Arkansas high school athletes competing in 2024 Paris Summer Olympics

Here are the athletes from Arkansas who are in France for the 2024 Olympics

Apr 17, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Olympic athlete Olivia Chambers poses for a photo at the Team USA Media Summit at Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are underway as top athletes from around the world meet in France for a chance at Olympic glory.

Four athletes from Arkansas will compete in the 2024 Paralympics, all representing Team USA.

For each of these athletes, spending time at an Arkansas high school was a part of their journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Here are the athletes from Arkansas competing in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

Kaitlin Bounds - Russellville - Para Track and Field

At just one day old, Bounds had heart and lung bypass surgery. She later developed asthma and then was diagnosed with autism at the age of four.

Instead of letting that slow her down, she discovered running when she was 14 and had enough success at Russellville High School to earn a cross-country scholarship to Arkansas Tech University.

Paris 2024 will be Bounds' first Paralympic Games, but she has been competing in World Championship events since 2016.

The Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games begin on August 28.

Olivia Chambers - Mount St. Mary Academy - Para Swimming

Chambers is an alumni of Mount St. Mary Academy and currently attends the University of Northern Iowa.

She began swimming when she was four-years-old and broke her first Arkansas state record when she was just seven.

In 2022, she was a two-time gold medalist at the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships and entered 2023 ranked No. 1 in the world in the 400-meter freestyle S13.

Jillian Elwart - North Little Rock - Paracanoe

An alumni of North Little Rock High School, Elwart is now 41-years-old and still defying the odds as she prepares to make her Olympic debut.

While many athletes spend their entire lives training in hopes of making it to the Olympics, she did not start competing in paracanoe/kayak until 2017.

She finished 4th (Women's Canoe single VL3 200m) at the 2023 World Championships.

Julia Gaffney - Mayflower - Para Swimming

Born in Russia but adopted by American parents at the age of five, Gaffney grew up in Mayflower. She began swimming competitively in 2015 and achieved world-class status less than two years later.

Gaffney took home the Bronze medal at the 2020 Games in both the 400m Freestyle S7 and the 100m Backstroke S7.

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