The 2024 Paris Olympics begin in two weeks and athletes from across the globe will travel to France for a shot at a spot in sports history.
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The 2024 Paris Olympics begin in two weeks and athletes from across the globe will travel to France for a shot at a spot in sports history.
Four athletes with ties to the University of South Carolina will participate, two for Team USA and two for Team Canada. Two will play basketball, and the other two athletes are track and soccer stars.
WNBA players and former Gamecock women’s basketball stars A’ja Wilson and Laeticia Amihere will participate in the women’s basketball event at the Olympics. Wilson is making her second Olympic appearance as a member of Team USA, and Amihere is preparing for her second Olympic outing with Team Canada.
Amihere played for the Gamecocks from 2019-2023 and was a member of the 2022 national championship team and the 2020 team that finished the season as the unanimous No. 1 ranked team in the nation before COVID-19 canceled the NCAA tournament.
She played for Team Canada during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after it was pushed to 2021 due to the pandemic. Amihere appeared in all three games of group play and averaged five points and four rebounds before Canada was knocked out.
Since being selected in the first round of the 2023 WNBA draft by the Atlanta Dream, Amihere has had a limited role. She has a career average of six minutes, two points and two rebounds per game. Despite her role, she made the roster in both seasons and appeared in 32 career games.
“I’m excited to go into my second Olympics with more experience under my belt,” Amihere said in a Dream press release. “It will be the first opportunity to play in front of family for Team Canada. I’m proud to be able to represent my country, my family and show all the hard work I’ve been putting in.”
Wilson has been one of the best players in the WNBA this season, leading the league in points. She is expected to be a focal point of Team USA as they try to claim their eighth straight gold.
Wilson is also competing in her second Olympic games after winning gold with the USA in Tokyo. Wilson and Phoenix Mercury superstar Brittney Griner led the team with near-identical 17-point and seven-rebound averages.
Six of the 12 members from the 2020 team will play in 2024, including Wilson. While the 2020 team was led by Gamecock head coach Dawn Staley, the 2024 team is led by Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve.
Team USA will play in Group C, while Team Canada will play in Group B, meaning the two Gamecocks can not face off in the Olympics until at least the beginning of the knockout stage,
Moving out of the gym, former Gamecock Quincey Hall will represent Team USA on the track in the 400-meter and 4x400-meter relay.
“I can’t wait to get there,” Hall said to a group of reporters after earning his spot on the team. “I’ll probably get there a little early so I can get acclimated, get to training, and like I said, we’re going to blow it up.”
Hall was a Gamecock from 2019-20. He had a decorated South Carolina career, winning a national championship in the 400 hurdles and two SEC championships in the 400-meter.
At last year’s world championships, Hall finished third in the 400 and the 4x400 team took gold. He qualified for the Olympics after winning the 400-meter final race at the U.S. Olympic trials with a personal best time of 44.17 seconds.
“I was born to be a champion at this time,” Hall said. “So like I said, it’s his first team, It’s my first Olympic team I made, and I came out on top, and I’m ready to go again.”
Hall will compete alongside two other Americans in the 400-meter, Michael Norman and Chris Bailey.
“I think we can go one-two-three,” Hall said. “All I can do when I get there is do my best.”
Norman and Bailey will join Hall on the 4x400 relay team. The final spot was awarded to 16-year-old phenom Quincey Williams, who became the youngest member ever of the United States men’s track and field Olympic team.
The final former Gamecock participating in the games will be playing the world’s most popular game on the Olympic stage for the second time in her career. Sabrina D’Angelo will represent Canada in Paris after helping the team win a bronze medal during the Rio 2016 games.
D’Angelo was at South Carolina from 2011-14. She sits high on the list in many statistical records for the Gamecocks, including first in career minutes in goal, second in matches played for a keeper, second in saves and third in goals against average.
D’Angelo has experienced a lengthy professional career since leaving South Carolina, playing for teams in Canada, the U.SSweden and England. She is currently a member of Arsenal W.F.C. of the Women’s Super League, the highest pro league in the country. However, she recently announced her intentions to exit the club following the conclusion of her contract this summer.
Aside from her appearance in the 2016 Olympics, D’Angelo represented Canada in the 2023 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She is the most experienced international player of all the Gamecock Olympic representatives.
The Paris 2024 games are set to begin on July 26 and last until August 11. Events will be broadcast on NBCUniversal networks with a mix of live and replay coverage.
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