UPPER ST. CLAIR GRAD AND OLYMPIC CONTENDER JOSH MATHENY COMPETES IN A BREASTSTROKE EVENT. | PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MATHENY FAMILY

Pittsburgh is sending several athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games to swim, row, jump, wrestle, kick and bounce their way onto the world stage.

Opening ceremonies for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad will kick off on Friday, July 26 with a boat parade along the Seine, one of Paris’ most notable attractions. 

Related: Wilkinsburg Muralist Heads to Paris Olympics to Spread Message of Peace

Josh Matheny, Michael Grady, Bridget Williams and Spencer Lee have perfected their athletic abilities over a lifetime of training in the Pittsburgh area. One former and two current athletes with the University of Pittsburgh Panthers also are competing in soccer, basketball and women’s swimming, although they’re representing other countries in the games. And a North Allegheny Senior High School graduate will be representing Puerto Rico in the decathlon.

Let’s meet them: 

FROM LEFT, UPPER ST. CLAIR TEAM MEMBERS RYAN SENCHYSHAK, JASON ZHANG, JOSH MATHENY AND GANESH SIVARAMAKRISHNAN SHOW OFF THEIR MEDALS AFTER WINNING THE MEDLEY RELAY IN THE PIAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN MECHANICSBURG, PA IN 2021. | PHOTO BY SIJAN ZHANG

Josh Matheny (Men’s 200 breaststroke) 

Pittsburgh’s youngest Olympian, Upper St. Clair graduate Josh Matheny, clinched his spot in the Paris pool by one tenth of a second at Olympic swimming trials on June 16. 

The 21-year-old is a rising senior at University of Indiana. The swimmer is a seven-time All-American, nine-time Big Ten medalist and two-time NCAA medalist. But, his speed started in the Upper St. Clair pool where he broke several team and pool records. 

On June 16, Matheny placed third in the 100 meter breaststroke with a time of 59.23 seconds, just 0.7 seconds shy of 26-year-old Charlie Swansonoff. The third-place score did not secure him a spot in Paris. 

But, Matheny kept kicking. Just three days later, he swam toward an Olympic spot once more, this time in the 200-meter breaststroke. Matheny finished in second place with a time of 2:08.86 to secure his spot in the 2024 Olympic Games. 

“It has been my dream almost my whole life to make the Olympics and for it to finally happen still is sort of a surreal feeling,” Matheny wrote in a text message. 

Matheny’s weekly training consists of 10 swimming sessions and three weight-training sessions. As the Games approach, his training regime is tailored toward his event, the 200-meter breaststroke, so he is mainly focusing on aerobic work and speed. 

Matheny says he is looking forward to enjoying the experience and the privilege of representing the United States on the world stage.

Michael Grady (Rowing)

Michael Grady is returning to the Olympic Games for the United States rowing team for his second chance at the podium, this time in Paris. 

Grady, a 27-year-old Bradford Woods native, graduated from Central Catholic High School in 2015. While there, Grady earned three varsity letters for the Vikings and served as team captain his senior year. 

Grady rowed for Cornell University on the varsity eight team, and he was the only freshman on the varsity squad during his first year. In 2018, he won first place for the U.S. at the Under 23 World Rowing Championships. Grady told TribLIVE this will be his eighth appearance as a member of Team USA. 

“It’s an honor and a privilege to do this,” Grady said, adding that he takes after his father, John Grady, who also rowed competitively. 

In his first Olympic appearance in 2021, Grady and his four-man team  placed fifth in Tokyo. This year, Grady is the only returning member of the 2021 four-men squad; new members include Justin Best, Nick Mead and Liam Corrigan. 

U.S. Olympic Team Trials were held from April 4-7, 2024 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida. In Grady’s event — known as the coxless four — the rowers each equipped with one oar sit in a straight line on a narrow, 44-foot boat. 

Bridget Williams (Pole vaulting)

Pittsburgh pole vaulter Bridget Williams is also headed to Paris with high hopes to jump onto the podium for the U.S.

Williams, a Greensberg native, graduated from Hempfield Area High School in 2015. During her time there, Williams won two PIAA State Championships in 2013 and 2014, helped her team win several WPIAL championships, and became an individual state pole vaulting champion her senior year. 

The 28-year-old attended the University of Virginia from 2015-19 where she competed in pole vault. Williams started her time at UVA on a record-breaking high — 13 feet high to be exact. During her first year, she broke the school record with a jump just over 13 feet, and she broke that record three more times during her time in Charlottesville. Now, Williams’ career best is just over 15 feet, 10 inches. 

Williams qualified for the U.S. women’s pole vault team on June 30 with a 15 foot, 6 1/4 inch jump that earned her first place at the team trials in Eugene, Oregon. Williams will be accompanied by Olympic veteran and gold medalist Katie Moon and fellow Olympic rookie Brynn King on the U.S. pole vaulting squad in Paris.

Spencer Lee (Wrestling)

Spencer Lee squashed the United States’ unqualified status for the 2024 Olympic Games this year, securing his spot in Paris with nothing but W’s. 

Lee graduated from Franklin Regional High School in 2017. The Murrysvillenative recorded an astounding 144-match winning streak with only one loss during his high school career.  

Lee left Pittsburgh to wrestle at the University of Iowa, a renowned wrestling powerhouse. At only 25 years old ,  Lee already boasts an impressive record as a three-time PIAA state champion, three-time U.S. gold medal winner and three-time NCAA champion. 

Since returning to the international wrestling circuit in 2023, Lee has held an undefeated record for 18 matches according to USA Wrestling. 

At the beginning of the 2024 Olympic trials, the United States remained unqualified for the Games at Lee’s weight class, 125 pounds. Lee traveled to Istanbul to compete at the final Olympic Qualifier. After four consecutive wins to make the finals, Lee secured his spot in Paris. 

“Hearing ‘he’s not qualified yet!’ is no fun, so I’m happy to get the job done,” Lee captioned an Instagram post on May 12. 

The United States is projected to have the largest wrestling team at the 2024 Games with 16 qualified athletes including 10 men and six women. Lee will take the mat for the U.S. in August. 

Ayden Owens-Delerme, a 2018 graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School, qualified for the Olympic decathlon event in April and will represent Puerto Rico in the games. According to the Pittsburgh Union Progress, he scored the top score in the World Championships and broke a Puerto Rican record. The decathlon event will take place in Paris Aug. 2-3.

Among Pitt alumni, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Marcedes Walker will be representing Azerbaijan on the basketball court. Nigerian Deborah Abiodun, a student at Pitt who plays on the Panthers women’s soccer team, will be competing with the Nigerian Super Falcons, under the direction of Pitt Panthers women’s soccer coach Coach Randy Waldrum. Rising Pitt junior Jayla Pina will represent Cape Verde in West Africa in the 100-meter breaststroke. 

UPDATED July 22: This story was updated with information about Ayden Owens-Delerme’s achievement.