MoCo Athletes Bring Home the Gold in This Year’s Olympics

August 15, 2024 – By Sophia Campbell

Montgomery County was a hotspot for athletic talent in this year’s Paris Summer Olympics. Between July 26 and August 11, several local athletes competed on the world stage and brought home a staggering sum of medals across a variety of events. From legendary swimmer Katie Ledecky to teenage track star Quincy Wilson, there was no shortage of MoCo athletes to root for in this year’s games.

Though officially representatives of Team USA, these athletes have undoubtedly made their county proud and spotlighted our prowess as a home for elite athletes. Let’s take a look at a recap of their accomplishments.

Katie Ledecky

Bethesda local and former collegiate swimmer Katie Ledecky was one of the most decorated Olympians of this year’s games. She began swimming at just six years old and, having now participated in four Olympics, has secured her spot among the greatest of all time.

Ledecky competed in four events and brought home a medal in every single one. She was awarded gold in both the Women’s 1500m Freestyle and the Women’s 800m Freestyle, the former of which showed her finishing more than 10 seconds ahead of the silver medalist—a feat that is almost unfathomable for an elite swimmer. Additionally, she received a silver medal in the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay and bronze in the Women’s 400m Freestyle. 

Katie Ledecky is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished athletes of all time, continually improving upon her previous records, blowing competitors out of the water, and making MoCo proud with each and every race.

Helen Maroulis

Rockville-born Helen Maroulis first rose to stardom as a wrestler in high school. Graduating from Magruder with nearly one hundred wins under her belt, Maroulis would go on to compete in three Olympic Games and multiple world championships. This year, she secured a place on the podium in the Women’s Freestyle 57-kg wrestling competition, finishing with a bronze medal for her profoundly skillful performance. 

Medaling wasn’t Maroulis’ only accomplishment in this year’s games, however. She also made history as the first United States woman wrestler to medal at three Olympic games. As America’s most decorated female wrestler, Maroulis is a paradigm of persistence and strength as well as humility. She states on her Instagram, “The medals are cool, but what’s truly been amazing is the journey.”

Masai Russell

Paris marked the very first Olympics for Masai Russell, a Potomac-born sprinter, hurdler, and former collegiate athlete. A University of Kentucky graduate, she is the NCAA record holder for the 100m hurdles in addition to holding fourth for the all-time record.

Russell didn’t enter the games expecting to become an Olympic champion, stating that winning was merely a “distant dream” for which there was “no indication” of victory. Nevertheless, she took home the gold in the Women’s 100m Hurdles after an electrifying photo finish. She completed the race just 0.01 seconds ahead of the silver medalist, securing the top placement for Team USA and making her home of Montgomery County proud.

Quincy Wilson

Perhaps one of the most spotlighted local athletes of the 2024 Olympics, 16-year-old Quincy Wilson is a current student at the Bullis School, a first-time Olympian, and one of Team USA’s youngest athletes. He regularly runs astonishing times in the 400m and qualified for the Paris Olympics against runners twice his age.

Wilson ran in the Men’s 4x400m Relay qualifying round. Although he didn’t run in the final, he was still awarded a gold medal after Team USA finished at the top of the podium. This is likely just the beginning of Wilson’s Olympic career, as fans expect to see him run again in Los Angeles in 2028. 

Thea LaFond

Although track and field athlete Thea Lafond was not representing Team USA in this Olympics, she is still a MoCo local, having grown up around the Silver Spring area. She attended the University of Maryland, where she was a multi-event athlete and dedicated herself to improving her athletic skill. This year, LaFond competed in the triple jump and won gold for Dominica, the Caribbean country’s first-ever Olympic medal. You can see our exclusive interview with her before the Olympics in the Olympic preview piece.

LaFond first competed at the Olympics in 2016, where she participated in the qualifying round but did not advance to the final. She again participated in the 2021 Tokyo games where she finished 12th in the triple jump. Now, having won gold in 2024, LaFond’s placement is indicative of her tireless work and dedication to improving her ability.

MoCo Olympians

These athletes have made Montgomery County proud at an international level, chasing their own athletic dreams whilst simultaneously honoring their cities back home. Their immeasurable talent and determination contributed to the United States’ whopping overall medal count of 126, the most medals garnered by any country in this years’ games. Paris was merely the first step; we expect to see many of them return for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

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