Famous US Athletes Who Failed to Qualify for the Summer Olympics

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France is rapidly approaching. This past week, the best athletes in the world attended the qualifying trials in hopes of becoming representatives for their country. Regardless of year, the trials remain a make-or-break moment. While some unknowns rise to the occasion and get an opportunity to make history, others aren’t so lucky. Furthermore, many top US athletes failed to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The Olympic qualifying trials illustrate the fickle balance required from athletes to remain at the top of their game. In the singular moment, the most decorated athletes can slip up, manifest a sudden injury, or simply have an off day. Contenders like Michael Andrew hold previous gold medals as well as world record times yet managed to come in last during the qualifiers. However you slice it, it’s a heartbreaking moment for athletes that trained for this moment for years. In this article, we will explore 10 of the top US athletes who failed to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

To compile a list of US Athletes who failed to qualify for the Summer Olympics, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of sports, news, and Olympic-oriented publications including ESPN. Next, we selected athletes with previous medals from either the Olympic Games or World Championships who failed to qualify during this summer’s preliminary trials. After that, we confirmed aspects of each athlete’s history using sites like Worldathletics.org and USA Track & Field. (For contenders of considerable age, discover the oldest Olympic athletes in sports history. )

Christian Coleman

Many considered Christian Coleman a top contender for the United States Olympic track and field team. His hopes were dashed, however, as this US athlete failed to qualify for the Summer Olympics. He previously represented the United States in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He also holds gold medal wins at various World Championships and World Indoor Championships. These accolades, however, weren’t enough to keep him in the race.

During the Olympic trial tournament, Coleman narrowly missed joining the team after finishing fourth place in the 100m and 200m sprint events. Unlike other athletes on this list, however, Coleman still has a chance to show at the Paris Olympics this summer if the USATF chooses him for the 4x100m relay pool.

Athing Mu

Going into the trials for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, middle-distance runner Athing Mu seemed like a sure thing. The New Jersey-based runner already holds two gold medals from the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics for the 800m race and the 4x400m relay race. Even well into the race, Mu looked like she had it in the bag with a formidable 1:58.84 performance in the semifinal heat.

An accidental fall in the first lap of the final heat, however, dashed Mu’s chances of representing the United States this summer. This unfortunate hiccup put her in last place by the time the race had ended, causing her failure to qualify for the Summer Olympics under the US flag. Though a true medal contender, Mu’s anticipated position will be taken over by a runner Juliette Whittaker who finished third and met the Olympic qualifying time.

Shamier Little

Born in Kentucky but based out of Chicago, Shamier Little is a track and field sprinter who specializes in the 400-meter hurdles. While she was a 20-year-old sophomore at Texas A&M University, Little became the US Champion at the 2015 Pan American Games. After that, she won silver medals at the 2015 Beijing World Championships and the 2023 Budapest World Championships. This track record made her a serious contender for this summer’s Olympics.

During the qualifying trials, however, Little narrowly missed the cut. For the 400-meter hurdles qualifying event, she finished in fourth place with a time of 52.98s. Runner Jasmine Jones beat her out with milliseconds to spare after finishing with a 52.77s time. The other qualifying spots were filled by second-place Anna Cockrell with 52.64s and first-place Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who beat her own world record with a 50.65s time.

Nia Ali

The northeast-based track and field athlete Nia Ali was a fan favorite for this year’s Olympics. A specialist in the 100m hurdles and heptathlon, among other events, she showed great promise considering her track record. First, she won gold medals at the 2011 Shenzen World University Games and the 2014 Sopot World Indoor Championships. After that, she qualified for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, where she won a silver medal in the 100m hurdles.

During the qualifying trials this year, however, Ali became another of the US athletes who failed to qualify for the Summer Olympics. Though she finished with an admirable time of 12.37 seconds in the finals, this put her in fourth place and effectively barred her from the Paris competition. It’s hard to say what the future holds for Ali, as she already skipped the previous summer Olympics in Toyko to give birth to her second child.

Kendra Harrison

Though only 31 years old, Kendra Harrison already holds an accomplished record in track and field. Between 2018 and 2023, she embarked on an incredible run. She won gold medals at the 2018 Birmingham World Indoor Championships and the 2018 Toronto NACAC Championships. After that, she picked up a silver and gold at the 2019 Doha and 2023 Budapest World Championships, respectively. In the process, she beat the world record for 100-metre hurdles with a time of 12.20 seconds.

Considering she won a silver medal in the 100-metre hurdles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Harrison seemed like a real contender. Despite finishing the 100-metre hurdles final qualifier with a 12.39s time, this placed her in 6th place total. This made her one of the US athletes who failed to qualify for the Summer Olympics. Though Harrison is one of the fastest runners in the world for this contest, she will have to wait a few years before attempting another Olympic appearance.

Michael Andrew

By current estimates, Michael Andrew is the best swimmer in the world and one of the most decorated swimmers in history. Though only 25 years old, Andrew already holds 18 World Championship medals. First, he became the first swimmer to set three junior world records at the 2017 World Junior Swimming Championships. Not long after, he earned other world records including the 4×100 meter medley relay. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Andrews won a gold medal and set the world record for the 4×100-meter medley relay.

Though he holds an incredible 78 medals from the Swimming World Cup circuit, Andrew became one of the US athletes who failed to qualify for the Summer Olympics. Though he holds the world record for the 100-meter breaststroke final, he finished last in this contest at the Olympic qualifiers. A few days later, Andrew finished fifth in the 50-meter freestyle and then last in the 100 butterfly semifinals. There are days I feel truly proud of myself, and days where disappointment takes over,” Andrew said in a social media post, adding: “As an athlete, it’s devastating to be up one moment and completely off the next, but sometimes that’s the way sport is.”

(For other heavily decorated contenders, discover athletes with the most medals ever from the Summer Olympics. )

Brooke Andersen

Brooke Andersen, born and raised in San Diego, California, began showing promise in discus and hammer throw track and field competitions in high school. While attending Northern Arizona University, she finished second in hammer throw at the 2017 and 2018 NCAA Championships. For her record, she was named the NAU scholar-athlete of the year. A few years later, Anderson earned a Nike sponsorship and a gold medal for the hammer throw at the 2022 Eugene World Championships.

Though she ranked No. 1 in the world for hammer throw only a year ago, it wasn’t enough to carry her to the Olympics. At the outset of the qualifiers, Andersen showed promise after securing the best throw (76.25s). She failed to qualify for the Olympics for the US, however, after failing to record a single throw in the finals because she fouled each attempt.

Laulauga “Lagi” Tausaga-Collins

Born in Hawaii and raised in the San Diego, California area, Laulauga “Lagi” Tausaga-Collins became a serious contender for the discus throw. Representing the University of Iowa, Tausaga-Collins bagged a hefty list of medals for her school between 2017-2021. These included gold medals at the 2017 Trujillo Pan American U20 Athletic Championship, the 2020 Freeport NACAC Championship, and the 2023 Budapest World Championship.

Though she entered this year’s Olympic preliminaries as the reigning world champion for discus throw, this US athlete failed to qualify for the Summer Olympics. Her first three discus attempts fouled out, with her second throw flying well out of bounds into the men’s 110-meter hurdles heat location. After her third attempt also failed to place, Tausua-Collins was disqualified. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, after she failed to qualify, Tausaga-Collins walked through the media interview area without stopping.

Annie Kunz

Born and raised in Colorado, Annie Kunz is a multivariate athlete. Though she plays various sports including soccer, she specializes in the heptathlon competition for track and field events. Besides placing well into the rankings at various championships over the years, Kunz earned first place in the heptathlon at the 2020 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships and the 2021 US Olympic Trials. This earned her a spot at that year’s Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Though she faced a severe case of plantar fasciitis in the intervening years, Kunz seemed recovered and healthy enough to make good standing. Instead, she became one of the US athletes who failed to qualify for the Summer Olympics. Unfortunately, the plantar fasciitis came back with a vengeance and she felt it tear during warmups for the Olympic qualifiers. While she managed to make it over the final hurdle, she limped across the finish line before collapsing. Only 14.33 seconds after she started, her hope of making the Olympics vaporized. Regarding the loss, Kunz said, “I’m still trying to process everything. I’m not sure what’s next for me. Right now I’m just focused on healing physically and emotionally.”

Alex Morgan

Since an early age, Alex Morgan has turned heads on the soccer field. Raised in Southern California, Morgan became a three-time all-league pick and was named All-American by the NSCAA. After high school, she attended the University of California, Berkeley. There, Morgan led the team in scoring during her first season. By the end of her collegiate career, she ranked third all-time in goals scored (45) and points (106) for the University. After that Morgan, she played both professional soccer and Olympic soccer.

First, she was the youngest player on the US team at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Then she became a decorated striker on the US team at the 2012 London Olympics. Though she’s a New York Times Bestselling author and one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world, her standing wasn’t enough for this year’s Olympic team. According to ESPN, Morgan was snubbed from this year’s USWNT Olympic roster, quite possibly due to her relatively older age of 35.

(For adolescent athletes, discover 16 of the youngest Olympic athletes in sports history. )

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