Nevada Athletes Are Big Medal Winners At Paris Olympics

Nevada athletes are medal winners. And the Silver State athletes didn't just win silver.

Athletes who grew up in, trained, and live in Nevada, celebrated an amazing couple of weeks in Paris, at the 2024 Olympics. They competed in events ranging from swimming to rugby. And they didn't disappoint.

Luke Hobson, a Reno High School graduate (this writer's alma mater), is leaving Paris with 2 medals in Swimming. A silver medal in the men's 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay, and a Bronze medal in the men's 200 meter freestyle.

Now a two-time Olympian, Katie Grimes, won a silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley early in the Olympic games. Grimes finished 15^th after six laps of the 10-kilometer course on the River Seine. Six laps riding the current, and six laps fighting some rough waters. But she ended up finishing in 2:06.29.6 - WHEW!

The 18 year old Grimes, who trains with the Sandpipers in Las Vegas, said it was the hardest thing she's ever done. We believe you Katie, because any of us can only imagine.

Perris Benegas, also from Reno, won the Silver Medal in BMX Freestyle. In May, Just two months before the 2024 Paris Olympics, 29-year-old Benegas competed for the first time since having ACL and meniscus surgery in 2023. She secured her spot at the Olympics, and took the silver medal.

And in Rugby 7's - yes, I said RUGBY - Team USA dramatically snatched up the bronze medal in women’s rugby with a surprising late try by first-time Olympian Alex “Spiff” Sedrick. It was in the very final seconds of the game. They beat Australia 14-12.

Stephanie Rovetti was part of the Rugby 7's medal winning team. She is also a norther Nevada Olympian, from Reno. Rovetti played basketball for BYU from 2010-14, when the BYU made the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA playoffs. Her sister played Rugby for BYU, and encouraged Stephanie to try it. The rest, as they say, is history!

Gabby Williams, also from Reno (a Reed High School graduate), plays for The Chicago Sky. She played for France in the Paris Olympics, and suffered a devastating loss in the finals of women's basketball, but took home a silver medal for France.

The women's basketball gold went to the USA - where most of the team seemed to hail from the Las Vegas Aces. Way to go team USA!

Vashti Cunningham, daughter of NFL running back Randall Cunningham, competed in track and field for her third time at the Olympics. The Bishop Gorman Graduate finished 5th in the high jump finals. Her best jump of 1.95 meters (6.39 feet) was good enough to tie her for the bronze, but she ended up losing in a tiebreaker.

Next up, the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy, 2026, Then it's over to L.A. for the 2028 games. Los Angeles is working on it as we speak. Word is, there will be no cars allowed on the roads. Stay tuned!

Summer Olympics 2024 is officially in full swing in Paris following an Opening Ceremony for the ages.

Seriously, this Opening Ceremony had something for everyone, and get ready for us to do our best Stefon:

-Can-Can dancers.
-Lady Gaga.
-A surprising sub-plot in the overall ceremony's narrative that involved a ménage à trois.
-References to the beheading of Marie Antionette, which led into a performance from French metal band Gojira.

-A buttload of rain.
-Priceless artwork from the Louvre coming to life.
-A silver horse galloping across the Seine in majestic glory.

-A catwalk from out of nowhere highlighting France's club scene and the country's influence on fashion.
-A brief performance from Les Misérables.

And then, as if things couldn't get any more over-the-top, Celine Dion delivers a stunning performance of Edith Piaf's "Hymne A L'Amour" from inside of the Eifle Tower. The legendary singer has been battling stiff-person syndrome, which is a condition that impacts the central nervous system. This condition has affected Dion's ability to sing. She revealed her diagnosis in December 2022, stopped performing and made very few public appearances while she sought treatment to return to performing.

Even once the Olympic cauldron is extinguished, people will still be talking about this triumphant moment.

Now that we've gone through all of our tissues from happy-crying about Celine, it's time to get down to business and talk about the athletes.

This 2024 Opening Ceremony was very unique for the above reasons, but also because it saw the Parade of Nations actually make their way down the Seine in boats of all sizes. Some small countries had a small boat to themselves. Oftentimes, there were multiple countries sharing a boat, while countries with large delegations had massive boats just for their athletes.

Regardless of boat size, pretty much every athlete got drenched by the pouring rain throughout the entire Opening Ceremony. However, the rain didn't seem to dampen the moods of the athletes. In fact, Kelly Clarkson commented, "Everyone is killing that wet look. Just sayin’!"

Now, because of the rain, this led to many of the athletes to wear clear plastic rain ponchos over their Opening Ceremony outfits, which had to be a bit of a bummer. (It certainly got in the way of checking out all of the various team outfits.) However, this also made us take a closer look at the fashion choices of each nation, and it's led to our very serious (wink-wink) assessment of the best and worst fashion choices from the Summer Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony. Enjoy!