olympics. Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 6 in singles by the ATP, which he achieved in November 2016. His career highlights include reaching two major semifinals at the 2008 French Open and 2016 US Open, and three ATP Masters 1000 finals – two at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010, and the other at the 2016 Monte-Carlo Masters.
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