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Celebrating Olympic Athletes With Ties To Seattle
A source of cultural pride and community identity
By Sarah Stackhouse August 8, 2024
Over a small dinner party with moms from my daughter’s Girl Scout troop, the conversation turned to the Olympics. To my surprise, two of the moms were Olympians themselves — one competed in track cycling, and the other in rowing. Their stories got me thinking about Seattle-area athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Here are a few of them.
Nevin Harrison, a Roosevelt High School alum, is in Paris after making history in Tokyo as the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic gold in kayak or canoe at just 19. She’s competing again in the Women’s Canoe Sprint today.
Jonas Ecker and Aaron Small, from Bellingham and Seattle, respectively, are sprint kayakers racing in the Men’s K2 500m Sprint. These friends, who bonded over paddling at the Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club, practicing on Green Lake, have advanced to the semifinals, racing on Aug. 9.
Washington Rowing broke records in Paris, with 11 alumni earning medals — the most in the program’s history. This surpasses its previous high of nine medals in 1936 when the “Boys in the Boat” won gold.
In Artistic Swimming, Keana Hunter and Audrey Kwon are representing Seattle Synchro. They’re part of the first full U.S. team of nine artistic swimmers sent to the Olympics in 16 years. They earned a silver medal after three performances, one of which was a Michael Jackson-inspired routine featuring an underwater moonwalk. This marks the first U.S. medal in the event since 2004.
Seattle’s basketball scene is also well-represented. Former Seattle Storm legend and two-time Olympic gold medalist Breanna Stewart (now with the New York Liberty), current Storm player Jewell Loyd, and UW alum Kelsey Plum are all playing with Team USA, and will be competing in their quarterfinal. Hailey Van Lith of Wenatchee, and Storm forward Cierra Burdick won the bronze in 3X3 Women’s Basketball. NBA superstar and former Sonics player Kevin Durant, who has three gold medals, just became the all-time leading scorer in men’s Olympic basketball.
One of the Olympians at the dinner party mentioned how much work and dedication it takes to compete at this level, and I seriously considered asking for her autograph. I now have an even greater sense of connection to both these athletes and the community as we celebrate our collective identity here in Seattle.
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