As the all-time winningest nation in the history of the Olympics, the United States is always a safe bet to bring some of the biggest stars to the Olympic stage. From Jesse Owens to Florence Griffith Joyner to Michael Phelps, U.S. Olympians routinely have delivered some of the most memorable performances at the Games. There will be no shortage of star power on Team USA at the Paris Olympics. Get to know some of the biggest names representing the United States in Paris before they capture the spotlight.
Simone Biles
Gymnastics | Houston, Texas | Age: 27 | Olympic experience: 2016 (4g, 1b), 2020 (1s, 1b)
She is often referred to as the ‘GOAT,’ but believe it or not, there is still room for Simone Biles to make history in her sport. With just one more medal, Biles will become the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history, surpassing Shannon Miller who won seven medals between Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996. Biles also has an opportunity to climb as high as second on the list of Olympic medal leaders in women’s gymnastics. Mathematically, she cannot catch Soviet great Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals across three Games (1956, 1960, 1964), but with five medals in Paris – which she is certainly capable of – Biles can bring her Olympic medal haul to 12. — Ashlee Buhler
Stephen Curry
Basketball | Akron, Ohio | Age: 36 | Olympic experience: Debut
USA Basketball will field a star-studded men's roster for the Paris Olympics, and one of the most exciting names on the list is Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. At age 36, Curry already is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, and the NBA's all-time three-point leader by a significant margin. But one thing he hasn't done yet is play at the Olympics. With Warriors head coach Steve Kerr taking charge of the U.S. men's team for Paris, Curry could finally add an Olympic gold medal to his legacy. — Shawn Smith
Kate Douglass
Swimming | Pelham, New York | Age: 22 | Olympic experience: 2020 (1b)
Kate Douglass is entering her prime just in time for the Paris Olympics and has a chance to be one of the breakout stars of the Games. The versatile New Yorker has racked up a staggering 14 world championship medals since her Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games, including four world titles. She’s at her best in the 200m IM and the 200m breaststroke, and also won the 100m freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team Trials. She won't compete in that event in Paris due to a scheduling conflict, but she will feature as a key member of the U.S. 4x100m freestyle relay team. — Eric Goodman
Caeleb Dressel
Swimming | Green Cove Springs, Florida | Age: 27 | Olympic experience: 2016 (2g), 2020 (5g)
The undisputed king of the pool in Tokyo, Caeleb Dressel has experienced a whirlwind of change since winning five gold medals in 2021. The self-proclaimed “Florida man” stepped away from the sport unexpectedly in 2022, and did not return to competition until early 2024 following the birth of his first child, a son named August. At the U.S. Trials in June, he performed better than most expected he would, winning the 50m freestyle and the 100m butterfly. A Tokyo-esque performance likely isn't in the cards for the American swimming great this summer, but underestimate Dressel at your own risk . — Goodman
Coco Gauff
Tennis | Delray Beach, Florida | Age: 20 | Olympic experience: Debut
Coco Gauff comes to Paris after a major disappointment in what was supposed to be her Olympic debut in 2020. The then-17-year-old announced five days before the Opening Ceremony that she had to withdraw from the Games after testing positive for COVID-19. Since 2020, Gauff has elevated her tennis game and titles. Gauff was the runner-up at the 2022 French Open in both singles and doubles and, in 2023, captured her first Grand Slam trophy at the U.S. Open. She heads to Paris as the world's No. 2-ranked player and the top U.S. medal contender on the iconic red clay of Roland Garros. — Erin Maher
Nevin Harrison
Canoeing | Seattle, Washington | Age: 21 | Olympic experience: 2020 (1g)
Nevin Harrison became the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic canoeing gold in Tokyo, and she’ll defend that title in Paris. At just 21, she’s emerged as an international star, picking up two world titles in addition to the Olympic gold. In spite of that success, Harrison maintains she’s keeping an underdog mentality entering the Paris Games. — Sam Brief
Anna Hall
Track and Field | Denver, Colorado | Age: 23 | Olympic experience: Debut
Anna Hall may not have prior Olympic experience, but she makes this list for a reason. The heptathlon is a premiere event, and Hall represents a prime redemption story for a U.S. athlete. Since missing out on the Tokyo Games when she crashed out in the hurdles at the U.S. Trials, Hall has secured two world medals and will enter Paris seeking to become just the third American woman to win an Olympic medal in the heptathlon. — Brief
Nyjah Huston
Skateboarding | Davis, California | Age: 29 | Olympic experience: 2020
One of the most popular and most successful skateboarders of all-time, Nyjah Huston, is set to return to the Olympic Games with hopes of improving on his seventh-place finish from Tokyo. After tearing his ACL while filming a video part in 2022, Huston has returned to peak form and cemented himself as one of the favorites for Olympic gold in men's street for the Paris Games. — Smith
LeBron James
Basketball | Akron, Ohio | Age: 39 | Event: Men's basketball | Olympic experience: 2004 (1b), 2008 (1g), 2012 (1g)
Lebron James hasn't played for the U.S. Olympic team since 2012, but he's been very vocal about his excitement to play at the Paris Games. He also reportedly worked behind the scenes to get other top American stars to commit to Team USA. James already has two Olympic gold medals (and a 2004 bronze) to go with his four NBA titles and four NBA MVP awards. Having just wrapped up his 21st NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers forward continues to produce at an elite level (25.7 points, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds per game) on the court. — Smith
Ashleigh Johnson
Water Polo | Miami, Florida | Age: 29 | Olympic experience: 2016 (1g), 2020 (1g)
Ashleigh Johnson widely is regarded as the best women's water polo goalkeeper in the sport. She already has won two Olympic gold medals with the dominant U.S. team, as well as four world titles. The U.S. is always the favorite for women's water polo gold in the pool, and Johnson is one of the big reasons why. — Leo Santos
Casey Kaufhold
Archery | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | Age: 20 | Event: Women’s individual | Olympic experience: 2020
Pennsylvania native Casey Kaufhold is poised to give the U.S. its best chance of winning a medal in Olympic archery, and could be the first American woman to do so since the 1976 Montreal Games. She made her Olympic debut at just age 17 during the Tokyo Games. Kaufhold also finished second at the 2021 World Championships and fourth at the 2023 Worlds in the women’s individual event, beating Tokyo gold medalist An San of South Korea at both competitions. — Santos
Lee Kiefer
Lexington, Kentucky | Fencing | Age: 29 | Olympic experience: 2012, 2016, 2020 (1g)
In one of the highlight moments of the Tokyo Games for the United States, Kentucky-native Lee Kiefer became the first American to win individual foil gold when she defeated defending Olympic champion Inna Deriglazova, 15-13, in the gold medal bout. Now, as the FIE’s No. 1-ranked women’s foil fencer, she heads to Paris arguably in the strongest position of her career. In what is likely to be a final Olympic run for both, Kiefer will once again compete alongside husband and fellow U.S. foil star Gerek Meinhardt in Paris, as both look to add more hardware to the family trophy case. — Goodman
Nelly Korda
Golf | Bradenton, Florida | Age: 25 | Olympic experience: 2020 (1g)
Nelly, the middle child of the uber-athletic Korda family, heads to Paris looking to defend the gold medal that she won by a single stroke in Tokyo. Though the 2022 and 2023 seasons were a struggle by Korda’s lofty standards, she’s been on an absolute tear so far in 2024, winning four of her first five tournaments of the season on the LPGA Tour. She’s once again the No. 1-ranked women’s golfer in the world and the favorite to repeat as Olympic champion in Paris. — Goodman
Jordan Larson
Volleyball | Fremont, Nebraska | Age: 37 | Olympic experience: 2012 (1b), 2016 (1s), 2020 (1g)
Captain of the U.S. women's volleyball team, outside hitter Jordan Larson is looking to lead the U.S. to its second gold medal in Paris. The three-time Olympian has left each of her Olympic showings with a medal, collecting a bronze in 2012, a silver in 2016 and then finally captured gold in Tokyo. — Maher
Katie Ledecky
Swimming | Bethesda, Maryland | Age: 27 | Olympic experience: 2012 (1g), 2016 (4g, 1s), 2020 (2g, 2s)
Katie Ledecky has a terrific chance to leave Paris as the most decorated female Olympic swimmer of all time, which is fitting, considering its about the only accolade left for her to chase. The Bethesda, Maryland native has been the personification of inevitability in the women’s distance freestyle events dating back to her Olympic debut at London 2012 as a 15-year-old. Still a dominant force, Ledecky has more worthy challengers than usual ahead of the Paris Games, though she’s still a favorite to win multiple gold medals. — Goodman
Noah Lyles
Track and Field | Clermont, Florida | Age: 26 | Olympic experience: 2020 (1b)
Noah Lyles is the face of American track and field and has declared his intention to win “all of the medals” in Paris. At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Lyles became the first man since Usain Bolt to win gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. Next, he’ll look to make history at the Olympics, where he took bronze in Tokyo in the 200m. — Brief
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Track and Field | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Age: 24 | Olympic experience: 2016, 2020 (2g)
As the reigning Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in the women's 400m hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is firmly entrenched as one of the dominant forces in track and field. There was some speculation that she would also attempt the flat 400m in Paris, but she opted instead to keep her focus on defending her gold medal in the hurdles. That said, she is once again expected to headline the U.S. 4x400m relay, hoping to successfully defend that Tokyo gold medal as well. — Goodman
Carissa Moore
Surfing | Honolulu, Hawaii | Age: 31 | Olympic experience: 2020 (1g)
Reigning Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion Carissa Moore is part of a strong U.S. contingent for the women's surfing event that will take place in Tahiti. (Her teammates Caroline Marks and Caitlin Simmers are also medal contenders.) Moore will be stepping away from competition after the Olympics, so this could end up being the last chance to catch one of the greats in action. — Smith
Frederick Richard
Gymnastics | Boston, Massachusetts | Age: 20 | Olympic experience: Debut
The United States did not win any Olympic medals in men’s gymnastics in Tokyo, but Frederick Richard just may be its best shot at getting back on the podium in Paris. At the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships, Richard posted the highest score of the day to clinch the team bronze – the first team world medal for the U.S. men in nine years. Richard also won a bronze medal in the all-around, making him just the fourth all-around world medalist for the American men in history. — Buhler
Sha’Carri Richardson
Track and Field | Dallas, Texas | Age: 24 | Olympic experience: Debut
Not since the 1996 Athens Olympics has an American woman won the gold medal in the women’s 100m. That drought could finally fall at the feet of Sha’Carri Richardson, the electric sprint superstar that track fans just can’t ignore. Richardson would have led the U.S. sprinters in Tokyo after winning that year’s U.S. Trials, but a positive marijuana test cost her a chance to compete at the Games. Since then, however, Richardson has been on a revenge tour of sorts, winning 100m gold at the 2023 World Track and Field Championships, as well as leading the U.S. women to 4x100m relay gold. — Goodman
Trinity Rodman
Soccer | Newport Beach, California | Age: 22 | Olympic experience: Debut
Trinity Rodman, daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, was part of the starting three forwards the U.S. used at the 2023 Women’s World Cup alongside Alex Morgan and Sophia Smith. She made her debut in 2022 at 19 years old. Although she’s been with the national team for only two years, Rodman will be key to helping the U.S. get goal on the board as a winger in Paris. — Santos
Xander Schauffele
Golf | San Diego, California | Age: 30 | Olympic experience: 2020 (1g)
Prior to 2024, Xander Schauffele was widely considered the best active men’s golfer without a major championship victory. That's long gone, after Schauffele won both the PGA Championship and the Open Championship this year. Now up to No. 2 on the Official World Golf Ranking, Schauffele has an excellent chance to successfully defend the gold medal that he won at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. — Goodman
Sophia Smith
Soccer | Fort Collins, Colorado | Age: 23 | Olympic experience: Debut
Since making her debut with the U.S. in November 2020 at only 20 years old, Sophia Smith has logged 20 goals in 50 appearances. She is part of the new generation of younger players leading the team into the Paris Games. Smith has World Cup experience under her belt and became the highest-paid player ever in the NWSL in March 2024 when signing a new contract with the Portland Thorns. — Santos
Breanna Stewart
Basketball | Syracuse, New York | Age: 29 | Olympic experience: 2016 (1g), 2020 (1g)
Entering her third Olympic Games, Breanna Stewart — the tournament MVP at the Tokyo Olympics — has become one of the most important players for the U.S. women's basketball team. She joined the WNBA's New York Liberty in 2023 and had her best statistical season yet (23.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 blocks, 1.5 steals per game) and set the league's single-season scoring record, resulting in her second league MVP award. — Smith