Image: Noah Lyles X (Twitter) account
Who says athletes can't be gamers too?
People often think that athletics and gaming don’t mix, but more and more these days, some of the athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics have been breaking the mold.
These athletes show that their interests and talents extend beyond their respective sports, indulging in popular video games like League of Legends, VALORANT, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Rocket League, and more.
Gaming offers them a way to unwind, connect with fans, and even improve skills that translate back to their athletic endeavours. So who says athletes can’t be big nerds as well? Here are 5 athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics who are huge gamers:
Stephen Nedoroscik (Bronze, Men’s Gymnastics: Pommel Horse, Monkey Bars, USA)
Image: Stephen Nedoroscik Instagram Account
Stephen Nedoroscik may be the first man in the US Gymnastics team to have won an Olympic medal (and a back-to-back one at that) since 2008, but he’s not your typical gymnast. In fact, according to a feature by the New York Times, the people around him described Stephen as quite the geeky guy.
“Between pommel horse and a Rubik’s Cube and whatever math problem he’s solving, that’s kind of what all is going through his mind,” Ben Cooperman, Stephen’s former teammate at Penn State said.
And according to Jack Baldwin, a pommel horse specialist at Penn State, Stephen enjoys playing Rocket League during his downtime, to the point where he even brought his computer to play in Paris.
One of Nedoroscik's longtime gymnastics training partners and friends, Sam Davis, is also one of his Rocket League teammates. This week, Davis is in Paris to show his support for his friend. "He's definitely better than me," Davis admitted. Davis said that he and Nedoroscik are ranked quite high in the game, saying they were "definitely in the higher percentile."
Pau Echaniz (Bronze, Canoeing Slalom K-1, Spain)
Image: Pau Echaniz X (Twitter) account
Spanish slalom canoeist Pau Echaniz, who took home a bronze medal in the K-1 slalom at Paris 2024, is also dedicated to ranking up in League of Legends.
Echaniz celebrated his Olympic success by diving back into LoL, a game he plays and occasionally streams under the username "pauerangerr".
He humorously admitted in an interview how he’s "bronze" in both the Olympics and in League, and noting on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he “won’t get on a canoe until he reaches gold (rank in League of Legends).
Noah Lyles (Gold, Track and Field, Men’s 100m, USA)
Image: Noah Lyles X (Twitter) account
Noah Lyles, the American sprinter who claimed gold in the men's 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has also proven time and again that he’s a big fan of nerd culture, including gaming.
After finishing first in the Men’s 100m, he made a “Kamehameha” gesture referencing Dragon Ball Z, which he’s been doing for years now in different competitions.
He’s also often seen showing 1 or more Yugi-Oh cards during the competition or chatting about Magic the Gathering (MTG) with fellow athletes in the US Olympic trials.
In 2023, he also showed off his LoL PC setup (along with a Legend of Zelda gaming pad) to his fans on YouTube
Lyles even responded to Pau Echaniz’s playful tweet about going for the gold (rank) on LoL, saying, “This about to be me after the 4x100m”.
Many in the LoL community have been asking about Lyle’s rank and main in response to his tweet. Since he hasn’t answered those curious questions yet, people in the community have been joking that he’s a Rammus or Hecarim main, two of the fastest champions in-game.
Naomi Osaka (Women’s Tennis Singles, Japan)
Image: Naomi Osaka X (Twitter) account
Naomi Osaka, the Japanese tennis star with multiple Grand Slam titles and who recently competed in the 2024 Olympics, is also known to unwind by gaming.
In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2022, Osaka expressed how gaming has been a part of her life since childhood.
“Gaming has always been such a huge part of my life,” she said. “Also it is a great escapism for me as I have always been into gaming and fantasy-type storytelling,” she added.
Among the many games she plays is Fortnite. In fact, In 2022, Osaka teamed up with Epic Games to design a new release for the Fortnite Icon Series, joining the ranks of Ariana Grande and LeBron James.
Osaka bowed out of the Women’s Tennis Singles in the first round, losing against German player, Angelique Kerber.
Victor Wembanyama (Men’s Basketball, France)
Image: Screenshot taken from 2024 Paris Olympics stream
Victor Wembanyama and his team representing France are still competing in the Olympics, aiming to clinch a medal in the Men’s Basketball event.
Wembanyama also plays for the San Antonio Spurs and was featured in the latest NBA 2K game released in August 2023.
One of the most prominent figures in 2K, Ronnie “Ronnie2K” Singh, described Wembanyama as the “ultimate video game player,” in an interview with Pounding the Rock.
“When he first saw me, he charge[d] up to me like a little kid and was so excited to meet me. I knew right then that this guy has been playing the game his entire life,” Ronnie2K shared. “It did mean so much for him to meet me and he talked about the first time he played and what the game means to him.”
Wembanyama and Team France are still set to compete in the semifinals of the Olympics.
These athletes prove that it's possible to excel in a sport and yet still love gaming. And as gaming continues to grow in popularity, we'll likely see even more overlap between sports and gaming. In fact, many anticipate the 2025 Esports Olympics to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, where the most popular competitive video games like Dota2, MLBB, LoL, and more might take the spotlight.
