From Simone Biles to LeBron James, the United States lands in Paris with its entire arsenal

Of Simone Biles to Lebron James passing by Katie Ledecky and Sha’Carri Richardson, USA arrives at Paris 2024 with all its arsenal and sporting glamour and with the aim of once again being the country with the most medals in the Olympic Games.

Since Atlanta 1996, the USA has dominated the Olympic medal table in terms of number of golds at every Games, with the sole exception of Beijing 2008, an event won by hosts China.

The race in Tokyo 2020 was very close in terms of golds, with 39 for the USA and 38 for China.

But in terms of total medals, the Stars and Stripes delegation clearly dominated with 113 (39 gold, 41 silver and 33 bronze) compared to the 89 of the Chinese team (38 gold, 32 silver and 19 bronze).

With the aspiration of once again reigning in the medal table and with the Olympic Games With Los Angeles 2028 already on the horizon, the USA has a host of stars lined up for Paris 2024, starting with gymnast Simone Biles, with seven medals already under her belt and who is returning to the Games after withdrawing from Tokyo 2020 due to mental health issues.

In basketball, the US has called up all of its superheroes in the style of Marvel’s ‘Avengers’ and in the men’s competition it has brought together the three best players of a magnificent generation that is already taking its final steps on the court: LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.

They will not be alone by any means, since the ‘Team USA’, With Steve Kerr at the helm from the bench, he will also have other top-level NBA players such as Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid.

Even more dominant is the women’s basketball team, which has won every Olympic gold medal since 1996 and will also field a star-studded team in Paris: Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Kelsey Plum, etc.

If the U.S. wins, Taurasi, 42, will make history as the athlete with the most Olympic gold medals in a team sport (she currently has five and shares this record with her retired compatriot Sue Bird).

Not in Paris, however, will be Caitlin Clark, the leading scorer in college basketball and a prodigy destined to change women’s basketball, an absence that has sparked some controversy in the US.

Another controversial decision was the exclusion from the women’s soccer team of Alex Morgan, the last representative of the golden era of the US national team, which was world champion twice and also won an Olympic gold medal.

Immersed in a deep generational renewal after the failure of the 2023 World Cup (eliminated in the round of 16 against Sweden), the team has very promising youngsters such as Sophia Smith or Trinity Rodman, daughter of former basketball player Dennis Rodman.

Athletics, swimming, golf…

Track and field will once again be a major focus for the U.S. at the Games.

For example, there is Sha’Carri Richardson, world champion in the 100-meter dash and 4×100 in 2023, who was unable to compete in Tokyo 2020 due to a controversial sanction for marijuana use while dealing with the grief over the death of her mother.

In addition, Noah Lyles (world champion in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4×100 metres) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (double Olympic gold and world record holder in the 400 metres hurdles) are top contenders for the USA.

Something similar can be said of swimming, where big names such as Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel stand out, both of whom have already won seven Olympic gold medals.

Finally, another very important option for the USA, within a gigantic range that is almost impossible to summarise in a few lines, is golf, since the two world number ones will compete in France: Scottie Scheffler in the men’s category and Nelly Korda in the women’s category.

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