The Paris Olympiad is making headlines globally, and here in the US, we are proud of the hundreds of African American athletes participating in the games, far too many to enumerate in this article. Most casual consumers of any news will be acquainted with the Basketball, Gymnastics, and Track & Field competitors, so we will try to highlight a few who might otherwise escape your notice.
This is the first of a two-part feature, focusing on five athletes whose primary medal events, 3×3 Basketball, Tennis, and Swimming, will be occurring over the next week or so. Next Friday, we will look at several others, whose medal events occur during the final week of competition.
Coco Gauff of Delray Beach, Florida has qualified for Paris 2024. Cori Dionne “Coco” Gauff has won seven career singles titles, including the 2023 US Open, and nine career doubles titles, including the 2024 French Open. Gauff has career-high WTA rankings of world No. 2 in singles and of world No. 1 in doubles. Born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 13, 2004, she is 20 years of age.
At 17 years of age, she was selected for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, becoming the second youngest American player (after Jennifer Capriati competed at 16 in 1992) and the youngest Olympic tennis player of any gender since Mario Ančić in 2000. However, just a few days before the Tokyo Olympic tennis tournament was set to start in 2021, Coco was forced to drop out of the Games after she tested positive for COVID-19.
Competing in 3×3 basketball are Rhyne Howard, Cleveland, Tennessee, University of Kentucky ‘22; Dearica Hamby, Marietta, Georgia, Wake Forest University (2011–2015); and Cierra Burdick, Charlotte, North Carolina, University of Tennessee ’15. The 3×3 Basketball Final is August 5.
Rhyne Howard, at 6’ 2” is a player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women’s National Basketball Association. She played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. She graduated from Bradley Central High School located in Cleveland, Tennessee in 2018. Born April 29, 2000, she is 24 years of age. Dearica Marie Hamby, at 6’ 3” is a player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association at Forward. Born November 6, 1993, she is 30 years of age. Cassidie Cierra Burdick, at 6’ 2” is currently playing for Valencia Basket Club. Born September 30, 1993 she is 30 years of age.
Simone Manuel returns to compete in Swimming, following her Olympian participation in 2016 and 2020. The Sugar Land, Texas native has won 2 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze in previous competition. Simone Ashley Manuel is a Stanford University alumna who specializes in freestyle events. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she won two gold and two silver medals, Gold in the 100-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter medley, and Silver in the 50-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. Born in 1996, she is 27 years of age and stands 5’ 11” tall.
