PARIS, France — The Paris 2024 Olympics are officially one year away.
Ceremonies, gymnastics, soccer and more will all kick off on Wednesday, July 26, 2024. The Olympics will last through Aug. 11 with over 10,000 athletes representing their countries at the games.
The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That didn't stop the United States from topping the medal count in both golds and total medals with many St. Louis area athletes among the group.
Athletes including Jayson Tatum, Napheesa Collier and Becky Sauerbrunn have won gold with the United States at the Olympics. They may have a chance to do it all again in 2024 and other St. Louis-area natives may get their first chance to.
While many Olympics Trials have yet to take place, it doesn't hurt to look ahead to who may represent the U.S.
Here are some St. Louis-area athletes who may represent the United States in Paris:
Bradley Beal
Beal, 30, is a native of St. Louis and a graduate of Chaminade High School.
The shooting guard committed to playing in the Tokyo Olympics, representing the U.S. But after three exhibition games, he was ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19.
He has played 695 career NBA games all with the Washington Wizards. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns with another St. Louis native, Jordan Goodwin, in 2023.
Napheesa Collier
Collier and Team USA women's basketball took home the gold after a 90-75 win over Japan in the championship game.
She was the first women's basketball player from St. Louis to ever win Olympic gold. This is the women's basketball team's seventh straight Olympic gold medal. The last time they didn't win gold was in 1992.
The 26-year-old was born in Jefferson City and grew up in the St. Louis area. She graduated from Incarnate Word Academy where she helped the team win three Missouri Class 4 state championships in basketball.
She has played with the Minnesota Lynx in the Women's National Basketball League since 2018. Collier was named WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2019.
Tyler Downs
Downs, 20, is a Ballwin native who was the youngest member of Team USA diving for the Tokyo Olympics.
He clinched his place on the team with a win in the 3m springboard final at the swimming and diving trials in Indianapolis. At the Olympics, he failed to move on from the preliminary round.
He committed to Purdue University where he competed during the 2021-22 season, winning the NCAA Championships for the platform diving event. He did not return to Purdue for the 2022-23 season.
According to Downs' social media, he most recently competed at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
Margo O'Meara
The Westminster Christian Academy grad never lost on the diving board and won four state championships.
She's already gone to the Olympic trials before she even got to college.
O'Meara is now a junior at Duke University where she has continued her dominance. As a freshman, she won the platform diving event and 1m diving competition at the 2022 ACC Swimming and Diving Championships. She was also named the MVP of the Diving Championship.
Becky Sauerbrunn
Ladue High School grad Becky Sauerbrunn captained the U.S. women's soccer team to a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She previously won gold with the USWNT in the 2012 Olympics.
The St. Louis native missed the Women's World Cup due to an injury but could return in time for the 2024 Olympics.
Josh Sargent
The O'Fallon, Missouri, native attended St. Dominic for a part of his high school years. He has since played soccer professionally in Europe including games in the German Bundesliga and English Premier League.
Sargent joined Team USA for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He played in all three of the Unites States' group matches but the team fell in the Round of 16 against the Netherlands.
The 23-year-old has not represented Team USA in the Olympics but could get the call-up after his appearance in the World Cup.
Jayson Tatum
The St. Louis native and Chaminade grad brought home gold for Team USA in 2021.
Tatum became the third-ever St. Louis-area native to win gold in basketball at the Olympics (Bill Bradley and Jo Jo White), and the first since 1968 (White won in Mexico City).
He was drafted No. 3 overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2017 NBA Draft
With Boston, he is a four-time NBA All-Star, Eastern Conference Finals MVP (2022) and two-time All-NBA First Team.
In 2021, he represented Team USA at the Olympics in his career. He has become a front-runner for being named to represent the team again in 2024.
Other St. Louis-area athletes on the Olympics radar:
- Taylor Werner
- Emily Sisson
- Karissa Schweizer
- DeAnna Price
- Justin Robinson
- Courtney Freichs
- Michael Rodgers
- Colleen Quigley
Stay up-to-date on the latest information on the Olympic Trials and 2024 Summer Olympics here.