Fall 2024
Olympics

20 Christ-following U.S. Olympians to watch at the 2024 Paris Games

By Jon Ackerman Jul 25, 2024
Left to right: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Steph Curry, Coco Gauff, Scottie Scheffler, Anna Hall. (AP Photos)

The 2024 Summer Olympics are upon us, with more than 10,700 athletes descending on Paris to compete in 329 events through Aug. 11.

Of the 592 U.S. athletes vying for Olympic medals, many are also followers of Christ. We couldn’t possibly list every one of them, but here are 20 to watch over the next couple weeks in France.

>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<

Hunter Armstrong, swimming
Armstrong collected a 2021 Olympic gold medal by swimming the preliminary heats of the 4×100-meter medley relay, but now he’s aiming for gold in an individual event. He’ll compete in the 100m backstroke, an event in which he’s the reigning world champion, and also the 4x100m freestyle relay. “I’m just along for the ride,” he said in the Summer 2024 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine. “I [didn’t expect] to be here in the first place, so I’m here until God tells me to stop.”

Kennedy Blades, wrestling
Paris will mark the first senior-level international tournament for the 20-year-old Blades, who competes in the 76kg weight class. She won silver at the 2023 Under-23 World Championships, and secured her berth in the Olympics by defeating Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Adeline Gray at the U.S. team trials. After clinching her spot, she was asked by NBC about the growth she’s seen in herself. “I’m going to be honest, I’ve just gotten super close to Jesus,” she said. “I just want to tell you guys that He’s King, and He’s coming soon. So I really believe if you guys put your heart into Jesus Christ, you guys will experience nothing but happiness and grace. He’ll help you through trials and tribulations. It’s Him, that’s the main reason why I was able to accomplish such a big thing.”

Aaron Brooks, wrestling
After winning his fourth consecutive individual NCAA national championship with Penn State, Brooks advanced to the 86kg freestyle final at the U.S. team trials, where he beat reigning Olympic and world champion David Taylor. As he often does, Brooks praised God after his match. “Praise the Lord. Like I say many times, it’s a journey with Him,” Brooks told NBC. “Just put my faith in Him. Praise the Lord.” When asked later in a press conference about his advice to kids who admire his wrestling ability, he said, “I’d say seek the Lord. He will guide your steps. Praise the Lord. Have faith in Him. That’s the best advice I can give them because it changed my life.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Aaron Brooks (@aaron_mbrooks)


Kelly Cheng, beach volleyball
Along with partner Sara Hughes, Cheng won gold at the 2023 World Championships, establishing the duo as a medal contender for the Paris Games. It’ll mark Cheng’s second Olympics, as she placed ninth with Sarah Sponcil at the Tokyo Olympics. Cheng writes “Saved by grace” in her Instagram bio, and explained to Sports Spectrum what that phrase means to her. “It’s crazy to me that an all-knowing, all-powerful God would humble Himself and come down to earth as a human and sacrifice Himself for me,” she said. “He would go through all of that torture and torment so I can live eternity with Him. … Honestly, it’s a reminder to me that I’m worthy and worth it.”

Micah Christenson, volleyball
A setter on the men’s national team since 2013, Christenson is appearing in his third Olympics. He helped the Americans win bronze at the 2016 Games and place 10th in Tokyo; the U.S. men are ranked No. 6 in the world entering Paris. The 31-year-old Hawaiian’s middle name Makanamaikjalani, which means “Gift from Heaven.” His parents had trouble conceiving, and his mother needed an abdominal surgery while in her third trimester with Micah in the womb, so for him to survive, he “was their little gift from Heaven.” Christenson was featured in the Summer 2020 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine, in which he said, “It’s easy to be with God when you’re doing things well, but to go through the mud with God a little bit was a great experience for me to have. … It’s like, ‘OK God, this is still hard, I haven’t conquered this mountain yet, but I trust You.'”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Micah Christenson (@mchristenson11)


Vashti Cunningham, track and field
The daughter of former NFL QB Randall Cunningham (who’s now a pastor), Vashti is a high jumper set for her third Olympics after placing sixth in Tokyo and 13th in Rio. She is a five-time national champion and her best finish at the world championships was third in 2019. She says Jesus is the “Savior of my life” on Instagram, where she often posts about her faith. “Getting ready for Paris,” she wrote recently. “Leaving all worries, doubt, anxiety, stress and pressure in God’s hands. When you see me you see His power. I can’t do any of it without His help and guidance. Thank you all for the love and support. May all glory and honor forever be the Lord’s.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by VASHTĪ CUNNINGHAM (@vashtizzle)

Stephen Curry, basketball
He’s one of the all-time legends in the sport and has helped USA Basketball win two world championships (2010, 2014), but Paris will mark Curry’s Olympic debut. The U.S. men have won four consecutive Olympic gold medals, and are favored for a fifth straight. The 36-year-old Curry has long been outspoken about his faith. “My faith is about the personal relationship, more so than following a certain religious tradition or practice. Challenges you to make sure that you are feeding your spirit with the right things versus what the world is throwing at us,” he said in a 2019 episode of his “Stephen vs. The Game” Facebook series.

Coco Gauff, tennis
She was supposed to make her Olympic debut three years ago in Tokyo, but was forced to withdrawal after testing positive for COVID. In Paris, not only will Gauff be making her first Olympic appearance, she’ll be the female flag-bearer for the United States at the opening ceremony. The 20-year-old is ranked No. 2 in the world, the highest of her career, and captured her first career Grand Slam title at the 2023 U.S. Open. After the big win, she kneeled at her chair on the court and said a prayer to God. “I realized God puts you through tribulations and trials, and this makes this moment more sweeter than I could have imagined,” she told the crowd.

Alison Gibson, diving
Following a disappointing eighth-place finish at the Tokyo Games in synchronized diving with partner Krysta Palmer, Gibson retired from the sport. But Palmer asked her to return last summer, and after much prayer she did. The duo resumed training together, but unfortunately came up short of qualifying for Paris in synchro. In the individual 3m springboard event at the U.S. team trials, however, Gibson edged Palmer for the second and final U.S. berth. “My faith was something I could always come back to and recognize that no matter how hard it was, no matter what insecurities I was feeling, my identity was centered in Christ,” Gibson said in the Summer 2024 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine, “and God made me uniquely for this purpose and for this path.”

Anna Hall, track and field
The 23-year-old heptathlete is making her Olympic debut, but will be a frontrunner for a medal. She placed second at the 2023 World Championships and posted the world’s best heptathlon score in 2023 (6,988 points), which ranks as the fifth-highest mark all time. For a feature in the Summer 2024 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine, Hall said, “He is my Lord and Savior. Jesus is the reason we’re here and that we’re able to have hope, and that affects all aspects of my life, but definitely sports.”

Vincent Hancock, shooting
Hancock is looking to make some history in Paris, which will be his fifth Olympics. He won his first of three Olympic skeet shooting gold medals in 2008 at age 19, before adding to his collection in 2012 and 2021 (he placed 15th in 2016). Should he win gold again, he’d be the sixth athlete to win the same individual Olympic event four times, the fourth American, and the first shooter. He is also a believer who grew up in a Christian home, but truly came to know Christ after he married his wife, Rebekah. “Slowly but surely, she made me understand who Jesus was again and what He had done for us, and I just fell back in love with Him,” Hancock said in 2016.

Brody Malone, gymnastics
A year ago, Malone was re-learning how to walk after suffering a severe right knee injury that included tearing multiple ligaments and his meniscus, and fracturing his tibial plateau. After three surgeries and countless hours of rehab, he won the all-around competition at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in June, then booked a trip to his second Olympics earlier this month. “I just have to give all the glory to God,” he told NBC at the U.S. team trials. “It’s all Him, and, yeah, it’s all God. So I just want to thank Him for this. … I’m just so grateful for everything that God’s done for me.”

Maggie Malone Hardin, track and field
Malone Hardin is headed to her third consecutive Olympics, after placing 10th in the javelin at the Tokyo Games and 25th at the Rio Games. She walked away from the sport in 2018, but was encouraged to return by Sam Hardin, a coach who was her boyfriend at the time and now her husband. She’s aiming for a medal this time around, but says, “If that’s God’s plan for me, great. If it’s not, then I accept that, but I feel more prepared than I have in the past.” She spoke to Sports Spectrum in 2021 and said, “Prior in my life, if a [distance] that I threw was not up to my standard, I would crumble. I’ve worked really hard on saying, ‘My identity is not attached to whatever I throw, it is found in Christ.'”


Simone Manuel, swimming
Manuel at 20 years old became first Black female swimmer to ever win an individual Olympic gold medal when she won the 100m freestyle at the Rio Games, where she also won gold in the 4×100m medley relay to go with two silvers (50m freestyle, 4×100m freestyle relay). She was diagnosed with Overtraining Syndrome prior to the Tokyo Games, but still qualified for the 50m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay. Manuel’s doctor ordered her to shut down all physical activity after Tokyo, and after healing her body she fell in love with swimming again. “It all started with a call to be obedient and faithful to God’s calling and purpose for my life,” she wrote on Instagram after qualifying for Paris. “Believing in the fact that He is in control, and that He always has much bigger plans for our lives than we can imagine.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Simone Manuel (@swimone)

Helen Maroulis, wrestling
Maroulis upset three-time Olympic champion Saori Yoshida at the Rio Games to become the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic wrestling gold medal, but briefly retired afterward due to two concussions that led to her being diagnosed with PTSD. She returned and won a bronze medal in Tokyo, and is now the first U.S. female wrestler to qualify for three Olympics. “I like sharing what God’s done in my life, and I’ll share about the good or the bad because at the end of the day, He’s with you through all of it and it’s not about winning or losing,” she said in a feature for the Summer 2021 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine. “It’s about knowing that, no matter what, He’s there and He’s good.”

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, track and field
The world-record holder in the women’s 400m hurdles (50.65 seconds), McLaughlin-Levrone is favored to win her second straight Olympic gold medal in the event. She’ll face stiff competition from Femke Bol of the Netherlands, who recently posted a 50.95 to join McLaughlin-Levrone as the only women to ever run under 51 seconds in the event. But for the 24-year-old American, she’s leaving the results up to her Lord and Savior. “It’s the truth in a sport where you’re literally chasing gold all the time — I would take my love for Christ and that relationship over a gold medal any day,” she told Sports Spectrum in January.

Scottie Scheffler, golf
He’s been the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer for more than a year, so Scheffler is making his Olympic debut as the gold-medal favorite. He’s won six tournaments already this season, and 12 since the start of 2022. But he doesn’t find his worth in his game. “The reason why I play golf is I’m trying to glorify God and all that He’s done in my life,” he said after winning his first Masters in 2022. “So for me, my identity isn’t a golf score.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sports Spectrum (@sports_spectrum)


Kyle Snyder, wrestling
Eight years after becoming the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist at 20 years old, Snyder remains one of the legends in the sport. He was also the youngest wrestler to ever win an NCAA, world and Olympic championship, but he was unable to defend his Olympic title in Tokyo, as he took silver. He claimed bronze at the 2023 World Championships, so although he may not be the gold-medal favorite in Paris, he’s certainly capable of reclaiming the top spot in the 97kg freestyle class. Throughout his career, he’s also been bold in sharing about his faith. “As big as the sport is in my life, wrestling doesn’t define me,” he wrote for The Increase in June 2021. “God alone defines me.”

Mallory Swanson, soccer
Soon after turning 18 in 2016, Swanson (née Pugh) was the youngest player on the USWNT Olympic roster and became the youngest American to ever play and score in the Olympics. Injuries and subpar play kept her out of the Tokyo Games, but now 26, Swanson has regained her form as one of the top strikers in the world. “I feel like you always ask ‘why,'” she said for a Summer 2022 feature in Sports Spectrum Magazine. “I look back at it now and I know exactly why it happened — because my faith in Him has grown immensely. Me getting injured and me missing the Olympics and me kind of finding myself on the field again, it really started because I found myself in Christ even more.”

Walker Zimmerman, soccer
Men’s Olympic soccer is limited to players under 23, but each team is allowed three players over the age limit. Zimmerman, a defender for Nashville SC, was the only overage player selected for the United States. He’ll be a key leader for a squad playing its first men’s Olympic soccer tournament since 2008. Zimmerman has 42 international appearances and played for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, but says, “My identity is in Christ. It’s not on whether I had a good game or bad games, ‘cuz you’re always fighting for your spot. He loves me for me and not based on my performance — [that] is a free thought to have as a pro athlete.”

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

RELATED STORIES:
– SS PODCAST: ‘NFL RedZone’ host Scott Hanson on his role at 2024 Olympics
– Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaks WR: ‘Anything is possible in Christ’
– Allyson Felix most decorated female Olympian ever, thankful for ‘God’s grace’
– Janine Beckie lives for Christ, leads Canada to Olympic gold-medal soccer match
– Fiji rugby sevens team captures back-to-back Olympic gold, praises God on field

Tags: