Paris 2024 Olympics: From Steph Curry to Arisa Trew, first-time Olympians competing at the Games

Every four years, the best athletes in the world come together at the Olympic Games to fight for glory at the biggest sporting event on the planet.

To just stand on the Olympic stage is a prestigious honour, achieved through hard work, dedication, perseverance and sacrifice.

At the Olympic Games Paris 2024, an estimated 10,500 athletes from around 200 National Olympic Committees will compete, and for those at their first Games, becoming Olympians will be a distinction that will remain with them forever.

Sporting legends and up-and-coming stars alike will become Olympians, so meet some of the rookie class that will be taking to the Olympic stage for the very first time in Paris.

Steph Curry - USA, Basketball

After 15 years in the NBA, Steph Curry is finally set to make his Olympic debut with the United States basketball team.

An Olympic gold medal is seemingly the only thing left to complete Curry’s resume, as he is already the NBA’s all-time three-point record holder, four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP, 10-time all-star and two-time scoring champion. At Rio 2016, Curry did not play at the Olympics due to an injury ahead of the Games and he opted out of Tokyo 2020, telling the New York Times that “it just wasn’t right for me.” Now, the 36-year-old is gearing up to set the court on fire in Paris with teammates including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and more, as the men attempt to land on top of the coveted Olympic podium with gold medals around their necks.

Arisa Trew - Australia, skateboarding

14-year-old Australian Arisa Trew has been making waves in the world of skateboarding since before she was even a teenager. At 13 years old, she became the first female skateboarder to land a 720 - a trick made famous by the legendary Tony Hawk in 1985 that consists of two full rotations in the air.

She made headlines once again when she became the first female to land the 900 less than two months ago, saying that it was “a dream come true” on her Instagram. Trew took the X Games title at the start of July, less than one month ahead Paris 2024 and all eyes are on the Australian as she prepares to take the Olympic stage in skateboarding’s park event.

B-Boy Shigekix, - Japan, breaking

The sport of breaking is set to make its Olympic debut in Paris and therefore will see an entirely new class of Olympians take to the stage.

Japan’s B-Boy Shigekix has been a long-standing favourite for the gold medal in the men’s breaking competition and earned his qualification spot by winning gold at the 2023 Asian Games last October. His breaking style involves impressive transitions and solid freezes among the fast, strong and technical skills that he lays out in the cypher, with his signature move being eyes closed power moves. The Japanese B-Boy took the Youth Olympic bronze at the sport’s YOG debut and he is readying himself to lay it all out in Paris for what will be the sport’s first ever Olympic podium.

Hezly Rivera - USA, gymnastics

16-year-old high school junior Hezly Rivera took the world by storm at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for gymnastics in June as she became the only female gymnast to qualify for the Games who does not already have at least one Olympic medal. She will represent her country alongside the last two Olympic all-around champions Simone Biles and Suni Lee, as well as Olympic floor champion Jade Carey and team silver medallist Jordan Chiles.

Rivera made her senior debut earlier this year at the 2024 Winter Cup, where she landed on the podium to take bronze behind Kayla DiCello and Skye Blakely. The medal came after a promising few years and lots of hardware in the junior division. When speaking to media after the team selection, she said “I can’t believe I’m part of this team,” and added that “the roster is amazing.”

Sha’Carri Richardson - USA, athletics

Two-time world champion Sha’Carri Richardson can hardly be considered a rookie but she will be making her Olympic debut in Paris. And the American is hungry for that Olympic gold.

Richardson has been fast for as long as many can remember. She graduated high school in 2018 as the number-one-ranked female spring recruit in the United States. During her first year of college at Louisiana State University, she ran a 10.75 100m, making her as one of the top 10 fastest women in history and breaking the collegiate record in the event. Now, she will enter her first Games as the 2023 100m and 4x100m relay world champion, and all eyes will be on Richardson as she steps onto the track.