These Colorado athletes are headed to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Paralympics
By Stephanie Butzer,
13 hours ago
Editor's note: We will update this article as more athletes qualify for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Athletes all over Colorado have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics and will compete on that world stage this summer.
The Olympics begin July 26 with an opening ceremony and will continue through Aug. 11. The Paralympics will start Aug. 28 and run through Sept. 8.
The Paris Olympics medals are made with pieces of the Eiffel TowerThe Colorado athletes' specialties include volleyball, track and field, climbing, rowing, swimming and more.
Team USA has a map of the United States on its website showing the hometowns of athletes who have currently qualified for the Games. Click here and scroll down to explore more of the map. Our list in this story contains those athletes, plus the ones who train here long-term, went to school here, or have Colorado listed as their hometown.
Meet the Coloradans representing Team USA in the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics below.
Valarie Allman | Track and field | Longmont
George Walker IV/AP Allman, 29, won the women's discus final at the Olympic Trails in June by more than eight meters, securing her spot in the Paris Olympics.
She won gold in the event in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and is seeking to defend the title this summer.
Allman began competing in track and field during her first year at Silver Creek High School. She told Team USA that she initially started throwing so she could attend the annual spaghetti dinner that the throwers held every year.
She graduated from high school as a co-valedictorian, carrying a GPA of 4.4.
At the 2023 world championships, she won silver.
Riley Amos | Cycling | Durango
At 22 years old, Amos is going to the Olympic stage for the first time .
He first picked up cycling when he was in second grade with Durango DEVO, a youth mountain bike club, USA Cycling reported . When he reached high school, he competed in the NICA high school mountain bike league, winning four USA Cycling national titles as a junior.
He continued to rise in the ranks and made the podium in multiple U23 XCO World Cups. He won his first one in 2021.
“My favorite moments on a bike aren’t even the races,” he told Olympics.com . “I love riding with my friends in the community at home in Durango, Colorado, more than anything. Being home in the summer and in the mountains around Durango is unreal. We have singletrack like nowhere else in the world and amazing riding. It’s just beautiful.”
Christopher Blevins | Cycling | Durango
Jacques Boissinot/AP Blevins is returning to the Olympics this year with a goal to medal.
He ended a 30-year drought for American men in World Cup races in 2021, then returned to the top step of the podium at the first World Cup race of this season in Brazil, the Associated Press reported .
"The magnitude of the Olympics is one of the most special things to experience as an athlete," he told USA Cycling . "Being a part of Team USA is a celebration that extends beyond yourself, and there's a whole team giving their best in the sport we love. I was proud to make it to Tokyo in 2021, and maybe even more so to make my second Olympic games, with the opportunity to give it everything for a medal on July 29 in Paris. The sport of mountain biking is growing at an exciting rate in the States, and I know this Games will be another step in that direction."
Savilia Blunk | Cycling | Durango
For about a decade, Blunk has climbed in the ranks of mountain biking, USA Cycling reported . Now, she has reached the top rung: The Paris Olympics.
“When I was 15, this dream felt almost inconceivable," she told the Olympics in a report . "I knew it would take a lot of hard work, but what was even harder to find in the process was team support, resources, and funding to get myself to the biggest stage. Now looking back, I realize this WAS the path all along - never giving up on my dreams. I’m so proud to have reached this moment and am super excited to represent the USA in Paris!”
With eight national titles, she is the 2024 Elite National Champion in XCO and XCC.
Originally from Inverness, California, Blunk, 24, now trains in Durango.
Valarie Constien | Track and field | Edwards
At 28 years old, Constien, a CU Boulder grad, set an Olympic Trials record in the steeplechase final in late June. She finished in 9 minutes and 3.22 seconds. It was also her personal best time.
"Hard work, dedication, patience, and confidence. Not necessarily in that order, but yeah, that's the secret formula," she wrote on Instagram after the race .
At Battle Mountain High School in Edwards, she was a four-sport athlete, having competed in track and field, cross country, Nordic skiing and soccer.
When she is not training, she enjoys baking, crafting, reading and big game hunting.
Elise Cranny | Track and field | Niwot
Charlie Neibergall/AP On June 24, defending USATF champion Cranny and Elle St. Pierre battled it out in the 5,000-meter race, with Cranny finishing just .02 seconds after St. Pierre.
Both women, along with Karissa Schweizer, are going to compete in the event in Paris.
Cranny, 28, placed 13th in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the 5,000-meter. She won the Olympic Team Trials in 2021 for the race.
She is spreading awareness for RED-S, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport.
Cranny attended Niwot High School and went on to Stanford University, where she graduated in 2018.
Colin Duffy | Sport climbing | Broomfield
Gregory Bull/AP Duffy, 20, is returning to the Olympics after coming in seventh in the combined competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Since then, he has continued to snatch impressive finishes at world championships, including a silver in bouldering and lead combined in 2023.
He was the youngest member of the USA Climbing Team in Tokyo , which marked the first time sport climbing was held at the Olympics.
While climbing takes up much of his time — his passion for it started at age 5 — he has aspirations of studying engineering in college and enjoys the challenge of a good puzzle and Rubik's cube.
Duffy also loves to rescue animals, and has taken in a dog named Lucky and cat named Sparky.
Natalia Grossman | Sport climbing | Boulder
Esteban Felix/AP Grossman, 22, started climbing when she was just six years old and it kicked off a career that started in California and led her to Boulder.
She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2022 and just two years later, qualified for the 2024 Paris Games with a win at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 .
“My feelings are just like gratitude and joy for all those people who have been a part of my journey and those who have just been there with me these past few months,” she told Team USA after qualifying . “I changed a lot up in my life and in training. And to see it pay off, it feels incredible.”
Grossman carries multiple accolades, including the No. 1 ranking in the world for women's bouldering in 2023 and No. 5 ranking in the world for women's bouldering and leading in 2023.
She told USA Climbing that when she finishes her climbing career, she wants to become a therapist.
Anna Hall | Track and field | Highlands Ranch
George Walker IV/AP Just six months after Hall, 23, had knee surgery, she made an incredible comeback to secure her spot in the heptathlon at the Paris Olympics.
A heptathlon consists of seven events: the 100-meter hurdles, the high jump, the shot put, the 200-meter dash, the long jump, the javelin throw and the 800-meter run.
She holds the fifth-highest heptathlon score in history, and second-highest among active athletes, according to Team USA.
The Valor Christian High School graduate crashed during the hurdles event at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which crushed her Olympic goals for Tokyo.
Lindsey Horan | Soccer | Golden
Armando Franca/AP Midfielder Lindsey Horan, who was born in Wheat Ridge and lives in Golden, first made headlines when she became the first American woman to skip college and head straight to the pros after high school, according to Team USA . She played with Paris Saint Germain in France for four years before returning to the United States.
The 27-year-old graduated from Golden High School in 2012.
She was named to the Olympic team on June 26.
"So so honored to represent this country at another Olympics," she wrote on Instagram . "I cannot wait to see what this team can do."
Horan is headed to her third Olympics .
She is one of three Coloradans on the USWNT named to the Paris Olympic Games roster .
Woody Kincaid | Track and field | Littleton
Charlie Neibergall/AP Woody Kincaid, 31, is going back to the Olympics after finishing 14th at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the 5,000-meter race, and 15th in the 10,000-meter race
He finished the 10,000-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Trials in second place with a time of 27:50.74.
Last year, he finished 11th at the world championships in the 10,000-meter run.
Kincaid graduated from Columbine High School and ran for the University of Portland.
Leonard Korir | Track and field | Colorado Springs
Korir was born in Kenya and moved to the United States in 2009 knowing little English phrases and carrying just a single suitcase, Team USA reported. When he turned 20 years old, he began running competitively, and he has since soared in the sport.
He competed at Iona College in cross country and track and field, becoming an eight-time NCAA All-American.
In 2016, he qualified for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where he placed 14th in the 10,000-meter race. That same year, he won gold in the New York City Half Marathon.
Elizabeth Marks | Paralympic swimming | Colorado Springs
Jackson Ranger/AP SFC Marks joined the U.S. Army in 2008 just after she turned 17 years old, and while in Iraq as a combat medic, she sustained bilateral hip injuries, according to Team USA.
Two years later, amid her recovery, she found her love for competitive swimming. Within about six months, she was accepted into the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.
In 2016, Marks received the ESPY Pat Tillman Award and in 2017, she was inducted into the Army Woman’s Hall of Fame.
Marks has competed in two Paralympics and brought home medals in five events. She earned a gold, silver and bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and a gold and bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
Eric Newby | Wheelchair rugby | Bailey
Newby, 36, is returning for his third Paralympics this year, after winning the silver medal in both 2016 and 2021 in the mixed team event.
The team also won silver in the 2022 world championship.
He broke his neck in 2006, but as soon as he left in-patient rehab, he started playing wheelchair rugby.
Newby said he enjoys adventuring, playing with his dog, lifting weights and swimming when he is not practicing. He works for the Disabled Athlete Sports Association in St. Louis as the marketing coordinator, according to USA Wheelchair Rugby.
Josh O'Neill | Wheelchair rugby | Colorado Springs
O'Neill, 36, has competed at the highest level of wheelchair rugby for just a few years, but has already made a huge impact, including the team's recent win at the 2023 Parapan American Games Santiago.
According to USA Wheelchair Rugby , he comes from a long line of racecar drivers and raced go-karts as a kid. On his 16th birthday, he crashed and broke his neck.
While in rehab, he watched the movie "Murderball" and was inspired to participate in wheelchair rugby.
Three years later, he started playing for the University of Arizona Wildcats, where he honed in on the skills needed in the sport. He made his first national training squad roster in 2022 and helped his team bring home the gold at the Americas Championship in Medellin, Colombia.
Morgan Pearson | Triathlon | Boulder
Eugene Hoshiko/AP Pearson, a University of Colorado Boulder graduate, grew up as a competitive swimmer and ocean lifeguard in Spring Lake, New Jersey.
He ran cross-country and track and field at CU Boulder, where he was a seven-time All-American, according to Team USA.
The 30-year-old podiumed at the Tokyo Olympics when Team USA claimed the silver medal at the mixed relay event. He was the first American male to qualify for those Games.
Jordyn Poulter | Volleyball | Aurora
Damian Dovarganes/AP Poulter, a 26-year-old setter, has experience in every major volleyball tournament in the United States, including the FIVB Volleyball Nations League, FIVB World Cup and NORCCA Women’s Continental Championship, Team USA reported . She brought home silver and gold in many of those competitions throughout the years.
In 2018, she joined the U.S. Women's National Team.
She made her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020, when Team USA took home the gold. Poulter was also named the best setter at those Games, according to USA Volleyball .
Poulter calls Aurora home and went to Eaglecrest High School and then the University of Illinois, where she graduated in 2018.
Outside of volleyball, Poulter enjoys playing piano and guitar and is an aspiring filmmaker.
Her younger sister also plays volleyball at the University of Denver.
Brooke Raboutou | Sport climbing | Boulder
Esteban Felix/AP Raboutou was the first climber in the United States to qualify for the Olympic Games and now she is back for round two.
She earned fifth place at the 2020 Games in the combined climbing competition. Since then, she has also excelled at the world championships, earning bronze in 2023 for bouldering.
In June, she won first place at the Olympic Qualifier Series Budapest .
Raboutou began climbing when she was 1 year old, and became the youngest person in the world to climb 5.14b when she was just 11 years old, according to Team USA.
She grew up in a family of climbers — her parents Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou and Didier Raboutou are climbing world cup champions and her older brother is a successful outdoor climber, Team USA reported.
Howie Sanborn | Paratriathlon | Denver
Sanborn, a retired U.S. Army veteran, served for 15 years. During that time, he began competing as an able-bodied person in triathlons. In September 2012, he was hit by a driver while biking. He broke his back and was paralyzed from the waist down, according to Team USA.
During his recovery, he learned about the Dare2Tri Paratriathlon Club and competed in his first triathlon as a wheelchair athlete.
He missed qualifying for the Tokyo Games, which lit a fire in him. In March, he won the men’s PTWC race, qualifying for Paris.
Sanborn also won the 2024 BOLDERBoulder professional men's push-rim wheelchair race in a time of 27 minutes and 24 seconds.
Sophia Smith | Soccer | Windsor
David Zalubowski/AP Smith is headed to her first Olympic Games. She attended Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins.
The 23-year-old earned her first Senior National Team call-up in 2017 when she was just 16 years old. She made her debut in 2020 as the first player born in the 2000s to get on the field.
She was named the 2022 BioSteel U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.
Smith is one of three Coloradans on the USWNT named to the Paris Olympic Games roster .
Morgan Stickney | Paralympic swimming | Colorado Springs
With two gold medals already under her belt, Stickney, 27, is ready to compete in Paris.
The University of Colorado - Colorado Springs grad began swimming when she was 10 years old, and as an able-bodied swimmer, she was ranked in the top 20 in the nation for the 1,500-meter swim when she was 15, according to Team USA. When she was young, she broke several bones in her left foot due to a vascular condition, which eventually led to its amputation.
Just weeks after the surgery, she was back in the pool. Later, the same happened to her right foot. Another amputation followed.
Stickney won gold at the 2018 Para National Championships in the 400-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle. In the Tokyo Paralympics, she won two gold medals.
“It would be so special (to return to the Paralympics),” she told Team USA ahead of the trials . “It’s almost more special, in a sense, than the last time because of everything I’ve been going through. It’s just always such an amazing experience, and I could never say enough positive things about being able to represent my country. It was so special to go to Tokyo just after losing both my legs, and being faced with this awful thing in life and turning it into a positive. I feel like I’m trying to do that same thing with my situation now.”
Mallory Swanson | Soccer | Highlands Ranch
David Zalubowski/AP Swanson, 26, was born in Littleton and raised in Highlands Ranch. She attended Mountain Vista High School and graduated in 2016.
She scored seven goals in five games at the Concacaf U-20 Women’s Qualifying Tournament in December 2015. She was 17 years old at the time. The feat helped earn her a spot on the full Women's National Team.
Paris will be her second Olympics.
She is one of three Coloradans on the USWNT named to the Paris Olympic Games roster .
Jessica Thoennes | Rowing | Highlands Ranch
Thoennes is headed to the Olympic Games after winning gold in the pair event at the 2024 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Trials. She competes in the women's pair (2-) boat class.
She was a walk-on to the University of Washington's rowing team.
Thoennes finished sixth in the pair at the 2024 World Rowing Cup II, US Rowing reported.
She trains in New Jersey. When she isn't practicing, she enjoys reading, hiking and drinking coffee, according to Team USA .
Emma Weber | Swimming | Denver
Darron Cummings/AP Weber, a rising senior at the University of Virginia, is headed to the Olympics for the first time. In the Olympic Trials on June 17, she finished a 100-meter breaststroke in 1:06.37, taking second place, according to USA Swimming .
Weber attended Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora and was part of the Denver Hilltoppers Club team. She was the Colorado State Champion in the 100-meter breaststroke and 200 IM.
At UVA, she has impressive finishes in a slew of various invitations and championships .
Haleigh Washington | Volleyball | Colorado Springs
Frank Augstein/AP After winning gold at her first Olympics in 2021, Washington, 28, is returning with many of the same teammates to defend the title in 2024. USA Volleyball announced its 12 players for the Olympic Games in early June.
The Doherty High School grad went on to Penn State, where she graduated in 2017. The following year, she joined the U.S. Women's National Team.
She told Volleyball World that she is "really pumped" for the 2024 Games.
"I am super stoked that we got that qualification," she said. "I know that we have what it takes to ride the path to the podium and do what we need to do. And I think it’s just about playing consistent, good volleyball. USA doesn’t really have to play perfect volleyball. We don’t have to be shining stars, but if we can play good team volleyball consistently throughout that tournament, I think we can do really good things.”
Following the team's win at the 2020 Olympics, Washington was named the best middle blocker at the Games.
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