Four Hampton Roads natives are traveling to Paris this month to compete in the 2024 Olympics. They are part of a group of 14 Virginians that qualified for Team USA this summer.
The group is a mix of returning Olympians and new faces. A full schedule of the Olympic games can be found here.
These are the four athletes from Hampton Roads:
Grant Holloway, Chesapeake
Among the headlining athletes is odds-on favorite for the 110-meter hurdles, three-time world champion and 2021 Olympic silver medalist, Grant Holloway.
Holloway graduated from Grassfield High School in 2016. He played football at the school and was highly touted as wide receiver. He was heavily recruited to play football in college, but chose to pursue track and field at the University of Florida.
After his silver medal, Holloway was disappointed by the result and vowed to return to win gold.
Holloway is also a two-time world champion in the 60-meter hurdles, which isn’t an Olympic event.
Quincy Wilson, Chesapeake
Quincy Wilson grew up in Chesapeake and at 16 years old, is the youngest ever member of the USA men’s track and field team.
Wilson trained under Grant Holloway’s father, Stan, in his younger years.
Wilson holds the record for the under-18 400-meter dash and is a two-time national champion at the high school level. He runs the quarter-mile sprint in 45.19 seconds, making him the sixth-fastest in the world.
He attended Great Bridge Middle, but moved to Maryland to attend the Bullis School, a private school known for being a track powerhouse.
Leah Crouse, Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach’s Leah Crouse will make her first Olympic appearance as a member of the USA women’s field hockey team.
Crouse is a graduate of Cox High School, where she led their team to back-to-back state championships.
She played in college for Duke University and the University of Maryland before joining the women’s national team in 2021.
She won bronze in the Pan-American Junior Championship the same year and silver in the 2023 Pan-American games.
Justin Dowell, Virginia Beach
Princess Anne High School graduate Justin Dowell is returning to team USA for freestyle BMX.
Dowell made his first Olympic appearance in Tokyo, the first time freestyle BMX was included in the games.
He earned gold in the 2018 world championships and two silver medals in the 2022 X-Games series.
Dowell is known for his signature move called the “Twix” – a tailwhip barspin.
