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At the Paris Olympics, American athletes are expected to shine across various sports, including athletics, gymnastics, and swimming. The U.S has been the most successful nation at the Summer Games, claiming a total of 2,655 medals over the course of their participation at the marquee event.
As time for action in Paris approaches, fans will be eager to see how the contingent fares this time around. Amongst the gloried names, the team also consists of several NCAA athletes, all of whom will be eager to make their mark at the Games. With that, here's a look at all the collegiate athletes who could win a medal at the Paris Olympics.
#5. Keaton Jones, 200m backstroke
19-year-old Keaton Jones qualified for his first ever Olympics after finishing second in the backstroke Trials at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Jones is a prodigal swimmer, having first made his mark when he broke the USA Swimming National Age Group Record in the 13-14 200-backstroke category while he was still a freshman in high school.
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That result made him one of the youngest swimmers to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Trials.
Four years later, not only did Jones participate at the Paris Olympics Trials, his time of 1:54.61 seconds in 200m backstroke finals was enough to grant him a ticket to his maiden Games. At the collegiate-level, Jones swims for the California Golden Bears.
#4. Luca Urlando, 200m butterfly
Luca Urlando will head to the Paris Olympics, competing in the 200m butterfly on his debut at the Games. The 22-year-old clocked a 1:55.08 in the finals of the U.S Trials to finish behind 17-year-old teammate Thomas Heilman.
On the collegiate circuit, Urlando swims for the Georgia Bulldogs, winning four medals as part of the team in his sophomore season. He won silver in the 4x200 yard freestyle relay, the 100 yard butterfly, and the 200 yard butterfly.
He also walked away with a bronze in the 200 yard individual medley. Outside of his impressive collegiate record, the American is also the national record holder in the men's 100 yard backstroke.
#3. Jack Alexy, 100m freestyle
Keaton Jones’ California Golden Bear teammate Jack Alexy can not only make the podium at the Paris Olympics, he is a genuine threat for gold. At the U.S Olympic Trials, the youngster clocked a 47.08 in his 100m freestyle prelims to set a new U.S Open record and move into eight in the all-time list for the event.
Alexy is already a five-time World Championships medalist, having had a stunning outing at 2024 Fukuoka. While there, the 21-year-old claimed gold in the 4x100m medley relay, silver in the 50m free, 100m free, and 4x100m mixed free, as well as a bronze in the 4x100m free.
#2. Jade Carey, Gymnastics
Jade Carey is one of, if not the only collegiate athlete to head into the Paris Olympics as a defending champion. At the Tokyo Games, she finished with a gold medal in the floor exercise routine, and is a strong competitor this time around as well.
While an individual gold looks slightly out of reach with Simone Biles back in contention, Carey could very well walk out of Paris with a team gold as well as another medal on the individual events.
#1. Gretchen Walsh, 100m butterfly
While Gretchen Walsh was a show-stopper at both the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Championships, she scripted her name into the history books at the U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this year.
Competing in the 100m butterfly, Walsh touched the wall in a time of 55.18, setting a new world record that eclipsed Sarah Sjöström 55.48 that was set at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
With a world record and 18 NCAA titles in her resume, Walsh will head into her debut Games very much a favorite for the top spot of the podium.
