Here are the Nashville area athletes competing in the Paris Olympics

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games is set to begin and athletes from all across the world will gather to represent their countries on the biggest international stage.

Over 10,000 athletes have flocked to France in hopes of helping their country to bring home medals.

Here's a look at the Olympians who will represent the Nashville area.

Alaba Akintola

Middle Tennessee State graduate Alaba Akintola will represent Nigeria in track and field as a member of the Nigerian men's 4x100-meter relay team. Akintola is part of the first Nigerian relay team in the men's race since the 2008 Beijing Games. The Nigerian native received multiple All-America honors during his time as a Blue Raider, the recent of which came during his senior season when he was given All-American second team honors after the 2023 NCAA outdoor track and field season.

Leonie Beu

Representing Papua New Guinea, recent MTSU graduate Leonie Beu earned her spot to race in the women’s 100-meter dash after setting a national record of 11.68 seconds.

Veronica Fraley

Veronica Fraley will make her Olympics debut while she’s still a graduate student at Vanderbilt. She will be part of the discus team after qualifying with a third-place finish in the discus at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Fraley is no stranger to representing the country on an international stage. She competed for Team USA during the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships and the 2023 Pan American Games.

John Sherman

John Sherman, a former La Vergne High and MTSU standout, is competing for Liberia in the 4x100-meter men's relay. Apart from helping the Liberian relay team set a national record during the 2023 African Games, Sherman also placed fourth during the Music City Challenge in the 100 with a time of 10.28 seconds.

Alex Walsh

Former Harpeth Hall and University of Virginia star Alex Walsh will compete in her second Olympics. During the 2020 Tokyo Games, Walsh won a silver medal in the women’s 200-meter Individual Medley, the same event she will participate in during the Paris Games.

Gretchen Walsh

Gretchen Walsh, a Harpeth Hall alum and Alex Walsh's younger sister, is competing in her first Olympics. Walsh is coming off a fantastic Olympic trials in Indianapolis. Walsh broke the world record in the 100 butterfly (55.18 seconds) in the event semifinals before winning the finals. Walsh also qualified to compete in the 50-meter freestyle and earned a spot on the 4x100-meter freestyle relay team.

Lily Williams

Vanderbilt graduate Lily Williams will be representing the United States as a part of the cycling team.  The 2024 Olympics will mark Williams’ second appearance in the Olympic games. She earned a bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Games. Williams was a member of the Vanderbilt cross country and track and field teams.

Walker Zimmerman

Nashville SC defender Walker Zimmerman was selected to represent the United States during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Zimmerman has scored three goals with two assists among 40 appearances for the US Men's National Team. He helped the team reach the Round of 16 during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Here are the Nashville area athletes competing in the Paris Olympics