Thousands of athletes will be competing in the Paris Olympics. 16 Olympic athletes have ties to the Cincinnati area. Here’s a comprehensive list of athletes with Cincinnati area connections to the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Mariah Denigan- Open Water Swimming

The Walton, KY native is competing in one of the most intriguing sports in the Paris Olympics. Denigan will compete in the women’s 10K open water marathon. The marathon and triathlon swimming events are set to take place in the Seine River. Which will also host Friday’s opening ceremony. French officials have been on a year’s long quest to make the polluted Seine safe enough to swim in. It’s been illegal to swim in the Seine for roughly a century. Alternate plans are in place if the Seine is considered too polluted to swim in during the games.

Nina Castagna- Rowing

Castagna will be part of the U.S. rowing team. She graduated from Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills High School in 2019. Castagna rowed for the University of Washington’s nationally renowned team. She graduated from Washington in 2023 with a degree in psychology.

Carson Foster- Swimming

Foster is a Sycamore High School graduate. The 22-year-old currently attends the University of Texas at Austin. The Paris games will mark his Olympic debut. Foster will compete in the 200-meter individual medley. Along with the 400-meter individual medley competition.

Ramez Diaa- Diving

Diaa will compete in the ten-meter diving competition for Egypt. He’s an incoming freshman at the University of Cincinnati. Diaa is one of six Cincinnati Bearcats competing in the Paris Olympics.

Carlik Jones- Basketball

Jones is a Cincinnati native and graduate of Aiken High School. The University of Louisville alumnus will compete for South Sudan’s men’s basketball team. Which nearly upset Team USA last Saturday in a pre-Olympic tune-up. Jones scored a triple-double in the 101-100 loss to the U.S. In a game-leading 32 minutes, Jones scored 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Making Jones the first player to record a triple-double against Team USA.

Jordan Thompson- Volleyball

Thompson is a University of Cincinnati alumnus. The Minnesota native graduated from UC in 2019. She and her U.S. Women’s Volleyball teammates will be striving to defend their 2020 Olympic gold medal.

Max Holt- Volleyball

Holt is a Purcell Marian High School and Penn State alumnus. He will be competing in his third and potentially last Olympics. Holt was part of the bronze medal-winning U.S. Men’s Volleyball team in 2016. He also competed for Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where they finished in tenth place. The middle blocker took a 20-month break from competition after the Tokyo games. Then decided to return to competition last year.

Aubrey Kingsbury- Soccer

Kingsbury is a goalkeeper for the U.S. Women’s National Team. While this will be her first time competing in the Olympics. She was on the USWNT’s 2023 FIFA World Cup roster. Kingsbury is a Cincinnati native and alumnus of St. Ursula Academy. Winning state soccer championships there in 2007 and 2008.

Rose Lavelle- Soccer

Lavelle will be competing in her second Olympics this year. The Mount Notre Dame High School alumnus has a decorated international career. The midfielder was part of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 2019 FIFA World Cup championship team. That event like these Olympics were held in France. Lavelle earned a bronze medal with the USWNT in the Tokyo Olympics.

Vanessa Gilles- Soccer

Gilles will once again compete for the Canadian Women’s National Team. She competed for her native Canada in the Tokyo Olympics. Helping Canada win the gold medal in 2021. Gilles competed collegiately at the University of Cincinnati from 2014-17. She is no stranger to France; Gilles currently plays professionally for Lyon.

Miles Robinson- Soccer

FC Cincinnati player Miles Robinson will compete for the U.S. Men’s National Team. Making him the first FC Cincinnati player to represent Team USA in the Olympics. This is the first Olympics for Robinson and the first featuring the USMNT since 2008. Robinson joined FC Cincinnati earlier this year. The 27-year-old center back has played in 25 USMNT matches prior to the Olympics.

Piper Kelly- Speed Climbing

Kelly will compete in the women’s speed climbing races in Paris. The sport made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo games in 2021. The 24-year-old is a Xavier University alumnus from Indianapolis. She will be the only athlete with a Xavier connection competing in these games. Kelly qualified through winning the gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

Mason Parris- Wrestling

The 24-year-old Lawrenceburg, IN native is an accomplished heavyweight wrestler. Winning a bronze medal in the 2023 World Championship. Along with a gold medal in the 2019 Junior World Championship. Winning both in the 124 kg weight class. Parris had a decorated college wrestling career at the University of Michigan. He was a four-time All-American and won the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy in 2023. A year where Parris won the Big Ten and NCAA heavyweight championships.

Annette Echikunwoke- Track and Field

This will be Hammer thrower Annette Echikunwoke’s Olympic debut. She qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with Nigeria. Yet was disqualified due to Nigeria not set up proper drug testing with her prior to those games. Echikunwoke will compete for Team USA this year. She is a Pickerington, OH native and University of Cincinnati alumnus. Echikunwoke currently holds the school record in four of the five throwing events she competed in collegiately.

Chris Borzor- Track and Field

Borzor will compete in the 100-meter dash for Haiti. He competed at UC from 2018-2021 and is a volunteer assistant coach for UC. Borzor is one of two Cincinnati Bearcats competing in the men’s 100-meter dash.

Naquille Harris- Track and Field

Harris will compete in the 100-meter dash for St. Kitts and Nevis. He is a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati.

Best wishes to all competitors in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Cincy Sports Journal will provide updates throughout the games. With updates on when these athletes are competing and how they fare in their events.