2024 Summer Olympics Update: Winning on the Water

Paris is currently packed with spectators from around the world witnessing athletic greatness at the 2024 Olympic Games. For water sports fans, Marinalife’s summer issue presented a 2024 Summer Olympics Watersports Guide breakdown of events ranging from artistic swimming, diving, surfing and water polo to rowing, slalom, sprint and sailing. As this weekend hosts the last events, we recap victories for Team USA and anticipate the finals. Here are some highlights.

This year celebrates girl power as the women of Team USA took home multiple medals in various aquatic sports. Securing a win on the first day of games, USA swimmers Katie Grimes and Emma Weyant won silver and bronze in the women’s 400m individual medley. The USA women’s diving team claimed a victory as Kassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon won silver in the women’s 3m synchronized springboard. USA also dominated swimming and broke a world record while taking home the gold in the women’s 4x100 medley relay. 

One of the most exciting USA victories honors gold medalist Katie Ledecky, a Maryland native and returning champ, who made history by becoming the second swimmer ever to win an event at four straight Summer Games. Right off the bat, Ledecky took bronze in the 400m freestyle swim. This race was one of the most hyped watersport events as Ledecky faced off with Australian defending champ, Ariarne Titmus. 

Ledecky returned with a vengeance and won two gold medals in Paris dominating both the women’s 800m and 1500m freestyle finals. The only other athlete to win more golds is legendary swimmer Michael Phelps — also a Maryland native. Ledecky is now the most decorated U.S. female Olympian in history. 

The men of Team USA’s watersports also celebrated monumental moments as swimmer Bobby Finke won the gold in the men’s 1500m free and set a new world record. The US Sailing Team took home the bronze in the men’s skiff (49er) event, achieving the team’s first Olympic medal since Rio 2016.

Catch the finale of life performance broadcasted on NBC’s streaming platform Peacock and stay tuned at olympics.com/en/paris-2024