Editorโs note: All competition times listed are Central.
When the 2024 Summer Gamesโ opening ceremony officially kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Friday in Paris, France, two Southwestern Indiana athletes will be waiting for their turns to take the winnersโ stage.
For womenโs swimming, Lilly King will compete in a variety of events, both solo in 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events and with a team of four in medley relays. Winning a total of five world titles and five Olympic medals, King โ a 2015 F.J. Reitz High School grad โ will look to add to her impressive record in what she has declared will be her last Olympic Games.
โThis will definitely be my last Olympics. In this sport, at least, I am getting old,โ she told Evansville Living ahead of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in June. โIโve been in the game for a while, so itโs time to move on.โ
King enters the 100-meter event with the third-best entrance time in a field of 37. Preliminary races air at 4 a.m. July 28, with semifinals following at 2:10 p.m. The 100-meter final is scheduled for 2:25 p.m. July 29.
King also has the fourth-best entrance time in a field of 23 for the 200-meter breaststroke race. Prelims are at 4 a.m. July 31; semifinals follow at 2:50 p.m. The final begins at 2 p.m. Aug. 1.
In the womenโs 4x100m, the rivalry between the USA and Australia could produce fireworks at this yearโs games with a potential rematch. King helped lead the US squad to a gold medal in 2016, defeating Australia by just over a second. In 2020, Australia bested the United States by an even closer margin, with King earning a silver medal for her efforts in the prelims.
Prelims for this yearโs 4x100m medley start at 4 a.m. Aug. 3, with the final set for 12:25 p.m. Aug. 4. King also will swim in the 400-meter mixed medley. Prelims kick off at 4 a.m. Aug. 2, with the final scheduled at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 3.
All of Kingโs races will be broadcast on NBC. Spectators can join a watch party during the 100-meter final July 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Deaconess Aquatic Center.
In Lille, France, Jackie Young will play for Team USA in womenโs basketball. Young, a 26-year-old guard for the Las Vegas Aces, is competing on Team USAโs 5-on-5ย hoops team in her second Summer Games appearance. The Princeton, Indiana, native got her first taste of Olympic gold in 2021 on Team USAโs 3-on-3 squad in Tokyo, Japan. This year, Young is joined by 11 other professional basketball players on Team USA, including her Las Vegas Aces teammates Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray, and Aโja Wilson.
Team USA faces Japan in its first Olympics group phase game at 2 p.m. July 29. Matchups against Belgium and Germany follow at 2 p.m. Aug. 1 and 10:15 a.m. Aug. 4, respectively. Quarterfinal games begin Aug. 7 and conclude Aug. 11. Team USAโs games will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock, NBSSports.com, and Fubo.
