Out of nearly 600 athletes competing for Team USA in the Paris Olympics, 15 call Virginia their home. Ahead of the Paris games, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger gave Virginia’s athletes a shoutout on the House floor.
“Their success is a testament to their relentless pursuit of greatness — the years of rigorous training, the sacrifice, and the instrumental support of their families, their friends, their coaches, and their communities,” she said.
Four of the 15 Olympians call the Central Virginia region home, including two first-time swimmers: Crozet’s Thomas Heilman and Richmond’s Charlie Swanson.
As of Aug. 6, here are how the athletes are doing in the games.
Will Coleman, Equestrian, Gordonsville
Coleman was switched out at the last minute in Team USA’s Eventing team because his horse, Diabolo, presented with a possible abscess in his hoof when he arrived in Paris.
Claire Collins, Rowing, McLean
The 27-year-old competed in her second Olympics after finishing 7th in the women’s fours event in Tokyo. The U.S. women’s eights team finished fifth in the finals Saturday. World record holder Romania won its second consecutive gold medal.
Leah Crouse, Field Hockey, Virginia Beach
Along with every other member of the U.S. Women’s Field Hockey team, the 24-year-old made her Olympic debut, after the U.S. failed to qualify for the Tokyo Summer Games.
The U.S., which lost its opening contest 4–1 to Argentina and tied 1–1 with Spain, failed to make it out of pool play games after losing 3–0 to Australia and 5–2 to Great Britain and defeating South Africa 1–0.
Justin Dowell, BMX, Virginia Beach
Dowell finished seventh July 31 in the park BMX freestyle competition, won by José Torres Gil of Argentina. The 24-year-old was competing in his second Olympics after an eighth-place finish in the park BMX freestyle event in Tokyo.
Greg Duncan, Swimming, Oakton
Duncan, 25, and his former Purdue diving teammate Tyler Downs finished eighth in the men’s synchronized 3-meter springboard final Friday.
Emily Fox, Soccer, Ashburn
Fox, who plays for English club Arsenal, has started at right back in each of the American women’s games in Paris.
The 26-year-old was one of seven U.S. players to make their Olympic debut in a 3–0 win against Zambia and was subbed off in stoppage time of a 4–1 defeat of Germany.
The USWNT finished group play with a 2–1 win over Australia, then topped Japan 1–0 in extra time in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal rematch Tuesday with Germany that also went into extra time.
Sophia Smith's 95th-minute goal proved to be the winning margin for the U.S., who will face Brazil in the gold-medal game Aug. 10 at 11 a.m. Easter on USA Network.
Thomas Heilman, Swimming, Crozet
At 17, Heilman is the youngest American swimmer to qualify for the Olympics since Michael Phelps. Heilman made his Olympic debut Tuesday morning in the men’s 200-meter butterfly, qualifying for the semifinals with a time of 1:55.74, but failed to qualify for the finals. He failed to reach the semifinals in his other individual event, the men's 100-meter butterfly.
Despite the lack of individual honors, Heilman is not leaving Paris empty-handed. The men's 4x100-meter medley relay team, which included Heilman and fellow Virginian Charlie Swanson, took home the silver medal on Sunday.
Grant Holloway, Track and Field, Chesapeake
Holloway, who earned a silver medal in the men's 110-meter hurdle event at the 2021 Tokyo Games, notched the fastest time of the preliminary round in Paris — 13.01 seconds. The 26-year-old will race in the semifinals Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. Eastern.
Hadley Husisian, Fencing, Oakton
Husisian made her Olympic debut competing for Team USA on the fencing team. She competed in the women’s epee event on July 27. In the Round of 32, she won her bout 12–11 in an overtime tiebreak against Switzerland’s Pauline Brunner, but lost in the Round of 16 to Hong Kong’s Vivian Kong Man Wai, 15–12.
Torri Huske, Swimming, Arlington
Huske has earned five medals so far in this year’s games — tied with four other swimmers for second place overall.
Huske edged out teammate (and fellow University of Virginia teammate) Gretchen Walsh by 0.04 seconds to take the gold in the women's 100-meter butterfly. She later teamed up with Walsh as part of the women's 4x100-meter freestyle team to win silver for Team USA and anchored the world-record-setting mixed 4x100-meter medley team.
She also earned a silver medal in the women's 100-meter freestyle and took gold in the women's 4x100-meter medley.
Noah Lyles, Track and Field, Alexandria
Lyles, who made his Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021, had arguably the moment of the Olympics on Sunday afternoon — winning the men's 100-meter race in a photo finish over Kishane Thompson of Jamaica. Lyles' margin of victory was just 0.005 seconds.
Lyles has also qualified for the semifinals of the men's 200-meter race, which will air Wednesday on NBC at 2:02 p.m. Eastern, and he is expected to be chosen for the 4x100-meter relay team after anchoring the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
Kevin Paredes, Soccer, South Riding
The 21-year-old, who plays for Germany’s VFL Wolfsburg, started every game on the right wing for the U.S.
He played 76 minutes in a 3–0 loss to France and 69 minutes against New Zealand in a 4–1 win before notching two goals in the final game of group play, a 3–0 win over Guinea.
Paredes played the full 90 minutes in the USMNT's final game, a 4–0 quarterfinal loss to Morocco.
Charlie Swanson, Swimming, Richmond
Swanson, 26, made his Olympics debut this year in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke. The St. Christopher’s and University of Michigan alumnus finished 14th overall in the event on July 27, but he will bring home a silver medal as part of the men's 4x100-meter medley relay.
Christian Tabash, Rowing, Alexandria
Tabash — who first got interested in rowing during the 2008 Beijing Games — made his Olympic debut July 29, when the U.S. men’s eight team came in first in their heat.
The Americans took home the bronze Saturday morning.
Griffin Yow, Soccer, Clifton
Yow, who plays professionally for KVC Westerlo in Belgium, made two substitute appearances and two starts for Team USA. The 21-year-old replaced Paxten Aaronson on the left wing after 76 minutes against France; against New Zealand, he assisted Aaronson for the USMNT’s fourth goal one minute after coming onto the field.
His performances earned him a starting spot on the left wing against Guinea and Morocco; in both games, Yow was substituted after 66 minutes.
