As athletes from around the globe get settled into the Olympic Village and prepare for the Opening Ceremonies, the Parity community couldn't be more proud of all the athletes from our roster who have qualified for the Games. Their hard work, dedication, and passion have brought them to this pinnacle of sporting achievement. Here's a look at 5 athletes we think will come out of Paris as household names:
Source: Dani Jackovich
Name: Dani Jackovich
Hometown: New Lenox, IL
Sport: Water Polo
School: Stanford University ‘17
Position: Center Forward
Representing: Team Australia
Olympic Team: #1
Follow Dani: @danijack2
Dani is a rising star with the Aussie Stingers, and will be competing in her first Olympic Games this summer. She graduated from Stanford in 2017, where she scored 106 career goals along with 11 hat tricks. She capped off her impressive collegiate career by helping the Cardinal to a national championship during her senior year, and helping the US strike gold at the World University Games that summer. After graduation Dani played abroad in both Spain and Hungary before finding a second home in Australia. When she’s not in the pool, Dani is a lead data analyst at 6-8 Sports, a company founded by water polo legends Maggie Steffens and Tony Azevedo. Dani couldn’t be more excited for Paris, and says that this one is for the little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back.
Watch Dani and the Water Polo Tournament in Paris
Tournament Dates: July 27 - August 10
Venue: La Défense Arena
TV channels: NBC, USA Network, E!
Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app
Complete Tournament Schedule
Source: Justine Wong-Orantes
Justine Wong-Orantes
Hometown: Cypress, CA
Sport: Volleyball (Indoor)
School: University of Nebraska '16
Position: Libero
Representing: Team USA
Olympic Team: #2
Follow Justine: @jwongorantes
Justine has been a member of Team USA since 2016, immediately following a stellar collegiate career at Nebraska. Justine helped the Cornhuskers to a DI championship in 2015, and was named Nebraska Female Athlete of the Year (all sports) her senior season. After playing professionally all over Europe, Justine returned to the US to help Team USA win Gold in Tokyo, where she was named Best Libero of the Games. One of the most challenging parts of Justine’s journey has been playing overseas away from her family and loves ones, so she’s so excited to be a part of LOVB, the US’ new domestic volleyball league, once she returns from Paris. She’ll be playing for LOVB Omaha, and, although she is originally from Southern California, playing in Omaha, Nebraska feels like coming home.
How to Watch Justine and the Indoor Volleyball Tournament in Paris
Dates: July 29 - August 11
Venue: South Paris Arena No. 1
TV channels: NBC, USA Network, E!
Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app
Complete Tournament Schedule
Source: Stylist Magazine
Name: Emily Campbell
Hometown: Nottingham, England
Sport: Weightlifting
Category: 81+kg
School: Leeds Beckett University ‘16
Representing: Team GB
Olympic Team #2
Follow Emily: @emilyjade_gb
Emily wasn’t always a weightlifter. She started out competing in shot put, discus and hammer, discovering lifting by chance when she tried CrossFit at university. I also tried CrossFit at university, but turns out Emily had a talent not many possess. She exploded onto the weightlifting scene in Tokyo when she won Silver for Team GB with successive lifts of 156kg and 161kg. Emily’s silver was Team GB’s first weightlifting medal since 1984, and the first women’s medal ever. Emily backed up her impressive Tokyo performance with Bronze and Silver in 2021 and 2022 respectively at World Championships, and has taken 4 straight European titles. “I'm a believer in, you can't be what you don't see”, Emily says. “We now have an amazing representation in most sports where you can see black women and people of colour doing amazing things. We do have to work harder to get noticed but don’t be disheartened by that. Take that by the horns and turn that into a positive!”
Watch Emily and Weightlifting in Paris
Dates: August 7 - August 11 (Emily competing August 10th and 11th!)
Venue: South Paris Arena No. 6
TV channels: CNBC, USA Network
Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app
Complete Weightlifting Schedule
Source: Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons
Name: Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons
Hometown: Fairfax, VA
Sport: Track and Field
Specialty: Discus
School: University of Maryland ‘16
Representing: Team Nigeria
Olympic Team #2
Follow Chioma: @cicionyekwere
Chioma “CiCi” Onyekwere-Lyons is a record breaking thrower from Virginia. She studied mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland, where she juggled a heavy course load with winning medals at multiple NCAA and Big 10 championships. She is now a Commonwealth Games Champion, African Record Holder and 3x African Champ in the discus. She says her work ethic and passion have enabled her to do anything she wants, and that certainly seems to be true both on and off the field. CiCi was responsible for the engineering launch of the rear lighting for both the 2020 Ford Explorer and the Lincoln Aviator. The road to Paris hasn’t been easy: after Tokyo CiCi wasn’t even sure she wanted to try for another cycle. But she’s back and stronger than ever, ready to bring her special determination to her second Olympic Games.
Watch Chioma and Track and Field in Paris
Dates: August 1 - August 11 (Chioma’s qualifier is August 2nd, and her final August 5th)
Venue: Stade de France
TV channels: NBC, USA, E!
Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app
Complete Track and Field Schedule
Source: Arella Guirantes
Name: Arella Guirantes
Hometown: Bellport, NY
Sport: 5x5 Basketball
Position: Guard
School: Rutgers University ‘21
Representing: Team Puerto Rico
Olympic Team: #1
Follow Arella: @arella_karin
Arella is originally from New York, where she scored over 2000 points at Bellport High School. ProspectNation rated her #44 in the 2016 draft class, and she chose to play for Texas Tech. Following her Freshman year she transferred to Rutgers, where she played for her final 3 years, helping the Knights to the Big Dance in 2021, and earning Big Ten Honors. She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in the second round of 2021 WNBA draft, and has played for both the Sparks and the Seattle Storm in the WNBA. Arella currently plays abroad in Italy for Beretta Famila Schio, turning heads and breaking ankles. Paris will be her first Olympic Games, and she has relished time training in Puerto Rico with legend Carlos Arroyo, and soaking up the sunshine.
Watch Arella and Basketball in Paris
Dates: July 28 - August 11 (Arella’s first game is on July 28th, vs. Serbia)
Venue: Bercy Arena (knockout rounds and finals), Pierre Mauroy Stadium (group phase)
TV channels: USA Network
Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Olympics app
Complete Basketball Schedule
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