Buffalo athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics
Here’s a list of WNYers to cheer on at the Olympics! If we missed anyone, let us know. The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics will be held on July 26. Athletes with Buffalo and Western New York ties are expected to represent their respective teams in the Games. Among them is Matt Anderson, a 37-year-old volleyball player who starred at West Seneca West and Penn State before a pro career that includes stops in South Korea, Italy, Russia and Turkey. Alvarez, a 27-year old artistic swimmer, is the first U.S. history to appear in three Olympic Games and is the only member of the team with Olympic experience. The International Olympic Committee allowed men to compete in artistic swimming (formerly known as synchronized swimming) for the first time this year.
公開済み : 3週間前 沿って Nick Veronica の Sports
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – The Opening Ceremony for the Paris Olympics will be held Friday, July 26. Here is a list of athletes with Buffalo and Western New York ties to root for in the Games.
This list will continue to be updated as more rosters are announced by their respective teams.
Is there another local Olympic or Paralympic connection we should know about? Email [email protected] to let us know!
Background: Anderson, 37, will be one of the veteran leaders on Team USA’s men’s volleyball team. The 6-foot-10 opposite hitter starred at West Seneca West and Penn State before a pro career that has featured stops in South Korea, Italy, Russia and Turkey. Anderson was the top scorer for Team USA when they won bronze in 2016 and the second-highest scorer in the tournament. The U.S. men are looking to rebound from their performance in Tokyo, where the team failed to advance from pool play, going 2-3 in the group stage. Anderson and his family currently reside in his wife’s home state of Indiana.
Making history: By competing in his fourth Olympics, Anderson is believed to be the Western New Yorker with the most Olympic appearances all time, summer or winter. Pole vaulter Jenn Suhr and a handful of other locals made three Olympic appearances.
Fun fact: Anderson has a tattoo of a puzzle piece on his wrist to honor a nephew with autism. He has several other tattoos, including an oak tree on his left shoulder that signifies his family roots.
Read more: After reflecting on Tokyo loss, West Seneca’s Matt Anderson decided to go for another run at Paris Olympics
Background: Alvarez, 27, is the first artistic swimmer is U.S. history to appear in three Olympic Games. After previously competing in duet, she is now the lynchpin of the eight-member group that qualified for the team competition for the first time since 2008. “It’s huge for the sport in our country,” Alvarez told News 4 when the U.S. qualified as a team. “Last time I watched a U.S. team compete was in Beijing when I was like 12, and that’s when my Olympic dream started. I hope it keeps inspiring those athletes back in the U.S.” Alvarez is the only member of the team with Olympic experience. She placed ninth and 13th in duet in previous Olympics, but was not designated as a duet swimmer on Team USA’s roster announcement.
‘Feeling my strongest and healthiest’: Alvarez made international headlines in 2021 and again in 2022 after passing out in the pool at the end of routines during international competition. She told News 4 in February she has done continued testing, tweaked her diet, and continues to have blood work done to ensure there will be no issues going forward, adding that she was “feeling my strongest and healthiest” since her last incident at the 2022 world championships.
Fun fact: The International Olympic Committee allowed men to compete in artistic swimming (formerly known as synchronized swimming) for the first time this year. Men have been competing in world championships for nearly a decade. But Bill May, the top male contender for a spot on Team USA, was left off the final roster. U.S. coach Andrea Fuentes wrote on Instagram that selecting the roster was “an impossible choice that I wish I didn’t have to make,” adding, “I have peace of mind knowing that we have tried our very best, but there has not been enough time to make it happen. Every team with potential male athletes has faced the same issue, with more time than us, but no one could.”
Read more: Qualifying for Olympics in team event personal for Alvarez
Olympic appearance: This would be her second appearance; she has qualified, but has not yet confirmed participation.
Background: Pegula, the daughter of Bills and Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula, is currently ranked No. 5 in the world in singles and No. 44 in doubles. She is set to enter her second Olympic Games with a new personal coaching team of Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein, after recently parting ways with David Witt. The 30-year-old looks to avenge a first-round loss at the Tokyo Games, where she was downed by ninth-seeded Belinda Bencic, who went on to win gold. Pegula had a better finish in doubles in Tokyo, placing fifth while playing alongside Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Success on red clay: The Olympic tennis events are being held at Stade Roland-Garros, the site of the French Open. Pegula has had success on the stadium’s famed red clay, most notably reaching the 2022 quarterfinals in singles and the final in doubles with Coco Gauff. Pegula has never been past the quarterfinals at a major in singles, reaching the stage six times (three times at the Australian Open and once each at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open). Pegula in May withdrew from the 2024 French Open, citing continued recovery from a neck injury, but said if the tournament had been a week later she probably could have played.
Fun fact: Pegula has been ranked as high as No. 3 worldwide in singles during her career and No. 1 in doubles, winning four WTA singles events and seven doubles tournaments along the way. She has earned over $13 million in prize money during her career.
Read more: Pegula stopped by a Bills practice last summer while accompanied by a camera crew for the Netflix series “Break Point.”
Hometown: Born in Evanston, Illinois but spent part of his childhood in Buffalo
Background: The two-time NBA champion coach will make his first Olympic appearance working on Steve Kerr’s staff. Prior to the Tokyo Games, he led the Team USA select team that trained against the Olympic team that went on to win gold. Spoelstra’s father, Jon, was a longtime NBA exec who spent time working for the Buffalo Braves. Erik “spent much of his early childhood in Buffalo before moving to Portland at age 7 or 8” when his dad took a job with the Trail Blazers, according to a 2008 Portland Tribune article.
Schedule: USA is in Group C and faces Serbia on July 28, South Sudan on July 31, and a yet-to-qualify country on Aug. 3. Quarterfinals begin Aug. 6 with the final on Aug. 10.
Fun Fact: Nothing less than dominance is expected from Team USA men’s basketball, which has medaled in every Games it has competed in. The U.S. men have only lost six games in Olympic play — in any round — dating back to 1932. The Americans have won four straight golds since slipping to bronze in 2002 and are 58-4 in the Olympics since they began using NBA players in 1992.
Is there another local Olympic or Paralympic connection we should know about? Email [email protected] to let us know!
トピック: Olympics