The Olympic cauldron was lit on Thursday at the Opening Ceremony to symbolize the official start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Over 10,500 athletes from 184 different countries are in Paris to compete in 329 sporting events.
But even with so many athletes attending the Games, the spotlight will still be on the host nation's athletes to succeed. Here are the top French stars to watch at the Paris Olympics.
3x3 BASKETBALL
Laetitia Guapo
Age: 28 | Event: Women’s tournament | Olympic experience: 2020
France will be a medal contender for the women’s tournament in Olympic 3x3 basketball, and that’s because of Laetitia Guapo’s dominant play on the court. She helped France win the 2022 World Cup, and then a few months later, the country won the European Championship. Despite finishing in second at the 2023 World Cup after losing to the U.S. in the final, Guapo is not settling for anything less than a gold medal.
BASKETBALL
Victor Wembanyama
Age: 20 | Event: Men's basketball | Olympic experience: None
After being drafted No. 1 overall by the San Antonio Spurs last summer, Victor Wembanyama has made an immediate impact in the NBA. The 7-foot-4 center has averaged a double-double (21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds per game) and led the NBA in blocked shots (3.6 per game) by a wide margin during the 2023 season. Now, he has the opportunity to be one of the faces of the Olympics for the host nation, as he's expected to join Rudy Gobert on France's Olympic team in what would be an elite defensive frontcourt pairing. France upset the United States in group play and finished with silver at the last Olympics, so with Wembanyama now onboard, this team is a potential spoiler to watch. — Shawn Smith
GYMNASTICS
Coline Devillard
Age: 23 | Event: Duet competition | Olympic experience: None
Coline Devillard was the first French woman to win an individual medal at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastic Championships since 2009. But the year before, she was beaten in the final by American duo Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey. Heading into the Olympics, Devillard said with her family and the nation supporting her, she’ll be focusing on winning gold despite the other elite gymnasts in the competition.
HANDBALL
Nikola Karabatic
Age: 40 | Events: Men's tournament | Olympic experience: 2004, 2008 (1g), 2012 (1g), 2016 (1s), 2020 (1g)
Widely regarded as one of the best players in handball, three-time Olympic champion Nikola Karabatic is seeking a record-breaking fourth gold medal. This summer will be his last chance to make history, as Karabatic already has announced he will retire after his home Olympics. The 40-year-old center back played at the club level for Paris Saint-Germain's handball team.
JUDO
Teddy Riner
Age: 35 | Event: Men's 100+kg | Olympic experience: 2008 (1b), 2012 (1g), 2016 (1g), 2020 (1g, 1b)
With Paris hosting the Olympic Games, no judoka will have a bigger spotlight on them than France's own Teddy Riner. The judo legend, who recently won his record-extending 11th world title, is tied for the all-time lead with five Olympic judo medals (three gold, two bronze). Between the men's heavyweight tournament and the mixed team event, Riner should have two opportunities to add to his total and break the record. — Smith
Clarisse Agbegnenou
Age: 31 | Event: Women's -63kg | Olympic experience: 2016 (1s), 2020 (2g)
Clarisse Agbegnenou is not new to winning Olympic medals. She won silver at the Rio Olympics and improved on that feat by winning two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics. The 31-year-old has won every title possible in the sport, and after taking a break to become a mother by giving birth to her daughter in June 2022, Agbegnenou resumed her training last year with hopes of winning another medal in front of a home crowd this summer.
SOCCER
Michael Olise
Age: 22 | Event: Men's tournament | Olympic experience: None
Michael Olise enters the Paris Olympics fresh off a $76.8 million move to European giants Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace. During the 2023-24 Premier League Season for Palace, Olise scored 10 goals in 19 games, helping his team finish in the middle of the table. But with his eyes now set on the Olympics, Olise will be crucial in helping rack up goals and assists for a loaded French attack looking to win gold.
Alexandre Lacazette
Age: 33 | Event: Men's tournament | Olympic experience: None
Alexandre Lacazette will captain the men’s French soccer team at the Olympics. The Olympique Lyonnais striker, and former Arsenal player, is expected to score most of the goals for his country, and although he’s in the latter stages of his career, Lacazette is coming off a successful season with Lyon, scoring 22 goals in 35 matches across all competitions.
Wendie Renard
Age: 33 | Event: Women's tournament | Olympic experience: 2012, 2016
Wendie Renard will be one of the veteran players for the French women’s soccer team at the Games, and her longevity of competing at the highest levels of the sport will certainly not go unnoticed by opponents. At 33, she’s still one of the best defenders across the world and recently took her country to the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. But with what could now be her last Olympic Games, the Lyon defender will look to go out standing on top of the podium on home turf.
Kadidiatou Diani
Age: 29 | Event: Women's tournament | Olympic experience: 2016
Kadidiatou Diani, who also plays with Renard at Lyon, has become one of the best strikers in women’s soccer. She scored three goals and provided three assists at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Diani followed up that success by scoring 15 goals in 29 matches this past season for Lyon, proving that if France wants to make a deep run at the Olympic tournament, Diani will have to continue her goalscoring form to give her team a chance in doing so.
SPORT CLIMBING
Oriane Bertone
Age: 19 | Event: Boulding and lead climbing | Olympic experience: None
Oriane Bertone is one of the world’s top female bouldering climbers despite still being a teenager. In 2023, she finished second at two events in Seoul and Salt Lake City before ultimately winning an event in June in Prague. Bertone credits her strength and determination for her early career success, saying her age doesn’t make her any less of a medal contender at the Paris Olympics.
SWIMMING
Leon Marchand
Age: 22 | Events: Butterfly, individual medley | Olympic experience: 2020
Leon Marchand is not only France’s best chance at gold in the pool, but he’s primed to be one of the faces of the Games for the host nation across all sports. The Toulouse native currently competes with the Arizona State Sun Devils under coach Bob Bowman, who famously helped mold Michael Phelps into the greatest swimmer of all time. Marchand specializes in some of the same events that Phelps did, including the 400m IM in which Marchand bested Phelps’ last remaining world record in 2023. — Eric Goodman
TABLE TENNIS
Alexis Lebrun
Age: 20 | Events: Men's singles | Olympic experience: None
Alexis Lebrun, along with his younger brother Felix Lebrun, gives France the best chance of winning a medal in table tennis this summer. Alexis gained his first individual international medal after finishing third at the European Games, in which he defeated China’s world No. 1 Fan Zhendong in the process. Playing in his home nation with his brother in the same competition gives Alexis all the motive to finish on top of the podium.
Felix Lebrun
Age: 17 | Events: Men's singles | Olympic experience: None
Felix Lebrun will defeat anyone in the Olympic table tennis competition to win gold, including his older brother Alexis Lebrun. Despite being the younger sibling, Felix has proven he has what it takes to compete at the highest level after he won gold at the 2023 European Games.
VOLLEYBALL
Earvin N'Gapeth
Age: 26 | Events: Men’s volleyball | Olympic experience: 2016, 2020 (1g)
Before Tokyo, the French men's volleyball team's best Olympic result was an eighth-place finish in 1988. But that changed when the team took home the gold in Japan, led by the team's top scorer, Earvin N'Gapeth. After a ninth-place finish in Rio in 2016, N'Gapeth returned to the Olympic court with eyes on the gold medal, and his performance was inimitable. Throughout the tournament, the outside hitter totaled 124 attacks, six blocks, and six aces on his way to the gold. Paris will prove challenging, as N'Gapeth attempts to defend France's title on home soil. — Erin Maher
