Paris 2024: The global stars lighting up the Olympics

With just days to go until the start of the Olympics, athletes from all around the world are making their way to Paris to compete at what is often described as the greatest show on earth.

Here is Newsround's guide to some of the big global stars to look out for during the next two weeks.

Simone Biles - gymnastics

Did you know there are multiple gymnastic moves named after Simone?

Representing part of Team USA's gymnastic team is none other than Simone Biles.

Often described as one of one of the greatest athletes of all time, Simone has four Olympic gold medals, one silver and two bronze.

However, at the Tokyo Games, she withdrew from most of the competition after experiencing 'twisties' - a mental block where a gymnast can lose their sense of space in the air.

She returns to the Olympic stage having received help to improve her physical and mental health, and is looking to add to her medal haul.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce - athletics

As a relatively small athlete, five-foot-tall Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is nicknamed the 'pocket rocket'

Quite possible the smiliest athlete you'll ever come across, Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce will represent Jamaica.

She is recognised by many as one of the best female sprinters in the world and probably one of the smallest to at just over five foot tall.

Shelly-Ann has a whopping three gold medals under her belt and will be expecting to pick up another one but has fierce competition from the likes of Team USA's Sha'Carri Richardson.

However, this is going to be her last Olympic Games so catch her while you can in the 100m race.

Noah Lyles - athletics

Outside of sport, Noah has dabbled in a bit of music

It feels a little unfair to have two sprinters in this list however when one is the fastest man in the world right now, it's hard to ignore him.

Noah Lyles will be competing for Team USA and is expected to pick up a gold medal in the 100m sprint.

Now, whilse Noah is the fastest runner in the world, he isn't the fastest person to run the 100m sprint in history. That record still belongs to Jamaica's Usain Bolt who ran it in 9.58 seconds in 2009.

You can catch Noah this year at the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relays.

Katie Ledecky - swimming

Katie Ledecky is really good pals with her former colleague, Michael Phelps

Another entry on our list is Team USA swimmer Katie Ledecky who has a whopping SEVEN Olympic gold medals under her belt.

Like a few others on this list, she too is world record holder and is recognised as being the face of American swimming, so you can expect big things from her.

You can watch her competing in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events - that's a lot of lengths!

Armand Duplantis - athletics

He may be a pole vault star but Armaund is also a fan of baseball.

Meet Armand Duplantis - also known as "Mondo".

He has broken his own world record eight times - it currently stands at a staggering 6.24m.

He is the reigning Olympic champion after landing gold in Tokyo in 2021.

All eyes will be on the skies above that big crash mat to see if he's able to pick up another gold and even raise that bar - literally.

Are there any athletes you're looking forward to seeing that haven't been mentioned? Let us know in the comments.

Team USA - men's basketball

This star-studded squad boasts some of the biggest names from the NBA, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Joel Embiid.

They have won the last four Olympic golds, with Kevin Durant hoping to become the first man to win four golds in the sport. This is the oldest US Olympic men’s basketball roster in history.

However, they have tough competition from Serbia and Canada.