The upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, which begins July 26, will feature several athletes who are from Utah or who have called Utah home for some time.
3×3 basketball
Although originally from New York, former NBA player and college basketball phenom Jimmer Fredette earned national player of the year honors during his senior season at Brigham Young University in 2011. Fredette will compete on the USA men’s 3×3 basketball team in Paris this year.
Fredette previously played for Team USA in the 2022 FIBA 3×3 Men’s AmeriCup in Miami, winning the gold. He will be joined by Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis to represent Team USA in the Paris Olympics.
3×3 basketball debuted during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which took place in 2021. 3×3 games differ from the conventional 5×5 format in several ways: a half-court playing area; made shots count for one or two points; a 12-second shot clock; and the other team always receives the ball regardless of a make or miss.
In 3×3 basketball, the first team to score 21 points wins the game. If neither team reaches 21 within ten minutes, the team with more points is victorious. There are no quarters or halftime, so the game is said to be simple, fast, and entertaining.
Cross-country mountain biking
25-year-old professional mountain biker Haley Batten grew up in Park City. Batten won her first national title at 14 and turned pro at 17, according to USA Cycling. A member of Team USA in Tokyo in 2021, Batten will be on the elite mountain biking team in Paris this year.
The women’s cross-country mountain bike event will take place at Elancourt Hill outside Paris on July 28 at 8 a.m. Mountain time. Riders begin on the same starting line and ride multiple laps through two miles of rough, hilly terrain that tests technique, endurance and stamina.
Riders typically complete the challenging course, which is full of twists and turns through uphill and downhill sections, in one to two hours.
Paris 2024 marathon
Marathoners and friends Conner Mantz and Clayton Young each earned their spot on Team USA during team trials in February. Mantz, from Logan, crossed the finish line first while Young, from American Fork, placed second, right behind his training partner.
The Olympic marathon events will begin at Hôtel de Ville in Paris and pass through a loop packed with French history and monuments, which include the Palace of Versailles. The races conclude at Esplanade des Invalides, a historic site in Paris. The men’s marathon will be held Aug. 10 at 8 a.m. The women’s marathon will begin at the same time the following day.
After the races, each night, a fan-friendly mass participation marathon (Paris 2024 Marathon Pour Tous) will allow the public to run the same route as the Olympic marathon athletes.
Sport climbing
Climbers Piper Kelly, Natalina Grossman and Jesse Grupper called Salt Lake City home while training for their Paris 2024 sport climbing events. Salt Lake City is home to the headquarters of USA Climbing, the national governing body for sport climbing in the U.S.
From Aug. 5–10, two sets of medals will be awarded for sport climbing events. Lead climbing and bouldering will be a combined competition and speed climbing will be a separate competition. The competitions will take place at the Le Bourget Climbing Venue, the only venue built specifically for the Paris Games. The sport climbing event debuted at the Tokyo Games.
While some athletes are still competing for their place on Team USA, and completing Olympic trials, a press release from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee stated that there will be 592 American athletes at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
