5 track and field athletes from USA who may retire after Paris Olympics 2024 ft. Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs

15 days are left until the 2024 Paris Olympics kick off. As always, the U.S. Olympic track and field team is looking to put forward their best performances.

There are several athletes like the 16-year-old Quincy Wilson on the team who will be aiming to make the American flag fly high. However, there are also some like Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs, for whom this might be their final attempt at Olympic glory.

Here are some of the track and field athletes from the USA for whom the Paris Olympics might be their last quadrennial Games.

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USA track and field athletes who will make their final attempt at Paris Olympics ft. Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs

#5 Leonard Korir [Marathon (37 years)]

He might not be as decorated as Ryan Crouser, but Leonard Korir still has a couple of achievements to be proud of.

Leonard Korir, USA's oldest track and field athlete at Paris Olympics - Getty Images

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the marathon runner from the U.S. Army is the oldest track and field athlete competing for the U.S. Olympic track and field team at the ripe age of 37 years.

Before Paris, Leonard Korir had also competed at the Rio Olympics in the Men's 10,000m event, where he finished a decent 14th among 32 runners.

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#4 Sam Kendricks [Pole Vault (32 years)]

The 31-year-old first lieutenant from Oceanside, California will be making his second and final attempt at Olympic glory.

Will Sam Kendricks be "second" time lucky? - Getty Images

Having won the bronze medal at Rio in 2016, Sam Kendricks was all set to change the color of his medal at Tokyo, when he unfortunately contracted COVID-19 at the Olympic village and was forced to quit the competition.

At the Paris Olympics, Sam Kendricks, who has just won a silver at the World Indoor Championships in 2024, would love to give his best to climb the Olympic podium once again.

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#3 Katie Moon [Pole Vault (33 years)]

Like Ryan Crouser, this 33-year-old pole vaulter from Lakewood, Ohio has a lot to prove.

Katie Moon, the defending Olympic champion in pole vault - Getty Images

Katie Moon had missed the Rio Olympics by a whisker, following which she underwent a drastic transformation. Having proved herself at the national stage, she surprised everybody by winning the Olympic gold, eight years after Jennifer Suhr won it for the USA at the 2012 London Olympics.

Since then, Katie Moon has never looked back. She is the current outdoor world champion, and would like nothing better than to end her Olympic career on a high with a gold medal at Paris 2024.

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#2 Joe Kovacs [Men's Shot Put (35 years)]

Even when he had qualified for the Rio Olympics, nobody thought that the then-27-year-old from Nazareth, Pennsylvania would team up with Ryan Crouser to make one of the most competitive as well the most decorated duo in men's shot put.

Will Joe Kovacs overcome Ryan Crouser at Paris 2024? - Getty Images

However, Joe Kovacs did just that, and his very first throw of 21.78m pushed Ryan Crouser to go for the unthinkable: breaking the Olympic record in his fifth throw. Kovacs maintained his position at the Tokyo Olympics, where he finished 0.65 centimeters behind Ryan Crouser to attain the silver medal.

Joe Kovacs had even defeated Ryan Crouser at the 2019 World Championships to win his second gold medal after the Beijing edition of 2015. The Paris Olympics could be Kovacs' last attempt to maintain his legacy, and if possible, even defeat Ryan Crouser to end his Olympic career on a record high.

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#1 Ryan Crouser [Men's Shot Put (31 years)]

Although it is not confirmed if Ryan Crouser will actually hang up his boots after Paris 2024, it would be a miracle if the 31-year-old world record-holder from Portland, Oregon actually lands up at Los Angeles 2028.

Ryan Crouser is to shot put what Usain Bolt is to sprinting. In his debut attempt at Rio, Ryan Crouser broke the event's 28-year-old Olympic record set by Ulf Timmermann.

Can Ryan Crouser complete his golden hat trick at Paris? - Getty Images

Ryan Crouser once lost to Joe Kovacs at the 2019 World Championships, finishing just a centimeter short of Kovacs' best attempt. However, Crouser took this in his stride and soon broke the world record not once, but twice.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Ryan Crouser almost broke the outdoor world record for the second time. However, his attempt of 23.30m was still a new Olympic record in its own right.

Ryan Crouser is aiming to complete a hat trick of Olympic gold medals in men's shot put, something not even the likes of Ralph Rose and Parry O'Brien have managed to achieve. If he does that, Ryan Crouser shall mark his place in the golden pages of history books for once and for all.