This week, the top athletes in the world are heading to Paris to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games. Make sure to tune into the opening ceremony this Friday at 1:30 p.m. to support the U.S. and keep an eye out for a few local athletes fighting for gold.
There are a handful of athletes and coaches competing this year who grew up in and around the county. They trained on Westchester fields, swam laps in local pools, and ran on our university’s tracks.
Rai Benjamin
Hometown: Mount Vernon
Competition: Track and field
Rai Benjamin specializes in the 400m and 400m hurdles, holding the second fastest time in history in the 400m hurdles. The 26-year-old graduated from Mount Vernon High School and went on to run for the University of Southern California. Benjamin competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, where he earned one gold and one silver medal.
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Sam Coffey
Hometown: Sleepy Hollow
Competition: Soccer
Competing on the USWNT as a midfielder, Sam Coffey grew up in Sleepy Hollow. She played youth club soccer for Match-Fit Academy and New York Soccer Club where she was named an all-American. Coffey grew up in Sleepy Hollow but played for the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry where she was selected as team MVP all four years and caption for two seasons. The midfielder went on to play college soccer at Boston College in 2017 and transferred to Pennsylvania State University during the 2019 season. Coffey was selected for the 18-player roster for this year’s Olympics.
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Kate Douglass
Hometown: Pelham
Competition: Swimming
This 22-year-old local Olympian grew up in Pelham. After her time at Pelham High School and swimming for the Westchester Aquatic Club, she graduated from the University of Virginia. Douglass first dipped her toes into the Olympic pools back when she earned a bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games for competing in the 200m Individual Medley. Douglass won her first gold medal in this year’s Women’s 200M Breaststroke.
Where to Watch the Hometown Sensation Go For Gold!
The Picture House Pelham is hosting a special watch party for swimming sensation and Pelham native, Kate Douglass, who is competing for Team USA in Paris this week and next. Be sure to stop by to watch one of the best female swimmers in the world compete on the big screen at The Picture House. Over the course of the next two weeks, Douglass will compete in multiple events. Viewing parties will take place in the Main Hall in Pelham for the finals of:
- Saturday, July 27 2:30 p.m.: Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay, Race: 3:34 p.m.
- Thursday, August 1 2:30 p.m.: Women’s 200M Breaststroke, Race: 3:04 p.m.
- Saturday, August 3 2:30 p.m.: Women’s 200 IM Final, Mixed Medley Race, 3:01 p.m.
- Sunday, August 4 1:00 p.m.: Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay Race, 1:26 p.m.
*All times are Eastern Standard Time
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Mclain Ward
Hometown: Brewster
Competition: Equestrian
Brewster’s Mclain Ward was introduced to riding before he could walk. He earned the nickname “The Kid” after becoming the youngest rider to win the United States Equestrian Federation’s Show Jumping Derby at the age of 14 in 1990. He went on to compete in the 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Olympic Games. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Ward won the gold medal alongside Peter Wylde, Beezie Madden, and Chris Kappler for Team Jumping. Ward currently has two gold and two silver medals under his belt and is hoping to take home another medal in his sixth consecutive Olympics, where he will be part of the U.S. Jumping Team Short List. Ward and his family currently reside in Brewster, where they operate Castle Hill Farm.
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Gaels Repping Iona University
Leonard Korir
Hometown: Colorado Springs
Competition: Track & Field
Leonard Korir is headed to the Olympics as part of the U.S. Marathon Team after four months of uncertainty. The American long-distance runner graduated from Iona College in 2012. Additionally, Korir competed in the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro.
Emma Hayes
USWNT Coach
The former Iona women’s soccer head coach will lead the U.S. Women’s National Team in Paris. The English soccer professional coached the Gaels from 2003-2006, during which time she led the team to win 22 games. Last month, she named the 18-player USWNT roster, which is looking forward to taking on Zambia on July 25.
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Related: Westchester Native Earns Second Place in Golf Tournament
