By Lucas Camacho
Upland, California (The Hollywood Times) 07/24/2024
While not many Americans look forward to presidential elections every four years, a lot of them do look forward to another event that happens every four years: the Olympics. The 2024 Olympics is kicking off this year in Paris, and there are a lot of interesting storylines for Team USA. The Summer Olympics is typically where the United States thrives in many areas. But here is a look at some of the more interesting aspects for the Americans in this year’s games.
THE USNWT UNDER THEIR NEW COACH
When last we saw the United States National Women’s Soccer Team, they were humiliated and eliminated early in the 2023 Women’s World Cup. After that, US Soccer went with a major overhaul starting with parting ways with head coach Vlatko Andonovski (who I thought did a pretty poor job at this position, and I still believe that it was more him getting fired than him stepping away). Enter Emma Hayes OBE, the genius behind the Chelsea Women’s recent record of dominance that includes five consecutive FA Women’s Super League Championship titles. However, many experts say that there are many questions still with the Women’s Team, which has a different look this time with many new faces joining the team and other familiar faces being left off (the most notable of which is Alex Morgan). In my opinion, I think this team has what it takes to go far, but I am unable to make an accurate prediction as to how far (and to be fair, I think they’ll go A LOT further than their male counterparts who are coming apart at the seams with the recent firing of their head coach).
USA BASKETBALL
The other headline is the star-studded Men and Women’s Basketball Teams. The United States has always enjoyed dominance in this sport, but questions have emerged recently. The Women’s Team suffered a setback in their big tune-up game against the WNBA All-Stars (led by Caitlin Clark, who many questioned why she was left off the Olympic roster). However, they bounced back in their next game quite nicely against Germany 84-57. On the men’s side, the Men’s Team, led by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, finishes their exhibition run with a 5-0 record…with a caveat. Their latest game saw the United State escape with a tight 92-88 win over the defending FIBA World Cup Champions from Germany. There are questions that must be answered by both the men and women as the games begin, but stars like A’ja Wilson and LeBron James seem to look ready to answer them in Paris while also being the possible last hoorah for WNBA legend Diana Taurasi and her legendary career.
IN THE DEEP END OF THE POOL
Another notable competition that has favored the United States are the swimming contests (one of the most famous Olympic swimmers, Michael Phelps, was recently named Number One Athlete of the Century so far by ESPN). Among the bright stars competing in this year’s Olympics included the familiar name of Katie Ledecky. This will be the 27-year old’s fourth time at the Summer Olympics, but this year’s swimming competitions come under intense scrutiny. In the last Olympics in Tokyo, nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers tested by a banned substance ahead of the games…but were still allowed to compete, sparking outrage from across the world. The controversy has raised major concerns about the seriousness of anti-doping efforts and how countries like China and Russia seem to be undermining keeping the playing field fair. Ledecky and fellow simmer Nic Fink acknowledged the scandal early Wednesday morning hoping for a clean race, but hope is just about as far as anyone is willing to go on the subject (especially after the International Olympic Committee moved to crush US inquiries into the scandal by threatening the Salt Lake City games in 2034 on Wednesday).
SIMONE BILES RETURNS!
On the gymnastics side, Simone Biles returns to the Olympics to add to her legendary career. Last Olympics in Tokyo saw Biles pull out due to her not being 100% in terms of mental health. But she has looked remarkable in her preparations leading up to this year’s Olympics, perfecting a new skill called the Yurchenko Double Pike (or YDP for short). If successful, Biles could become the first gymnast to win Olympic Gold in nonconsecutive Games. She will also have plenty of support as her husband, NFL Safety Jonathan Owens, has been cleared by the Chicago Bears to miss seven training camp practices in order to watch and support Biles in Paris. Biles is just one gymnast to watch, as gymnast Suni Lee makes her own push for Olympic glory after her remarkable comeback from two kidney disease diagnoses.
TRACK AND FIELD READY TO BURN RUBBER
The Track and Field events are the usual mainstays of the Olympic Games, and there are several athletes to watch in this area. Sha’Carri Richardson, the two-time world champion, is making her Olympic debut after qualifying in the 100 meters with a blistering 10.71 second time. Noah Lyles, the six-time world champion, is also confident in his ability to bring home some medals for Team USA as he participates in the 100- and 200-Meter races, as well as the Men’s 4×100 Relay. And let’s not forget Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the track and field star that already has two gold medals from the Tokyo games (and she’s just turning 25 very soon) and looking for another in the Women’s 400-Meter Hurdles, as well as a spot on the Women’s 4×400 Relay. But who can also forget Ryan Crouser, the top ranked shot putter in the world, looking to add to his other two Olympic gold medals.
