The 2024 Paris Olympics begin on Friday and there are several Saskatchewan athletes competing in the Games

Regina Leader-Post Staff

As the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris get underway on Friday, there will be 338 Canadian athletes competing in 329 events across 32 sports.

And among the long list of athletes competing this year, 16 of them either call Saskatchewan home or have ties to the province.

Meet the Athletes

Paige Crozon – 3×3 basketball

Crozon will be part of Canada’s 3×3 women’s basketball squad that will compete in its first Olympics since the sport was introduced at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

The 30-year-old Humboldt product previously helped Canada win back-to-back titles at the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series in 2022 and 2023.

Michelle Harrison – Athletics

Harrison is a three-time national champion who will be competing in his first Olympics.

The 31-year-old Saskatoon product, who has represented Canada eight times throughout her international career, is set to race in the women’s 100-metre hurdles on Aug. 2 and 3.

Anicka Newell – Athletics

Newell, a pole vaulter, will be attending her third Olympics after also competing at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Games.

Born and raised in Texas, Newell, 31, spent summers in Saskatoon growing up, where her mom’s side of the family is from.

Blaire McDowell – Water polo

McDowell, who moved to Regina when she was a teenager, attended Martin Collegiate where she specialized in water polo.

After high school, the 23-year-old attended Arizona State University before joining the national team.

Carissa Norsten – Rugby 7s

Norsten, a 20-year-old Waldheim product, will be making her Olympic debut with the women’s Rugby 7s squad.

In 2023, she helped Canada win silver at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. Earlier this year, Norsten was named HSBC SVNS women’s rookie of the year.

Kenzie Priddell – Artistic swimming

The Regina product is a co-captain of Canada’s women’s artistic swimming team, who recently medalled in all three team events at the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup in June.

Priddell, 27, will be attending her second Olympics after being an alternate for the team at the 2020 Games.

Sydney Carroll – Artistic swimming

Carroll, a Saskatoon product, will be an alternate on Canada’s artistic swimming team in Paris.

A member of the senior national team since 2020, Carroll helped Canada win bronze at the 2023 Pan American Games.

Savannah Sutherland – Athletics

From the small town of Borden, the 20-year-old Sutherland will be making her Olympic debut.

She will be competing in the women’s 400-m hurdles and the women’s 4 x 400-m relay.

Blake Tierney – Swimming

Tierney, a Saskatoon product, qualified for Paris after winning the 100-m backstroke at the Olympic Swimming Trials in May. The 22-year-old will also compete in the 200-m backstroke.

At the 2023 Pan American Games, he won five medals, including a bronze in the 100-m backstroke along with four relay medals.

Rylan Wiens – Diving

Wiens, a Pike Lake product, will be competing in his second Olympics after making his debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he missed qualifying for the semifinal by just one spot.

This year, Wiens, 22, will be competing the men’s platform 10-m and the synchronized platform 10-m.

Margo Erlam – Diving

Erlam will be competing in the women’s 3-m springboard event after winning gold at the Canadian Diving Trials in May.

Born in Calgary, Erlam, 22, moved to Saskatoon when she was 16 to train and has since gone on to represent Canada several times before, including at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where she won bronze in the women’s 3-m synchronized event.

Trey Lyles – Basketball

Lyles, 28, was born in Saskatoon but moved to Indiana with his family when he was seven. He grew up playing in the USA development system but decided to represent Canada internationally.

He has since gone on to play more than 500 games in the NBA and will be looking to help Canada win gold when men’s basketball begins on Saturday.

Tammara Thibeault – Boxing

Thibeault, who started boxing while living in Regina while her dad Patrick played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, will be competing in the women’s 75-kg event in Paris.

It will be her second Olympics after finishing fifth in 2020.

Kelsey Wog – Swimming

Wog, who was born in Regina before moving to Winnipeg, will be competing in the women’s 100-m and 200-m breaststroke events.

The 25-year-old previously competed for Canada in Tokyo. She also won a silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in the 200-m.

Janine Beckie – Soccer

Although she never lived in Saskatchewan, Beckie’s parents are from the province.

Her mom Sheila is from Regina, while her dad Gary grew up in Kenaston. Both parents played basketball for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies before moving to Regina in the early 1980s when Gary worked for Sask Sport Inc. while Sheila coached the University of Cougars women’s basketball team before being inducted into the University of Regina Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

Ovesh Purahoo – Swimming

Purahoo, a University of Regina student-athlete who is from Mauritius, will be swimming for his home country as he competes in the 100-m freestyle.

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