Athlete Spotlight: Maria Laborde - Listen To The Olympics On iHeartRadio

If you are wondering how to listen to the Olympics, iHeartRadio has you covered. iHeartRadio is the exclusive audio home of NBC's coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, so it is the only place to listen to the Olympics stream. The free iHeart app is where to go to listen to exclusive play-by-play action of Team USA . To celebrate, we are spotlighting some of the country's athletes that are vying for gold.

Maria Laborde , a 33-year-old judo athlete from Kenosha, Wisconsin, is set to make her Olympic debut at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Born on August 2, 1990, Laborde began her judo journey in her native Cuba at the age of 11, quickly rising through the ranks and competing in national tournaments.

Laborde's talent and dedication to the sport led her to win team bronze at the 2013 Senior World Championships and an individual bronze medal at the Paris Grand Slam in 2014, both while representing Cuba. However, she decided to retire for a few years after these wins and moved to the United States in search of a better life.

After receiving her U.S. citizenship in 2022, Laborde decided to return to the sport, this time representing Team USA. In 2023, she made history as the first U.S. athlete to medal at the Masters Worlds since 2016 when she won silver.

Laborde, who is currently ranked 11th in the world in her category, is set to compete in the Women-48kg category at the Olympics. Despite the culture shock and the cold Wisconsin winters, Laborde is excited about her journey and is looking forward to competing in her first Olympic Games.

According to her Team USA profile , Laborde is on a mission to land atop the podium for the first time. She will be competing on July 27 in the Women-48kg category.

From exclusive NBC play-by-play action of Team USA to live hourly updates from the Games to original Summer Games podcasts, you can listen to the Olympics stream only on iHeartRadio . Find out more about how to listen .