Athletes like Simone Biles and LeBron James may have been the media sweethearts of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but they weren’t the only Americans who took home medals. Even as the event fades into history, there are some names of Americans who won big we shouldn’t forget, some of whom will be stars of the 2028 L.A. Games. Some readers will want to follow these rising stars’ careers over the next few years to make witnessing their next victories even sweeter or even to help you make decisions about investing in collectibles likely to rise in value.
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- The United States led all other countries in total medal count at the Paris Games, with a total of 126. The U.S. and China tied for gold medals, with 40 for each country.
- Some Americans won multiple medals; others achieved astonishing wins and carried home one well-earned medal.
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14. Noah Lyles (Track & Field)
American sprinter Noah Liles is the fastest American at the 200 m with a personal best of 19.31 seconds, which makes him the third-fastest in the event in the world. The six-time world champion has now added Olympic gold to his accolades. He took first place in the 100 m on August 4, 2024, the 9th day of the Olympics, at Stade de France. This was the first time in 20 years an American won the men’s 100 meters.
13. Lee Kiefer (Fencing)
Lee Kiefer of Cleveland, Ohio went into the 2024 Olympics having already won a gold for fencing in the 2020 Tokyo Games. In Paris, she won two more golds in women’s foil and women’s team foil.
12. Ryan Crouser (Shot Put)
Track and field athlete Ryan Crouser won his third gold medal in the shot put at the Stade de France. He won his previous gold medals in the sport in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2020 in Tokyo.
11. Olivia Reeves (Weightlifting)
On August 9, 2024, day 14 of the Olympics, Olivia Reeves won the first American gold in weightlifting since 2000. Her category was the women’s 71 kg. She had previously won the bronze in this event at the World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the gold in the women’s 81 kg competition at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
10. Kristen Faulkner (Cycling)
On day 9 of the Olympics, August 4, 2024, Kristen Faulkner became the first American cyclist in history to take the gold in both track and road cycling. Moreover, this was the first time an American woman won the road race in 40 years. She races for UCI Women’s Continental Team EF-Oatly-Cannondale.
9. Scottie Scheffler (Golf)
Scottie Scheffler of Team United States plays on the PGA Tour. He has been ranked first in the Official World Golf Ranking for over 100 weeks and won the Masters Tournament in 2022 and 2024. Scheffler took the gold in Paris in the men’s individual tournament at Le Golf National in Paris.
8. Quincy Hall (Track & Field)
At the Stade de France on August 7, day 12 of the Games, Quincy Hall took the gold in the men’s 400-meter. He beat the UK’s Matthew Hudson-Smith by just 0.04 seconds. Previously, Hall had taken gold in the 4×400 m relay and bronze in the 400 m at the 2023 World Championships.
7. Amit Elor (Wrestling)
The youngest wrestling champion in American Olympic history is now 20-year-old Amit Elor. She defeated Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan 3-0 in the 68-kilogram final to win the gold at Champs-de-Mars Arena on August 06, 2024.
6. Vincent Hancock (Skeet Shooting)
Vincent Hancock took the gold in men’s skeet shooting on August 03, 2024 at Chateauroux Shooting Centre. He is only the sixth Olympic athlete to win four gold medals in the same event.
5. Bobby Finke (Swimming)
On the last night of Olympic swimming competition, Bobby Finke set a record and took the gold for the 1,500-meter freestyle at Paris La Defense Arena on August 04, 2024 in Nanterre.
4. Stephen Curry, Lebron James, Kevin Durant (Basketball)
Three of the biggest names in NBA basketball: Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant, took home the gold as part of the U.S. Olympic basketball team at Bercy Arena on August 10, 2024. Each of them had won NBA most valuable player awards. Team USA defeated France for the second straight Olympics in the event, making this the Americans’ 5th consecutive Olympic gold medal in the sport.
3. Diana Taurasi (Basketball)
The record for the longest gold medal streak in a ball sport in Olympic history goes to the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team, which won its 8th Olympic gold medal in a row (and 10th overall). On the team, Diana Taurasi won the most medals in Olympic basketball history, achieving her 6th gold.
2. Simone Biles (Gymnastics)
The name on everyone’s mind at the Olympics was Simone Biles. She won 3 gold and 1 silver by the end of the Paris Games. This gives her a career total of 11 Olympic medals, 7 of them gold, making her the second most decorated female Olympic gymnast in history.
1. Katie Ledecky (Swimming)
One of the greatest American stars of the Olympics was without a doubt Katie Ledecky. In Paris she won the 800 freestyle, collecting her 9th Olympic gold medal. This record ties her with Larisa Latynina, a Russian gymnast from the 1950s and 60s, for the most Olympic gold medals won by a woman. This is only the seventh time an Olympic athlete has won four consecutive golds in the same event. And, after Michael Phelps, she is only the second swimmer to do so.
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