These Tampa Bay athletes are headed to the 2024 Paris Olympics

Opening ceremonies for the Summer Olympics in Paris are on Friday, and there are plenty of hometown athletes to keep an eye on.

The big picture: 37 Olympians from Florida will be competing in the games, many from Tampa Bay.

• Several more will compete in the Paralympics, which will begin on Aug. 26.

Here are a few athletes and events to watch:

Danielle Collins : Tennis

• The St. Pete native will compete in singles and doubles in her first Olympic Games, joining U.S. Open champion and fellow Floridian Coco Gauff, of Delray Beach.
• The Northeast High graduate plans to retire this year as she grapples with health challenges stemming from endometriosis and rheumatoid arthritis, per a U.S. Tennis Association news release.
• She's going out with a bang: Along with her Olympics debut, Collins this year snagged victories at the Miami Open and the Credit One Charleston Open.

Austin Krajicek : Tennis

• The Brandon native will take on his second Olympics after finishing fourth in doubles in the 2021 Tokyo games.
• Krajicek trained at IMG Academy, a Bradenton boarding school known for pumping out star athletes in tennis, football, soccer and more.
• Before his explosive doubles career, Krajicek, languishing as a singles player, nearly quit tennis to sell insurance , the New York Times reported.

Noah Lyons : Sailing

• A Tampa Bay resident through and through, Lyons grew up and still lives in Clearwater and graduated from the University of South Florida.
• He began sailing at age 6 and started competing two years later. He'll compete in the iQFoil windsurfing class , a new Olympic event, per WFTS Tampa Bay.
• Fun fact: Among his sponsors is Hooters, the sports bar chain that started in his hometown . He also keeps a blog on his website chronicling his career. Follow along here .

Bobby Finke : Swimming

• The Clearwater native and lover of Busch Gardens and Metro Diner will be defending his two gold medals from the 2021 games.
• He started his career swimming for St. Petersburg Aquatics.

Victor Montalvo : Breaking

• Montalvo hails from Kissimmee, which, OK, is a tad outside Tampa Bay.
• Yes, but: He's competing in one of the buzziest new Olympic sports , so we had to give him a shout-out.
• Also known by his breakdancing name, "B-boy Victor," Montalvo is the highest-ranked American breaker in the world.
• He was introduced to the sport by his father, Victor Bermudez, and uncle, Hector, who are known as "breaking pioneers" for their help in growing the scene in Mexico.