Mississippi will have numerous athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Ole Miss and Mississippi State are well represented, and so are native Mississippians. Combined, they will compete in five sports for 11 countries and one U.S. territory.
The Games begin July 24 and run until Aug. 11. The Opening Ceremony is July 26.
Here is a full list of athletes with Mississippi ties who will be participating in this year’s Olympics.
Men’s basketball
Devin Booker (USA)
Booker played high school basketball at Moss Point and was a McDonald’s All-American in 2014. The guard is a four-time NBA All-Star and played one season of college basketball at Kentucky.
Women’s basketball
Ahlana Smith (Puerto Rico)
Smith is Mississippi State’s first basketball Olympian. She played one season with the Bulldogs in 2022-23 and had previous stints at UCLA, Gulf Coast State and Louisville.
Women’s soccer
Ilana Izquierdo (Colombia)
The Mississippi State midfielder is making her Olympics debut. She is one of 11 Bulldogs in school history to compete in the Games while still enrolled. She started all 23 games for Mississippi State last season and played a school-record 2,097 minutes. Izquierdo transferred to MSU after two seasons at Southern Miss.
Catalina Perez (Colombia)
Perez is participating in her second Olympics. The goalkeeper played one season at Mississippi State after transferring from Miami.
Shu Ohba (Japan)
The Ole Miss goalkeeper is an alternate for Japan. She started 14 games for the Rebels in her 2023 junior season and was an All-SEC second-team selection. Ohba played her first two seasons at East Tennessee State.
Rafaella Souza (Brazil)
Souza is a former Ole Miss Rebel who scored 44 goals in 61 appearances. She’s been playing professionally since 2014 and is currently with the Orlando Pride of the NWSL.
Men’s tennis
Nuno Borges (Portugal)
Event: Singles and doubles
Borges is Mississippi State’s first tennis Olympian. He was a three-time SEC Player of the Year (2017-19) and is ranked as the No. 50 player in the world.
MORE: Ole Miss track and field athletes McKenzie Long, Raven Saunders headed to Paris Olympics
Track and field
Navasky Anderson (Jamaica)
Event: 800 meters
Anderson was a three-time All-American at Mississippi State and holds the Jamaican national record for the 800-meter run.
Lee Eppie (Botswana)
Event: 4×400 relay
Eppie was at Mississippi State in 2022 and 2023. The Botswana relay team qualified for the Olympics by winning with World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas. This will be his first appearance in the Olympics.
Mario Garcia Romo (Spain)
Event: 1,500
Romo, a former Ole Miss runner, is making his Olympics debut. He is a seven-time NCAA All-American.
McKenzie Long (USA)
Event: 200
Long qualified for her first Olympics by placing third in the 200 final at the U.S. Olympic Trials. The Ole Miss redshirt senior transferred to the Rebels in 2023 after beginning her career at NC State.
Raven Saunders (USA)
Event: Shot put
Saunders, a former Ole Miss athlete, hurled the shot put 65 feet, 2.75 inches at the U.S. Olympic Trials to earn a third Olympics appearance. She was a silver medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Marco Arop (Canada)
Event: 800
Apop was with Mississippi State from 2018-20, where he broke the school’s 800 record. He also holds the Canadian record for the 800. This is his second time in the Olympics.
Anderson Peters (Grenada)
Event: Javelin
Peters is a two-time NCAA champion during his time at Mississippi State from 2017 to 2019. He placed 15th in the javelin in the last Olympics with an 80.42-meter throw.
Shelby McEwen (USA)
Event: High jump
McEwen is an Abbeville native and a former Northwest Mississippi Community College basketball player. He joined the track and field team at Alabama and rose to stardom in the high jump. This will be his second time competing in the Olympics.
Curtis Thompson (USA)
Event: Javelin
Thompson won the NCAA javelin championship for Mississippi State in 2016 and was a runner-up in 2019. He placed 21st in the last Olympic Games with a 78.20-meter throw.
Sam Kendricks (USA)
Event: Pole vault
Kendricks will compete in the Olympics after questions were raised on whether or not he’d accept an invitation. The Oxford native and former Rebel won the pole vault event at the U.S. Olympic Trials and also won the bronze medal in the 2016 Olympic Games.
Sintayehu Vissa (Italy)
Event: 1,500
Vissa was a five-time All-American at Ole Miss. This will be her Olympics debut
Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Paris Olympics: Every athlete with Mississippi ties in 2024 Games
