Paris Olympics: 26 Bay Area athletes to watch as the Games get started

More than 10,000 athletes are expected to participate in the Paris Olympics, including more than 150 with Bay Area ties. Here are a few to watch, spanning sports from cycling to water polo to fencing.

The Summer Olympics are beginning this weekend, with thousands of athletes descending on Paris.

Among them are more than 150 athletes with Bay Area ties, representing dozens of countries and spanning every sport from cycling to water polo to fencing. From Bay Area natives Sabrina Ionescu and Maggie Steffens to local pro sports stars Stephen Curry and Asisat Oshoala, the Bay Area will be well represented in Paris for the Olympic games.

Here are a few of the top Bay Area-connected athletes to watch over the next two weeks:

BADMINTON

Annie Xu, San Jose

The Cal alum is competing in her first Olympic games. She is playing alongside her sister Kerry Xu as they will look to win the first medal in badminton for the United States. 

Dates of competition: July 26 to Aug. 6

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Curry is making his Olympic debut as the starting point guard on the U.S. men’s basketball team. Curry joins a stacked roster that features NBA superstars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum. The team is coached by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. 

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 10

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Sabrina Ionescu, Walnut Creek

The Miramonte High alum and first-time Olympian joins a heavily favored U.S. women’s basketball team which will be looking to capture its eighth consecutive gold medal. 

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 11

CLIMBING

Natalia Grossman, Santa Cruz 

Winning gold at the Pan American Games in 2023 secured Grossman’s spot on this year’s Olympic squad. 

Dates of competition: Aug. 5 to Aug. 10

CYCLING

Haley Batten, Los Gatos

A strong performance at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Brazil propelled Batten to the Olympic cycling team. She will be joining Walnut Creek’s Matteo Jorgenson on the U.S. cycling roster. 

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 11

MEN’S FENCING

Alexander Massialas, San Francisco

An Olympian since 2012, Massialas is looking to win his first career gold medal after winning two bronze medals (2020, 2016) and a silver (2016) in previous years. He is a favorite to win this year as he is ranked No. 1 in men’s foil. An alumnus of Stanford, Massialas is currently the Cardinal’s head fencing coach. 

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 4

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

Asher Hong, Stanford

The 2023 U.S. Championships all-around champion, Hong is favored to medal in his first Olympic games. 

Brody Malone, Stanford

Malone is making his second Olympic appearance after taking fourth in the horizontal bar at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. 

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 5

WOMEN’S KITEBOARDING

Daniela Moroz, Lafayette

A six-time champion at age 23, Moroz is one of the more accomplished kiteboarders on the U.S. team. 

Dates of competition: Aug. 4 to Aug. 8

WOMEN’S ROWING

Kara Kohler, Clayton

This year’s Olympics will be Kohler’s third in her career. In 2012, she earned a bronze medal in women’s quadruple sculls. 

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 3

MEN’S RUGBY

Naima Fuala’au, Hayward

Fuala’au, a graduate of Tennyson High, is a 5-foot-8 scrum half. He began playing rugby when he was 13 years old. 

Dates of competition: July 24 to July 30

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Naomi Girma, San Jose

The Stanford alumni and San Diego Wave FC center back is the first Ethiopian-American to play for the U.S. women’s national team. 

Asisat Oshoala, Bay FC

One of the best women soccer players of her generation, Oshoala will be representing the Nigerian national team at the Summer Olympics. The former Liverpool and Real Madrid star signed with Bay FC earlier this year. 

Racheal Kundananji, Bay FC

Kundananji signed with Bay FC for a record-setting transfer fee of nearly $800,000 in February. She will be playing for her home country of Zambia. 

Dates of competition: July 24 to Aug. 10

MEN’S SWIMMING

Keaton Jones, Cal

The Cal upstart was somewhat of a surprise qualifier to the U.S. Olympic team. The 19-year-old rising sophomore will compete in the 200-meter backstroke this summer in Paris.

Ryan Murphy, Cal

The more established medal contender of the two, Murphy will try to follow up his silver and bronze medals from the 2020 Tokyo Games. He has won four gold medals, one silver and one bronze at the past two Olympics.

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 8

WOMEN’S SWIMMING

Katie Ledecky, Stanford

Perhaps the greatest women’s swimmer of all time, the 10-time Olympic medalist will compete in the 400-meter freestyle, 800 free and 1500 free, in addition to relay appearances.

Simone Manuel, Stanford

The five-time Olympic medalist will swim at her third consecutive Games in 2024. Manuel is a short-distance freestyle specialist who also contributes to Team USA’s relays.

Abbey Weitzeil, Cal

Weitzeil is a freestyle specialist and four-time Olympic medalist who contributes to sprint relays. She will compete in the 4×100 free relay.

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 8

TAEKWONDO

CJ Nickolas, Brentwood

Nickolas will make his first appearance at the Olympics this summer. He previously earned a silver medal in the welterweight 74-80kg division at the 2023 World Championships.

Dates of competition: Aug. 7 to Aug. 10

TABLE TENNIS

Lily Zhang, Palo Alto

A four-time Olympian, Zhang grew up on the campus of Stanford, where her father was a math professor. She will compete in the singles and team tournaments. Growing up, she trained at the India Culture Center in Milpitas.

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 10

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Erik Shoji, Stanford

Shoji is a three-time Olympian libero and won a bronze medal with Team USA in 2016. His older brother, Kawika, competed alongside him with Stanford and Team USA and retired from professional volleyball in 2022.

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 10

WOMEN’S WATER POLO

Jenna Flynn, San Jose

The first-time Olympian starred at Leland High School and won the 2023 NCAA Championship with Stanford. She scored 11 goals while winning a gold medal with Team USA at the World Championships in 2024.

Jewel Roemer, Martinez

Another member of Stanford’s squad, the Martinez native won national championships with the Cardinal in 2022 and 2023. She will also be making her Olympic debut in 2024.

Maggie Steffens, Danville

Possibly the greatest women’s water polo player of all-time, Steffens will be seeking her fourth Olympic gold medal in Paris.

Dates of competition: July 27 to Aug. 11

WOMEN’S WRESTLING

Dom Parrish, Scotts Valley

Parrish is a 2022 senior world champion in the 53 kg division. She is making her Olympic debut in 2024 and is a top gold medal contender. Parrish won back-to-back California state championships at Scotts Valley High School and went undefeated during her junior and senior seasons.

Dates of competition: Aug. 5 to Aug. 11