JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 2024 Olympics in Paris are right around the corner and the area has a handful of athletes who are headed to compete. Here’s a look at the athletes who were born or attended high school or college here who have qualified for the Olympics and Paralympics.
The Olympics kicks off Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. with men’s soccer. The Opening Ceremony is Friday. The Closing Ceremony is Aug. 11. The Paralympics begin on Aug. 29 and wrap up on Sept. 8.
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Locals headed to Paris
Athlete, Local connection, Olympic sport, Country
Mariandree Chacon, Jacksonville University, Women’s track and field, Guatemala
Age: 19
Notable: The rising junior at JU is the first woman from Guatemala to qualify for the 100 meter race since Christa Schumann-Lottmann in the 1984 Games.
When she competes: Prelims on Aug. 2 (4:35 a.m.); First round on Aug. 2 (5:50 a.m.); Semis on Aug. 3 (1:50 p.m.); Final on Aug. 3 (3:20 p.m.); Full schedule here.
Kyle Coon, Paxon, Men’s Paratriathlon, USA
Age: 32
Notable: This marks Coon’s second Paralympics. He competed in Paris in 2020 and finished fifth. He’s a five-time medalist (three gold, two bronze) in the World Triathlon Para Series. Coon lost his eyesight at 7 due to a rare form of eye cancer.
When he competes: The medal event in the paratriathlon is Sept. 1. Full schedule here.
Caeleb Dressel, Clay High, Men’s swimming, USA
Age: 27
Notable: The seven-time gold medalist is already one of the best athletes from this area. He went to the Games in 2016 and 2020. He won the 100 fly, 100 free and 50 free in Tokyo. Dressel added relay gold in the 4x100 free and 100 medley. Dressel won relays in the 4x100 medley and 4x100 free. Dressel swam and trained with the Bolles Sharks club program, but a common misconception is that he attended the school. Dressel is a proud Green Cove Springs native and went to and graduated from Clay High School.
4x100 free relay full schedule: July 27 heats in 4x100 free relay (6:26 a.m.); 50 free full schedule: Aug. 1 heats in 50 free (5 a.m.); Aug. 1 semis in 50 free (2:44 p.m.); Aug. 2 final in 50 free (2:30 p.m.); 100 fly full schedule: Aug. 2 prelims in 100 fly (5 a.m.); Aug. 2 semis in 100 fly (3 p.m.); Aug. 3 finals in 100 fly (2:30 p.m.); 4x100 mixed medley full schedule: Aug. 2 in 4x100 mixed medley relay heats (5 a.m.); Aug. 3 in 4x100 mixed medley relay final (3:34 p.m.); 4x100 medley relay full schedule: Aug. 3 in 4x100 medley relay heats (5 a.m.); Aug. 4 in 4x100 medley relay finals (3:06 p.m.).
McKenna DeBever, Bishop Kenny, Women’s swimming, Peru
Age: 28
Notable: The Texas A&M graduate went to the 2020 Olympics in the 100 back (31st) and 200 IM (24th). DeBever is one of just three Olympic swimmers for Peru and will compete in the 200 medley.
When she competes: Heats on Aug. 2 (5 p.m.); Semifinals on Aug. 2 (3:22 p.m.); Final on Aug. 3 (3:01 p.m.). Full schedule here.
Martin Espernberger, Bolles, Men’s swimming, Austria
Age: 20
Notable: This will be his first Olympics and Espernberger will swim in the 200 fly. The Tennessee sophomore was the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in men’s swimming and diving and was a second-team All-American selection as a freshman in the 200 fly.
When he competes: Heats on July 30 (5 a.m.); Semifinals on July 30 (2:42 p.m.); Final on July 31 (2:36 p.m.). Full schedule here.
Eduardo Garcia, Mandarin, Men’s marathon, U.S. Virgin Islands
Age: 31
Notable: The Jacksonville native and Mandarin High graduate now lives in Greenville, SC but he’s got plenty of local roots. Garcia holds just about every distance running record for Virgin Island athletes. He smashed his half-marathon record last May in the Istanbul Half-Marathon in Turkey, finishing it in 1 hour, 3 minutes, 53 seconds to beat his former mark (1:05.37) set in 2018. Last October, Garcia set the Virgin Island marathon record with a 2:17.9 in the Bakline’s McKirdy Micro Marathon. Garcia also set the Virgin Islands record in the 15K at the Gate River Run, clocking a 45:15.
When he competes: Men’s marathon on Aug. 10 (2 a.m.). Full schedule here.
Sabrina Lyn, Bolles, Women’s swimming, Jamaica
Age: 20
Notable: Wrapped up her first season at LSU and posted her best times in the 50 free, 100 free, 100 breast and 100 fly at the Art Adamson Invitational. Lyn is the only female swimmer for Jamaica in this year’s Olympics. She’s competing in the 50 free at the Games.
When she competes: Heats on Aug. 3 (5 a.m.); Semifinals on Aug. 3 (2:37 p.m.); Final on Aug. 4 (12:30 p.m.). Full schedule here.
Lucero Mejia Arce, Bolles, Women’s swimming, Guatemala
Age: 16
Notable: The only current high schooler among the local qualifiers, Arce is a rising junior at Bolles. This will be her first Olympics and she will race in the 100 back. Local followers may remember that Arce was on the 200 medley relay team at Bolles that set a state record in that event at the Class 1A state meet last November.
When she competes: Heats on July 29 (5 a.m.); Semifinals on July 29 (2:57 p.m.); Final on July 30 (2:56 p.m.). Full schedule here.
Djordje Mihailovic, born in Jacksonville, Men’s soccer, USA
Age: 25
Notable: Mihailovic was born here in 1998 but attended high school at Lemont in Illinois. He didn’t play high school soccer, rather coming up through the Chicago Blast youth program and then signing with the Chicago Fire of the MLS in 2017 at 18 years old. Mihailovic played with CF Montreal and AZ Alkmaar for three years before returning to the US with the Colorado Rapids. He’s been on the U19 and U23 men’s national teams but this is the midfielder’s first Olympics.
When he competes: USA vs. France on July 24 (3 p.m.); USA vs. New Zealand on July 27 (3 p.m.); USA vs. Guinea on July 30 (3 p.m.). Full schedule here.
Ryan Murphy, Bolles, Men’s swimming, USA
Age: 29
Notable: One of the best backstrokers in swimming history, Murphy dominated in the pool here long before he arrived at the high school level. He has six Olympic medals across the 2016 and 2020 Games. In 2020, Murphy won silver in the 200 back and bronze in the 100 back. He took gold in the 4x100 medley relay. In Rio, Murphy won three golds, the 100 and 200 back, and the 4x100 medley relay. Out of the pool, Murphy has long been an advocate for water safety and partners with the Goldfish Swim School to promote that.
100 back full schedule: July 28 in 100 back heats (5 a.m.) and semifinals (3:32 p.m.); July 29 in 100 back final (3:19 p.m.); 200 back full schedule: July 31 in the 200 back heats (5:21 a.m.) and semifinals (3:37 p.m.); Aug. 1 in the 200 back final (2:37 p.m.); 4x100 mixed medley full schedule: Aug. 2 in 4x100 mixed medley relay heats (5 a.m.); Aug. 3 in 4x100 mixed medley relay final (3:34 p.m.); 4x100 medley relay full schedule: Aug. 3 in 4x100 medley relay heats (5 a.m.); Aug. 4 in 4x100 medley relay finals (3:06 p.m.).
Poe Pinson, Fernandina Beach/Nassau Virtual School, Women’s skateboarding, USA
Age: 19
Notable: This is Pinson’s first Olympics after she missed out qualifying by one spot for the 2020 Games. She battled an assortment of injuries and wound up vaulting from 26th to fourth in the Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai. That finish propelled her to the final stop of the OQS in Budapest last month and Pinson finished 11th to earn her spot in Paris.
When she competes: Street skateboarding prelims on July 28 (6 a.m.) and finals (11 a.m.). Full schedule here.
Morgan Ray, Bartram Trail/UNF, Men’s Para swimming, USA
Age: 21
Notable: Ray had been in contention for an Olympics berth in the past. Born with achondroplasia (the most common form of short stature), Ray came close to the Games in 2020 (he was the first alternate) but finally broke through this year. Last December at the US National Para-Swimming Championships, Ray set the world record in the SB6 200 breaststroke (2:59.49), a mark that stood since 2016. Ray later won the 100 breast at the Para Trials (1:22.32).
When he competes: 200 individual medley SM6 heats on Aug. 30 (3:56 a.m.); 100 breast SB6 heats on Sept. 1 (3:30 a.m.) and finals (11:30 a.m.). Full schedule here.
Gemma Wollenschlaeger, St. Augustine Beach, Women’s Para rowing, USA
Age: 20
Notable: Born with a left clubfoot, Wollenschlager wasn’t able to do athletic events standing up. Rowing doesn’t require that, so it became the ideal sport to try. And she became quite good at it. Despite just picking the sport up five years ago, Wollenschlager attacked it and became one of the best in the country. She and teammate Todd Vogt won the 2023 Para Rowing Regatta and won silver in the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. She is a member of the PR3 mixed four with coxswaim team. Wollenschlager is currently a junior at Temple.
When she competes: PR3 mixed double sculls heats on Aug. 30 (5:30 a.m.), second round on Aug. 31 (5:10 a.m.) and finals B on Sept. 1 (4:30 a.m.) and final A (6:10 a.m.); PR3 mixed Coxed Four heats on Aug. 30 (6:10 a.m.), second round on Aug. 31 (5:30 a.m.) and finals B (4:50 a.m.) and final A (6:30 a.m.). Full schedule here.