The world’s fastest man is from northern Virginia. A Maryland teenager became the youngest-ever gold medalist in a track event. One of Maryland’s favorite daughters became the most decorated female Olympian in U.S. history.
A landmark chapter in D.C.’s sports history ended Sunday with the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Here are some of the most eye-catching performances by D.C.-area Olympians at this year’s Games.
Noah Lyles: The Alexandria, Virginia, native became one of the Olympics’ breakout stars when he earned a gold medal in a photo finish in the 100 meters. The 27-year-old hoped to earn additional golds in the 200 and 4x100 relay, but a positive COVID test derailed his plans.
Lyles finished with a bronze in the 200, historically his best race, while battling COVID-19 symptoms. Sitting out was never an option.
“As long as I knew that I was allowed to, I was gonna tackle it,” the sprinter told People.com.
Katie Ledecky: The pride of Bethesda, Maryland, cemented her status as the most-decorated female Olympian in U.S. history after earning two gold medals, one silver and a bronze. She now boasts 14 total medals, including nine golds.
“It’s not easy,” Ledecky said while confirming her plans to compete in Los Angeles in 2028. “I’ll take it year by year, and we’ll see if I can keep giving everything I’ve got for as long as I have left in me.”
Erin Gemmell and Phoebe Bacon: The two young swimmers followed in Ledecky’s footsteps at the Stone Ridge School for the Sacred Heart in Bethesda. They then followed her all the way to Paris as fellow members of the U.S. swim team.
Bacon finished fourth, 0.04 seconds away from a podium spot, in the 200 backstroke. Gemmell secured a silver medal alongside Ledecky in the 200 freestyle relay.
Torri Huske: Ledecky’s USA Swimming teammate added to her trophy rack with a stellar performance in Paris. The Arlington, Virginia, native brought home two silver medals and three golds, including a world record in the 4x100 medley relay.
The 21-year-old Yorktown High School alumna edged out fellow American and University of Virginia product Gretchen Walsh for the gold medal in the 100 butterfly and notched an unexpected silver in the 100 freestyle to pair with her relay medals.
Kevin Durant: The NBA star, a product of Prince George’s County, Maryland, secured the all-time Olympic scoring record en route to his fourth gold medal with the U.S. men’s basketball team. The 36-year-old also secured Team USA records for field goals, three-pointers and free throws.
“He has put the stamp on being the greatest Olympian,” Bam Adebayo, Durant’s Team USA teammate, told Andscape. “He has imprinted his name at the top.”
Quincy Wilson: The youngest-ever American Olympic track athlete left his first Olympics with a gold medal. Wilson — a Virginia native who attends the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland — set a new Olympic record with the American 4x400 relay team. But the 16-year-old will have to trade Olympic stadiums for classrooms when he returns to the U.S.
“Dang, I really got school in two-and-a-half weeks,” the youngest-ever track and field gold medalist wrote on X.
Masai Russell: The track star, who also attended Maryland’s Bullis School, secured a gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles. Like Lyles, Russell needed a photo finish to confirm her victory by a hundredth of a second.
“I just want every young girl to understand and know that if you believe in yourself, if you can see the work, day in and day out, there’s nothing that’s impossible for you,” Russell said after her gold-medal moment.
Fencers: Three female fencers from the D.C. area — Kat Holmes, Hadley Husisian and Tatiana Nazlymov — represented the U.S. in Paris. None of the three managed to medal in their individual or team events, but they appreciated the opportunity to compete on the world’s biggest stage.
“Walking out in like this beautiful venue when the stands were just filled to the ceiling, that was incredible,” Husisian told NPR. “I had to kind of like battle back my smile.”
— This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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