Paris Olympics: A look at the wet, wild and extreme sports of the Games

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Summer Olympics bring the best athletes on land, air and sea together in one place. And with the exception of one sport taking place thousands of miles away, the Paris Games won’t be any different.

There will be traditional competitions that have great Olympic history like diving and rowing. Others are relative newcomers, like skateboarding and sport climbing. Then there’s breaking, a sport that we’ve never seen in the Summer Games.

NBC4 is providing previews on every sport in this year’s Paris Olympics, which formally begin with the Opening Ceremony on July 26. Here’s a look at some of the wet, wild and extreme sports that will offer gold, silver and bronze medals to its best athletes.

Diving

Events: Men’s and women’s individual 3m springboard and 10m platform, men’s and women’s synchronized 3m springboard and synchronized 10m platform
Most Medals: United States (141 medals, 49 golds)
Held at every Olympics since 1904

Despite China’s recent dominance in diving, the U.S. still has the most medals in Olympic diving history. Look for the Chinese to be a powerhouse in Paris after winning seven of the eight finals in Tokyo.

Ohio State will be represented with two Buckeyes taking part. Germany’s Lena Hentschel, a rising junior at OSU, will pair with her partner Jette Mueller in the women’s 3m springboard. Meanwhile, Ireland’s Ciara McGing will compete in the women’s 10m platform. Gahanna native Maycey Vieta, who just graduated from Purdue, will also be leaping from the platform, representing Puerto Rico.

Artistic Swimming

Events: Duet and Team
Most Medals: Russia (10 medals, 10 gold)
Held at every Olympics since 1984

Previously known as synchronized swimming, the sport was rebranded as artistic swimming for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The sport had been exclusive to women, but the Paris Games will be the first that will allow men to compete in the team event. Countries are allowed to enter teams with a maximum of eight members and will be limited to two men per squad.

Three swimmers have ties to Ohio State, including Americans Ruby Remati and Keana Hunter (incoming transfer) as well as Canadian Scarlett Finn. Russia has won every gold medal in artistic swimming since Sydney in 2000. However, that streak will end this summer because Russia is banned from entering a team.

This will be the first time since Beijing in 2008 that the United States will have a team in both events.

Mexico’s team compete in the final of the Mixed Team Technical swimming event during the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup as part of a test event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, near Paris on May 3, 2024. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Canoeing

Events: Men’s and women’s C-1 slalom, men’s and women’s K-1 slalom, men’s and women’s kayak cross, women’s C-1 200m, men’s C-1 1000m, men’s and women’s C-2 500m, women’s K-1 500m, men’s K-1 1000m, men’s and women’s K-2 500m, men’s and women’s K-4 500m
Most medals: Hungary (86 medals, 28 gold)
Held in every Olympics since 1936

While canoeing has been a competitive sport on the Olympic program since 1936, its origins actually date back farther. It made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport a century ago at the Paris 1924 Games and is set to have its full-circle moment this summer.

Though the sport is known as canoeing, the disciplines are split up into canoes and kayaks. Canoeists use a single-bladed paddle on one side at a time and kneel in their boat while kayakers sit in their boat and use a double-bladed paddle.

The events are further divided into flatwater, which feature sprint races, and whitewater, where athletes navigate an artificial slalom course in a race against the clock. This summer will also feature the debut of kayak cross, where four competitors will take on the whitewater course at the same time.

Nevin Harrison front of the United States competes during the women’s canoe single 200m final of canoe sprint at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 5, 2021. (Photo by Fei Maohua/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Rowing

Events: Men’s and women’s single sculls, double sculls, quadruple sculls, four, coxless pair, eights, lightweight double sculls
Most medals: United States (89 medals, 33 gold)
Held at every Olympics since 1900

The Paris Olympics will have 14 rowing medal races to compete for across seven events. These events will be held at Vaires-Sur-Marne Stadium just 20 miles from the center of Paris and is the first new Olympic venue to be completed for the 2024 Games, which was previously built in 2019.

The United States is sending its largest team in 12 years with 42 rowers. After golds in Beijing, London and Rio, the American women’s eight boat looks to return to the podium after missing out completely on the medals in Tokyo.

TOKYO, JAPAN – JULY 24: (L-R) Jessica Thoennes, Charlotte Buck, Gia Doonan, Brooke Mooney, Olivia Coffey, Regina Salmons, Meghan Musnicki, Kristine O’Brien and Katelin Guregian of Team United States compete during the Women’s Eight Heat 2 on day one of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Sea Forest Waterway on July 24, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Sailing

Events: Men’s and women’s IQFoil, Men’s and women’s Formula Kite, Men’s ILCA 7, Women’s ICLA 6, Men’s 49er, Women’s 49erFX, Mixed 470 and Mixed Nacra 17
Most Medals: Great Britain (64 medals, 31 gold)
Held at every Olympics since 1900

As one of the oldest Olympic sports sailing will returning to its roots this year at the Paris Olympics after debuting in the French capital in 1900. Ten sailing events will be contested in 2024 and is one of several sports taking place outside of Paris. The competition will be held at Marseille Marina located in southern France in the Gulf of Lion from July 28 to Aug. 8.

Keep an eye out for U.S. Olympic team member Daniela Moroz as she’ll be flying across the water in the Formula Kite event. She’s a six-time world champion in the sport and won her fourth Yachtswoman of the year award on her 22nd birthday. Now she looks to claim gold at 24.

MARSEILLE, FRANCE – JULY 14: Daniela Moroz in action during a Womens iQFOiL race during Day Six of the Paris 2024 Sailing Test Event at Marseille Marina at Marseille Marina on July 14, 2023 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Surfing

Events: Men’s and women’s shortboard
Most Medals: Japan (1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
Made Olympic debut at Tokyo Games in 2021

Surfing is the only sport in these Olympics taking place outside of France. Instead, the competition will be held thousands of miles away in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, located in the French territory of Polynesia in the Southern Pacific, easily making this event the farthest medal competition held outside the host city.

The United States will have two men and two women competing in the 2024 Olympics, with American Carissa Moore looking to defend her gold medal that she won at the Tokyo Games. The surfing competition begins on July 27 and ends on Aug. 4.

Tahitian surfer Matahi Drollet trains for the World Surfing League (WSL) SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro May 22 to 31, and the Paris Olympics, in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, on May 16, 2024. (Photo by Brian Bielmann / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by BRIAN BIELMANN/AFP via Getty Images)

Breaking

Events: Men’s and women’s individual battles
Making its Olympic debut
2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires

After the success breaking had at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, the sport was added to the list for the Paris Games. Its origins date to the 1970s as a style of dance in the New York borough of The Bronx. Eventually, breaking evolved into a competitive sport featuring one-on-one battles judged by a panel of nine that score based on creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality.

At the Paris Olympics, 16 men and 16 women (known as “B-Boys and B-Girls”) will compete in a round robin format, with eight men and eight women advancing to the knockout stage. Each battle consists of a best of three contest, each lasting about a minute long.

Americans Victor Montalvo and Jeffrey Louis are considered medal contenders in the men’s competition while Sunny Choi will represent the United States in the women’s event.

Zeng Yingying of China competes during the round robin of B-Girls of breaking at the Olympic Qualifier Series Budapest in Budapest, Hungary, June 23, 2024. (Photo by Lian Yi/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Skateboarding

Events: Men’s and women’s Park, men’s and women’s street
Most Medals: Japan (3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
Made Olympic debut at Tokyo Games in 2021

Skateboarding returns and will feature a total of 88 athletes across four events. Park is a combination of ramps, bumps and jumps designed to emulate a real skate park, and the street competition takes place on more of a flat surface with rails and different steps to create an urban feel to it. The sport will take place at the Place de la Concorde, in the heart of Paris.

Nearly half of Team USA comes from San Diego with Bryce Wettstein, Jagger Eaton and Nyjah Houston making their second Olympic appearance. Competition for the street events will take place on July 27-28, and the park competition will take place on Aug. 6-7.

Horigome Yuto of Japan competes during the skateboarding men’s street final at the Olympic Qualifier Series Budapest in Budapest, Hungary, June 23, 2024. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Sport Climbing

Events: Men’s and women’s combined, men’s and women’s speed
Most Medals: Japan (1 silver, 1 bronze)
Made Olympic debut at Tokyo Games in 2021

Sport climbing is back after its Tokyo debut and incorporates three formats: bouldering, speed and lead. This time, there will be double the medal events from two to four after organizers decided to separate the boulder-and-lead tandem from the speed format.

The sport has evolved over the last 20 years, expanding to 25 million climbers in 150 countries, with nearly 40% of climbers younger than 18. In Tokyo, Nathaniel Coleman won the first American medal in the sport, taking silver. While Coleman won’t be going for gold in Paris, Colin Duffy and Brooke Raboutou are making return trips to the Olympics.