5 MOCO Athletes to Look out for in Paris

July 26, 2024 – By Jasmine Jefferson – Cover pictures credited below

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are scheduled to start on July 26 and end on August 11. Over the course of these two weeks, competitors from all over the world will compete in a variety of events, fighting for the gold and honoring their home countries. 

Various elite athletes call MoCo home, with many competing for Team USA, while others represent their respective countries. MoCo takes pride in the diversity and extraordinary talent of its Olympic athletes, including some of the most respected names in the games today. Among them are seasoned veterans and promising newcomers who will showcase their skills in their sport. 

We were even able to get an exclusive interview with one.

Katie Ledecky

Among the more well-known MoCo Olympians is Katie Ledecky. Ledecky grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, but was born in Washington, D.C., in 1997. She began swimming at the age of six and instantly showed her potential in the sport. Following in the footsteps of her mother, a collegiate swimmer, as well as her elder brother. Ledecky joined Nation’s Capital Swim Club, which went on to produce several other Olympic medalists, including Mike Barrowman, Becca Myers, and Tom Dolan, to name a few.

At the age of fifteen, Ledecky made her Olympic debut at the 2012 London Olympics, making her the youngest member of the USA swimming squad for that season. Ledecky holds the world records in the 800 and 1500 meters freestyle events, which are her signature events. She also shines in the 200 and 400 meters freestyle events. 

Ledecky has been one of the most decorated swimmers in history since making her global debut in 2012. Winning ten Olympic medals, three of which are bronze and seven gold. She is also the most decorated woman in the history of world championships, having won 26 medals total—21 gold and 5 silver.

Helen Maroulis

Helen Maroulis was born in 1991 in Rockville, MD. Maroulis attended Magruder High School, where she became the first woman to place in the wrestling state championships as a freshman. She finished high school with 99 career wins. She began wrestling at the age of 7, where her brother asked her to stand in as his drilling partner; after that, she immediately asked her parents to put her in competitive wrestling.

She won 3 Junior World medals, winning bronze in 2008 and 2010, then silver in 2011. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Maroulis won Team USA’s first gold medal in women’s wrestling. She then went on to win gold again in the 2017 World Championship. Then in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she won a bronze medal after defeating Mongolia’s wrestler in a match; this bronze medal made her the first woman in U.S. history to win 2 medals in wrestling.

 This year she won gold in the women’s 57 kg event at the Pan American Wrestling Championships. This summer she will be the first U.S. woman to compete in wrestling at three Olympic games.

Masai Russell

A newcomer to the Olympics this summer is Masai Russell. She was born in 2000 in Potomac, MD; she began running in 2008. Russell is a Bullis alum where she had an outstanding pre-collegiate career. 

All four years of high school, Russell was one of the top-ranked 300-meter hurdles; on top of that, she set multiple records in the 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle races. In 2018, her senior year, she won 3rd place in the 400m hurdles at the Pan American Junior Games.

During her collegiate career at the University of Kentucky, Russell continued to succeed. She is currently the NCAA record holder for the 100m hurdles, with a stunning time of 12.36 seconds. She also excels in the 60m hurdles with a personal best of 7.75 seconds, which is #13 of all time. This year at the Paris Olympic trials she ran the 100-meter hurdle world leading time, clocking in at 12.25 seconds. This will be her first Olympics.

Quincy Wilson

Another newcomer to the Olympics this year is Quincy Wilson. The 16-year-old currently attends Bullis. He began running at 8 years old, where he instantly showed he was a prodigy. He is a five-time Junior Olympic champion, excelling in the 400m and 500m. In 2022, his 400m time was 47.77 seconds. He then broke the under-14 400m record time with a 47.59; the record was set for 30 years. 

In 2023, he won the 400m at the New Balance Indoor Nationals. He was the only freshman in the event; in 2024, he defended his title with 45.76 seconds. With this time, he crushed another decades-long record. This past month at the Holloway Classic, he broke his own record of the U18 400m record with an astonishing 44.20 seconds, putting him at #6 in the world this year. Wilson is also ranked #2 on the world all-time leaderboard for the 400m, the #1 time being 43.87 seconds set in 1988.

At the Paris Olympic trials, Wilson ran against men almost twice his age. In the 400m first round, he ran 44.66 seconds, breaking the U18 record that stood for 42 years. Then, at the semi-finals, he cut off an additional .7 seconds. He finished 6th place in the 400m finals. Although he didn’t finish in the top three in order to compete for the men’s 400m, he made the men’s 4x400m relay team. This accomplishment makes him the youngest Team USA Track and Field Olympian.

Thea LaFond

Thea LaFond is a triple-jump savant. Born in 1994 in Roseau, Dominica, LaFond is the only athlete on this list to not compete for Team USA, unlike the other 4 athletes highlighted. She grew up in the Silver Spring area, attended Kennedy High School, and then went on to teach special education there a few years later, she also coached track and field at Kennedy.

In her collegiate career LaFond had multiple All-American honors, championship in the ACC and Big Ten, and was the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year in 2015. She was previously injured in the 2019 Qatar World Championships, where LaFond said she tore her quad , “I asked my coaches if I could keep jumping, I have a high pain tolerance I guess.” However, she had a grade 2 tear, which usually takes 3-4 weeks to heal.

Moderately MOCO Interview

This past Saturday, July 20th, I interviewed LaFond. She started running in her freshman year of high school at Kennedy, “I originally didn’t want to do track, but my friends pushed me.” Previously, LaFond did ballet and volleyball, which is where she said she learned her self-criticism and discipline. “Some sports are a gateway to other sports, and I think it’s necessary that kids have those opportunities to try out different ones.” She also stated that she believes that her previous sports aided her in triple jump, with the physical traits such as flexibility and strength needed for triple jump. 

LaFond hopes that she can inspire young girls aspiring to compete in triple jump and that she hopes to be a female trailblazer in a typically men’s sport. “I’m a woman triple jumper that jumps like a man,”, “gender does not define you.” LaFond said. She also addressed the fact that her home island in Dominica has no track, which she believes is necessary to bring new opportunities to the children of her country. She hopes to “be in a position where I can create a track,” on Dominica to give a new opportunity and experience to the children.

In the 2016 Summer Olympics, she jumped a 12.82m in the qualifying round; however, she did not qualify for the final. Yet she bounced back in the 2018 Commonwealth Games; LaFond made history by becoming the first Dominican athlete to win a medal in the Commonwealth Games, securing bronze in the women’s triple and then later securing silver in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. 

In March of 2024, she made history again by becoming the first Dominican to win gold in the World Championships; she set a national record of 15.01 m at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. With this jump, LaFond became a world champion and the first from her home country of just 70,000 people, almost half of the population where she set her record. LaFond says her goal for this summer is to defend her title. “Train like you didn’t win anything, train like nothing happened.”, “To be proud, but not satisfied.” Especially with a new wave of elite women triple jumpers, she added that she’s “battling it out with the best in history.”

MoCo Olympians

MoCo has many more athletes that could be highlighted here, ranging through many sports. Our county has produced Olympic athletes who have repeatedly shown themselves to be people of dedication and determination. Their persistent goal of excellence inspires both locals and aspiring athletes, increasing senses of pride and community. They embody MoCo residents’ values and dreams all while competing on a global level. Leaving an impact on both our county pride, togetherness, and history.

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