At the XXXIII Summer Olympics in Paris, all eyes will be on the medal tally to see which country racks up the lion’s share of gold, silver, and bronze from July 26 to August 11. But when it comes to determining which state sends the most athletes to France, there’s no competition whatsoever—California boasts the most Olympians by a mile.
As of press time, 127 athletes from the Golden State have qualified to represent Team USA across a broad swath of sports. Texas has the second highest count at 39, less than a third of California’s tally. It’s no surprise: In the Golden State, athletic excellence is king. California is home to 21 major professional sports franchises, far more than any other state. Schools like UCLA, Stanford, and UC Berkeley all have powerhouse athletic programs. Plus, California’s forward-thinking culture makes the state a hothouse for burgeoning Olympic sports like climbing, skateboarding, surfing, and breaking.
Standouts include Natalia Grossman, a sport climber from Santa Cruz, who won gold at the 2021 World Championships; the twin sister badminton duo of Annie and Kerry Xu from San Jose; and Paralympic athlete Dana Mathewson from San Diego, the first American to win a major wheelchair tennis title in 2022 at Wimbledon. NBA stars Kawhi Leonard and Jrue Holiday—both hailing from Los Angeles—will attempt to snag the United States' fifth straight gold medal in basketball.
Get a sense of the diversity of talent, homegrown in California, through this alphabetical list of athletes from every corner of the state. From 18-year-old Oceanside-born surfer Caitlin Simmers, competing in her very first national games, to judo athlete Christella Garcia, 45, from Sacramento, returning to the Paralympics for the third time, every competitor here has their own journey and unique California story.
California Athletes at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games
Andy Benesh, Beach Volleyball, Rancho Palos Verdes
Clayton Brackett, Wheelchair Rugby, Irvine
Tate Carew, Skateboarding, San Diego
Kelly Cheng, Beach Volleyball, Fullerton
Griffin Colapinto, Surfing, San Clemente
Azja Czajkowski, Rowing, Chula Vista
TJ Defalco, Volleyball, Huntington Beach
Kendall Ellis, Track and Field, North Hollywood
Amit Elor, Wrestling, Walnut Creek
Rachel Fattal, Water Polo, Seal Beach
Jenna Flynn, Water Polo, San Jose
Catalina Gnoriega, Archery, San Diego
Jennie Gai, Badminton, Fremont
Christella Garcia, Para Judo, Sacramento
Kaleigh Gilchrist, Water Polo, Newport Beach
Yanxiao Gong, Para Shooting, Malibu
Jajaira Gonzalez, Boxing, Glendora
Chelsea Gray, Basketball, Hayward
Natalia Grossman, Sport Climbing, Santa Cruz
Hans Henken, Sailing, San Francisco
Jrue Holiday, Basketball, Los Angeles
Sara Hughes, Beach Volleyball, Costa Mesa
Nyjah Huston, Skateboarding, Davis
Sabrina Ionescu, Basketball, Walnut Creek
Nick Itkin, Fencing, Los Angeles
Kanak Jha, Table Tennis, Milpitas
Chris Joslin, Skateboarding, Hawaiian Gardens
Kara Kohler, Rowing, Clayton
Kawhi Leonard, Basketball, Los Angeles
Amanda Longan, Water Polo, Moorpark
Jacklyn Luu, Artistic Swimming, Milpitas
Sagen Maddalena, Shooting, Groveland
Kareem Maddox, Basketball, Los Angeles
Alexander Massialas, Fencing, San Francisco
Dana Mathewson, Wheelchair Tennis, San Diego
Gerek Meinhardt, Fencing, San Francisco
Collin Morikawa, Golf, La Cañada
Daniela Moroz, Sailing, Lafayette
Garrett Muagututia, Volleyball, Oceanside
Maddie Musselman, Water Polo, Newport Beach
Kevin Nguyen, Para Shooting, Westminster
CJ Nickolas, Taekwondo, Brentwood
Michael Norman, Track and Field, Murrieta
Fiona O'Keeffe, Track and Field, Davis
Dominique Parrish, Wrestling, Scotts Valley
Miles Partain, Beach Volleyball, Pacific Palisades
Kelsey Plum, Basketball, Poway
Kathryn Plummer, Volleyball, Aliso Viejo
Tara Prentice, Water Polo, Temecula
Courtney Ryan, Wheelchair Basketball, San Diego
Jorge Salazar, Wheelchair Basketball, Delano
Tom Schaar, Skateboarding, Malibu
Xander Schauffele, Golf, San Diego
Michelle Sechser, Rowing, Folsom
Caitlin Simmers, Surfing, Oceanside
David Smith, Volleyball, Santa Clarita
Taylor Spivey, Triathlon, Redondo Beach
Maggie Steffens, Water Polo, Danville
Rachel Sung, Table Tennis, San Jose
Diana Taurasi, Basketball, Chino
Justine Wong Orantes, Volleyball, Cypress
Annie Xu, Badminton, San Jose
Kerry Xu, Badminton, San Jose
Nico Young, Track and Field, Camarillo
Lily Zhang, Table Tennis, Palo Alto
If you’re inspired by the feats of speed, skill, and strength, there are plenty of spots in California where you can play Olympian for a day. Visit the epic swells in San Diego, Santa Cruz, or Santa Barbara. Sign up for a destination-worthy race like the Big Sur International Marathon or Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County. Or head to rock climbing hotspots like Joshua Tree National Park, Mammoth Lakes, or Lake Tahoe.