Before an athlete steps onto a field, dives into a pool or lunges from a starting line, Maryland is already on the podium at the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics.

The state has sent athletes to this year’s summer games at one of the highest rates in the United States, a Banner analysis found. About one in every 300,000 Marylanders is competing in the games, the third-highest rate. Only Colorado and Vermont have higher rates of summer Olympians and Paralympians.

Not only did Marylanders arrive in Paris at higher rates than nearly any other state, they arrived as the most decorated. Maryland athletes competing in this year’s games have collectively won 71 Olympic and Paralympic medals, more than any other state in the country, and more than twice as many as any state besides California. This analysis only counts athletes competing in this year’s games — we didn’t even need Michael Phelps for this.

While the list of competitors includes decorated performers like Katie Ledecky, from Bethesda, Prince George’s County’s Kevin Durant, and 29-time Paralympic swimming medalist Jessica Long, it also includes several exciting newcomers, like teenage track sensation Quincy Wilson.

Long is a major contributor to Maryland’s medal dominance. Counting just Olympians, Maryland only has the third most medals overall, but still has the most per capita. The state ranks fourth overall in the number of 2024 summer Olympians.

The Secret To Summer Olympic Success?

While the road to the Olympics is long and hard, and each athlete’s journey is unique, economic and demographic data lends some insight into why Maryland has had so many Olympic athletes. The secret to the state’s success might be its wealth.

“A privileged background helps students succeed in sports just as it does in other parts of life,” said James Tompsett, a graduate sociology researcher at Ohio State University, in a 2021 interview.

Tompsett was a member of a team of researchers who revealed, through an extensive analysis, that students from wealthier, more educated families were more likely to play college sports. The study, one of the first of its kind, called into question whether sports are a true meritocracy, in which success is purely a function of talent and hard work.

The relationship between income, education and athletic performance holds up for this year’s Olympics, a Banner analysis showed. Put simply, richer states with a higher proportion of college-educated residents, like Maryland, tend to produce Olympians and Paralympians at higher rates than poorer states.

While a state’s socioeconomic position seems to make a difference in terms of producing Olympians, it doesn’t explain the competitive success Marylanders have enjoyed at the games. While there is a strong relationship between income, education and the number of competitors per 100,000 residents, the trend disappears when counting medals.