Carolina hopefuls: Meet the Paris Olympians and Paralympians with NC, SC ties

The 2024 Paris Olympics are almost here, and that means dozens of athletes with ties to the Carolinas will soon represent their countries on one of the largest stages in sports.

You most certainly know some of these names. Steph Curry, for one. A’ja Wilson, for another. But who else from the Carolinas is headed to Paris?

The Olympic Games run from July 26 to August 11. You can watch every event by subscribing to Peacock, with a bunch of other events airing on NBC, USA Network and E!. Paralympic competition runs from August 28 to September 8. Peacock also will stream all events during the Paralympic Games with select competitions airing on NBC, USA Network and CNBC.

Meet the athletes below.

This story will be updated if more athletes from the Carolinas qualify for the Summer Games. The competitors are listed alphabetically below.

North Carolina natives heading to Paris

Hannah Aspden, para swimming: Hanna Aspden is a native of Raleigh who helped bolster the remarkable swim program at Queens College. This will be her third Olympics after competing in 2016 and 2020 — in which she notched two gold medals and two bronze. She was born with congenital hip disarticulation and has no left leg, per her Team USA profile.

Kaylyn Brown, track and field: Kaylyn Brown was born in Charlotte and attended Mallard Creek High School before heading to the University of Arkansas. This is her first Olympics. Her specialty is the 400-meter run.

Cierra Burdick, 3x3 basketball: Cierra Burdick, who plays 3x3 basketball for Team USA, is entering her first Olympics. She’s coming fresh off a 3x3 World Cup win in 2023. The Charlotte resident and Butler High School star and Tennessee grad spoke to The Charlotte Observer about the nuances of the 3x3 game and her pro career earlier this month.

Gianluca Busio, soccer: Gianluca Busio, the 22-year-old Greensboro native, was the youngest player to sign with an MLS team since 2004 when he joined Sporting KC at 15 years and 89 days old in 2017. The midfielder has since represented Team USA for a few years now. This will be his first Olympics.

Andrew Capobianco, diving: Andrew Capobianco, from Holly Springs, is competing as a diver on Team USA. This will be his second Olympics — the first was in 2020, when he notched a silver medal.

Carson Clough, para triathlete: Carson Clough, 30, lost his right leg in a boating accident in August 2019. He then embarked on a life-changing journey that ended with him earning a slot in the Olympics as a para triathlete. The Charlotte native and owner of Giddy Goat Coffee Roasters in Plaza Midwood spoke to The Observer about his journey.

Anna Cockrell, track and field: Anna Cockrell, the 26-year-old Charlottean out of Southern California, will be heading to her second Olympics. In her first try — in Tokyo in 2020 — she finished eighth in the 400 hurdles.

Steph Curry, basketball: Steph Curry, the Charlotte native and Davidson College grad and (oh yeah) the guy most often cited as the greatest shooter to play basketball, is heading to his first Olympics despite a tenured history with Team USA. If you need a refresher on who Curry is, an authorized documentary titled “Underrated” dropped last summer.

Veronica Fraley, track and field: Veronica Fraley, the 24-year-old from Raleigh, finished 15th in the discus throw in the 2023 World Championships. This will be her first Olympics.

Evy Leibfarth, canoe slalom, kayak slalom, kayak cross: Evy Leibfarth, the 20-year-old from Bryson City who is a student at Davidson College, will compete in her second Olympics in three events.

Maria Liana Mutia, para judo: Maria Liana Mutia of Raleigh is ranked No. 1 in the world in the -57 kg. J1 division. The 25-year-old is competing in her second Olympics.

Tommy Paul, tennis: Tommy Paul is entering his second Olympics after competing in 2020. The 27-year-old is a Greenville native.

Morgan Stickney, para swimming: Morgan Stickney is heading into her second Olympics after a great showing at the paralympics in 2020, where she earned two gold medals. The 27-year-old Cary native broke bones in her left foot that ultimately led to her amputation.

Sammy Sullivan, rugby: Sammy Sullivan, the West Point grad from Fayetteville, has qualified for her first Olympic Games.

Naya Tapper, rugby: Naya Tapper, the 29-year-old from Charlotte and a UNC Chapel-Hill graduate, is playing in her second Olympics.

South Carolina natives in 2024 Summer Games

Ellen Geddes, wheelchair fencing: Ellen Geddes is entering her second Olympics after making an appearance in 2020. The Aiken native is 36. She was a former competitive equestrian before breaking her back in a car accident in 2011. She won her first medal on the World Cup circuit in Montreal in 2014, according to her Team USA profile.

Quanera Hayes, track and field: Quanera Hayes finished seventh in the 400 in 2020 and has had a bevy of success on the World Championship stage. The 32-year-old runner is from Dillon and attended Livingstone College in Salisbury.

Melissa Jefferson, track and field: Melissa Jefferson, who most recently won the gold in the 4x100 relay in the 2023 World Championships, is attending her first Olympics in Paris. The 23-year-old Hemingway native went to her hometown university — Coastal Carolina.

Emma Navarro, tennis: Emma Navarro of Charleston is heading to her first Olympics in Paris this summer. The tennis star is the daughter of Ben Navarro, the founder of South Carolina-based company Beemok who owns the Western & Southern Open.

Raven Saunders, track and field: Raven Saunders is headed to her third Olympics and is hoping to build on a silver medal she earned in the shot put event in Tokyo (2020). Saunders, 28, grew up in Charleston.

A’ja Wilson, basketball: A’ja Wilson has a statue outside of Colonial Life Arena — where she under coach Dawn Staley led the USC Gamecocks to a national championship in 2017 — and she hopes to soon have a second gold medal after the 2024 Paris Olympics are through. The Columbia native earned the gold in 2020 with Team USA.

Others with Carolinas ties

Below is a list of other Olympians with ties to North Carolina and South Carolina. Disclaimer: Not all local connections are created equally.

This story was originally published July 18, 2024 at 6:00 AM.

Alex Zietlow

The Charlotte Observer

Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22. Support my work with a digital subscription