The Summer Olympics are coming to Paris later this month, and whether your child is interested in learning more about them or you’re hoping to be the one to pique their interest, this article covers new sports and local athletes to watch out for to help build excitement for this grand event of human achievement!
What’s New?
Only one new sport has been added this year, but three sports added back in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which aired in 2021 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic) will be making a return as well. Since the Tokyo Games, which aired from a time zone with a 13-hour time difference, were not particularly viewer-friendly for little ones and busy parents, we’ll cover the sports added in 2020 in this section as well, to help you keep an eye out for the freshest events you might have missed. Seeing as the stated intent of many of these additions was to increase interest in the Olympics among young viewers, it makes them perfect events to watch as a family.
- Breaking: The one and only sport added for the 2024 Olympic Games is one you might know as breakdancing, a style of acrobatic stylized dance that emerged from the Bronx’s Black communities in the 1970s. It eventually developed a competitive element in the 1990s with major tournaments being hosted routinely in Germany, France, South Korea and more. If you’re interested in seeing it in action, you can check out the highlights from a tournament last year.
- Skateboarding: Though it’s no longer the cultural pinnacle of cool among youth as it was in decades past, skateboarding has not lost a step when it comes to being a show of fluid, talented movement. With Olympic skateboarding focusing on quick runs that prioritize complex tricks that gain massive airtime at fast speeds, it’s sure to be an exciting time for viewers of any age.
- Sport Climbing: Split into three formats, sport climbing is a blast no matter which mode of competition you prefer to view. The first format is bouldering, where competitors have limited time to try and scale a 4.5-meter wall with no ropes, looking to do so in as few attempts as possible. The second format is speed, where competitors race in head-to-head elimination rounds to be the first to finish. The final format is lead, where athletes are presented with a complex wall they’ve never seen before and are given limited time to figure out the best way to scale it. It’s also a great way to get your kids interested in exercising, as almost 40% of competitors are under the age of 18, and it might encourage them to check out their local climbing gym to try this sport for themselves. Your child might be excited by the chance to take on the physical challenges and spatial puzzles this sport presents.
- Surfing: First campaigned for a full century ago (in the 1920s) the debut of surfing in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was a victory long overdue. The emphasis on powerful, swift tricks that flow into one another gracefully set against the backdrop of the ocean’s majesty ensures a show worth tuning in for.
Athletes to Watch
There’s a good chance you’ll be looking to root for competitors from the good old U.S. of A. But with so many events and over 500 members of Team USA, you might instead choose to focus on throwing your support behind athletes from your state, county or even town. If that sounds like fun to you, read on to learn about this year’s competitors from the DMV, and see if your child can find a hometown hero to look up to!
D.C.
- Kevin Durant – Washington, D.C. – Basketball Player: Likely the most famous of our local Olympians by a wide margin, the 13-time NBA All-Star has already brought home three gold medals in three past Olympics and looks to continue his streak. If his record as a two-time NBA champ is anything to go by, we think a four-peat is well within grasp.
- Taylor Knibb – Washington, D.C. – Triathlete and Cyclist: When she qualified for the U.S. triathlon team in the Tokyo Olympics, she was the youngest woman to ever do so, bringing home a silver medal in the Team Relay – Mixed event. With road cycling added to her events lineup this year, Knibb faces bigger challenges than ever, but is still aiming for gold.
Virginia
- Torri Huske – Arlington, Va. – Swimmer: A 21-year-old alum of Yorktown High School and current Stanford University student, Huske won a silver medal alongside her relay team for swimming butterfly in the 4×100-meter mixed medley relay back in the 2020 Olympics, when she was only 18! She’s stated that even though swimming wasn’t initially her sport of choice, the ability to directly see her times improve as she put in more work led her to keep with it and develop a sense of pride.
- Christian Tabash – Alexandria, Va. – Rower: Tabash first learned about rowing from seeing it in the 2008 Olympics, a cycle that could begin anew with his Olympic debut this year, perhaps even with your child! A veteran of the Harvard rowing team, Tabash is also multilingual, being fluent in English, French and Haitian Creole, while also being conversational in Spanish and Arabic.
- Noah Lyles – Alexandria, Va. – Runner: Lyles has a big year ahead of him. The runner from T.C. Williams (now Alexandria City) High School has been to the Olympics before, and came home with a bronze medal, but has only gotten better since then. In fact, he’s currently ranked first in the world for the 200-meter dash, and is ranked second for the 100! In all likelihood, this will be Lyles’ first, but hopefully not last, year bringing home a gold medal, and you won’t want to miss it.
- Claire Collins – McClean, Va. – Rower: Collins has joined a dynasty of Team USA, the Women’s Eight (which, counting the coxswain, is actually a team of nine), and the team has a big mission – to take back the top spot. For three out of the four past Olympics, the Women’s Eight has taken home gold for Team USA, but in 2021, they finished fourth. A new team has taken up the oars now, and with Collins in six-seat – one of the most difficult positions on the boat, often held by the strongest rowers – her event is one that is sure to be a dramatic story, no matter how it plays out.
- Emily Fox – Ashburn, Va. – Soccer Player: Though she currently lives abroad as she plays soccer for Arsenal FC at the club level, when it comes to the Olympics, Fox will be standing arm and arm (shin and shin?) with Team USA. After all, she was the number one overall draft pick when she was first drafted into the National Women’s Soccer League, so her performance on the field is not one to miss.
- Greg Duncan – Oakton, Va. – Diver: Duncan first started diving at 12, but only for fun. It was never a thought in his mind that Olympic diving would be anything more than something to gawk at in awe. Yet, over a decade later, he is making his Olympic debut in the 3-meter synchronized diving event. His event will be an inspirational moment, where the passion of youth manifests fully on the world stage.
- Hadley Husisian – Oakton, Va. – Fencer: For this 20-year-old making her first Olympic appearance, her interest in fencing began at a young age with the debut of the iCarly episode “The Fencin’ Bensons.” It’s easy to see why the sport appealed to her – swords, simply put, are awesome. This is a tenet of almost every child’s worldview, so seeing her wield her épée with speed and grace will likely be a delight for your child.
Maryland
- Jahmal Harvey – Oxen Hill, Md. – Boxer: Harvey grew up playing football, but when his coach introduced him to boxing, he took to it like wildfire. At just 18, he won the world championship for the featherweight division, and now brings his talents to the Olympic arena for the first time.
- Phoebe Bacon – Chevy Chase, Md. – Swimmer: An aspiring physical therapist, Bacon’s swimming career is one driven by the joy of the sport and competition, rather than a single-minded fire to be the best. A competitor in the backstroke event, she always leads with her heart, and that passion has led her to the Olympic Games for the second time, where she hopes to bring home a medal.
- Masai Russell – Potomac, Md. – Hurdler: Russell is certainly one to watch. The 24-year-old has the U.S. NCAA record time for the 100-meter hurdles, and on a larger scale, is in 4th place for all-time records. She’s documented her training journey on social media and is clearly pushing to turn that 4th into a 1st and bring home both a gold and a legacy.
- Tatiana Nazlymov – Bethesda, Md. – Fencer: A third-generation fencer, Nazlymov has already competed at two fencing world championships despite only being 19. A star of Princeton’s fencing team and a master of the saber, she will be one to watch.
- Helen Maroulis – Rockville, Md. – Wrestler: Maroulis is one of the older athletes on our list at 32, but is no less fierce a competitor, having brought home a gold medal and a bronze medal in her past Olympic appearances. She’s been wrestling for 25 years, since just age 7, and is sure to put up a fight in her quest to reach the podium once more.
- Katie Ledecky – Bethesda, Md. – Swimmer: A name you’re likely to have heard, Ledecky is considered one of the greatest women’s swimmers of all time, and for good reason. Already holding seven gold medals and three silver, the most held by any women’s swimmer in history, Ledecky is a local legend who you won’t want to miss.
- Kyle Snyder – Silver Spring, Md. – Wrestler: An accomplished wrestler already, having an Olympic gold and silver to his name and being a three-time world champion, Snyder’s illustrious career continues in Paris this year. Having begun wrestling at age 5, early dedication and hard work led him to be the youngest world champion in American wrestling history.
- Quincy Wilson – Potomac, Md. – Runner: The youngest American male track Olympian at just 16, Wilson is already a force to be reckoned with. This year alone, he’s set the under-18 record for the 400-meter dash in both the indoor and outdoor categories. Be sure to watch him blaze down the track in Paris and see how he fares against his older opponents.
- Isabella Whittaker – Laurel, Md. – Runner: One of a pair of local siblings hitting the track this year for Team USA, Isabella Whittaker is also the daughter of two track athletes. She specializes in sprinting.
- Juliette Whittaker – Laurel, Md. – Runner: The other of two local siblings competing together on Team USA, Juliette Whittaker is a middle- distance runner, just like her father. She holds the 800-meter NCAA title, and is looking to make her mark with this Olympic debut.
