PARIS, France — The Paris 2024 Olympics are underway in France, and Hoosier athletes are already competing to represent Team USA. In fact, the first two medals the United States won came from Indiana athletes.
Here is how the athletes with Indiana connections did on Monday, July 29:
Luke Whitlock
The Noblesville 18-year-old finished 15th Monday in heats of the 800-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics — but only one of the 14 swimmers ahead of him is younger.
“I’ll be looking forward to trying to get back in 2028,” Whitlock said. “I’m happy for the experience. It’s been fun, everything here.”
He did not make the cut to eight for Tuesday’s final at Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France.
His time was 7:49.26, or about four seconds slower than the 7:45.19 that placed him second in last month’s Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Whitlock said he felt sick in the days leading up to the race because of allergies.
“I kind of let it get to my head a little bit,” Whitlock said. “I just didn’t have the speed at the end I normally have. Started to get tired too quickly. Not very happy with it.”
Lilly King
The 27-year-old Indiana University graduate from Evansville is competed in the 100m breaststroke final on Monday.
She finished tied for fourth in the final, with a time of 1:05.60. She finished 0.01 seconds behind the bronze medalist, Ireland's Mona McSharry. South Africa's Tatjana Smith won the event, with a time of 1:05.28.
In Sunday's semifinal, King was third overall in 1:05.64, compared to her Olympic Trials time of 1:05.43 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
In the 100m breaststroke, King could become the second woman to win two Olympic golds or second to win three medals — or both.
She famously won gold in 2016, beating Russian rival Yulia Efimova. She took bronze in 2021 behind winner Lydia Jacoby, of the United States and silver medalist Smith.
King will also compete in the 200m breaststroke, with the heats beginning at 5 a.m. Wednesday, July 31.
Nick Itkin
Nick Itkin, who went to the University of Notre Dame, competed in the individual foil event.
In the round of 32, Itkin defeated Cyprus' Alex Tofalides 15-10.
In the round of 16, Itkin defeated Egypt's Abdelrahman Hussein Tolba 15-8.
In the quarterfinals, Itkin defeated Italy's Guillaume Bianchi 15-14.
In the semifinals, Itkin lost to Italy's Filippo Macchi 15-11.
Itkin defeated Japan's Iimura Kazuki to win the bronze medal.
Itkin previously won a bronze medal in 2020 as part of the men's foil team.
Itkin will also be part of the men's foil team, with the U.S. facing Egypt in the first round at 5:50 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 4.
Gerek Meinhardt
Gerek Meinhardt, who went to the University of Notre Dame, competed in the individual foil event.
In the round of 32, Meinhardt defeated China's Chen Haiwei 15-7.
In the round of 16, Meinhardt lost to France's Enzo Lefort 15-10, eliminating him from the event.
Meinhardt previously won bronze medals in 2016 and 2020 as part of the men's foil team.
Meinhardt will also be part of the men's foil team, with the U.S. facing Egypt in the first round at 5:50 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 4.
Magda Skarbonkiewicz
Magda Skarbonkiewicz, who goes to the University of Notre Dame, lost her first sabre match 15-11 to Turkey's Nisanur Erbil.
She will next compete in the team sabre event, as the United States faces Korea at 7 a.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 3.
Rajeev Ram
Carmel native Rajeev Ram plays his first match in men's doubles on Monday.
Ram and partner Austin Krajicek defeated Australia's Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin 6-2, 6-3 in their first match.
Ram and Krajicek next play Brazil's Thiago Monteiro and Thiago Seyboth Wild at 7:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, July 30.
Ram won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in mixed doubles with partner Venus Williams.
Annie Drews
Annie Drews, who is from Elkhart and went to Purdue University, is once again part of the U.S. women's volleyball team.
The U.S. lost its first game in Pool A play against China in five sets: 25-20, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 15-13.
Drews scored the most points for the team, with 29.
The U.S.'s next game is at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 31 against Serbia.
Drews won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as part of the U.S. women's volleyball team.
Molly Bruggeman
Molly Bruggeman, who went to the University of Notre Dame, is part of the women's eight rowing team.
The U.S. finished second in their heat with a time of 6:19.00. Romania won the heat with a time of 6:12.31 and advanced to the final.
Now, the U.S. will compete in the repechage, scheduled for 4:10 a.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 1. Four of the five teams will advance to the final, scheduled for 4:50 a.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 3.
Jackie Young
Jackie Young, who is from Princeton, Indiana and went to the University of Notre Dame, is part of the U.S. women's basketball team.
Young scored 7 points in the team's 102-76 victory against Japan.
The team's next game is Thursday, Aug. 1 against Belgium. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET, and will air on USA Network and stream on Peacock.
Young won a gold medal in the women's 3x3 basketball event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Jewell Loyd
Jewell Loyd, who went to the University of Notre Dame, is part of the U.S. women's basketball team.
Loyd scored 7 points in the team's 102-76 victory against Japan.
The team's next game is Thursday, Aug. 1 against Belgium. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET, and will air on USA Network and stream on Peacock.
Loyd won a gold medal as part of the U.S. women's team at the 202 Tokyo Olympics.
