Paris Games end as Tom Cruise accepts Olympic mission for LA
The sun set on the Olympic Games in Paris, with the closing ceremony including performances by Billie Eilish, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg. Hollywood was also represented with Tom Cruise.
Massachusetts won more medals than over 50 countries at the 2024 Olympics.
The Bay State has always been a top producer of Olympians, ranking seventh on BeenVerified’s list of states with the most athletes with a total of 326, and ranking ninth for states with the most medals with 136.
This year, Massachusetts sent 16 summer Olympians, who were born and raised here, to the Paris games which means that the state had more representation than 114 countries.
Out of the 16, six athletes won a total of eight medals – three gold, one silver and four bronze – putting Massachusetts ahead of 55 countries in the total medal count. For perspective, Norway, Switzerland and Greece each also won nine medals.
Read all about the 2024 Olympic medalists from Massachusetts below.
Gabby Thomas
The track and field athlete from Northampton, Massachusetts won gold in the women’s 200m, women’s 4x100m relay and women’s 4x400m relay, which means she won all three of the state’s gold medals. Thomas is a graduate of Williston Northampton School and Harvard University.
Gabby’s first gold: Gabby Thomas Olympics: See the Massachusetts sprinter’s priceless reaction to winning gold
Ruby Remati
Remati helped the women’s artistic swimming team win silver, the first medal for team USA in the sport since 2004. Though she was born in Australia, Remati grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, where she trained at the Andover YMCA.
More: She can moonwalk underwater. MA’s Ruby Remati wins medal in artistic swimming at Olympics
Stephen Nedoroscik
Better known as “pommel horse guy” for his specialty event under the same name, Nedoroscik won two bronze medals – one for the men’s gymnastics individual pommel horse event, and one for the men’s gymnastics all-around team with the rest of team USA. Nedoroscik is from Worcester, where he went to Sterling Academy of Gymnastics.
More: Full coverage of Stephen Nedoroscik, from Worcester to Paris
Frederick Richard
Also winning the bronze medal in the men’s gymnastics all-around team is Fred Richard, Nedoroscik’s teammate from Stoughton, Massachusetts. The athlete is also popular on social media, where be post gymnastics videos on multiple platforms under the handle @FrederickFlips.
Internet fame: Olympian Frederick Richard, of MA, is viral on TikTok. Watch 3 of his best videos
Kristi Kirshe
Kirshe, who was born and raised in Franklin, Massachusetts, made history by winning bronze with the women’s rugby team, the first medal the United States has ever won in women’s rugby sevens.
Hometown hero: Town of Franklin will host homecoming for Olympic rugby 7s bronze medalist Kristi Kirshe
Henry Hollingsworth
The Dover native is a member of the bronze-winning men’s eight team in rowing. Although he was born in Virginia, Hollingsworth grew up in Massachusetts, getting his career start at Fessenden School in West Newton and becoming captain of the rowing team at Brooks School.
What about Massachusetts college athletes?
If we count athletes who went to college in the Bay State, the number goes up even higher. Six Harvard graduated received medals at the Olympics. Three – Clark Dean, Christian Tabash and Pieter Quinton – were part of the Men’s Eight Rowing Team, who won bronze. Also in rowing, Liam Corrigan won a bronze in the four class rowing event. Harvard student Laura Scruggs won gold in women’s team foil, and a silver in women’s individual foil in fencing. And Kristen Faulkner of Harvard, an alternate, ended up winning gold in women’s individual road race and a second gold in women’s track cycling.
Sam Coffey of Boston College won a gold medal as a midfielders with the Women’s Soccer Team.
If these athletes are counted, then Massachusetts jumps up to 15 medals – seven gold, two silver and six bronze. Overall, 15 medals would place Massachusetts right between Uzbekistan, with 13 medals, and Spain with 18.
What about professional athletes?
If you add in the Celtics players who went to the Olympics – Jrue Holiday, Derrek White and the much talked about Jayson Tatum – then Massachusetts adds one more gold medal to its tally for men’s basketball, which puts the state right behind Canada, with nine gold medals.
