3 active NCAA swimmers who can win gold medals at Paris Olympics 2024 ft. Gretchen Walsh

The 2024 Paris Olympics will feature sportspersons from all over the world, aiming to achieve podium finishes and bring glory to their nations. Over 200 countries will send their athletes to the Summer Olympics, scheduled from July 26 to August 11.

This edition of the Summer Olympics will not only see seasoned athletes making multiple appearances but also debutants eager to create an impression. The quadrennial games will also have college athletes competing to capitalize on every opportunity in Paris. With this, let’s look at three active NCAA swimmers who can win gold medals at the Paris Olympics.

Active NCAA swimmers who can win gold medals at 2024 Paris Olympics

#3 Erin Gemmell (University of Texas - Austin)

Erin Gemmell at the 2023 TYR Pro Swim Series Westmont. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Erin Gemmell will be making her first appearance in the Olympic Games at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She will feature in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay event after she qualified for the event by finishing fourth (1:56.75) in the women’s 200m individual freestyle event at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.

With top swimmers such as Katie Ledecky, Paige Madden, and Claire Weinstein also set to compete in the 4x200m freestyle relay event, the team stands a solid chance to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the USA finished second with a 7:40.73, narrowly behind China (7:40.33).

#2 Jack Alexy (University of California - Berkeley)

Jack Alexy at 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Jack Alexy is another top contender for a podium finish in the men’s 100m freestyle at the Paris Olympics. He qualified for the Olympic Games by finishing second in the event at the trials with a 47.47 in the finals and finished ahead of pre-race favorite Caeleb Dressel who swam a 47.53s.

However, Alexy’s standout performance came during the heats of the 100m freestyle where he stunned everyone by delivering a U.S. Open record, clocking a time of 47.08s. If he replicates this achievement in Paris, he surely has a chance to secure the gold medal at the Summer Games.

#1 Gretchen Walsh (University of Virginia)

Gretchen Walsh at the 2024 TYR Pro Swim Series Knoxville . (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Gretchen Walsh is undoubtedly the NCAA swimmer to watch out for, having set the world record in the women’s 100m butterfly with a sensational 55.18s in the semis during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming trials.

With this, she will head into the Summer Olympics as the pre-race favorite in the 100m butterfly. The Virginia Cavaliers swimmer rose to fame after her record-breaking 2024 NCAA season in which she collected seven titles, including both individual and team events, and contributed to the university bagging their fourth-consecutive NCAA title.