AAU Alumni are on the Road to Paris
04/19/2024
A highlight of a few AAU alumni who are on the Road to Paris 2024
Originally posted on seventeen.com
Summer is just around the corner, which means it's almost time for the world's top athletes to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Over 500 incredible U.S. athletes will make up the Olympic Team roster, according to NBC Sports. From finalizing teams, the lighting of the torch, and breakdancing making its official debut, there's a lot to look forward to this summer.
The competition kicks off on July 26, but you start keeping an eye on these Team USA athletes right now. Ahead, get to know 11 of the all-star women competing in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Sha’Carri Richardson
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Harry How // Getty Images
Age: 24
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Sport: Athletics
AAU Connection: AAU Alum
American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is known for her impressive speed and distinct style. The Dallas native found her love for sprinting in high school, excelling at both the AAU Junior Olympics and college competition at LSU, per her Olympics bio.
In 2019, Sha’Carri impressed the world by breaking two U20 world records on the same day at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, per the Olympics. Two years later in 2021, Sha’Carri competed in the US Olympic Trials, but was disqualified for testing positive for THC. She had to serve a one month suspension and was not selected to compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
But 2023 led to one of Sha'Carri's best seasons yet. That year, she clenched a new competition record of 10.65 seconds in the 100m in Budapest World Championships. She then ran her personal best during the 200m, finishing the race at just 21.92 seconds to take bronze. To top it all off, she served as an anchor in the women’s 4x100m relay, where the team won gold.
Katie Ledecky
Harry How // Getty Images
Age: 27
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Sport: Swimming
AAU Connection: 85th AAU Sullivan Award Finalist
Seven-time gold medalist Katie Ledecky has competed in three Olympics, making the 2024 competition her fourth time in the games. When she was just 15 years old, the swimmer won her first gold medal in the 800m freestyle at the 2012 London Olympic Games, catapulting her to become one of the all-time greats.
The 27-year-old, who is an Olympic champion at every distance from 200 to 1500 meters, began swimming at just 6 years old. In high school, she broke several long-standing records and even earned an athletic scholarship at Stanford University, per her Olympics bio.
Katie has excelled in her sport and is the only swimmer to win five consecutive world titles in an individual event (the 800m freestyle), according her Olympics bio. With so much success, all eyes are on her this summer in Paris.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Steph Chambers // Getty Images
Age: 24
Hometown: New Brunswick, NJ
Sport: Athletics
AAU Connection: AAU Alum
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's athleticism isn't a surprise, given her sporty family. In 1984, her father, Willie, made the 400m semi-finals at the U.S. Olympic trials. Meanwhile, her mother was a middle-distance runner, and her older brother, Tyler, won a silver in the 400m hurdles at the 206 IAAF World U20 Championships, per her Olympics bio. But Sydney has surpassed them all—in the 2020 Games, she won two gold medals, one for the 400m hurdles and the other as a part of the winning 4x400m relay. Following this, she was named World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year.
Sydney hasn't stopped there. In 2022, she improved her world record in the 400m hurdles in the U.S. National Championships, and then improved it once again at the World Championships.
But 2023 came with some battles for Sydney, with a minor knee injury resulting in her withdrawing from the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. She's since recovered and is ready to dominate the competition in the upcoming Olympics, per her bio.
Carissa Moore
Harry How // Getty Images
Age: 31
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Sport: Surfing
AAU Connection: 92nd AAU Sullivan Award Winner
Carissa began surfing at just 5 years old when she began riding the Waikiki waves with her father, according to her Olympics bio. As she began competing, she quickly climbed to the top, leading her to a successful surfing career filled with top titles and championships.
Throughout her career, she's won 11 NSSA amateur titles, and even made history in 2008 when she became the youngest champion of the Reef Hawaiian Pro, per her Olympic bio. Three years ago, Carissa won the sport's first-ever Olympic gold medal when the sport made its debut at the Tokyo Games.
Now, Carissa is optimistic about the upcoming contest and defending her Olympic title, per her bio.
Anna Hall
Andy Lyons // Getty Images
Age: 23
Hometown: Denver, CO
Sport: Athletics
AAU Connection: AAU Alum
Track and field star Anna Hall hasn't had the easiest journey to the world stage—she broke a bone in her left foot during the 2020 Olympic trials, derailing her from advancing to the Tokyo Games. After healing and transferring to the University of Florida ahead of the 2022 season, Anna has been dominating the sport. She shattered collegiate records, won NCAA titles, and earned the bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships in 2022, per her Olympics bio.
At the 2023 U.S. Indoor Championships, Anna broke the North American pentathlon record, and claimed the 400-meter title. She also secured a silver medal in heptathlon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, according to her bio. She'll be a key asset to Team USA in just a few months.
Sara Hughes
Harry How // Getty Images
Age: 29
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
Sport: Beach volleyball
AAU Connection: AAU Alum
Sara Hughes has been playing beach volleyball since she was eight years old, per the Association of Volleyball Professionals. Her talent led her to play beach volleyball at the University of Southern California, where she won four national championships, according to her school bio.
Since 2022, Sara has been partnered up with Team USA's Kelly Cheng, and the two have won match after match. Most recently, they secured gold at the 2023 Beach World Championships and bronze at the 2024 BPT Doha Elite 16, per USA Volleyball.
Sara is a beast in the sand and will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Summer is just around the corner, which means it's almost time for the world's top athletes to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Over 500 incredible U.S. athletes will make up the Olympic Team roster, according to NBC Sports. From finalizing teams, the lighting of the torch, and breakdancing making its official debut, there's a lot to look forward to this summer.
The competition kicks off on July 26, but you start keeping an eye on these Team USA athletes right now. Ahead, get to know 11 of the all-star women competing in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Sha’Carri Richardson
Harry How // Getty Images
Age: 24
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Sport: Athletics
AAU Connection: AAU Alum
American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is known for her impressive speed and distinct style. The Dallas native found her love for sprinting in high school, excelling at both the AAU Junior Olympics and college competition at LSU, per her Olympics bio.
In 2019, Sha’Carri impressed the world by breaking two U20 world records on the same day at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, per the Olympics. Two years later in 2021, Sha’Carri competed in the US Olympic Trials, but was disqualified for testing positive for THC. She had to serve a one month suspension and was not selected to compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
But 2023 led to one of Sha'Carri's best seasons yet. That year, she clenched a new competition record of 10.65 seconds in the 100m in Budapest World Championships. She then ran her personal best during the 200m, finishing the race at just 21.92 seconds to take bronze. To top it all off, she served as an anchor in the women’s 4x100m relay, where the team won gold.
Katie Ledecky
Harry How // Getty Images
Age: 27
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Sport: Swimming
AAU Connection: 85th AAU Sullivan Award Finalist
Seven-time gold medalist Katie Ledecky has competed in three Olympics, making the 2024 competition her fourth time in the games. When she was just 15 years old, the swimmer won her first gold medal in the 800m freestyle at the 2012 London Olympic Games, catapulting her to become one of the all-time greats.
The 27-year-old, who is an Olympic champion at every distance from 200 to 1500 meters, began swimming at just 6 years old. In high school, she broke several long-standing records and even earned an athletic scholarship at Stanford University, per her Olympics bio.
Katie has excelled in her sport and is the only swimmer to win five consecutive world titles in an individual event (the 800m freestyle), according her Olympics bio. With so much success, all eyes are on her this summer in Paris.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Steph Chambers // Getty Images
Age: 24
Hometown: New Brunswick, NJ
Sport: Athletics
AAU Connection: AAU Alum
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's athleticism isn't a surprise, given her sporty family. In 1984, her father, Willie, made the 400m semi-finals at the U.S. Olympic trials. Meanwhile, her mother was a middle-distance runner, and her older brother, Tyler, won a silver in the 400m hurdles at the 206 IAAF World U20 Championships, per her Olympics bio. But Sydney has surpassed them all—in the 2020 Games, she won two gold medals, one for the 400m hurdles and the other as a part of the winning 4x400m relay. Following this, she was named World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year.
Sydney hasn't stopped there. In 2022, she improved her world record in the 400m hurdles in the U.S. National Championships, and then improved it once again at the World Championships.
But 2023 came with some battles for Sydney, with a minor knee injury resulting in her withdrawing from the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. She's since recovered and is ready to dominate the competition in the upcoming Olympics, per her bio.
Carissa Moore
Harry How // Getty Images
Age: 31
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Sport: Surfing
AAU Connection: 92nd AAU Sullivan Award Winner
Carissa began surfing at just 5 years old when she began riding the Waikiki waves with her father, according to her Olympics bio. As she began competing, she quickly climbed to the top, leading her to a successful surfing career filled with top titles and championships.
Throughout her career, she's won 11 NSSA amateur titles, and even made history in 2008 when she became the youngest champion of the Reef Hawaiian Pro, per her Olympic bio. Three years ago, Carissa won the sport's first-ever Olympic gold medal when the sport made its debut at the Tokyo Games.
Now, Carissa is optimistic about the upcoming contest and defending her Olympic title, per her bio.
Anna Hall
Andy Lyons // Getty Images
Age: 23
Hometown: Denver, CO
Sport: Athletics
AAU Connection: AAU Alum
Track and field star Anna Hall hasn't had the easiest journey to the world stage—she broke a bone in her left foot during the 2020 Olympic trials, derailing her from advancing to the Tokyo Games. After healing and transferring to the University of Florida ahead of the 2022 season, Anna has been dominating the sport. She shattered collegiate records, won NCAA titles, and earned the bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships in 2022, per her Olympics bio.
At the 2023 U.S. Indoor Championships, Anna broke the North American pentathlon record, and claimed the 400-meter title. She also secured a silver medal in heptathlon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, according to her bio. She'll be a key asset to Team USA in just a few months.
Sara Hughes
Harry How // Getty Images
Age: 29
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
Sport: Beach volleyball
AAU Connection: AAU Alum
Sara Hughes has been playing beach volleyball since she was eight years old, per the Association of Volleyball Professionals. Her talent led her to play beach volleyball at the University of Southern California, where she won four national championships, according to her school bio.
Since 2022, Sara has been partnered up with Team USA's Kelly Cheng, and the two have won match after match. Most recently, they secured gold at the 2023 Beach World Championships and bronze at the 2024 BPT Doha Elite 16, per USA Volleyball.
Sara is a beast in the sand and will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
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