Art by Stephany Torres
2024 has been a great year for sports. We didn’t just have the same sporting events we typically have. We also had the Paris 2024 Olympics, Paris 2024 Paralympics, and the Copa América 2024. So that’s a lot of opportunities for athletes to stand out, in many different disciplines. And stand out they did.
From fútbol to the NFL, without forgetting Olympic sports like gymnastics or track and field, and other sports like boxing and Formula 1, here are the athletes from our communities that made a mark this year and gave us something—or someone—to root for.
This was the year of Vinicius Jr., who won everything that mattered with his club, Real Madrid, and solidified his status as a global superstar. And he did it while facing horrible racism and having to prove naysayers wrong at every turn.
Victor Montalvo won the only U.S. breaking medal at the Olympics, a bronze. Not just that, he perhaps did more to raise awareness of the sport in the country than any other athlete has. And Montalvo is anything but done.
Rebeca Andrade became Brazil’s most decorated gymnast of all time at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and she did it while competing—and at times even beating—perhaps the best gymnast in history, Simone Biles.
Gabi Portilho was on the shortlist for the Ballon d’Or Féminin, and for a good reason. She was, after all, instrumental in Brazil’s silver medal, scoring the goal that beat France in the quarterfinals and scoring another goal in the semifinal against Spain.
Amanda Serrano is one of the biggest names in women’s boxing, and she was recently part of what is now the most-watched women’s boxing match in the sport’s history, against Katie Taylor. She might have lost, but her spot in history is secured.
Julio Agripino dos Santos didn’t just win gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, he also beat the 5000m T11 world record by more than five seconds to top the podium. Talk about making a mark in long-distance running.
Franco Colapinto has taken the F1 world by storm after he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams. He might be an interim because that spot belongs to Carlos Sainz Jr., but Colapinto looks ready to stay in F1 for good.
It’s hard to keep Isiah Pacheco out of these lists when his team continues to both win Super Bowls and win like they’re the favorites to win more Super Bowls. Especially when he’s such an integral part of both those things.
The Yankees might not have won the World Series, but without Juan Soto, they might not have even made it to the biggest stage in MLB. That’s how important Soto, who hit 41 HRs, was to the team.
Heron might not have won a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but she qualified for her native Panama and she also did something only one other person had done before this year–executed the Biles I on floor, a move named after the iconic gymnast.
