At the Olympic Games this summer, Black athletes will take to the world stage in Paris outfitted in red, white and blue, representing the United States with stars and stripes stamped across their uniforms.
Black athletes will be some of the most high-profile Olympians at the Paris Summer Games. Simone Biles will be making her highly awaited return to the mat, LeBron James will carry the American flag at the opening ceremony Friday, and track star Noah Lyles will set his sights on overtaking Usain Bolt’s gold medal records.
On the road to the Paris Games, Black Olympians spoke with NBC News about the special obligations of Black athletes representing the United States and stepping up as role models.
Crystal Dunn: ‘I’m not just playing for just me’
When Crystal Dunn steps onto the field as the veteran defender on the U.S. women’s national soccer team, she’s not just playing for herself, she said.
“The way that I choose to carry myself in every game, and every moment on the field, I feel like I know I’m not just playing for just me, I’m playing for girls that look like me, and maybe for girls who are fearful of staying in the sport because they don’t feel like they’re welcomed,” Dunn told NBC News in April.
Dunn is headed to her third Olympic Games with Team USA, but the soccer star remembers growing up on Long Island, New York, and not seeing many other Black athletes. “I was that young Black girl who looked around, too, and didn’t see a lot of people who looked like me,” Dunn recalled.
While Dunn played on the 2019 World Cup-winning squad, she has not won an Olympic gold medal. After the beloved team’s loss at the World Cup last year, Dunn said the team is ready for the world stage. “I think the team is in a really good position to put our best foot forward,” Dunn said.
Ashleigh Johnson: Making water polo history, making space for others
![What it means to be a Black Olympian representing the U.S. on the global stage 1 Ashleigh Johnson.](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2024-05/240503-Ashleigh-Johnson-ch-1154-59ca4e.jpg)
Two-time Olympian Ashleigh Johnson said the longer she plays water polo, the less it becomes about her.
“As a Black woman of Caribbean descent in this sport, I definitely feel a special obligation to be a light for little Black and brown girls — and boys — who may be interested in swimming and water polo,” Johnson told NBC News in May.
At times, being the only Black athlete on the national team had felt isolating, Johnson said. But now, as Johnson gears up for her third Olympic Games, she has embraced her role as a trailblazer in the sport.
“You end up realizing you have the power to change that and to make it a welcoming space for other Black people or brown people who may come after you,” she said.
Frederick Richard: Bringing men’s gymnastics to the mainstream
![What it means to be a Black Olympian representing the U.S. on the global stage 2 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships fred Frederick Richard](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2024-06/240613-fort-worth-texas-fred-richard-gymnast-ac-846p-bd2b2d.jpg)
Frederick Richard’s parents put him into gymnastics at age 2 because he was inspired by the tricks he’d seen in his older sister’s classes. Now, as he leads Team USA in Paris, Richard himself is inspiring kids to get into the sport.
“There’s a lot of Black kids that wanted to get into the sport or don’t know how to or kind of don’t have someone to look up to, and my content has been that for them,” Richard said to NBC News in June. “Just to learn about me, see what I’m doing, kind of get inspired. And that’s pretty crazy to think about and see.”
Richard, who scored highest in the all-around category at the Olympic trials, is also inspiring fans beyond competitions. On TikTok, Richard’s videos in the gym have garnered millions of views.
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