LeBron James will carry the American flag during today's opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris , but he's not the only Ohio athlete to root for in the weeks ahead.
Why it matters: Fourteen Ohioans will compete for Team USA, including two who live in our region. Other competitors also have ties to Central Ohio.
Case in point: Ohio State University announced that 24 of its current, former and incoming student-athletes are competing, representing 10 countries — its second-largest contingent ever.
How to watch: Today's opening ceremony begins at 1:30pm. The games are on NBC and Peacock and AMC Theatres at Easton will host watch parties .
Plus: Follow Axios' Olympics coverage , brush up on your Olympic terminology and take note of key event dates .
Joe Kovacs, of Dublin, competes in the Men's Shot Put Final during the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images
The locals
💥 Joe Kovacs , track and field (shot put), lives in Dublin
- The "human cannon" is a two-time world champion and silver medalist who was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth — Pennsylvania, that is.
- His wife, Ashley Kovacs, coaches him and the U.S. women's team's throwers.
💪 Annette Nneka Echikunwoke , track and field (hammer throw), lives in Columbus
- A Nigerian-American who grew up in Pickerington and attended the University of Cincinnati, Echikunwoke holds the African record in hammer throw.
- She is representing Team USA for the first time.
⛳ Jason Day , golf, lives in Westerville
- The PGA Tour star missed the 2016 Olympics due to concerns about the Zika virus, but Day is ready to finally make his Team Australia debut.
The sort-of locals
⚽ Patrick Schulte , soccer
- The Crew's All-Star goalkeeper from Missouri made the U.S. men's national team in its first Olympics appearance in 16 years.
- ICYMI: Schulte's Best Day Ever .
🤼♂️ Kyle Snyder , wrestling
- The gold medalist, three-time world champion and Ohio State great is a Maryland native, but once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye.
🤸♀️ Simone Biles , gymnastics
- Biles is credited to Texas, where she lives and was raised. But the GOAT was born in Columbus, so technically we can claim her too.
- A new docuseries, "Simone Biles Rising," is available now on Netflix .
Simone Biles during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Gymnastics Trials in June. Photo: Elsa/Getty Images
Other Ohioans
- Hunter Armstrong, swimming (100-meter backstroke), Dover
- Trevor Bassitt, track and field (400-meter hurdles), Bluffton
- Molly Bruggeman, rowing (women's eight), Dayton
- Nina Castagna, rowing (women's eight), Cincinnati
- Marcus Christopher, BMX (freestyle), Hartville
- Carson Foster, swimming (200-meter and 400-meter individual medley), Montgomery
- Maxwell Holt, volleyball, Cincinnati
- LeBron James, basketball, Akron
- Rose Lavelle, soccer, Cincinnati
- McKenzie Long, track and field (200m), Ironton
- Morelle McCane , boxing, Cleveland
- Katie Moon, track and field (pole vault), Olmsted Township
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