Washington region well-represented in Paris

Their athletic journeys have taken them from the District, Maryland and Virginia to Paris. More than two dozen athletes with ties to the region will compete on the biggest stage in sports at the Paris Olympics over the next two weeks.

Bethesda's Katie Ledecky and Alexandria's Noah Lyles (who went to high school at the former T.C. Williams) will dominate headlines in their pursuits of world records. But those superstars aren’t the only athletes looking to bring medals back to the DMV. Here are a few to watch.

The pride of Prince George's

Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant will headline a stacked U.S. men's basketball team. The three-time gold medalist from Prince George’s County joins fellow household names like Stephen Curry and LeBron James on a squad hunting for their fifth consecutive Olympic title.

“I want to really make a statement on how dominant our players are," Durant said in an interview with Boardroom Cover Story. "Like 40, 50-point wins. I want to do that."

En pointe in Paris

Hadley Husisian’s introduction to fencing came from the Nickelodeon show “iCarly.” But the Oakton, Virginia, native said she only started the sport because the waitlist for an archery class was too long.

Now, the 20-year-old competes at Princeton with an epee, the largest weapon in the sport. She’ll join Team USA in Paris after becoming the first American to win back-to-back Junior Epee World Championships.

“I fell in love with fencing right away,” Husisian said. “I found that with fencing, more important than the physical attributes was the strategy. That made it really interesting to me.”

Four and the oar

Claire Collins, a rower from McLean, Virginia, is no stranger to the Olympics. She competed in Japan in 2021, finishing seventh in the women’s four competition, a relay race on the water. The Princeton alumna returns to the Olympics after earning a gold medal in the four at the 2023 World Rowing Cup II.

“Rowing as a sport is made up of so many dichotomies,” the 27-year-old told Princeton Alumni Weekly. “It’s one of the most team-oriented sports, but there’s also so much of an individual aspect. Ultimately, you have to be the best team to win.”

Win, win and win again

Kyle Snyder became the youngest wrestler ever to earn Olympic gold when he won in Rio De Janeiro in 2016. The Maryland native followed up his record-breaking performance with a silver medal in Tokyo three years ago. The Ohio State alumnus is now seeking his third Olympic medal this summer.

In a promotional video with wrestling apparel company Rudis, the 28-year-old said he wants to win “over and over again for the longest time period anyone’s ever seen.”

Triathlon trooper

Taylor Knibb, a D.C. native, will be running, swimming and cycling in the triathlon in Paris this summer. This year’s Games mark the second Olympic appearance for Knibb — she became the youngest woman to compete with the American triathlon squad in Tokyo in 2021.

“Taylor is one of the most unique and talented athletes we have ever seen,” said Scott Schnitzpahn, a general manager for USA Triathlon.

This year, the 26-year-old challenged herself further by qualifying for the women’s road race as a cyclist. She stepped down from the event this month to focus on the triathlon.