The 2024 Paris Olympics grabbed the attention of US media. A report by Prowly PR Platform, which tracked mentions in US news and blogs from July 26 to August 11, shows that US media interest was about more than just medal counts.
Presence of USA Athletes
Unsurprisingly, gymnastics superstar Simone Biles led the pack with an astounding 91,000 mentions, more than doubling the coverage of her closest competitor.
Basketball's star power was unmistakable, with NBA icons LeBron James (38,400 mentions, ranking second), Kevin Durant (17,500 mentions), and Steph Curry (11,500 mentions) capturing significant media attention. Notably, women's basketball also made headlines, with WNBA standouts A'ja Wilson (7,800 mentions) and Diana Taurasi (5,800 mentions).
Track and field sensation Sha'Carri Richardson (13,800 mentions) and gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik (10,400 mentions) further highlighted the breadth of US athletic prowess that captivated American media.
Swimming made a particularly strong showing with five American athletes in the top 20, including Katie Ledecky (31,500 mentions) and Torri Huske (9,100 mentions).
International Sensations
Despite the US-centric nature of the coverage, several international athletes broke through to capture the attention of American media. Algerian athlete Imane Khelif, who became an internet sensation, secured the third spot with 36,300 mentions, surpassing many established US stars.
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic of Serbia continued to command journalists' attention, ranking fifth with 20,300 mentions. French swimmer Léon Marchand made waves both in the pool and in the press, garnering 17,000 mentions and ranking seventh overall.
Viral Sensations
The 2024 Paris Olympics proved that viral moments can propel lesser-known athletes into the media spotlight. Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikeç and South Korean shooter Kim Ye-ji made remarkable appearances in the top 20 most-mentioned athletes. Dikeç's 2,600 mentions and Kim's 2,100 mentions, while modest compared to the top-ranked athletes, represent significant media attention for competitors who were relatively unknown to US audiences before the games.
Top 20 athletes in US online media:
1. Simone Biles (Gymnastics, USA): 91,000
2. LeBron James (Basketball, USA): 38,400
3. Imane Khelif (Boxing, Algeria): 36,300
4. Katie Ledecky (Swimming, USA): 31,500
5. Novak Djokovic (Tennis, Serbia): 20,300
6. Kevin Durant (Basketball, USA): 17,500
7. Leon Marchand (Swimming, France): 17,000
8. Sha'Carri Richardson (Track and Field, USA): 13,800
9. Steph Curry (Basketball, USA): 11,500
10. Stephen Nedoroscik (Gymnastics, USA): 10,400
11. Torri Huske (Swimming, USA): 9,100
12. Gretchen Walsh (Swimming, USA): 8,300
13. A'ja Wilson (Basketball, USA): 7,800
14. Regan Smith (Swimming, USA): 7,400
15. Diana Taurasi (Basketball, USA): 5,800
16. Ilona Maher (Rugby, USA): 5,200
17. Kate Douglass (Swimming, USA): 4,900
18. Kristen Faulkner (Cycling, USA): 3,400
19. Yusuf Dikeç (Shooting, Turkey): 2,600
20. Kim Ye-ji I (Shooting, South Korea): 2,100
About Prowly
Prowly is a PR platform that helps public relations professionals save time on everyday tasks, reach more journalists and report on brand performance. For the past 10 years, this PR tool has been used by over 7,000 customers from more than 70 countries. Prowly was acquired by Semrush, a leading online visibility management SaaS platform in 2020.