Who and What to Watch For at the 2024 Olympic Games

Yes, we’ve only had to wait three years for this latest Olympics—thanks to COVID-postponed Tokyo—but that doesn’t mean we’re any less excited for the Paris Games.

In fact, this year’s competition just might be one for the history books. With 329 medal events across 32 sports, there are plenty of opportunities for athletes to make their indelible mark in sport. And outside of it, too—after all, the Games always bring historical and cultural moments that go beyond athletics.

The action starts on July 26 and runs through August 11, and we’ll be here for all of it. While one of the best parts of any Olympics Games is the surprises that come out of it, there are a few storylines that we’ll be marking our calendars for. Want some inspo on what to watch for? Keep on reading.

1. The 2024 Paris Games will be gender-matched for the first time ever.

This one totally transcends the individual level: For the first time in Olympic history, the Games have finally achieved gender parity, meaning there are as many women’s athletes as men’s (about 5,000 each).

We’ve come a long way since the Paris Games in 1900, when only 22 women total competed. Over the past couple decades, the gap has gradually lessened. In Atlanta in 1996, women made up 34% of all athletes; that grew to 48% in Tokyo in 2020, and finally reached 50-50 in Paris this year.

2. Simone Biles makes her triumphant Olympic return.

Before the Tokyo Olympics, Biles had already cemented her status as the greatest gymnast ever. But when she abruptly withdrew from the competition due to the twisties—and then spoke openly about the steps she was taking to prioritize her mental health in the aftermath—she rose to a whole new level of iconic, opening a discussion about athletes’ overall well-being.

Biles wasn’t sure she’d ever compete again, but after a two-year break, she returned to win her 20th gold medal at the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. Now, she’s on her third Olympic team. If the 27-year-old wins another individual medal in Paris, she’ll have more than any other American gymnast, male or female.

And she’s leading a stellar team of veterans and newcomers alike, including defending all-around gold medalist Suni Lee, who’s returning after being diagnosed with a rare kidney disease; Jordan Chiles, who stepped up in Tokyo to take Biles’s spot on the bar and beam to help the team win silver; Jade Carey, the defending gold medalist in floor; and Hezly Rivera, the 16-year-old up-and-comer who won the 2023 US junior national championship.

This team has high odds of bringing home hardware, and they’ll start out sparkling—literally. The eight leotards they’ll don during the competition have been hand-sewn with more than 47,000 crystals.

Watch them shine beginning with the qualification round on July 28. The women’s team final is scheduled for July 30, the all-around final will be on August 1, and the individual events will take place August 3 through August 5.

3. Sha’Carri Richardson will finally hit the Olympic track—and her training partners will be right there with her.

In some ways, the 2024 Olympic Track and Field Trials were a replay for Richardson; she won her signature event, the 100 meters, in dominant fashion. That’s exactly what she did in 2021, but instead of making her Olympic debut in Tokyo, Richardson was instead suspended after testing positive for THC. So this time, the story will have a very different ending.

Now, as Richardson famously says, “I’m not back, I’m better.” She’s headed to Paris, aiming to prove she’s not only the fastest woman in America, but in the entire world. The 24-year-old will be accompanied by two of her Montverde, Florida-based teammates at Star Athletics, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry, who finished second and third at the Trials.

Could Team USA sweep the event? Not if Jamaican stars Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson have anything to say about it, not to mention Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, the University of Texas graduate who’s run faster than any other Paris competitor besides Richardson this season.

The race to find out promises to be thrilling—tune in to the preliminary rounds on August 2, followed by the semi-final and final on August 3.

4. A whole bunch of records could fall on the track.

Another way American track history repeated itself at this year’s Trials: The event once again ended with a world record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, courtesy of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. This time, she ran a stunning 50.65 seconds, bettering the mark of 50.68 she’d set at the 2022 world championships by .03 seconds.

And while that might seem untouchable, she’ll be challenged in Paris by perhaps the only athlete capable of coming close: Femke Bol of the Netherlands. Bol won the 2023 World Championships when McLaughlin-Levrone couldn’t compete due to a knee injury, and on July 14, she became the second woman ever to run faster than 51 seconds, with a 50.95 at the Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds meet in Switzerland.

Meanwhile, the most exciting woman’s distance race will likely be the 1500 meters, where Kenyan Faith Kipyegon will line up weeks after bettering her own world record, this time by running 3:49.04 at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Paris. Twelve women behind her also ran below the four-minute mark, including Australian Jessica Hull, second in 3:50.83, then Great Britain’s Laura Muir, third in 3:53.79. But Team USA is sending a strong trio of sub-3:56 women who could be in the running for medals, including US champion Nikki Hiltz, who’s the first openly transgender, nonbinary track athlete to represent Team USA; new mom Elle St. Pierre; and St. Pierre’s teammate and up-and-comer Emily Mackay.

Watch all the action around the oval when track and field takes place August 1 through August 11.

5. Will swimming in the Seine be safe?

For 100 years, swimming in the Seine River has been illegal due to high pollution levels. But that’s exactly where Olympic triathletes and some open-water swimmers will compete. Will the 1.4 billion euros France has spent to clean it up it be enough?

For now, the answer appears to be yes, at least according to Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, who took a dip there on July 17. But as recently as early June, testing showed high levels of E. coli. And what’s more, some protestors have threatened to add their own, ah, contamination by pooping in the river in protest.

6. Katie Ledecky aims to make some golden history.

Since her first gold medal in 2012 at age 15, Ledecky has gone on to become one of the most decorated female athletes in history, earning an astonishing seven Olympic gold medals. At her fourth Games, she has the chance to remove “one of” from that sentence—if she wins in more than two of the four events in which she’s competing, she’ll pass Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina’s record of nine gold medals.

That includes her signature event, the 1500 meter freestyle, of which Ledecky is the only Olympic champion. The event was just added in Tokyo, one of many ways in which women’s sports is still catching up to men’s, as Ledecky discusses in her recent memoir, Just Add Water. She’ll also compete in the 400 meter freestyle, 800 meter freestyle, and 4×200 meter freestyle relay. She told SELF earlier this summer that while she doesn’t share her time goals in advance, she aims to “bring home some medals.”

While the 27-year-old is joined on the swimming roster by fellow veterans—including Simone Manuel, who owns two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal from Rio and Tokyo—there will be fresh faces in the pool, too. That includes 18-year-old Katie Grimes, who’ll compete in her second Games, and just may reach the podium in the 1500 meter freestyle or the 400 meter individual medley (she’s won silver in both events at recent world championships).

The swimming session takes place from July 27 to August 4, with the 1500 meter freestyle final on July 31.

7. Breaking will make its Olympic debut.

Born in New York City in the 1970s, breaking (aka breakdancing) is now an official Olympic sport. Competitors will face off in one-on-one dance-offs, where they’ll perform top rock (standing moves), down rock (floor moves), and freeze (held poses) as a DJ surprises them with fast-switching tunes.

Judges will score them on creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality. In the end, the dancer with the best score wins. Of the 32 athletes competing, two are Team USA women—Logan “Logistx” Edra and Sunny Choi.

Watch the B-Girls, as they’re called, do their thing on August 9.

8. Women’s hoops just might continue their amazing streak.

No, Caitlin Clark is not on the women’s basketball team. Yes, you should still watch the Americans compete. Why? The team could win its mind-blowing eighth Olympic gold medal in a row.

Every single member of the team has at least one Olympic or World Cup gold medal. And Taurasi, 42, already shares the record for most Olympic gold medals in a team sport with the now-retired Sue Bird—so a victory in Paris would vault her ahead.

They’ll take the court from July 29 to August 11.

9. Meanwhile, there’s a changing of the guard in women’s soccer.

While the basketball team is full of veterans, younger players dominate the roster of the US women’s soccer team. Only eight players who took to the pitch in Tokyo are returning, including three-time Olympians Alyssa Naeher, Crystal Dunn, and Lindsey Horan; mega-stars like Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd retired, and Alex Morgan wasn’t named to the team.

After a bronze medal in Tokyo and a disappointing performance at the Women’s World Cup last year, the team now has a new head coach, Emma Hayes, and a lineup of first-time Olympians that includes Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Naomi Girma. And they’re already off to a strong start, defeating Mexico 1-0 in an Olympic warm-up match earlier this month.

Their first official match, against Zambia, takes place at Nice Stadium on July 25. And if they make it to the finals, you’ll want to tune in on Saturday, August 10.

10. Coco Gauff gets her chance to take the court.

Yes, they call Poland’s Iga Swiatek the “queen of clay” for a reason—she’s nearly unbeatable on the red, slippery surface. And yes, Olympic tennis is returning to the clay for the first time since Barcelona in 1992 (stars will swing their rackets at Roland-Garros, where the French Open is held).

But don’t overlook American star Coco Gauff, who’s ranked number two in the nation and was just named Team USA’s flag bearer. After having to miss the Tokyo Games due to testing positive COVID, the 20-year-old has extra motivation to make the podium. She’ll have two chances: she and Jessica Pegula will also compete in doubles.

The women’s tennis tournament is scheduled to run from July 27 to August 4.

11. Team USA could take the first gold in kiteboarding.

Picture this: You’re standing on a small board in the ocean, attached to a large kite. When the wind blows, a hydrofoil underneath lifts you out of the water. On this contraption, you’re aiming to move as quickly as possible—up to 40 knots, or 46 miles per hour—to outrace your competitors.

That’s kiteboarding, and for the first time, it’s part of the sailing program at this year’s Games. And there’s a dominant competitor looking to push Team USA ahead: six-time world champion Daniela Moroz, 23. Her parents both escaped from communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s and then met in a windsurfing class in San Francisco. Moroz grew up swimming, found kiteboarding at age 12, and was competing internationally by 14.

Watch her take flight beginning on August 4.

12. Olivia Reeves could break the gold-medal drought in weightlifting.

No American athlete, male or female, has won Olympic gold in weightlifting since Tara Nott-Cunningham took gold in the women’s 48 kg class in Sydney in 2000. (The last man to win gold, BTW, was Charles Vinci—in 1960.)

But that could change, thanks to a 21-year-old University of Tennessee student. In April, Olivia Reeves won three gold medals and set three American records at the 2024 IWF Weightlifting World Cup. Could an Olympic podium be next?

Find out during the women’s 71 kg weight class competition on August 9.

13. Carissa Moore will ride the waves in Tahiti.

In Tokyo, Team USA’s Moore claimed the first-ever women’s gold medal in surfing. She’s announced she’ll soon step away from the sport to start a family—but not before the five-time world champion defends her title. But she’ll face stiff competition, including from her countrywoman Caroline Marks, who won her first world title in 2023.

Of course, Paris is not exactly famous for its waves. So instead, the surfing competition will take place in Teahupo’o, on the island of Tahiti, a French territory about 9,800 miles away from the host city.

Watch them catch some monster waves sometime between July 27 and August 4 (the exact schedule depends on conditions).

14. Climbing indulges its need for speed.

If you blink, you might miss the women’s speed climbing competition: The winning athletes will scale a 15-meter (nearly 50-foot) wall in less than seven seconds. Americans Emma Hunt and Piper Kelly are among the top contenders for medals in this discipline, part of a new format for this year’s Games. Last year, speed climbing was combined with boulder and lead climbing, which tests how high athletes can go rather than how fast).

The women’s speed climbing qualification round takes place on August 5 and the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals are all on August 7.

15. Moms and other parents compete at the top of their game—and this year, they’ll have extra support.

Athletes are increasingly realizing they don’t have to choose between a family and their athletic endeavors; Olympians like Elle St. Pierre and Crystal Dunn, competing in their prime years, will have their children with them in Paris.

And for the first time this year, thanks in part to 11-time track & field medalist Allyson Felix, there’s a nursery space for athletes and their families in the Olympic Village. Though it won’t provide child care, it’s a safe spot for parents, kids, and other caregivers to connect, with private space for breastfeeding and free supplies like diapers and wipes.

16. Several pairs of siblings will go for the gold, together.

Bella Whittaker just graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and her sister Juliette is entering her sophomore year at Stanford University. Both will spend their summer break in the City of Lights—Juliette is one of three US women competing in the 800 meters on the track, while Bella, a 400-meter specialist, is part of the track & field team’s relay pool. That means she could compete in the women’s or mixed (two men, two women) 4x400m relay.

They’re not the only sibling duo headed to Paris. Alex and Aaron Shackell, a brother and sister from Carmel, Indiana, and sisters Gretchen and Alex Walsh from Nashville will all compete in swimming events at this year’s Games. Emma and Brooke DeBerdine are both on the women’s field hockey roster. And after a break to attend college, twins Kerry and Annie Xu picked up their badminton rackets again to make this year’s Olympic team in the doubles category.

17. COVID could make a reappearance.

Unlike in Tokyo, families will be able to travel to support their athletes and the seats will be filled with spectators. But that doesn’t mean COVID isn’t a concern. Cases are on the rise this summer, and have already affected some sporting events—several riders on the Tour de France became sick, prompting organizers to reinstate a masking requirement for people in contact with riders.

Will the Olympics do the same? All we know now is they’re keeping an eye on the situation. “Paris 2024 is following the evolution of public health issues closely, together with the French Ministry of Health and Santé Publique France” (Public Health France), a Paris 2024 spokesperson tells SELF. And some athletes, like the Australian delegation, are masking voluntarily.

18. The women’s water polo team is going for a historic four-peat.

Women’s water polo was added to the Olympics in 2004, and every year since, Team USA has won a medal—the only nation to do so. That includes gold in 2012, 2016, and 2020.

Now, they’ll try for an unprecedented four-peat, led by returning captain Maggie Steffens. The sport might not be one you’ve watched before, but chances are, you’ll find it easy (and fun) to follow. As Steffens tells SELF, the sport has elements of all of America’s favorites: swimming, basketball, soccer, gymnastics, and baseball or softball. “Put all those sports together and you get water polo,” she says.

Each game is short—four quarters, each eight minutes long—though it’s still an endurance test for the athletes, who must tread water (using a movement called the eggbeater, as they call it) the entire time. And it’s jam-packed with action: There’s dribbling (swimming with the ball), backhands (flipping the ball behind), and fast breaks (sprinting to the goal after a turnover).

“This is an amazing opportunity for you to see some badass women compete and strive to make history,” Steffens says. But you don’t have to take it from her: You can ask rapper Flava Flav, who’s now a financial supporter and the official hype man of the sport. He even joined the team for practice earlier this month—where he promised that if they won gold, he’d give them each their own Team USA clock necklace.

Women’s water polo begins on July 27 and continues nearly the entire Games, with the bronze and gold medal matches on August 10.

Related:

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• What It’s Actually Like to Live in the Olympic Village, According to the Athletes