2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Day 2 — Athletes who might win their first Olympic medal in Paris ft. Sha'Carri Richardson, Hezly Rivera [Image Source: Getty]

5 Athletes who might win their first Olympic medal in Paris ft. Sha'Carri Richardson, Hezly Rivera

Modified Jul 19, 2024 10:30 GMT

Paris Olympics 2024 is a golden opportunity for athletes like Sha'Carri Richardson to create history. 592 athletes will be representing the U.S. Olympic team at the Paris Olympics.

Seasoned champions like Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, etc. will aim to add more laurels to their already illustrious profiles. However, several other athletes will be participating for the first time at these Olympics, such as Sha'Carri Richardson, who would like to leave a lasting impact.

Here are some American athletes who are expected to win their first Olympic medal at the Paris Olympics 2024:

5 American athletes who might win their first Olympic medal in Paris ft. Sha'Carri Richardson, Hezly Rivera

#5) Jahmal Harvey

Jahmal Harvey [2nd from left] with other medalists at the Pan Am Games 2023 [Image Source: Getty]

Like Sha'Carri Richardson, this 21-year-old boxer from Oxon Hill, Maryland, also has a couple of records to his name.

Jahmal Harvey is the world champion in the featherweight category from the 2021 World Boxing Championships division. He also won the gold medal in the 57 kg category at the Pan American Games in 2023, which gave him a direct qualification to the Paris Olympics 2024.

Harvey is one of the strong contenders to end the decades-old gold medal drought for the USA in men's boxing at the Summer Olympics.

#4) Quincy Wilson

Quincy Wilson competing at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials [Image Source: Getty]

In barely a few months, this 16-year-old sprinter has captured the attention of the entire world. Like Sha'Carri Richardson in the 100 m event, Quincy Wilson has also earned a name for himself in the 400 m.

In the semifinals of the men's 400 m at the U.S. Olympic trials, Wilson recorded a surprise time of 44.59 seconds. A couple of weeks ago, he broke the junior world indoor record for the same event.

Although Wilson did not qualify individually for the 400 m, his profile was so impressive that he was selected to the men's 4 x 400 m relay team that would represent the United States at the Paris Olympics. If Wilson wins the race, he will become the USA's youngest male Olympic gold medalist in track and field.

#3) Jajaira Gonzalez

Jajaira Gonzalez [2nd from Right] with other medalists at the Pan Am Games 2023 [Image Source : Getty]

Although she was a rising sensation in the run-up to the Rio Olympics, it took eight years for Jajaira Gonzalez to make her Olympic debut.

Gonzalez has won the gold medal at the Youth Olympics as well as the Junior World Championships. However, poor form forced her to miss the Rio Olympics, and the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to miss the Tokyo Olympics.

Despite these setbacks, Gonzalez bounced back in style to qualify for the Paris Olympics, winning silver medal at the Pan American Games in 2023.

#2) Hezly Rivera

Will Hezly Rivera make it big at Paris Olympics? [Image Source: Getty]

This 16-year-old gymnast is the youngest athlete on the U.S. Olympic Team bound for the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Hezly Rivera is a floor exercise specialist. She won a silver medal at last year's Junior World Championships, apart from a silver medal in the team event at the same tournament.

If Rivera manages to win even one Olympic medal, she will become one of the youngest Olympic gold medalists from the USA in gymnastics.

#1) Sha'Carri Richardson

Will Sha'Carri Richardson end the 'golden drought' at Paris Olympics? [Image Source: Getty]

For Sha'Carri Richardson, an Olympic gold medal is not an option but a necessity. It has been two decades since the USA last won an Olympic gold medal in men's 100 meters, while for women, it has been 28 years since Marion Jones' medals from Sydney 2000 were annulled in 2007.

Richardson will participate in the women's 100 m and the relay event. She is the fifth-fastest sprinter of all time and the third-fastest American in this event.

If she breaks the 10.5-second barrier, Richardson would not only become one of the best sprinters of all time, but she will also have the opportunity to break Florence Griffith-Joyner's 36-year-old world record (10.49 seconds), which she set in 1988.