The 2024 Olympics in Paris has officially begun. While there are dozens of participants in this year’s games, several Black athletes look to etch their names in the history books before everything ends on August 11. For years, Black Olympians dominated in sports like track and field and basketball. But a new generation is breaking through in so-called “country-club sports” that typically aren’t available to young Black athletes.
Black Athletes In The 2024 Olympics
It’s not just basketball, and track and field that black athletes are dominating in the Olympics now. Other categories now have that soulful swag! Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means trying to divide athletes by race or origin. but let’s face it, there haven’t been too many African American swimmers let alone to bring home a gold medal.
The swim team USA will make history when it walks into the Paris Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis. That’s because Anthony Nesty, a former Olympic swimmer, is Team USA’s first Black swimming head coach.
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In fact, According to Afro.com, Nesty is one of several elite Black athletes from Team USA competing in events in which the competition is overwhelmingly White. Black athletes are also competing in fencing, volleyball, and skateboarding, among other sports. U.S. Olympic and Paralympic history is full of Black athletes, heroes, pioneers, and trailblazers.
Without these stories, the history of Team USA is incomplete says USOPM.org. I have proudly put together a small list of black athletes you should look out for in this year’s Olympics, as they are planning to make history by bringing home a medal in a category that is not known for African Americans to compete. with strong determination, lots of training, and a goal that started from a dream, each of these athletes is giving hope to generations to follow.
