Texas athletes to know with Paris Olympics 1 year away

1-year countdown starts on Wednesday

(AP Photo/Michel Euler, File) (Michel Euler, Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

It might just seem as if the Tokyo Summer Olympics ended in 2021, but already the 2024 Paris Olympics are in sight.

Wednesday marks exactly one year until the start of the Summer Olympics in Paris, France, which is set to host the games 100 years after last doing so in 1924.

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With that in mind, here are some things to know as the 1-year countdown begins.

How will the Paris Olympics be different?

It won’t take long for Paris to do something no other host city has. For the opening ceremony, the city will transport athletes by boat along the Seine River during the traditional Parade of Nations.

The general public will be able to line adjacent streets, quays and bridges to view the parade.

Boats will go by relics such as the Louvre and Notre-Dame before ending at the Trocadero, which is across from the Eiffel Tower.

It is there where the remaining elements of the opening ceremony — such as speeches, the arrival of the torch and lighting of the flame — will take place.

It will be the first time the opening ceremony won’t be held in a traditional stadium. The closing ceremony will be held at a traditional stadium.

What local athletes should we start keeping an eye on?

It’s difficult to full gauge what athletes from the state to hone in on now, given qualifying for most events won’t take place until the first portion of 2024.

However, based on what’s been taking place in their respective sports since Tokyo, here are couple of good bets as of this moment from Texas.

  • Fred Kerley - The silver medalist in the 100-meter dash at the Tokyo Olympics, Kerley will be 29 if he is in Paris. But the Taylor native certainly seems to be maintaining his elite form. He was the gold medalist at last year’s world championships.
  • Raevyn Rogers - The native of Houston was the bronze medalist in the 800 meters at the Tokyo Olympics. If she gets on another Olympic team, she will be 27 in Paris and still have plenty left in the tank for another medal run.

How many athletes from Texas competed at the Tokyo Olympics?

Texas had 32 athletes, compete in Tokyo, the third-most of any other state. California led the way with 126, while Florida had 56 athletes competing.


About the Author

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.

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