Team USA sped through the two weeks of the 2024 Paris Olympics with almost com- plete domination. Team USA finished first in the medal count and tied in gold medals at for- ty with China. Many exceptional athletes on Team USA came from Prep’s hometown, the DMV area. USA sent over thirty athletes from the DMV to Paris, bringing home a good heap of medals for the USA. SO much so that if the DMV were its own country, it would end in the top 10 total medal counts for all countries. Prep’s sister school, Stone Ridge, sent three swimmers to the Olympics. Katie Ledecky, considered as the greatest woman swimmer ever, came home with two gold, one silver, and one bronze medal. Erin Gemmel won silver with Katie Ledecky in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay. Phoebe Bacon had her second Olympic appearance but did not win anything.
Noah Lyles from Virginia garnered lots of media attention during the Olympics due to his confidence and what he said in previous Olympics about Team USA basketball and their “World Champions” status. Lyles left Paris with one gold in the 100m and one bronze med- al in the 200m. Although medals were not the only thing Noah Lyles left with, he contracted COVID-19 before the 200m and withdrew from the 4x100m.
The USA basketball team for 2024 garnered large amounts of support due to Noah Lyles’s comments complemented by the series of excellent NBA athletes who compete, including Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant, a famous athlete even outside the Olympics, showed up for USA basketball. Kevin Durant was born in Washing- ton, DC, and grew up in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Durant had a successful career in the NBA with two championship rings, and this year, Paris gave him his fourth straight gold medal, playing for the team in the Olympics. KD and the rest of the team managed to snag the gold with the major competition from France and Serbia, making them the World Champions.
In addition, as a first-time Olympic athlete, Quincy Wilson finished first in an intense qualifying round-all at the age of 16. Wilson at- tends Prep’s neighbor and rival Bullis, playing Track and Field and football. Wilson ran in the 4×200 and won Gold with the team. Overall, the people from Prep’s hometown put up great performances at the Paris Olympics, and I have no doubt that they will do it again in LA.
