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    Be on the lookout for Atlanta athletes while watching the 2024 Paris Olympics

    By Myrydd Wells,

    2024-07-25
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3LieoZ_0udXyABV00
    Plenty of Atlantans will compete in this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris, including (L-R) Anthony Edwards, Sanaa and Sole Frederick, Caleb Wiley, and Chris Eubanks.

    Edwards: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images; Fredericks: Matt McNulty/Getty Images for Commonwealth Sport; Wiley: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; Eubanks: Julian Finney/Getty Images

    On Friday, the torch will blaze for the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. After years of preparation and months of qualifying, Atlanta athletes representing the U.S. and abroad will compete on the world stage in over a dozen sports.

    Below is a breakdown of just some of the many Atlanta athletes who have made this year’s Olympics, their relationship with the city, and when to watch them with pride:

    Track and Field (August 1–11)

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2QPydL_0udXyABV00
    Sanaa Frederick and Sole Frederick of Team Trinidad and Tobago celebrate after winning the Bronze Medal in the 4 x 100m Relay Mixed Final during the 2023 Youth Commonwealth Games.

    Photograph by Matt McNulty/Getty Images for Commonwealth Sport

    Atlanta-born Gabrielle Thomas upset the field in the U.S. Olympic Trials and placed first in the women’s 200M for her second Olympic appearance. At 27, Thomas is peaking at the right time—her semifinal sprint at 21.78 seconds is this year’s world lead. On the men’s side, Carver High School grad Chris Bailey qualified at 24 for his first Olympics in the 400M, and Christian Coleman , who graduated from Fayetteville’s Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School, will appear in the electric U.S. 4×100 relay team in pursuit of his first Olympic medal after an illustrious professional sprinting career. In hurdles, Atlanta native Jasmine Jones is a recent graduate from University of Southern California and finished third at the Olympic Trials in the 400M with a new personal best; Hampton High School grad Daniel Roberts qualified for his second Olympics in 110M with 12.96 seconds, breaking the elusive 13-second barrier. Twin sisters Sanaa and Sole Frederick , fresh off graduation from Druid Hills High School, qualified for Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic team. They are committed to run at the University of Georgia next year, and will compete in Olympics in the 100M and 200M events—they both broke the Georgia state record in both this year.

    Swimming (July 27–August 4)

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    Brooks Curry competes in the Men’s 200 Meter Freestyle heats during the TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont in Illinois in March 2024.

    Photograph by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

    Dunwoody native Brooks Curry hopes to keep his winning streak at his second Olympics, after winning a gold medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay in Tokyo. He’s seen steady improvement over the course of his time at LSU, placing consistently high in SEC championships. Jay Litherland was raised in Atlanta and was attending the UGA when he first competed at the 2014 junior world championships. After winning a silver medal for the U.S. in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Litherland will be competing in the 400-meter individual medley.

    Tennis (July 27–August 4)

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=05GdzT_0udXyABV00
    Chris Eubanks competes in a singles match during Wimbledon 2024.

    Photograph by Julian Finney/Getty Images

    Coco Gauff will finally make her Olympic debut, carrying the U.S. flag at Friday’s opening ceremony. (She withdrew from the Tokyo 2020 team after testing positive for Covid-19.) Born in Atlanta, Gauff’s dad played basketball for Georgia State University, and she started playing tennis here as a child before moving to Delray Beach, Florida. At just 20 years old, she is the number two women’s player in the world and will play both singles and doubles in Paris. Chris Eubanks will represent Atlanta on the men’s side for the U.S. Eubanks is an Atlanta native who honed his craft at the South Fulton Tennis Center, Westlake High School, and Georgia Tech. He’ll look to build off a breakout 2023, highlighted by a quarterfinals appearance at Wimbledon.

    Basketball (Olympics: July 27–August 11; Paralympics: September 2–8)

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3IkV4V_0udXyABV00
    Anthony Edwards takes a shot during a Basketball training session ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

    Photograph by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

    Anthony Edwards grew up in Oakland City, attended Holy Spirit Prep School, and then exploded at UGA, where he was the nation’s highest-scoring freshman. After two All-Star appearances and a long 2024 postseason run with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he will make his Olympic debut on the star-studded U.S. men’s roster. Los Angeles Sparks Forward Dearica Hamby will represent the U.S. on the women’s 3 vs. 3 team, replacing injured teammate Cameron Brink. Originally from Marietta, Hamby attended Marietta High School and later Norcross High School, and she led Team USA to win gold at the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup with an MVP performance. Bailey Moody will continue her journey in the U.S. Paralympics wheelchair basketball team after winning a bronze medal in Tokyo. She grew up in Alpharetta, playing basketball, tennis, and softball, and eventually played wheelchair basketball for the Blazesports Jr. Hawks.

    Soccer (July 24–August 10)

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3G7Egd_0udXyABV00
    Caleb Wiley celebrates during an Atlanta United match against Philadelphia in April 2024.

    Photograph by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

    Marietta native Emily Sonnett was a member of the 2019 FIFA World Cup–winning U.S. Women’s National Team and also earned a bronze medal with the U.S. at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 30-year-old midfielder attended high school in Roswell, and her twin sister played soccer for UGA. Caleb Wiley joined the Atlanta United Academy at 11 years old , making his debut with Atlanta United 2 just four years later—the youngest player in the club’s history to appear in a professional game. At 17, he signed a contract with Atlanta United’s first team and played a key starting role for the past two seasons before recently transferring to Chelsea. He’ll be making his Olympics debut as a defender for the U.S. alongside Walker Zimmermann , who was born in Lawrenceville. Zimmermann has made over 40 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team and currently plays for Nashville SC.

    Other Individual Sports

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3oAxhM_0udXyABV00
    Hampton Morris poses for a portrait during the 2024 Team USA Media Summit in April.

    Photograph by Mike Coppola/Getty Images

    Hampton Morris , a Marietta native and graduate of Pope High School qualified for his first Olympics at just 20 for weightlifting, training out of his garage-turned-gym. Morris is poised to make noise in a sport the U.S. lacks success; he won gold in the clean and jerk at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships to become the first American to win at the event since 1972. Emma Hunt , a Woodstock native and Kennesaw State University student, will represent the U.S. in the new speed climbing event, a head-to-head scramble up a 15-meter vertical wall, and she is a favorite following the 21-year-old’s silver medal performance at the 2023 speed climbing world championships. In shooting, Will Hinton , a Dacula native, and Katelyn Abeln , a Douglasville native, will both represent the U.S. in trap and pistol respectively.

    The post Be on the lookout for Atlanta athletes while watching the 2024 Paris Olympics appeared first on Atlanta Magazine .

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