Team USA enters the Paris 2024 Olympics as a strong favorite to win the overall and gold medal count. Oddsmakers have the USA at -2500 to win the most medals, with China a distant second at +900. The USA is an overwhelming favorite to bag the most golds at -500. The over/under on gold medals for the USA is 41.5. That includes both individual and team events.

But those medals won’t come easily. There are 592 athletes on Team USA. The Americans will be tested.

LeBron James waved the Stars and Stripes for the U.S. in Friday's Opening Ceremony along with tennis star Coco Gauff. James leads the USA men’s basketball team in its bid to win a 5th straight gold medal. Team USA is -400 to win Gold. But the international field has never been deeper.

The Team USA women's basketball team seeks its 8th-straight gold, going back to 1996.

Many Olympic athletes only find the national or world-wide spotlight every 4 years. The Americans are poised to return as gold medalists in overall women’s gymnastics. And they expect to repeat their medal haul in the swimming pool and athletics.

The Americans could well sweep gold in golf, as well. 

24 USA Athletes To Watch In Paris  

Here is a rundown of 24 notable Team USA Olympians to watch during the Paris Games. Athletes are listed in alphabetical order with their event(s) and available odds. Some events have yet to post odds.

1. Simone Biles | Gymnastics 

Odds: Team USA -195 Team All-Around
Buzz: Biles and her fellow Team USA gymnasts will be among the first American stars in the spotlight, with gymnastics beginning on the first full day of competition. Biles has dominated the past decade in her sport unlike any other athlete in any other sport. She’s won every all-around competition she’s entered since 2013. She’ll be seeking a return to the all-around gold medal stand after she pulled out of the team and all-around finals in Tokyo with the twisties. She took two years away from the sport. But expect her to illuminate Paris unlike any other light this time. 

2. Ryan Crouser | Athletics 

Odds: Shotput -175
Buzz: Crouser, 31, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a three-time World Champion in the shot put. He’s a strong favorite to do so again in Paris at -175. Crouser holds both the indoor and outdoor record in that event. Considered the greatest shot putter of all time, Crouser has struggled with injuries leading up to the Games. But he’s believed to be ready to make a full effort at another gold. 

3. Caleb Dressel | Swimming

Odds: 100m Butterfly +210; 50M Freestyle: +220
Buzz: Like gymnastics, swimming begins on the first dull day of competition and highlights the the first week of the Games. Dressel made a big splash in Tokyo, winning 5 Golds, including 3 individuals. Like Katie Ledecky, he owns 7 gold  medals. This will be his third Games. He took 2 years off after Tokyo focused on his mental health. His 2 individual events in Paris will be the 100M butterfly and 50M free. He’s the favorite in the 100m Butterfly at +210 and the second choice in the 50m free at +220, behind Australia’s Cameron McEvoy (+105).

4. Kevin Durant | Basketball

Odds: Team USA -400; Olympics MVP +900
Buzz: Durant hasn’t played during the run-up to the Games due to a nagging calf injury but is expected to be on the court in Paris. At least in a limited capacity. He’s won 3 golds for Team USA, going back to London in 2012. With 435 total points, Durant is the all-time scoring leader in men’s Olympic history. This will be Team USA's toughest test since their 2004 debacle. So Durant will contribute, if able. 

5. John John Florence | Surfing

Odds: +380
Buzz: Florence is the No. 1 ranked surfer in the world but the No. 2 pick to win gold in Tahiti, behind Brazil’s Gabriel Medina, at +240. Florence, 31, suffered an ACL injury ahead of the Tokyo Games. But he’s healthy this time. Or as healthy as one his line of work can be. The Hawai’i native is considered the best backside tuberider in the world.  

6. Jimmer Fredette | 3x3 basketball

Odds: Team USA +170
Buzz: The Americans are the second choice at +170, behind Serbia at +150, to win gold in 3x3 basketball. The Americans may be late to the 3X3 party, but the 35-year-old Fredette helped the Americans to win gold in the 2022 AmeriCup and 2023 Pan Am Games. The 2011 AP College Player of the Year from BYU can still bury the “2 pointer,” which is what shots outside the arc are worth. This one will be fun to watch.

7. Coco Gauff | Tennis

Odds: Singles +650; Doubles +750
Buzz: Gauff is ranked No. 2 in the world at age 20 and has become the sport's newest young superstar. She won the U.S. Open last year. Guaff was named the Team USA women’s flag bearer for the opening ceremonies by her fellow Olympians. Her biggest challenge for gold in singles is Poland’s Iga Swiatek (-190). Gauff will be playing in doubles in Paris with Jessica Pegula. She may give mixed doubles a try, as well. 

8. Jahmal Harvey | Boxing

Odds: 57kg +470

Buzz: Paris will be Harvey’s first Olympics, but it may be boxing’s last. The IOC has fallen out with boxing’s regulatory bodies but agreed to keep the current rules this time. Harvey won gold in the 2023 Pan Am Games. He’s seeking gold in the 125-pound class this time and is No. 3 pick at +470.

9. Vincent Hancock | Shooting

Odds: Men’s Skeet +375
Buzz: Hancock owns 3 golds and competes in his 5th Olympic Games. He’s the favorite to win the gold in skeet at Paris at +375. He leads the 8-member USA team after winning at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Hancock spent 6 years as an Army marksman. He won team golds in skeet, in 2008 and 2012. After a 15th place outing in Rio, he won his 3rd gold medal in Tokyo. 

10. Chase Kalisz | Swimming

Odds: 400m IM +1600
Buzz: Kalisz 30, bounced back to win gold in the 400m individual medley in Tokyo after settling for silver in Rio. He said “let the U.S. down” in his signature event with the 2016 silver as American swimmers had won that event in the previous 5 Games. Kalisz began training with Michael Phelps at age 13.

11. Nelly Korda, Golf

Odds: Golf +500
Buzz: Korda’s 2024 run through the LPGA Tour has been historic. She won 5 straight starts this year, concluding that romp with a win the Chevron Championship, one of the Tour’s major events. Korda, 25, made history in Tokyo by becoming the first golfer to win Olympic gold and a major championship in the same year. Golf was not contested in the Olympics from 1904 to 2012. PGA Tour pro Kevin Kisner dubbed her the "Tiger Woods of the LPGA Tour."

12. Katie Ledecky I Swimming

Odds: 800m -470
Buzz: Ledecky owns 7 Olympic gold medals and 10 overall. She’s the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history. This is her fourth Games representing the Red, White, and Blue in the pool. She hasn’t been beaten at 800 meters in over a decade. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier this year. But she’s hardly satisfied. Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and Canada’s Summer McIntosh are the biggest threats in the 800m.

13. Suni Lee I Gymnastics 

Odds: Team USA -195 Team All-Around 
Buzz: Lee won the gold in the all-around in Tokyo in the absence of Biles. She’s recovering from a kidney related ailment that hindered her training. Her goal this time around is to win the gold in the beam. 

14. Noah Lyles I Athletics  

Odds: 100M +150
Buzz: Lyles will participate in the 100, 200, and 4x100 relay team for Team USA. His 19.53 in the 200m in during the Olympic trials (above) broke a 28-year-old record. He enters the games as six-time world champion and stands poised to race to at least 3 medals in Parks. He’s looking to win the “Sprint Triple” by taking gold in those events. Lyles enjoys the spotlight and will surprise with his pre- and post-race antics. 

15. Caroline Marks I Surfing

Odds: +340
Buzz: The first thing to know about Olympic surfing is that it will be contested in the greatest Olympic venue of all time: Teahupo'o, Tahiti. The venue is 9836 miles from Paris. Marks, 22, won the 2023 World Surf League Women’s World Championship and has won multiple national titles. She is poised to be a breakout star in the Games given the setting of the surfing competition. Marks is a co-favorite to win gold along with France’s Vahine Fierro. Look for American Caitlin Summers to join her on the podium. 

16. Boyd Martin I Equestrian

Odds: Individual Eventing +1000
Buzz: Martin has broken 18 bones and undergone 22 different surgeries while riding in his quest for an Olympic medal. At 45, this will be his fourth Games. He’s been riding competitively since age 16. The American men are the betting favorite along with Germany to win bronze in the team competition. Martin will be riding a horse named Bruno in tribute to a rider who died after a 2022 fall while riding the same horse. This year, the equestrian events will be held at the Palace of Versailles.  

17. Ryan Murphy I Swimming

Odds: 100m Backstroke +175; 200m Backstroke +130
Buzz: Murphy burst onto the Olympic swimming scene in Rio by winning 3 gold medals at age 21. He’s favored in Paris to take gold in the 100m backstroke (+175) and 200m backstroke (+130.) His Rio world record of 51.97 seconds in the 100-meter backstroke stood until 2022. Murphy also won gold in the 200-meter backstroke and the 4x100-meter medley. In Tokyo, he earned gold with his Team USA mates in the 4x100-meter medley relay, silver in the 200-meter backstroke, and bronze in the 100-meter backstroke. 

20. Fred Richard I Gymnastics 

Odds: Team USA +470 Team All-Around
Buzz: If the American men hope to medal in gymnastics in Paris, “Frederick Flips” will be a key reason why. The USA men have been also-rans in the Olympics since 2008. Richard and the USA men earned a bronze in the most recent world championships. The 3-time NCAA champ is a must-follow on Instagram.

21. Sha'Carri Richardson I Athletics 

Odds: 100m -170
Buzz: America loves a good Olympic redemption story. Richardson is poised to deliver just that in Paris as the solid betting favorite in the 100-meter at -170. Richardson’s Olympic dreams were snuffed in Tokyo after she tested positive for marijuana after qualifying for the team. In June, she ran the fastest women’s 100 meters ever (10.71 seconds) to qualify for the Games. She also anchored the 4x100 relay team that beat Jamaica a year ago in the worlds. 

22. Masai Russell I Athletics 

Odds: 100m +300
Buzz; Russell is the No. 3 pick at 3-1 to win the gold in the 100-meter hurdles. Her time of 12.25 seconds in the 100m hurdles final at U.S. Track and Field Trials is the best in the world this year. 

23. Scottie Scheffler I Golf

Odds: Golf +310 
Buzz: Ranked No. 1 in the world. Scheffler has dominated the PGA Tour this season. At one point, he won four times in six starts – including his 2nd green jacket at Augusta. He had six wins overall before July 1. Scheffler’s only hiccup was his arrest before the start of the PGA Championship. Those foolish charges were soon dropped. Fellow American Xander Schauffele, who has the second-best price at +600, won both the PGA Championship and Open Championship. He closed out the field at Troon with a 65 in the final round and carried that momentum across the English Channel. Le Golf National plays host this time, as it did for the 2018 Ryder Cup. The men and women will compete in four rounds of stroke play.

24. Diana Turasi I Basketball

Odds: Team USA -3500
Buzz: The venerable Turasi seeks her record 6th Olympic Gold on the court for Team USA. It is believed her inclusion on the team cost WNBA rookie sensation Caitlin Clark a spot. The team is nonetheless loaded, with A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart joining Taurasi. The Americans are monster favorites to win gold at -3500, meaning you would have to bet $35 to win $1.