2024 Olympics in Paris: International sports stars to take part

Around 10,500 international athletes will be taking part in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. While many of the athletes will be relatively unknown, there are also famous athletes competing for medals. These are some of the biggest sports stars who will be taking part.

Angelique Kerber

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will officially open on July 26th. A well-known German athlete caused a particular stir one day before the opening ceremony. The successful tennis player Angelique Kerber (36) said that she was at the “finish line” and that this would be her last professional tournament. After her last match at the Olympics, she wanted to say goodbye to her active tennis career. Kerber is a Wimbledon winner, among other things, and won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. However, she has a tough draw at the start: her opponent is the four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka (26) from Japan.

Alexander Zverev

In the men’s tennis competition, hopes are also pinned on a German star: Alexander Zverev (27). However, the Olympic champion from Tokyo also has very well-known competition. Among the participants is the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (21), who is considered one of the major medal contenders. Zverev could also face the Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic (37), but he may first have to assert himself against Rafael Nadal (38), who also comes from Spain.

Malaika Mihambo

Malaika Mihambo (30) is one of the German hopes. The athlete won the European long jump title in Rome in June and is now hoping for Olympic gold. Mihambo was already successful at the last games in Japan. She also stood at the top of the podium at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which took place in 2021 due to the corona pandemic.

Simone Biles

Simone Biles (27) is an absolute star in gymnastics – and she wants to underline that in Paris. The American has collected 30 medals at previous world championships, most of them gold. She has also won seven medals at the Olympic Games, including four gold medals, although she had to abandon a competition in Tokyo due to mental problems and did not start several times.

Leon Marchand

French swimmer Léon Marchand is only 22 years old, but has already managed to outdo swimming legend Michael Phelps (39). In 2023, at the World Swimming Championships, he beat a record set by Phelps in 2008 in the 400-meter individual medley by 1.35 seconds. It is therefore hardly surprising that expectations are now particularly high. Other swimming stars at the Olympic Games include the Americans Katie Ledecky (27) and Caeleb Dressel (27).

Sha’Carri Richardson

Sha’Carri Richardson (24) from the USA proved once again last month that she is worth keeping an eye on. The sprinter secured her place for Paris with a world best time of just 10.71 seconds over 100 meters. For Richardson, the participation is a new opportunity after she missed the games in Tokyo. Richardson had qualified, but subsequently tested positive for marijuana use and was therefore not allowed to take part.

LeBron James

Probably the biggest name among the participants is that of LeBron James (39). The NBA superstar is part of the US squad alongside other world-famous colleagues such as Steph Curry (36) and Kevin Durant (35). “King James”, as he is often called, is also known from film and television. In “Space Jam: A New Legacy” he took on the lead role – and thus, in a sense, the successor to the legendary Michael Jordan (61). Other basketball greats on the Olympic court include Germany’s NBA star Dennis Schröder (30) and the Frenchman Victor Wembanyama (20), who was voted Rookie of the Year – the best newcomer of the year – in the US league in 2024.