While the 2024 Olympics Games’ depiction of religious themes may have caused controversy and disagreements away from the fields of competition, over the course of the Games it was the athletes’ performances that rightly drew the most attention and praise. Among the standout American athletes were plenty whose hard work and accomplishments are also a source of pride and unity among U.S. Catholics.
Who are some of these American Catholic athletes?
Cole Hocker, Men’s Track and Field 1500 Meter Gold Medalist
The world of track and field widely expected a two-horse race heading into the Men’s 1500-meter final at the Stade de France: a long-awaited showdown between the defending Olympic gold medalist in the event, Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, and the reigning world champion, Josh Kerr of Great Britain. The two had been jawing at each other in press events and on social media in the buildup to the race, and it was anticipated that their intense rivalry would be the main focal point.
With 150 meters to go, this vision seemed to be realized as the two Goliaths of the metric mile began their kick into the homestretch in first and second position. But then came David.
All of a sudden, Cole Hocker of the United States seized on a gap that Ingebrigtsen opened on the inside rail as he attempted to hold off Kerr. The American blew by them both in the final moments, winning gold in one of the most improbable races in the history of the sport. It wasn’t just a massive personal best, either; his mark of 3:27.65 is a new Olympic record and the seventh-fastest time ever run.
Hocker’s Team USA running mate Yared Nuguse, a former N.C.A.A. champion from the University of Notre Dame, also stunned the crowd to finish third. It was the first time in 112 years that two American men made the podium in an Olympic 1500-meter final.
“I just let God carry me through the finish line,” Hocker said after the race. “I’m still processing, but I just had the vivid thought of how my life just changed.”
Spirituality and mindfulness are at the center of Hocker’s approach to competing in track and field at the highest level. The graduate of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Ind., says a prayer before every race and has been writing down his running goals in a journal since he was a kid.
“I just feel God has given me the gift of running, and my job is to give it my best,” Hocker has said in the past. At just 23 years old, it’s entirely possible that Hocker’s faith can help propel him to defend his title on American soil at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Katie Ledecky, Women’s Swimming 800 and 1500-Meter Freestyle Gold Medalist
While Cole Hocker may have just etched himself into Olympic history, Katie Ledecky has long dominated on the world stage, beginning with a gold medal performance as a 15-year-old at the 2012 Games in London. And along her supremely impressive journey, her Catholic faith has been her anchor.
After winning two golds along with a silver and bronze in Paris, Ledecky has now become the most decorated female U.S. Olympian ever, breaking her own Olympic record in the womens’ 1500-meter freestyle for good measure.
Despite her superhuman list of achievements, Ledecky has remained humble and grateful, citing the Virgin Mary as a source of inspiration.
“I think our devotion to Mary is very beautiful. She has a sacred role in Catholicism, and her strong faith and humility are things we can learn from,” Ledecky told the National Catholic Register, adding that she prays a Hail Mary before races.
Ledecky also emphasized how special it was for her to be able to share these golden moments with her family after not having them there at the last Olympics because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s great to have family and friends back at the Olympics after not being there in Tokyo. It’s just been a great environment, a great atmosphere. It’s very special to share the moments after competition with all them, get to celebrate and soak in a little bit of Paris,” Ledecky said.
The link between Ledecky’s faith and family also finds an interesting intersection through her godfather, James Shea, S.J., a Jesuit priest and the director for mission and ministry at the Georgetown University Medical Center.
In her recent memoir Just Add Water: My Swimming Life, Ledecky notes that Father Shea baptized her and administered first Communion to her and her brother, adding that he “guided my faith since childhood.” Ledecky also mentioned that she would livestream Masses her godfather presided over during the Covid-19 pandemic, keeping her faith strong when she could not attend church in person.
Ledecky has plenty of Catholic education in her background too: She attended Little Flower School in Bethesda, Md., through eighth grade and graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in the same area in 2015. Ledecky has also given her time to charitable organizations such as Jesuit Refugee Service.
Simone Biles, Women’s Gymnastics Individual and Team All-Around Gold Medalist
Like Ledecky, Simone Biles is hailed as the greatest of all time at her sport, but the trajectory of their careers looked quite different heading into the Paris Games. In 2021, at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Biles made headlines for withdrawing herself from team competition after revealing she was suffering from the “twisties,” a phenomenon that gymnasts can experience that leads them to lose their sense of direction while airborne.
[Related: The Spiritual Strength of Simone Biles]
Biles cited the desire to prioritize her mental health when she took a two-year hiatus from competition after the 2021 Games, catching plenty of flak from those who called her a quitter who did not deserve to represent the United States again after backing out of competition.
But there are few themes more Catholic than redemption, and that is exactly what Biles got in Paris, winning three gold medals along with a silver to solidify her status as the most decorated U.S. gymnast ever; her Catholic faith has helped propel her there.
“I don’t physically understand how I do it. [It’s] a God-given talent,” Biles has said of her once-in-a-lifetime skillset.
Biles lights candles to St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, before competitions, and has a strong devotion to the martyr. Her grandfather’s wife Nellie, who helped to raise Biles as a Catholic while she navigated through the foster care system, once said that during competition Biles was “Flying [so] high, even St. Sebastian is smiling.”
She has also gone on the record to share that she keeps a rosary given to her by Nellie in her gym bag; “I don’t use it to pray before a competition. I’ll just pray normally to myself, but I have it there in case,” she said ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
In recent years, Biles has been more private about her faith journey. In 2021, she diverged from church teaching on abortion access, saying on Twitter (now X) that she was “very pro-choice” arguing “you should not control someone else’s body/decision.”
Biles credits therapy as a major factor that helped her prepare to return to the Olympic stage in Paris, even citing that therapy can feel “religious.” While she may do things nobody else can on the vault and the uneven bars, Biles’s vulnerability and openness about how she handles stress and anxiety is something many of us can relate to—and emulate.
The next Olympic Games, in 2028, will be held in Los Angeles, Calif. It is a city named after another Catholic champion: Mary, Queen of the Angels.
Includes reporting from OSV News.
