We’re days away from the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics! We’re gearing up to support Team USA all summer long, and naturally, we’ve got our eye on Southerners making their way across the pond.
It’s impossible to highlight every Olympian from the South β especially considering Texas and Florida have 88 competitors (Go, Simone and Sha’Carri!). So today, we’re focusing on 14 inspiring Southern women to watch. Go, Team USA!
According to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Team USA will have 592 athletes competing. So far, our team consists of:
- 314 females and 278 males
- More than 250 returning Olympians
- 122 Olympic medalists
- 66 Olympic gold medalists
Note that the roster is still evolving, as some sports’ qualifying events have yet to take place.
Here, we’ve made it easy to find and follow along with these inspirational Southerners on Instagram.
Evy Leibfarth
Sport: Canoe & Kayak
Hometown: Bryson City, North Carolina
Paris will be rockstar paddler and North Carolina native Evy Leibfarth’s second Olympic appearance. At just 20 years old, she’s already making waves (pun intended) as one of the youngest and most decorated paddlers out there. In Paris, she’ll compete in women’s canoe slalom, kayak slalom, and kayak cross. When Evy’s not on the water, she’s flexing other muscles while drawing, hiking, and snowboarding.
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Anna Cockrell
Sport: Track & Field
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
At just 26, Anna Cockrell has already made a name for herself as an Olympic hurdler and sprinter. She specializes in women’s 400 meter hurdles, in which she placed eighth in Tokyo 2020. Anna won the Pan American Games and crushed it at the NCAA level while at USC, where she graduated with academic honors and championed mental health in sports.
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Kristen Nuss
Sport: Volleyball, Beach Volleyball
Hometown: New Orleans, Lousiana
Kristen Nuss is an absolute powerhouse in beach volleyball and one to watch in Paris. She’s been slaying it on the AVP Tour, snagging six first-place finishes alongside her partner, Taryn Kloth, and winning the AVP Best Defensive Player award in 2023. The native Louisianan played for LSU, where she set the NCAA record with a mind-blowing 139 career victories. At 5’6″, Kristen is among the shortest players to win on the AVP Tour in recent years.
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Emma Navarro
Sport: Tennis
Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina
Tennis phenom Emma Navarro will compete in women’s tennis singles. At just 23, she’s ranked 15th worldwide and has snagged her first WTA singles title. She won the NCAA singles championship in her freshman year at the University of Virginia. She has been making waves on the pro circuit, taking down Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon and earning a million bucks in prize money this year alone. We love watching her daily life on Instagram.
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Veronica Fraley
Sport: Track & Field
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Veronica Fraley dominates in throwing events, and she’s bringing that arm power to Paris. At 24, this Raleigh native is demolishing the competition in both discus and shot put, holding school records at Vanderbilt in both events. She also took home the NCAA discus championship in 2024. Veronica’s also got smarts and nabbed the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award this year.
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Emma Hunt
Sport: Sport Climbing
Hometown: Woodstock, Georgia
Four new sports are added for the 2024 games, growing from 28 in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics program to 32 this year. The new sports are breakdancing, skateboarding, surfing, and sport climbing, Emma Hunt’s specialty. Recently interviewed as our FACE of the South, Emma has broken all sorts of records on her way to Paris, including the US record climb at 6.67 seconds. Check out the sport she calls “vertical running.”
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Paige Madden
Sport: Swimming
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama
Paige Madden snagged a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 4x200m freestyle relay. She has solidified herself as a freestyle specialist, dominating events like the 200m, 400m, and 800m. She won multiple NCAA titles at the University of Virginia and was named ACC Swimmer of the Year twice. Watch her at the Olympics in both the 400m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay.
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Raven Saunders
Sport: Track & Field
Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina
Shotput powerhouse Raven Saunders will head to Paris for their third Olympic Games. This Charleston native is known for their fierce style, striking masks, and colorful nails. They snagged a silver medal in Tokyo and have been killing it on the track and field scene despite some challenges like injuries and a suspension. Despite an alter ego called ‘The Hulk,’ Raven’s open about mental health, and we’re rooting for their upgrade to gold this summer.
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Mariah Denigan
Sport: Open water swimming
Hometown: Walton, Kentucky
In an impressive pool of swimmers, Mariah Denigan has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 10K open water swimming event. That’s correct: Mariah swims 6.21371 miles. She placed sixth at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships to secure her spot on the Olympic team, and we can’t wait to watch her unique event. Paris is still considering whether the Seine is safe enough for the open swim.
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Lee Kiefer
Sport: Fencing
Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky
Lee Kiefer made history (and stole so many Southerners’s hearts) at the Tokyo Olympics by becoming the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in individual foil. At just 29, she’s already a three-time Olympian and a med student at the University of Kentucky. Fencing is a family affair. She’s married to fellow fencer Gerek Meinhardt, and her dad and siblings are all into it too. Take a peek at just how delightful and sharp Lee is.
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With her sights set on the Paris 2024 Olympics, she’s aiming to become the rare American fencer to medal at multiple Games. Look out for Virginia native and fellow Team USA fencer Hadley Husisian this year, too.
Gretchen Walsh
Sport: Swimming
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
We got to cover Gretchen and sister Alex’s dynamite swimwear line a few years ago, and now the pair of elite swimmers are headed to Paris to represent Team USA. Gretchen recently smashed the world record in the 100m butterfly at the US Olympic Trials, clocking in at 55.18 seconds. She’s a powerhouse at the University of Virginia, where she’s racked up three individual NCAA titles and set numerous records.
Gretchen is talented in freestyle, butterfly, and backstroke events, and she became the first woman ever to swim under 45 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle.
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Alex Walsh
Sport: Swimming
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Alex Walsh is headed to her second Games, winning a silver medal in the 200m IM at Tokyo 2020 and a world championship title in the same event in 2022. She’s also been excelling at the University of Virginia, where she’s snagged a whopping 19 NCAA titles and holds the record for the most ACC championships ever with 26. Alex’s strengths are in IM, breaststroke, and freestyle events. Watch the Walsh sisters in Paris!
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Olivia Reeves
Sport: Weightlifting
Hometown: Hixson, Tennessee
Olivia Reeves was officially named to the United States Olympic weightlifting team at 21 years old. The Tennessean has broken junior world records left and right in the 71kg weight class. When she’s not lifting heavy things, she’s hitting the books at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, studying sociology. Watch Olivia clean and jerk 151 kg (333 pounds):
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Alison Gibson
Sport: Diving
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Alison Gibson has already made a splash at the Tokyo Olympics, competing in the women’s synchronized three-meter springboard with her partner Krysta Palmer. This Texas native snagged an NCAA diving championship in 2017 while at the University of Texas. She opens up and connects with fans online, and you can watch her story here before watching her on TV!
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GO, TEAM USA!
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Who else are you cheering for this summer? Let us know over on Instagram!
