Bill May To Make History For Team USA At 2024 Paris Olympics
May 2, 2024, 4:44 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – For the first time in Olympics history, Bill May and other male artistic swimmers will be competing in the Olympic Games this summer in Paris.
Male artistic swimmers, formerly known as synchronized swimmers, have competed in lower levels of the sport for years.
Last year, the International Olympic Committee announced that each team can add up to two men to their team for the event.
🇺🇸 🏊 The #US artistic #swimming team has qualified for the #2024ParisOlympics, its first since 2008.
This time around, the team has one notable new addition: 45 year-old #BillMay, who joins the team as the competition allows #men to participate for the first time ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/QP7r9XCfpB
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) May 1, 2024
The move sent waves through the swimming world and opened the door for people like May to fulfill lifelong dreams.
“When I first joined the sport, you could dream and you could aspire to be an Olympian,” May said. “But, it wasn’t something that was actually possible. Now, you can see these young male athletes and say ‘One day you are going to be an Olympian.’ You have the opportunity to stand on that podium, hear your national anthem, and be proud of all the work that you’ve down your entire life.”
The last time that May trained with a team was back in 2002.
After being unable to compete in the 2004 Olympics, May joined Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas where he performed for nearly two decades.
🤩🤩It’s time for the #ArtisticSwimming World Cup 2024 in Paris!! Get ready to follow some exciting action in the #Paris2024 venue!!
📺Where to watch – https://t.co/UOkhcojeab pic.twitter.com/bUssKGaRE0
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) May 2, 2024
May came out of retirement for the first time in 2015 for the World Championships. He became the first man to win synchronized swimming gold at a major event.
May came out of retirement again last year with the Olympics fast approaching. At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, May became the first American man to win a world team medal.
He aims to make history again in Paris and medal with Team USA in the team event.
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Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
