MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – With the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony starting Friday, take a look at all of the athletes with ties to the Badger State.
You can watch the Paris Olympics on WMTV and check results here.
Basketball
- Tyrese Haliburton: The Indiana Pacers guard and Oshkosh native is representing Team USA. He was named to the 2023 USA Men’s National Team, 2021 USA Select Team and 2019 USA Men’s U19 National Team.
- Megan Gustafson: The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native and Las Vegas Aces player is representing Spain in the 2024 Olympic Games. The University of Iowa grad was named the national player of the year in 2019, and she was the Big Ten Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: The Milwaukee Bucks star is not representing Team USA, but his home country of Greece. Antetokounmpo will be the flag bearer for Greece during the Opening Ceremony, making him one of the first athletes to walk the route in Paris.
Fencing
- Margherita Guzzi Vincenti: From Hartland, Wisconsin, Guzzi Vincenti started fencing when she was 7 years old in Milan, Italy. She finished the NCAA Championships in 2012 at third place during her senior season at Penn State.
Judo
- Maria Laborde: Originally from Cuba, and now living in Kenosha, Laborde started competing for Team USA in March of 2022. According to Team USA, she was the first U.S. Athlete to medal in the Masters Worlds since 2016 when she won silver.
Rowing
- Grace Joyce: Former Wisconsin rower Joyce will be competing in Women’s Four along with fellow Badger Lauren O’Connor. The Northfield, Ill., native recently placed first in the quadruple sculls at the 2024 World Rowing Final Olympic & Paralympic Qualification Regatta.
- Lauren O’Connor: Hailing from Belleville, O’Connor was an Academic All Big-Ten rower at the University of Wisconsin. She recently won the quadruple sculls at the 2024 World Rowing Final Olympic & Paralympic Qualification regatta.
- Sophia Vitas: Vitas is originally from Franklin, Wisconsin, and was a walk-on at the University of Wisconsin. Vitas will be competing in the Women’s Double Sculls, and recently won the double sculls at the 2024 World Rowing Cup II.
- Madeleine Wanamaker: The Neenah, Wisconsin, native and former University of Wisconsin rower is competing in the Women’s Eight. She recently finished third in the eight at the 2024 World Rowing Cup II.
- Jessica Thoennes: Thoennes is originally from Madison and will be competing in the Women’s Pair. She recently finished sixth in the pair at the 2024 World Rowing Cup II.
- Nick Rusher: The West Bend, Wisconsin, native is participating in the Men’s Eight during the Paris Olympics. He recently finished second in the eight at the 2024 Rowing Cup II.
Rugby
- Alev Kelter: The University of Wisconsin grad is a two-time Olympian, having participated in the 2016 and 2020 games. Kelter was a two-sport athlete at UW-Madison, playing both ice hockey and soccer.
Sailing
- Stephanie Roble: The East Troy native previously competed in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She grew up sailing scows and dinghies on Lake Beulah at the age of 5.
Soccer
- Rose Lavelle: University of Wisconsin grad Rose Lavelle earned a bronze medal with Team USA during the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and helped lead the U.S. Women’s National Team to their fourth World Cup victory in 2019. She was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 National Women’s Soccer League draft by the Washington Spirit.
Swimming
- Phoebe Bacon: The University of Wisconsin swimmer previously participated in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, placing 5th in the 200m Backstroke. She earned silver in the 2022 World Championships in the same category.
Track and Field
- Kenny Bednarek: The Rice Lake, Wisconsin, native earned a silver medal in the 200m category during the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. He is the first American athlete to break 20 seconds in the 200-meter and 45 seconds in the 400-meter on the same day, according to Team USA. He broke that record during the 2019 NJCAA Championships in Hobbes, New Mexico.
- Zach Ziemek: The UW-Madison grad is a two-time Olympian, participating in the decathlon in both the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics. He placed sixth in 2020 and seventh in 2016.
- Emily Sisson: The Milwaukee track and field athlete earned 10th place in the 10,000m during the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Volleyball
- Lauren Carlini: Former UW-Madison Badgers Carlini and Dana Rettke will compete together for Team USA in the Paris Olympics. Carlini is a setter for League One Volleyball (LOVB) Volleyball in Madison, which is the first professional full-season volleyball league in the U.S. She is a four-time AVCA All-American and three-time First Team All-American.
- Dana Rettke: Former UW-Madison Badger Rettke was the first five-time AVCA First Team All-American, helped lead the Badgers to their National Championship win in 2021 and was named the AVCA National Player of the Year in 2021. She played professionally for Vero Volley Monza in Italy after graduating.
Weightlifting
- Mary Theisen-Lappen: Eau Claire native Mary Theisen-Lappen earned silver in the 2023 IWF World Championships and has two gold medals in the Pan American Championships.
Wheelchair Basketball
- John Boie: The Milton native and former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater player previously earned a gold medal in the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. He participated in the men’s team in the World Championships, earning a gold medal in 2023 and a silver medal in 2018.
- Nate Hinze: The Cedar Grove native and former University of Wisconsin- Whitewater player is a three-time Paralympian. He competed in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. He earned two gold and one bronze.
- Talen Jourdan: The Deerfield native also played at UW-Whitewater. Jourdan earned gold in the men’s team World Championships in 2023.
- Becca Murray: The Germantown native is a member of the UW-Whitewater class of 2014. She is a three-time Paralympian, competing in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games. She is a two-time gold medalist.
- Emily Oberst: Originally from Wisconsin, Oberst most recently earned bronze with the women’s team during the 2023 World Championships.
- Jake Williams: Williams’ hails from Milwaukee and is a member of the UW-Whitewater class of 2015. He is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, participating in the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Wrestling
- Zain Retherford: Born in Kenosha, the first-time Olympian has earned two gold medals and one silver in the 70kg weight class in the World Championships.
- Payton Jacobson: The Elkorn native is a first-time Olympian and wrestled at Northern Michigan. He took gold in the 2022 U20 World Team Trials.
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