MEGAN NEELEY
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
VIRGINIA CHAPATES
STAFF WRITER
9/16/2024
The 2024 Summer Oylmpics were held in Paris, France from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, Aug. 11. There were many outstanding and inspiring performances throughout this time that were especially impressive to Alma athletes.
In the track and field events, there was an astonishing new star that some are citing to be Usain Bolts’s successor: Noah Lyles.
There was a grand performance seen in the women’s 400-meter Hurdles as Anna Cockrell competed strongly in her signature event. She advanced to the final and ultimately secured bronze. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ended up breaking the world record.
“[I am] really happy for Anna Cockrell for running her race… Sydney didn’t have as much competition as she could have because of that but she still ran amazing,” said Kaitelyn Walker (’26).
In the swimming events, Léon Marchand, a French swimmer, shattered swimming legend Michael Phelp’s record in the 400-meter individual medley.
“It was really amazing to see Phelp’s reaction to Léon Marchand breaking his record, proving that Phelps just wants to see the next generation of swimmers to succeed,” said Grace Ludema (’26).
Simone Biles in gymnastics returned and made a remarkable comeback, winning gold in the all-around competition and multiple individual events.
Men’s soccer saw an unexpected champion emerge as a team from South America triumphed in a dramatic final. Tennis saw Zheng Qunwen, a young new athlete, win gold.
Ultimately, the United States had the highest medal count at 126 medals. China trailed behind with 91 medals in total. China and America tied for the gold medal count at 40 total gold medals.
Now that the Olympics have concluded, the athletes have returned home and rejoined their friends and families while resuming their 9-5 jobs and experiencing the daily life challenges of being an adult. These challenges are strikingly like the lives of Alma College students. The Olympic athletes have everyday stressors like paying the bills, making time to socialize and keeping up with training.
From the highest level of play to the lowest, all athletes share similar struggles.
“Some may not know this, but most Olympians need a [second] or [third] job to support chasing the dream,” said Maggie Steffens, the Team USA water polo captain in a recent News Week article.
Alma College athletes share this feeling as a multitude of students work more than one campus job while being student-athletes and being involved in many student organizations.
“Many Olympians have recently opened up on the toll your mental health takes when you are training to be a champion,” said Carly Cowles (’26). Cowles understands that they all go through the same or similar things, giving athletes hope that they are not the only ones struggling to become better in their sport.
Seeing other athletes go through the same things help athletes feel like they are not alone. For the Alma college athletes, knowing these themes are present at all levels helps them recognize purpose in their play.
The Almanian: News 
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