USA Artistic Swimming announces field for Paris Olympics
Earlier this year, at the world championships in Doha, the U.S. artistic swimming team qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Now, the organization has announced the final group that will compete at next month’s Games in Paris, with eight swimmers on the Olympic team, down from 12 from the world championships team that has a much more extensive competition schedule.
Highlights of the roster include: Anita AlvarezThis will be his third Olympic appearance. Anita Alvarez, Daniella Ramirez, Megumi Field, Jamie Czarkowski, Jacqueline Roux, Audrey Kwon, Keana Hunter and Ruby Remattiand Calista Liu Serves as a substitute for the team.
This is the first Olympics where artistic swimming will include mixed-gender teams, allowing up to two men to register, and the U.S. was expected to field a male candidate on its team. Bill Mayis a 45-year-old international veteran of the sport. May was the first man to win a world championship medal in team artistic swimming when he won an acrobatic silver medal for the United States in Fukuoka last summer, and he has won a total of six world championship medals in his career. However, due to low roster sizes for Olympic competition, May was not named to the final team.
Read the full press release announcing USA Artistic Swimming’s athlete selections:
“It has been a long, calculated and tough selection process since Doha. All 12 of our players qualified for the team in February and each of them made history and brought new hope to our country. No one can take this right away from them. These 12 will forever be our heroes,” said the head coach. Andrea Fuentes.
CEO Adam Andrusco “We congratulate our eight Olympians and Olympic alternates who have earned this moment through years of hard work and dedication. We also congratulate and recognize the entire national team who helped us qualify. Without them, we would not be here,” Andrusco continued, thanking not only the Olympians but the artistic swimming community as well. “We congratulate the parents, friends, coaches, judges, all the members of USA Artistic Swimming who supported these athletes, and everyone else beyond. Together, we have built a team we can believe in, a team that inspires us all.”
After countless practice evaluations, rigorous data analysis from performances at two World Cups and meticulous consideration, the USAAS coaching staff is proud to announce their selection of the top nine athletes who will represent the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and lead the United States to its first podium finish in 20 years.
The athletes who will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympics are: Anita Alvarez, Daniella Ramirez, Megumi Field (duet), Jamie Czarkowski (duet), Jacqueline Roux, Audrey Kwon, Keana Hunter, Ruby Rematti and Calista Liu Served as an alternate athlete at the Olympics.
“To select our eight finalists and one reserve, we created an environment to identify the highest level of the values that define our team philosophy,” said Fuentes. “By combining the players’ physical and technical abilities, this process allowed us to select the team that will best represent the United States at the Olympic Games.”
Although the selection process was difficult for the USAAS coaching staff, Fuentes is confident in the final selection. “Each member of this Olympic team embodies the highest levels of excellence, resilience and unity that are our hallmarks. Together they carry the hopes of a nation and together we will strive to perform at our best and make you all proud this summer.”
Alvarez will make his third Olympic appearance in Paris, solidifying his status as U.S. Artistic Swimming’s first three-time Olympian. Though he’s no stranger to Olympic preparation, Alvarez said his confidence is steadily growing with this lineup heading into Paris. “Our confidence is steady. I think we’re in great shape. Every time we get an opportunity to compete, it gives us new confidence in ourselves and what we want to show in Paris, but at the same time, it tells us that we still have a lot of room to grow.”
The remaining seven athletes will adopt the nickname “Olympians” after they jump into the pool on Aug. 5., This will be the first Olympics for many of the young athletes.
The road to Paris for the U.S. will be fraught with obstacles, but with these eight players and a dedicated coaching staff, the U.S. is determined to turn heads in France, shatter expectations and deliver a historic victory for the red, white and blue.
