PARIS, France — The 2024 Paris Olympics have kicked off, and dozens of Illinois athletes are looking to make a name for themselves on the biggest stage in sports. With competitions running until Sunday, Aug. 11, there's plenty of time to watch athletes from the Prairie State going for gold.
News 8 has compiled a list of our hometown athletes who will be representing Illinois and the USA as a whole.
If you're looking to catch the action, you can check out the full schedule for the Olympics here. Make sure to hit the "my time" slider in the corner!
Know of an Olympian with Illinois ties we're missing? Let us know by emailing news@wqad.com
Tori Franklin
USA, track and field
A Chicago native and graduate of Michigan State University, Franklin is making her second Olympic appearance after her trip to Tokyo in 2020. During that competition, she took 25th place in the women's triple jump.
Evita Griskenas
USA, gymnastics
Currently a student at Columbia University, the 23-year-old Griskenas originally hails from Orland Park. She was named USA Gymnastics' athlete of the year in 2022 and 2023, and she's the first American rhythmic gymnast to win a silver medal and an all-around medal at a World Challenge Cup competition. She also punched her ticket to the Olympics in 2020, where she took home 12th place in the women's individual all-around competition.
Thomas Jaeschke
USA, volleyball
Jaeschke is making his third Olympic appearance after previously competing on the U.S. men's volleyball team in 2020 and 2016; he even claimed a bronze medal during his trip to Rio de Janeiro. Originally from Wheaton, Jaeschke went on to enroll at Loyola University of Chicago.
John Jayne
USA, judo
Hailing from Chicago, Jayne stayed close to home when he went to college at the University of Chicago. While studying mathematics, he competed internationally in Judo and competed in the judo world championships in 2022 and 2021. While he's making his first trip to the Olympics for the Paris games, Jayne is the highest-ranked U.S. man in the world rankings, coming in at number 30 in the 90 kg weight class.
Jeff Jendryk
USA, volleyball
Making his first trip to the Olympics in 2024, Jendryk is from Wheaton and attended St. Francis Loyola of Chicago. The 28-year-old competed in the volleyball world championships in 2022 and 2018, and he took home a bronze medal during the 2024 trip.
Grace Joyce
USA, rowing
Originally from Northfield, Joyce went to school at the University of Wisconsin, where she earned the freshman MVP award in 2017. Now, she's making her first Olympic appearance, but she's made world championship appearances in the quadruple sculls in 2022 and 2023.
Paul Juda
USA, gymnastics
Originally from Deerfield, Juda is already making the most of his first Olympic appearance; he and the rest of the U.S. men's gymnastics team have secured a bronze medal for their performance. While at the University of Michigan, Juda was the 2024 NCAA floor exercise champion and also took home silver medals in the vault and as a member of the team.
Casey Krueger
USA, soccer
Krueger made her Olympic debut in 2020, when she and the rest of the U.S. women's soccer team took home a bronze medal in the Tokyo games. The Naperville native is now on her second trip to the games.
Lauren Doyle
USA, rugby
Doyle originally hails from Boody, IL, and she also studied at Eastern Illinois University. The 33-year-old is on her third trip to the Olympics after making previous appearances in 2016 and 2020, when the U.S. women's rugby team came in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Anthony Davis
USA, basketball
Originally from Chicago, the Los Angeles Lakers star is making his second trip to the Olympic games after leading Team USA. to a gold medal in London in 2012. Davis is only the eighth player in history to win an NBA championship, an NCAA title and an Olympic gold medal.
Owen Cravens
USA, paratriathlon
Cravens is a first-time Olympian originally hailing from Algonquin. He'll be representing Team USA in the paratriathlon.
Peter Chatain
USA, rowing
The 24-year-old native of Winnetka is making his first trip to the Olympics for the Paris games. He's competed in the rowing world championships eight times, and he was named the Pac-12 men's rower of the year in 2021.
Lauren Carlini
USA, volleyball
Team USA volleyball player Lauren Carlini is from the Chicago suburb of Aurora. The 29-year-old started playing club indoor volleyball back in 2000 and recently finished fourth with Team USA at the 2022 World Championship. She's a first-time Olympian, making her debut in Paris.
Kennedy Blades
USA, wrestling
Another Chicago native is representing in Paris. 20-year-old Kennedy Blades was the runner-up at the 2020 Olympic Team Wrestling Trials at just 17 years old. She was also the first woman to win a state title in Illinois against her male counterparts. As for her World Championship experience, she's received two medals: gold in 2021 and silver in 2023. She also recently signed with the University of Iowa wrestling team.
Kamal Bey
USA, wrestling
Making his Olympic debut is Kamal Bey of Bellwood. The 26-year-old finished in seventh in his weight category at Worlds in 2018.
Korbin Albert
USA, soccer
Hailing from Grayslake, 20-year-old Korbin Albert is a midfielder for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team. She played at Notre Dame.
Ryan Held
USA, swimming
Two-time gold medalist Ryan Held is back at the Olympics in swimming. The two-time Olympian is from Springfield and competed back in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. He's won 15 world championship medals, including seven gold, five silver and three bronze.
Zach Ziemek
USA, track and field
31-year-old Zach Ziemek is a two-time Olympian, competing in the 2020 Tokyo Games and in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. He took home a bronze medal at Worlds in 2022 and most recently came in 19th for the men's decathlon in 2023.
Courtney Lindsey
USA, track and field
Quad Cities representing! Rock Island High School alum Courtney Lindsey is a member of the men's 4-by-100 track team that qualified to compete in Paris. He's looking forward to the opportunity to carve his name into track history.
"A lot of people don't get to go to the Olympics and be part of an Olympic team and participate. Just being there and actually running for my country, that'd be amazing," Lindsey said.
And in between all his training, Lindsey's had plenty of time to reflect. When asked what advice he would give to current high school athletes who are hoping to compete in the biggest athletic event in the world, he told them that the sky's the limit.
"Just stay focused and dream big. I would say anything is possible, and if you actually want to achieve something, keep striving for it. You can do it," Lindsey said.
You can learn more about Lindsey's journey to Paris in the interview below.
Jewell Loyd
WNBA star Jewell Loyd is back at the Olympics with Team USA. The 30-year-old competed in Tokyo, winning a gold medal alongside her teammates.
She is a two-time WNBA champion, two-time WNBA All-Star select and was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2015.
When she's not on the court, Loyd is busy working to improve the lives of children with learning disabilities through The Dyslexic Advantage and Eye to Eye. The late basketball star Kobe Bryant nicknamed her "Gold Mamba."
Anna Peplowski
USA, swimming
An Olympic newcomer, Peplowski is originally from Germantown Hills. She took home a silver medal in the women's 4-by-200 freestyle relay in 2023 Worlds and was named the 2024 Big Ten Team Champion. She's also an assistant swim coach at Indiana University.
Josef Rau
USA, wrestling
Originally from Chicago, Rau is making his first trip to the Olympics. He's also competed in the Pan American Games in 2019 and 2023 at the 87kg and 97kg weight classes, respectively.
Erin Reese
USA, track and field
Reese is a 28-year-old originally hailing from Mt. Prospect. She attended Indiana State University.
Dana Rettke
USA, volleyball
Originally from Riverside, Rettke is competing in her first Olympics. She was selected AVCA All-American First-Team in 2017, 2018 and 2019 at the University of Wisconsin and was also named the 2017 AVCA National Freshman of the Year.
Kelsey Robinson
USA, volleyball
Coming to Paris from Bartlett, Robinson is on her third Olympic appearance after also representing Team USA in 2016 and 2020. She took home a bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro and earned gold in Tokyo.
Maggie Shea
USA, sailing
Shea is on her second trip to the Olympic Games after previously making the trip to Tokyo in 2020. Originally from Wilmette, she grew up sailing on Lake Michigan. In 2016, she was a member of Team Magenta 32, the first-ever all-women's team to compete in the World Match Racing Tour.
Gabriel Slonina
USA, soccer
Slonina is making is first Olympic appearance with his trip to Paris. He's originally from Addison.
Jayden Ulrich
USA, track and field
Ulrich is from East Alton. He's competing in his first Olympics.
Sarah Adam
While Sarah Adam's hometown might be Naperville, the Paralympian has Quad Cities ties as well! Adam studied at Augustana College and now, her parents live right here in Moline. She is the first woman ever to win a gold medal with USA Wheelchair Rugby during the Parapan American Games Santiago 2023. She is also the only woman competing in this year's games and the first to make Team USA for the Olympics.
Marco DeLaRosa
USA, para shooting
DeLaRosa was born and raised in Chicago, and he's making his second trip to the Paralympic Games after also representing Team USA in 2016. He's a former Marine who was paralyzed after being shot in the back while trying to stop a robbery outside of Camp Pendleton.
Ixhelt Gonzalez
USA, wheelchair basketball
Another Chicago native, Gonzalez has participated in the Paris and Tokyo Paralympic Games. During the 2020 competition, she took home a bronze medal. Outside of the Olympics, Gonzalez was a member of the U.S. women's wheelchair basketball team in 2018, when she was just 13 years old.
Isaac Jean-Paul
USA, para track and field
Originally from Evanston, Jean-Paul previously took home a bronze medal in the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Long before he punched his ticket to Paris, he was a five-time All-American at Lewis University in the high jump.
Keegan Knott
USA, para swimming
Knott is making her second Paralympic appearance after previously representing Team USA in the Tokyo games. She's originally from Lake Villa and began competitively swimming when she was seven years old.
Ahalya Lettenberger
USA, para swimming
Lettenberger made her first Paralympic appearance in 2020, where she took home a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle. Now on her second trip to the games, she calls Glen Ellyn home and also swims for Rice University in Houston.
Noelle Malkamaki
USA, para track and field
Malkamaki is a Decatur native and is making her first trip to the Paralympics. She's previously taken home two gold medals in Worlds in the shot put in 2023 and 2024.
Chuck Melton
USA, wheelchair rugby
Melton is no stranger to the games; his trip to Paris is his third time representing Team USA in the Paralympics. He's previously taken home silver medals in 2016 and 2020 and calls Richview home.
Eric Newby
USA, wheelchair rugby
Newby is also on his third trip to the Paralympics, joining Melton in his silver medal wins in 2016 and 2020. He's coming to Paris by way of Nashville, IL.
Brian Siemann
USA, para track and field
Siemann, a Champaign native, is making his fourth trip to the Paralympics after previously joining Team USA in 2012, 2016 and 2020. He took home a bronze medal at worlds in 2023 in the 400-meter.
Kendall Gretsch
USA, paratriathlon
Gretsch has previously competed in the Paralympics in 2018, 2020 and 2022. During her appearances, she racked up a total of four gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal in varying events. The 2014 USA Triathlon Female Paratriathlete of the Year calls Downers Grove home.