The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris has begun—and five Hawaiʻi-born athletes are competing in two sports for Team USA. These Hawaii Olympians are competing in sports that are beloved in the Aloha State—surfing and volleyball!
Here’s the athletes in brief, in alphabetical order:
Micah Christenson, Volleyball
This is the third Olympic Games for the 6-foot-6 Honolulu native. He was part of the 2016 team that earned the bronze medal for Team USA. Christenson, 31, is married with two kids.
John John Florence, Surfing
Born in Haleʻiwa on Oʻahu, Florence, 31, is one of the most dominant surfers in the world. He won back-to-back World Surf League titles in 2016 and 2017 and competed in his first Olympics in 2020. The 6-foot-2 started surfing when he was 2 years old. At the age of 13, he became the youngest person to compete in the Triple Crown of Surfing and six years later won his first title.
Micah Maʻa, Volleyball
Making his Olympics debut, Maʻa, 27, was a two-time men‘s volleyball All-American at the University of Hawaiʻi. The 6-foot-3 Kāneʻohe native also played professional beach volleyball.
Carissa Moore, Surfing
The reigning gold medalist in surfing at the 2020 Summer Games, Moore, 31, a five-time world champion and the first surfer in history to win a WSL world title and the Olympic title in the same year. The Honolulu native started surfing when she was 5 years old in Waikīkī. Moore recently announced that she will be taking a break from surfing at the Olympics to start a family.
Erik Shoji, Volleyball
This 3-time Olympian from Honolulu was part of the U.S. team that brought home the bronze medal in the 2016 Summer Games. Shoji, 34, is the son of legendary UH volleyball coach Dave Shoji. He has his own coaching and consulting business, which he runs by video chat even when he is out of the country.
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