Tar Heels set for 2024 Paris Olympics
The more than 10,000 athletes competing in the Summer Games include nine Carolina alumni and five students.
At least 14 Tar Heels, including five current students, are among the more than 10,000 athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics
Crystal Dunn (U.S., women’s soccer) and Katie Bowen (New Zealand, women’s soccer) are both Olympians for a third time, while Aranza Vazquez Montaño (Mexico, diving) is back for a second time.
Emily Fox will join Dunn on the U.S. women’s soccer team.
In the pool, Tar Heel swimmers Martin Kartavi (Israel), Adam Maraana (Israel) and Patrick Hussey (Canada) will make their first Olympic appearances. Carolina student Mia Phiri will swim for Zambia.
Ashley Hoffman and Meredith Sholder, teammates at Carolina, are teamed up again on the U.S. field hockey team. Cassie Sumfest is an alternate.
Other Tar Heel Olympians include Naya Tapper (U.S., women’s rugby), Rinky Hijikata, (Australia, tennis), Ethan Ramos (Puerto Rico, wrestling) and Kristen Siermachesky (Canada, rowing).
Diving
Vazquez, the four-time NCAA champion, will again compete for Mexico in the 3-meter springboard. She finished sixth in the event at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
This past spring, she repeated as NCAA Division I champion in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions.
Swimming
Carolina will be well-represented in swimming events.
Kartavi and Maraana, who will join the Tar Heel swimming and diving team this fall, will compete in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke, respectively. Also competing in the 50-meter freestyle is Hussey, a fellow member of Carolina’s swimming team representing Canada.
On the women’s side, Phiri will swim for Zambia in the 50-meter freestyle.
Women’s soccer
Bowen, Dunn and Fox continue Carolina’s rich tradition of sending women’s soccer players to the Olympics.
Bowen and Dunn were teammates on the Tar Heel 2012 national championship team. Fox, a three-time All-ACC first team selection at Carolina and No.1 overall pick in the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League draft, also competed for the U.S. during the 2023 FIFA World Cup.
