Olympics-US 'killing it' at Paris Games, says CEO Hirshland

By Rory Carroll

PARIS (Reuters) - American athletes in Paris are living up to the hype and poised for more success when the U.S. fields what is expected to be its largest team ever at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

The U.S. had racked up a whopping 104 medals, 30 of them gold, as of Friday afternoon in Paris.

"I will try with humility to say we couldn't be happier," Hirshland told Reuters in an interview.

"We are killing it and probably exceeding expectations," she said.

"As you do in sport, we are seeing performances we might not have expected, and we're seeing disappointments that we might not have expected, and that's what makes it an Olympic Games."

Led by the dominance of Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, American women have been some of the Games' biggest stars.

Biles leaves Paris with three golds and a silver to cap a remarkable comeback, Ledecky now has a U.S. women's record nine gold medals from four Games, and McLaughlin-Levrone obliterated her own 400 metres hurdles world record to retain her title on Thursday.

"When you think about those three in particular, the gap between Sydney, Simone and Katie and their peers in their respective sports is extraordinary," Hirshland said.

Making the U.S. team for 2028 will be more competitive than ever even as the team itself enjoys the host's benefit of having more opportunities for its athletes to qualify.

"The beauty of a Games in LA is we will likely have the largest U.S. team we've had in history," she said.

"More athletes will have the opportunity to participate and the expectations will be high on home turf. It should be the greatest home field advantage ever seen in sport."

French athletes competing in Paris have been met with the fervent support of the passionate home crowd, something the U.S. athletes have taken note of, she said.

Seeing that response could tempt Americans like Ledecky and Biles, who might have otherwise considered retiring after the Paris Games, to consider returning for one more turn in the spotlight.

Hirshland said she is frequently asked how LA can reach the high bar set in the French capital, where the Games have been a resounding success.

"The answer is that LA is going to be different than Paris," she said.

"Paris has done a beautiful job. LA will do the same in a very different and very appropriately LA kind of way," she said.

"It's going to be fun to watch it unfold."

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Paris; Editing by Hugh Lawson)