Team USA sending more women than men for the 4th consecutive Summer Olympics

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Katie Ledecky smiles after the Women’s 800 freestyle finals Saturday, June 22, 2024, at the US Swimming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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La estadounidense Sha’Carri Richardson tras ganar la semifinal de los 100 metros femeninos en el Preolímpico nacional, el sábado 22 de junio de 2024, en Eugene, Oregon. (AP Foto/George Walker IV)

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FILE - United States’ Diana Taurasi (12) drives around Serbia’s Sasa Cado (6) during women’s basketball semifinal game at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. The U.S. women’s basketball team is on a historic run, winning seven straight Olympic gold medals. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

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Noah Lyles celebrates after winning the men’s 200-meter final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials Saturday, June 29, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

By PAT GRAHAM

DENVER (AP) — For the fourth consecutive Summer Olympics, Team USA will be sending a roster featuring more women than men.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced the 592-member contingent Wednesday that’s heading to the Paris later this month. The lineup features 314 women and 278 men, spanning ages from 16 to 59 and with 46 states represented.

There are 66 Olympic champions who’ve earned a combined 110 gold medals and three five-time Olympians, including basketball standout Diana Taurasi along with equestrians Steffen Peters and McLain Ward.

The opening ceremony in Paris takes place on July 26, with athletes assembling in boats that sail along the Seine River toward the Eiffel Tower. Competition kicks off July 24 and ends Aug. 11.

Team USA is the favorite to top the medal table, with Nielsen’s Gracenote forecasting 123 medals, with 37 of them gold.

“As they prepare to represent our nation on the greatest stage in all of sports, we honor their personal achievements and celebrate the unwavering support of the people that make it possible — their families, teammates, national governing bodies, coaches, and communities around the country,” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement. “In the true spirit of ‘One for All,’ we join a proud nation of fans in cheering them on through inspiring performances and unforgettable moments.”

Age gap

There are a trio of 16-year-olds heading to Paris, with artistic gymnast Hezly Rivera the youngest of the bunch. The oldest athlete is Peters at 59.

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Decorated medalists

Swimmer Katie Ledecky leads Team USA with 10 Olympic medals, including seven golds and three silvers. Next on the list are gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Caeleb Dressel with seven medals apiece, while swimmer Ryan Murphy has six medals.

State breakdown

California leads the way by sending 120 athletes. That’s followed by Florida (42) and Texas (41). There are three athletes who list hometowns that are abroad — sailing’s Ian Barrows is from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; soccer’s Maximilian Dietz from Frankfurt, Germany, and water polo’s Luca Cupido from Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy.

Four timers

Four athletes are making the Olympic squad for a fourth time. The list includes Brady Ellison (archery), Gerek Meinhardt (fencing), Stu McNay (sailing) and Vincent Hancock (shooting).

College system

Of the 592 athletes heading to Paris, 75% of them competed on the college level. There are 15 teams that are made up completely of athletes who played in college. That pertains to women’s basketball, men’s and women’s 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, men’s and women’s indoor volleyball, diving, fencing, women’s field hockey, women’s rugby, modern pentathlon, men’s and women’s water polo, rowing and triathlon.

What’s more, representation spreads across all divisions of the NCAA, along with junior colleges and club programs.

Family ties

Team USA said there are at least a half-dozen set of siblings on the roster. They include Annie and Kerry Xu (badminton), Brooke and Emma DeBerdine (field hockey), Alex and Aaron Shackell (swimming), Gretchen and Alex Walsh (swimming), Juliette and Isabella Whittaker (track and field) and Chase and Ryder Dodd (water polo).

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)