ANAHEIM, Calif. — In about a week, the U.S. women’s indoor volleyball team will start their run at the 2024 Olympics in Paris to try to earn a second gold medal after their historic win four years ago in Tokyo.
Head Coach Karch Kiraly said it took decades for the U.S. to earn Olympic gold.
“It took us almost 60 years to get the first one and 13 tries," Kiraly said. "They don’t happen very often.”
In Paris, his team will be looking for their second gold medal. While Team USA sits in fifth in the world rankings, players like Jordyn Poulter said their team is the team to beat.
“I wouldn’t say we have a target on our backs because we won a gold medal,” Poulter said. “We have a target on our backs because we are USA, and we always have a target on our back. Everyone wants to beat the Americans."
Eight of the 12 women on the 2024 Olympic roster are back from the prior Olympics. The team feels that they aren’t so much defending their gold from Tokyo as heading to Paris to get another one.
“We’re not defending anything," Kiraly said. "That went in the bank, on the shelf, and we are going for another one.”
