These Illinois and Missouri athletes will represent Team USA in the Paris Olympics

This story was published in collaboration with the Belleville News-Democrat, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio.

As the 2024 Paris Olympic Games kick off with the opening ceremony on Friday, Illinois and Missouri will have more than two dozen athletes representing Team USA.

Only three U.S. states will send more athletes to the 2024 Paris Games than Illinois. California will send 120 athletes, Florida has 42, and Texas has 41. Illinois and Pennsylvania will each send 27 Olympians to the Games, according to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Missouri will send at least 10. The 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team's final roster will be announced on Aug. 19, according to the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The Games will take place through Aug. 11, though some events will happen before the official opening ceremony on Friday. Athletes will compete in 32 sports and 329 medal events. Illinois athletes will compete in soccer, wrestling, volleyball, rowing, rhythmic gymnastics and more. Missouri athletes will compete in basketball, diving, track and field, trap shooting and soccer.

Missourians on Team USA

Here are the 10 Olympic athletes from Missouri who will represent the U.S. in Paris.

• Jayson Tatum, of St. Louis, will compete in men's basketball.
• Napheesa Collier, of Jefferson City, will compete in women's basketball.
• Tyler Downs, of Ballwin, will compete in men's synchronized diving and 3-meter spring diving.
• DeAnna Price, of Moscow Mills, will be competing in women's hammer throw.
• Rachel Tozier, of Pattonsburg, will compete in women's trap shooting.
• Patrick Schulte, of St. Peters, will compete in men's soccer.
• Freddie Crittenden III, of St. Louis, will compete in men's 110-meter hurdles.
• Quincy Hall, of Kansas City, will compete in men's 400-meter and 4x400 meter relay.
• Brandon Miller, of O'Fallon, will compete in men's 800-meter race.
• Christopher Nilsen, of Kansas City, will compete in men's pole vault.

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Illinoisans on Team USA

Here are the 27 Olympic athletes and two Paralympic athletes from Illinois who will represent the U.S. at this summer’s Games.

• Jayden Ulrich, from East Alton, will compete in track and field.
• Korbin Albert, from Grayslake, will compete in soccer.
• Kamal Bay, from Bellwood, will compete in wrestling.
• Kennedy Blades, from Chicago, will compete in wrestling.
• Lauren Carlini, from Aurora, will compete in volleyball.
• Peter Chatain, from Winnetka, will compete in rowing.
• Owen Cravens, from Algonquin, will compete in Paratriathlon.
• Anthony Davis, from Chicago, will compete in basketball.
• Lauren Doyle, from Boody, will compete in rugby. Doyle is an Eastern Illinois University alum.
• Tori Franklin, from Chicago, will compete in track and field.
• Kendall Gretsch, from Downers Grove, will compete in Paratriathlon.
• Evita Griskenas, from Orland Park, will compete in rhythmic gymnastics.
• Ryan Held, from Springfield, will compete in swimming.
• Thomas Jaeschke, from Wheaton, will compete in volleyball.
• John Jayne, from Chicago, will compete in judo.
• Jeff Jendryk, from Wheaton, will compete in volleyball.
• Grace Joyce, from Northfield, will compete in rowing.
• Paul Juda, from Deerfield, will compete in gymnastics.
• Casey Krueger, from Naperville, will compete in soccer.
• Courtney Lindsey, from Rock Island, will compete in track and field.
• Jewell Loyd, from Lincolnwood, will compete in basketball.
• Anna Peplowski, from Germantown Hills, will compete in swimming.
• Josef Rau, from Chicago, will compete in wrestling.
• Erin Reese, from Mt. Prospect, will compete in track and field.
• Dana Rettke, from Riverside, will compete in volleyball.
• Kelsey Robinson-Cook, from Bartlett, will compete in volleyball.
• Maggie Shea, from Wilmette, will compete in sailing.
• Gabriel Slonina, from Addison, will compete in soccer.
• Zach Ziemek, from Itasca, will compete in track and field.

Deanna Price, a Southern Illinois University alum, will compete in track and field this year in her third Olympics.

“We’re proud to have members of the Saluki family competing in the Summer Olympics and Paralympics, and we wish them the best at the Games,” SIU Chancellor Austin Lane said in an emailed statement to the News-Democrat.

More than 50 Olympic athletes throughout the years have previously attended SIU, according to the university’s website.

Discus thrower Jayden Ulrich graduated from East Alton-Wood River Community High School.

“I love being able to represent that area of Illinois and being a part of the Metro East area,” Ulrich told KSDK in a July 17 interview. “Tons of good athletes come out of there, and I’m glad to be one of them now.”

Meredith Howard is a reporter with the Belleville News-Democrat, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio.