The 2024 Paris Olympics officially kicked off Friday with opening ceremonies.
Plenty of athletes with Ohio connections will compete over the next few weeks, including two dozen former, current or incoming Ohio State University students.
That’s the second highest number of OSU athletes to compete in the Olympics, with a record of 26 Buckeyes competing in Tokyo in 2021.
This year, Buckeyes will represent 10 countries and will compete in nearly as many sports, including swimming, diving, artistic swimming, pistol, soccer, track and field, rowing, fencing and wrestling.
The Canadian Olympic Team has the most Ohio State representatives, with eight athletes, followed by the U.S.A. with seven. OSU athletes are also competing for Lithuania, Germany, France, Ireland, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Spain and Trinidad and Tobago.
The rest of the Big Ten Conference will also be well represented. More than 350 athletes with Big Ten ties will compete in 17 sports. Around 130 are student athletes competing for team U.S.A. More than 220 will compete for other international Olympic teams. Also making the trip to France are 45 Big Ten coaches and administrators.
The Paris Olympics continue through Aug. 11, with around 10,500 athletes competing in 32 sports.
The Paralympic games will follow from Aug. 28 to Sept. 28, and will also happen in Paris. One Ohio State alumnus, Blake Haxton, will compete in paracanoe.
The OSU alumni, students and incoming students competing in the 2024 Olympics include:
United States
- Katelyn Abeln, former student-athlete – Pistol
- Hunter Armstrong, former student-athlete – Swimming
- Keana Hunter, incoming first-year student – Artistic Swimming
- Ada Korkhin, current student– Pistol
- Henry Leverett, former student-athlete – Pistol
- Ruby Remati, current student – Artistic Swimming
- Kyle Snyder, former student-athlete – Wrestling
Canada
- Fares Arfa, former student-athlete – Fencing
- Duan Asemota, former student-athlete – Track & Field
- Alex Axon, current student – Swimming
- Emma Finlin, incoming first-year student – Swimming
- Scarlett Finn, incoming first-year student – Artistic Swimming
- Eleanor Harvey, former student-athlete – Fencing
- Tristan Jankovics, current student – Swimming
- Nichelle Prince, former student-athlete – Soccer
France
- Maximilien Chastanet, former student-athlete – Fencing
- Elodie Ravera-Scarramozzino, former student athlete – Rowing
Germany
- Lena Hentschel, current student – Diving
Ireland
- Ciara McGing, former student-athlete – Diving
Lithuania
- Tomas Navikonis, current student – Swimming
Nigeria
- Sade Olatoye, former student-athlete – Track & Field
Puerto Rico
- Kristen Romano, former student-athlete – Swimming
Spain
- Aina Cid, former student-athlete – Rowing
Trinidad and Tobago
- Leah Bertrand, current student – Track & Field
