August 01, 2024
Sarah Phipps/USA TODAY Sports
American rowers Liam Corrigan, from left, Michael Grady, Justin Best and Nick Mead celebrate their gold medal in the men's four at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. Best and Mead both have local ties.
The first week of the 2024 Olympics in Paris is a wrap, and plenty of the more than 20 athletes from the Philadelphia area have made a splash (pun intended).
Celebrities cheered, medals were won and pommel horse guy was made into a million wholesome memes. And if you missed anything, there are still plenty of local bars, restaurants and venues holding watch parties for upcoming events.
As the second week of the Games begins, here are the top Philly-connected moments so far.
Supercouple Jason and Kylie Kelce made a number of fashion-forward appearances, with the retired Eagles center beginning the week sporting a classic beret for many of the day's events. The couple was also seen at the women's field hockey finals, a sport Kylie played at Cabrini University.
Jason’s Olympic fits might rival his Gameday fits 😂 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/FTXVogeeK6
— New Heights (@newheightshow) July 27, 2024
Jason has the best field hockey coach - Kylie Kelce! 🏑 @JasonKelce pic.twitter.com/hKQoFjFiJN
— Kelce Brothers (@kelcebrothers) July 29, 2024
But the real highlight of the week was spotting the Kelces hanging with U.S. women's rugby player Ilona Maher. Both wore button-down shirts that featured Maher's face and some American flags. The team, which took home a bronze medal, also includes Bridgeport native Ariana Ramsey, a two-time Olympian who started playing rugby while she was a sophomore at Upper Marion High School.
The Kelces also popped up at the women's gymnastics team final on Tuesday to witness the "Golden Girls" — Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Hezly Rivera — take home the gold. On Thursday, Biles claimed gold and Lee won bronze in the all-around final.
Consider it a preview of their upcoming show in Philly. Biles, Carey and Chiles will be making a pit stop at the Wells Fargo Center on Oct. 4 for the Gold Over America Tour. The two-hour show will also feature two members of the men's team, Brody Malone and breakout pommel horse star Stephen Nedoroscik, a Penn State alum. They won bronze in the team final — the first Olympic medal in 16 years for the U.S. men's gymnastics team.
The U.S. won its first rowing gold in the men’s four class since 1960, and the team features two rowers with local ties: Nick Mead and Justin Best.
Mead is a Strafford native and rowed at Princeton University, where he graduated in 2017. His father rowed for Princeton, and his mother and brother were rowers at Penn. Best is a Kennett Square, Chester County, native who attended Unionville High School and is a 2019 graduate from Drexel University.
Team USA surges past New Zealand for GOLD in men's four rowing! 🇺🇸🔥 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/tCQm7Rk52z
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 1, 2024
Chris Guiliano, a native of Berks County, is a two-time medalist after winning gold in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and silver in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
Jack Alexy, a native of Morristown, New Jersey, was also on the 4x100-meter relay team.
Unfortunately, Guiliano just missed qualifying for the semifinals in the 50-meter freestyle, his last individual event. On Thursday, he came in 17th place with a time of 21.97. The top 16 swimmers move on, and the 16th place finisher had a time of 21.94.
The U.S. men's soccer team — which has three former or current Philadelphia Union players in Paxten Aaronson, Nathan Harriel and Jack McGlynn — has advanced to the quarterfinals to face Morocco on Friday morning. McGlynn and Aaronson (a Medford, New Jersey, native) each had an assist to Kevin Paredes in a 3-0 win over Guinea on Tuesday that secured the Americans would get out of group play.
SAME PAX!
— U.S. Soccer YNT (@USYNT) July 30, 2024
SAME KP!#OlyMNT pic.twitter.com/iHVYYPGQBG
