7 Christian Olympians to Watch This Summer, Best TV Shows to Binge Watch

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are about to begin July 26. Nearly 600 athletes have been chosen to represent Team USA and compete at the highest level against those from more than 200 other countries.

These athletes truly represent, in a way, the physical pinnacle of God’s creation. They’ve been blessed with natural talent, and they’ve stewarded those gifts through years of training and hard work. And while many compete solely for some blend of personal honor and national pride, some also choose to point to a higher power.

Indeed, many athletes have their eyes not just on gold, but on God, trusting Him to use their talents for His glory on the national stage. Here are a few of those God-glorifying athletes to keep an eye out for.

Caeleb Dressel

(Men’s 100m Butterfly, Men’s 50m Freestyle)

While Dressel is already a seven-time gold-medal swimmer, he hasn’t been swimming his whole life. Yes, he started swimming at a young age, and he competed in his first Olympic Trials in 2012—when he was just 15. But the stress of swimming built along with his success. When he felt the pressure to always succeed in his senior year of high school, swimming lost its joy so, for six months, he gave it up. When he came back, he not only was a more confident swimmer, but fuller spiritually.

“Coming out of that, I started swimming again and really just put all my trust in God and knowing that he’s going to take care of everything for me, good or bad,” Dressel told the Baptist Standard in 2016.

Dressel still confesses Christianity, and the eagle tattooed on his left shoulder is to remind him of Isaiah 40:31, his favorite Bible verse.

Jayson Tatum

(Men’s Basketball 5X5)

Dressel is not the only American Olympic athlete with faith-based tattoos. Tatum has been playing basketball for the Boston Celtics since 2017, and he has always used his platform to share his faith through his humility—and his ink.

A tattoo on Tatum’s back reads “God’s Will” in large letters with Proverbs 3:5-6 referenced underneath. He also lives by the motto, “In Jesus’ Name I play,” which is tattooed on his wrist and featured in his Instagram bio.

“From a young age, my grandmother was the first one to always remind me how blessed I am to be in this position and the talents that I have,” Tatum told Sport and Faith in 2023. “And to make sure that everything you do, you do it for Jesus.”

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

(Women’s 400m Hurdles)

In her memoir, Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, McLaughlin-Levrone shares her personal testimony from having her self-worth wrapped up in a perfect run to being grounded spiritually in her personal life and on the track.

“My life wasn’t about me,” McLaughlin-Levrone told Women’s Running in January. It was about showing the world God’s power, wisdom, kindness, love, and forgiveness.”

In the 2022 World Championships, she broke the 400-meter hurdle record and won the gold, giving credit to God for giving her confidence and peace to succeed.

Vincent Hancock

(Men’s Skeet Shooting)

Hancock has won four World Championships, six World Cup events, and three Olympic gold medals, but there was a point when he considered giving up. Instead, his wife encouraged him to pray. Hancock gives his wife credit for her role in helping his faith grow, but he gives God credit for his success.

More than that, he believes God has given him an opportunity to lead others to Jesus, and he’s very vocal about his growing love for his Savior and the importance of prayer in his family.

“God has given me this amazing ability to do what I do, so I’m going to go out and I’m going to take a hold of it, and I’m going to do it because it’s more than just winning a gold,” Hancock told the Baptist Press in 2016. “It’s people I can impact in a positive direction on a daily basis through what I do—that would otherwise have no input from a Christian source.”

Vashti Cunningham

(Women’s High Jump)

Randall Cunningham, former NFL quarterback, is always there for his daughter, Vashti, as not just her dad, but as her coach and pastor. Vashti told NBC that her father would point her to God during practice and how trusting in Him helped her succeed in stressful situations.

“Mental training is about the inner being, in my opinion, and she trusts God,” Randall told CBS Sports in 2016. “A lot of athletes are strong Christians, because when you exhaust yourself with believing in yourself, you have to believe in the Truth. You can’t rub a rabbit’s foot. The rabbit’s foot is not going to do anything for you. But when you pull on the true and living God, there’s power in that.”

It’s safe to say athleticism and faith run in this family.

Brady Ellison

(Men’s Individual Archery)

When Ellison was 19, just two weeks before the 2008 Olympics, he got baptized. Kisik Lee, head coach at the time for the US Olympic Archery Training Program, advocated strongly for the Christian faith, believing that spirituality would help quiet his team’s minds in competition. He also prayed for his athletes to see God through him.

In 2010, Ellison narrowly avoided a head-on car crash on a small two-lane highway in Vermont. He credits God for saving his life. From that moment, Ellison said his faith was reaffirmed.

“I wouldn’t say I was the most angelic of a person,” he told Yahoo Sports in 2012. I’ve quit drinkin’. Just tried to be a better person, healthier and live for Him.”

Hezly Rivera

(Women’s Artistic Gymnastics)

Rivera, at 16 years-old, is the youngest athlete from Team USA, but her youth doesn’t stop her from praising God. In fact, her first response when she was asked how she made the team was to give God credit for her success. Later she posted Philippians 4:13 under pictures of her with the Olympian team to her Instagram account.

“I’m just enjoying the journey and the process, and I’m so blessed, and I thank God every day,” Rivera told NBC DFW in a recent interview.

The young gymnast will likely be around for a while.