BUFFALO, N.Y. — Eight people with connections to Western New York will take part in the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will feature 329 medal events.
Four of those people are athletes who just so happened to compete in Tokyo, three years ago, during the Summer Games. Anita Alvarez, and Matt Anderson, and Jessica Pegula will be in action at the Paris Olympics.
Jasmine Jones will be making her Olympics debut, and Todd Vogt his first Paralympics appearance.
Two coaches — Jenn Suhr and Chris Plumb — will also be there, as will referee MP Malo.
Here's a quick look at Western New York's Olympians, and how they made their way to Paris.
Anita Alvarez, artistic swimming
An Amherst native and Kenmore West High School graduate, Alvarez is now a three-time Olympian. Alvarez and her partner, Lindi Schroeder, finished 13th in the duet category during the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo, just missing the artistic swimming finals. Alvarez also competed in the duet category in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, finishing ninth.
Matt Anderson, volleyball
The West Seneca West High School graduate is now a four-time Olympian. Anderson won an Olympic bronze medal back at the games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Anderson became the youngest member of Team USA men's volleyball in 2010, and he competed in the Olympics in London, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo. He currently plays professional volleyball in Turkey.
Jessica Pegula, tennis
The Buffalo native is now a two-time Olympian. Pegula competed three years ago in Tokyo, where she lost in the first round of singles play but reached the quarterfinals in doubles with partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands. She currently ranks fifth in the Women's Tennis Association standings. Pegula recently skipped the French Open with an injury.
Jasmine Jones, track and field
Jasmine Jones, the daughter of a former Buffalo Bills defensive back, qualified for the Olympics in the 400-meter hurdles. Jones attended the University of Southern California and is from Atlanta, Ga. She's the daughter of Henry Jones, who was an All-Pro safety for the Bills from 1991 to 2000.
Jenn Suhr, track and field
A two-time medal winner, Fredonia native Jenn Suhr will be at the pole vault pit. Only this time, it will be as a coach and not as an athlete. Brynn King from Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester punched her ticket to Paris. Suhr joined the coaching ranks at her alma mater, Roberts Wesleyan, last year as the school's assistant track and field team coach.
Chris Plumb, swimming
Chris Plumb is a coach on the Team USA swimming team. He's a Western New York native and a graduate of the Nichols School in North Buffalo. Three of the swimmers he trains in Carmel, a suburb of Indianapolis, will swim for gold in Paris. They are Alex and Aaron Shackel, and Drew Kibler.
MP Malo, basketball
MP Malo, a 2008 St. Bonaventure graduate who played for the Bonnies, will be one of 30 FIBA basketball referees for the 2024 Paris Olympics. This will be Malo’s second Olympics appearance. She also worked the Tokyo Games.
The Paris Olympics start July 26 and run through Aug. 11. You can watch all the action on NBC and Channel 2.
Todd Vogt, rowing
The 1996 University at Buffalo graduate will be making his Olympic debut. Reading a flyer in the hall of his dorm as a college freshman led to his involvement in the sport. He's battling Parkinson’s Disease. Most recently, the Penfield, N.Y., native won a silver medal in 2023 rowing in mixed double sculls competition. His wife is a Kenmore native.