The 2024 Summer Olympics are just three weeks away, and Florida is set to make a significant mark with an impressive number of athletes heading to the games in Paris.
In all, 35 athletes from Florida will be on Team USA, with a dozen coming from Tampa Bay and surrounding areas.
Among them is Nelly Korda, who won gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and reached No. 1 in the Women’s World Golf Rankings.
Korda, a Bradenton native and daughter of former Czech tennis players, has had 14 LPGA tour wins and two majors, claiming her first one in 2018.
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That is not all. Korda has also represented the United States during the Solheim Cup in 2019, 2021 and 2023. She was also a member of the US team at the International Crown in 2023.
Winning gold in her first Olympic Games in Tokyo, the 25-year-old will be one to watch in Paris.
Here are the other Tampa-area athletes who you might be hearing more about in the coming weeks:
Austin Krajicek, Tennis - Brandon. The Texas A&M grad played on the doubles team in Tokyo. He has won the ATP Tour men’s singles title in the 2020 Austrian Open, the 2019 Atlanta Open and Rosmalen Championships and the 2018 Kremlin Cup.
Bobby Finke, Swimming - Clearwater. Finke jumped out of the gate in his first Olympic Games in Tokyo, winning two gold medals. He swam for the University of Florida and is set to compete in the trifecta of distance freestyle events: the 400m, 800m and 1,500m races. Finke comes from a family of swimmers, including his sisters and his mom, who swam at the collegiate level, and his father, a swim coach with St. Petersburg Aquatics.
Clark Dean, Rowing - Sarasota. Dean first made his mark back in 2017 when he became the first U.S. rower to win the world title in the junior men’s single in 40 years. Dean, who rowed for Harvard University, was named to the Academic All-Ivy League Team in 2023. Paris will be his second Olympic Games.
Dania Vizzi, Shooting - Tampa. Vizzi, who is also known as “Shooterina,” turned down Julliard Dance Intensive for the sport. She is a University of Florida alum who has won a collection of medals in World Championships, but this will be her first Olympic Games.
Danielle Collins, Tennis - St. Petersburg. Collins is set to continue her tennis success while in Paris. The St. Pete native and UVA alum will represent Team USA in the women’s singles and doubles tournament. She has been having a breakthrough year, most recently claiming victory at the Miami Open.
Emma Weyant, Swimming - Sarasota. Weyant surprised everyone at her 2020 trials race for the 400m Individual Medley and has been nonstop ever since. She won silver in Tokyo and now, at just 22, is competing in her second Games again in the 400m Individual Medley. Weyant swam for the Sarasota Sharks and then went on to the next level at the University of Virginia before transferring to the University of Florida.
Erriyon Knighton, Track & Field - Tampa. This Hillsborough High School alum turned pro before his 17th birthday. He competed in Tokyo in the 200m and has beat Usain Bolt’s record in the world U-20 200m. Knighton became the youngest men’s track finalist in the modern Olympic Games after he placed fourth in Tokyo.
Mary Tucker, Shooting - Sarasota. Tucker won silver in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games after she quit her high school team and taught herself via YouTube videos. She was on the University of Kentucky team and was named athlete of the year during her sophomore year.
Noah Lyons, Sailing - Clearwater. Lyons, who has been sailing since he was 6 years old, will compete in his first Olympic Games this summer in Paris. He attended the University of South Florida and graduated with a degree in Microbiology.
Parker Valby, Track & Field - Tampa. Valby is set to compete in her first Olympics in the 10,000m. At the 2020 Olympic Trials, she just barely missed the cut even while leading for most of the 5,000m race. Valby, who ran for the University of Florida, finished second in the 10,000m race at this year’s trials. She attended East Lake High School and was originally a competitive swimmer before starting cross country in 2016
Nathan Harriel, Soccer - Oldsmar. Also a graduate of East Lake High School, Harriel is a former Clearwater Chargers youth player and was selected for the Olympic team. He was signed by the Philadelphia Union as a teenager and helped them reach the MLS Cup final in 2022. This is the first time since 2008 that the U.S. men’s team has qualified for the Olympics.
Monae’ Nichols, Track & Field - Lakeland. Nichols will compete in her first Olympic Games in Paris this year. She will be competing in the long jump.
Here are two athletes competing in the Paralympic Games:
Jenson Van Emburgh, Para Table Tennis - Bellair Beach. Van Emburgh won bronze in his first Olympic Games back in 2020. He is a graduate of Seminole High School and is a Class 3 Para athlete who suffered a spinal cord injury at birth.
Tracy Otto, Para Archery - Plant City. Otto turned to Para archery after a life-threatening domestic violence attack. She lost her left eye and is now paralyzed from the chest down. Paris will be her first Paralympic Games.
The Olympic Games are scheduled to start on July 26, and the Paralympic Games are scheduled to start right after on Aug. 28.
