The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are underway, and Olympians who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are experiencing the highs and lows of competition.
Two Latter-day Saints have won medals, while another helped the U.S. men’s soccer team reach the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years. A fourth Latter-day Saint’s team was defeated in its first game.
Here are updates on those competitions.
Rugby sevens
It was a historic moment for Team USA on Tuesday, July 30, as the women’s rugby sevens squad twice came from behind to win its first-ever medal at the Olympics, defeating Australia, 14-12, in the bronze medal match.
Stephanie “Steph” Rovetti, a Latter-day Saint from Reno, Nevada, and a former BYU women’s basketball player, is a scrumhalf on the U.S. team.
Team USA found itself in the bronze medal match after falling to New Zealand, 24-12, in the Olympic semifinals on Tuesday, July 30. The U.S. advanced to the semifinals with a 17-7 quarterfinal victory over Britain on July 29.
This is the best finish Team USA has achieved since the sport’s Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016. The United States finished fifth in Rio and sixth in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
In men’s rugby sevens, on July 27, France defeated Fiji, 28-7, to win the gold medal. Ponipate Loganimasi, a 26-year-old player for Fiji, is a returned Latter-day Saint missionary and took home a silver medal.
Basketball, 3-on-3
Jimmer Fredette and Team USA’s 3x3 Olympic basketball squad were soundly defeated by Serbia, 22-14, in their Olympic debut on Tuesday, July 30.
The U.S. held a brief lead at 10-9 before Serbia closed out the contest on a 13-4 run. Fredette, a Latter-day Saint and former BYU star, was held to just four points in the loss.
The U.S. team will look for redemption when it plays Poland on Wednesday, July 31.
“They shot the ball great tonight,” Fredette told NBC’s Mike Tirico after the game. “It’s a long tournament for us, and we’re excited to get back at it tomorrow.”
Serbia won the bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and came into the game ranked No. 1 in FIBA’s 3x3 federation ranking system.
Football (soccer)
For the first time in 24 years, the U.S. men’s soccer team advanced to the Olympic quarterfinals, with a 3-0 win against Guinea on Tuesday, July 30.
USA forward Taylor Booth, a 23-year-old Latter-day Saint from Eden, Utah, saw playing time in the victory over Guinea.
Team USA, who hasn’t reached the knockout stage since the 2000 Sydney Games, will play Morocco on Friday, Aug. 2. Morocco advanced from Group B with victories over Argentina and Iraq.
Booth and other Latter-day Saint Olympians participated in a devotional on July 28 where they shared messages of faith and inspiration.
