Four Michigan Athletes Set to Represent at the 2024 Paris Paralympics

Update: 

After the conclusion of the Olympic Games in Paris, focus now shifts to the 16th edition of the Paralympic Games. Over 4,000 athletes from more than 150 nations are anticipated to compete across 22 sports.

Team USA wrapped the 2024 Paris Olympics with a medal count of 126: 40 gold, 44 silver, and 42 bronze.

Now, it's the USA Paralympians turn. The Paralympics' opening ceremony is set for Wednesday, August 28. Read below to find Michigan's Paralympians!

The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics begin today and run until August 11, with the Paralympics following at the end of the month.

Michigan boasts 17 athletes competing in various sports at these Games.

Here’s a look at Michigan's Olympians and Paralympians:

Grant Fisher: from Grand Blanc, 27, runs multiple distances in track and field, having placed fourth in the 10,000m at the 2022 world championships and competed in the 2020 Olympics.

Grace Stark: from White Lake, 23, will compete in the 100m hurdles after placing third in qualifying and being the 2024 NCAA champion.

Heath Baldwin: from Kalamazoo is a 23-year-old track and field athlete from Michigan State University, who won the Decathlon at the U.S. Track and Field Trials in June.

Bobby Body: of Eaton Rapids, a 50-year-old para powerlifter, enlisted in the U.S. Army after 9/11 and lost his left leg due to an injury in Iraq in 2013.

Devin Booker: from Grand Rapids, a 27-year-old basketball player for the Phoenix Suns, previously won a gold medal with Team USA in the 2020 Olympics.

Kate Brim: of Lowell, 26, competes in para-cycling and secured gold in both the 2022 H2 road race and H2 time trial for women.

Adam Coon: from Fowlerville, 29, a former four-time state high school champion, has competed in both the 2018 and 2019 senior world wrestling championships.

Aaron Cummings: from Muskegon, 27, plays forward for the U.S. Rugby Sevens team and has competed in the 2022 world championships.

Andrew Evans: of Portage, 33, is a discus thrower who previously placed 16th in the 2016 Olympics and 18th in the 2022 world championships.

Zach Hammer: of Ann Arbor, 18, will compete in speed climbing, a new event for the 2024 Olympics.

Hobbs Kessler: from Ann Arbor, 21, qualified for the 800m and 1500m runs.

Sorin Koszyk: from Grosse Pointe Park, 26, rows in single and double sculls and finished 13th in the 2023 world championships.

Evan Medell: from Grand Haven, 27, won bronze in Para taekwondo at the 2020 Paralympics and was the youngest to compete in a Para taekwondo world championship.

Alena Olsen: of Caledonia, 28, a rugby player, will be competing in her first Olympics after a fourth-place finish with Team USA in the 2022 world championship.

Hanna Roberts: from Buchanan, 22, a BMX cyclist, won silver at the 2020 Olympics and has six world championship medals.

Jayci Simon: from St. Johns, 19, a para badminton player, won silver in her first international tournament and finished fifth at the 2019 world championships.

Abby Tamer: of Dexter, 21, plays field hockey for Team USA and scored the decisive goal to secure the team’s spot in the 2024 Olympics.

How Many Olympic Gold Medals has Michigan Produced?

Of all the states, Michigan is ranked #9! Since the inception of the Olympic Games in 1896, Michigan has produced 23 gold medals for the USA, making it the ninth most successful state in terms of Olympic gold.

Here’s a look at the top 10 states with the most gold medals for the USA:

California leads the pack with a remarkable 127 gold medals. New York follows in second place with 70 gold medals. Ohio holds the third spot with 44 gold medals, while Illinois is fourth with 40. Texas ranks fifth with 34 gold medals.

Maryland and Pennsylvania are tied for sixth place, each contributing 31 gold medals. Florida comes in eighth with 23 gold medals, the same number as Michigan and New Jersey, which are tied for ninth place.