It takes hard work, mental toughness, determination and God-given talent to reach the Olympics. Some athletes do not acknowledge God’s role in their success. But the wise ones, including these 10 U.S. Olympians, readily acknowledge and praise the Lord:
- Vashti Cunningham (track and field)
- Stephen Curry (basketball)
- Anna Hall (track and field)
- Vincent Hancock (shooting)
- Caeleb Dresser (swimming)
- Helen Maroulis (wrestling)
- Scottie Scheffler (golf)
- Mallory Swanson (soccer)
- Brody Malone (gymnastics)
- Kelly Cheng (beach volleyball)
This post isn’t really a sports article, and I won’t try to report on Olympic action and scores, as it’s happening too quickly. Rather, this article will focus on the 10 U.S. Olympians who speak openly about their Christian faith.
Vashti Cunningham
Twenty-six-year-old Vashti Cunningham is a high jumper who’s appearing in her third Olympics. A five-time national champion, she placed third in the 2019 world championships. And she won a jump-off against Jenna Rogers to qualify for this year’s Olympics.
Cunningham is the daughter of retired NFL star quarterback Randall Cunningham, who traded his football for a pulpit. Her mother, Felicity de Jager Cunningham, is a former ballerina with the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
The Olympian suffered from a bulging disc for half of this track season, her father said last week. As her coach, he uses an unconventional approach to her training, according to Sports Illustrated. Vashti focuses on strength, speed and technique rather than jumps. It seems to work quite well for her.
God plays an important role in the young athlete’s life. As Vashti prepared to leave for Paris, she said she was going to leave “all worries, doubt, anxiety, stress and pressure in God’s hands.”
She also posted this statement on Instagram: “When you see me you see His power. I can’t do any of it without His help and guidance. Thank you all for the love and support. May all glory and honor forever be the Lord’s,” Sports Spectrum Magazine reported.
Stephen Curry
Steph Curry is making his first appearance in the Olympics in 2024, but he isn’t a newcomer to high-level basketball competitions. Among other victories, he helped America’s men win two FIBA World Championships – one in 2010 and another in 2014.
A point guard, Curry was selected seventh in the 2009 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, and he continues to play for that team.
He is the only player in NBA history to make more than 3,000 career 3-pointers, is a two-time NBA scoring champion (2016 and 2021) and was named the NBA Clutch Player of the Year this year, according to USA Basketball. He also is a 10-time NBA All-Star.
Curry speaks openly about the Lord and has said that Scripture is a major part of the life he shares with his wife and three children. “My parents read a lot of Bible stories with me,” he told Fatherly, and he follows their example by sharing the Bible with his children.
“My faith is about the personal relationship, more so than following a certain religious tradition or practice,” he once said. “(It) challenges you to make sure that you are feeding your spirit with the right things versus what the world is throwing at us.”
Anna Hall
Track and field star Anna Hall will compete in the heptathlon in Paris. She won the silver medal in the 2023 World Championships and bronze in 2022 and is competing in the Olympics for the first time this summer.
The heptathlon consists of seven events over two days: 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meters, long jump, javelin throw and 800 meters.
Hall’s second-place finish at the world championships last year was disappointing, but she may take solace in the fact that she’s only the second American woman in history to win a heptathlon medal at more than one world championship, CBN said.
The track and field star has said that Christ keeps her grounded as she deals with the ups and downs of her career. She identifies herself as a follower of Christ who believes God’s timing plays an important role in her career. She even has the words “His Timing” written on her running shoes.
She suffered a broken foot at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, which she said was God’s way of telling her she needed to change her perspective on track and field. Hall told CBN that she is now “thankful for all that she has been through.”
Vincent Hancock
Vincent Hancock is making his fifth appearance in the Olympics, having first appeared in 2008. He has been the world’s top skeet shooter for a number of years and is the first person to ever win four world championships in his sport.
Hancock won three gold medals in 2008 and took Olympic gold again in 2012 and 2021. He also has won four world championships and had a perfect score at the 2015 World Cup in Mexico.
Raised a Christian, Hancock strayed for a time until his wife brought him back to Christ. He said had lost his love for shooting and considered quitting. His wife suggested that he pray, and he did.
“Slowly but surely, she made me understand who Jesus was again and what He had done for us, and I just fell back in love with Him,” he said.
Hancock explained that God opened his mind, telling him, “You have an opportunity to do something great here, and it’s not just about winning medals. It’s for me to have a platform to introduce people to Christ, to show people what He’s capable of in us and to set an example,” the Baptist Press reported.
“God has given me this amazing ability to do what I do, so I’m going to go out and I’m going to take hold of it, and I’m going to do it because it’s more than just winning a gold,” Hancock explained.
Caeleb Dressel
Twenty-seven-year-old swimmer Caeleb Dressel has won seven gold medals in previous Olympic games. He added another gold to his collection as part of the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay in Paris.
In addition to freestyle, he specializes in the butterfly and individual medley events.
Dressel is a three-time Olympian who previously participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2016 Rio Games. He also is a 13-time world champion.
The athlete has said that his faith is the reason he swims competitively. Several years ago, he explained to the Baptist Standard that he wants “to inspire people and show them where I find my happiness with what God’s given me.”
The eagle tattoo on his left shoulder is a reference to his favorite Scripture: “But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31).
Helen Maroulis
Helen Maroulis, 32, became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling in 2016. She suffered two concussions following the Rio games and retired.
However, she returned to wrestling and won a bronze medal in Tokyo. She’s also the first American to qualify for three Olympics as a female wrestler.
“Her recent victories, including a gold medal at the 2024 Pan American Wrestling Championships, underscores her readiness to compete at the highest level once again,” said SEScoops, which covers pro wrestling.
Maroulis has said that God is with her through the good and the bad. “It’s not about winning or losing,” she told Sports Spectrum. “It’s about knowing that, no matter what, He’s there and He’s good.
“I like sharing what God’s done in my life, and I’ll share about the good or the bad because at the end of the day, He’s with you through all of it….” she explained.
Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler — the world’s number one pro golfer — is favored to win the gold medal in Paris, which is his first Olympics. He already has won six tournaments this year and is an eight-time PGA winner.
Scheffler reached the top spot in pro golfing in March 2022 and has held onto that ranking for more than 90 weeks. He also won the 2022 and 2024 Masters and is the first player to win The Players Championship in two consecutive years (2023 and 2024).
He has said that his identity isn’t his golf scores. Rather, he considers himself a devout Christian who plays to glorify God “and all He’s done in my life.”
Scheffler explained, “All I’m trying to do is glorify God and that’s why I’m here and that’s why I’m in position. So, for me, it’s not about a golf score.”
The golfer met his caddie, Ted Scott, in Bible study. “I really want to work with a Christian,” he has said. “That’s how I try to live my life,” Sportskeeda quoted him as saying. (Sportskeeda covers sports, gaming, entertainment and pop culture.)
Mallory Swanson
At age 18, Mallory Swanson became the youngest American soccer player to participate in an Olympic soccer game and score. She missed the Tokyo Olympics due to injuries.
In April 2023, Swanson tore her left patella tendon three months before the Women’s World Cup. She underwent three surgeries and developed an infection, all of which kept her sidelined for a year.
“Swanson has shown few, if any, signs of her injury and the subsequent surgery since coming back,” USA Today recently reported.
The soccer forward said that her faith in God has grown immensely. “Me getting injured and me missing the Olympics and me kind of finding myself on the field again, it really started because I found myself in Christ even more,” she told Sports Spectrum Magazine.
Brody Malone
The road to the 2024 Olympics in Paris was a difficult one for gymnast Brody Malone. Last year, the two-time Olympian suffered a severe injury to his right knee. He underwent three surgeries and extensive rehab and returned to his sport in fine form.
This June, he won the all-around competition at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships and returned to his second Olympics in July.
The seven-time NCAA champion was the 2021 U.S. all-around and vault champion. He also earned silver on still rings and high bar that year, according to Team USA.
In addition, Malone won a bronze medal in the all-around competition at the 2020 Winter Cup, took second place on the horizontal bar at the 2018 International Junior Team Cup, and placed second on the horizontal bar at the 2017 International Junior Gymnastics Championships.
“I just have to give all the glory to God,” he has said. “It’s all God. So, I just want to thank Him for this…. I’m just so grateful for everything God’s done for me.”
Kelly Cheng
Kelly Cheng partnered with Sara Hughes to win gold at the 2023 women’s beach volleyball world championships after she placed ninth at the Tokyo Olympics.
The two women won 103 consecutive matches during their college days at USC, where Cheng played on four national championship teams, earned three All-American awards and was named Player of the Year twice.
The two-time Olympian, who participated in world championships in 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023, acknowledges that her talent comes from God.
In talking about her faith, Cheng said, “It’s crazy to me that an all-knowing, all-powerful God would humble Himself and come down to earth as a human and sacrifice Himself (for) me.
“He would go through that torture and torment so I can live eternity with him,” Cheng told Sports Spectrum. “… It’s a reminder to me that I’m worthy and worth it.”
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