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If you are wondering how to listen to the Olympics, iHeartRadio has you covered. iHeartRadio is the exclusive audio home of NBC's coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, so it is the only place to listen to the Olympics stream. The free iHeart app is where to go to listen to exclusive play-by-play action of Team USA. To celebrate, we are spotlighting some of the country's athletes that are vying for gold.
Alyssa Mendoza, a 20-year-old boxer from Caldwell, Idaho, is making waves in the world of boxing. As the youngest member of Team USA, Mendoza has her sights set on gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Born and raised in Caldwell, Mendoza's boxing journey began at a young age. Inspired by her father, a former boxer himself, Mendoza was drawn to the sport by the sound of gloves hitting the mitts. She began her boxing career with a rocky start, going 5-8 in 2018. However, she didn't let this deter her. Instead, she used it as motivation to improve.
She told USA Boxing, "I was afraid to lose," Mendoza stated. "I would go into the ring with fear of losing and not boxing to win. And boxing that way made me lose a lot."
Mendoza's breakthrough came in 2022 at the Golden Gloves, where she won the event and was named the best female boxer of the tournament. This success propelled her onto USA Boxing’s Elite High Performance Team in 2023. That same year, she made her international debut at the 2023 Strandja Tournament, winning bronze. She also won silver at the 2023 Czech Republic Grand Prix, and bronze at the 2023 Gee Bee International Tournament.
Despite her success, Mendoza fell short at the 2023 Pan American Games and the first World Qualification Tournament in 2024. However, she remained undeterred and continued to train at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Mendoza's hard work paid off when she secured her place in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Second 2024 Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand. She is the first Olympic boxer from Idaho, making her a trailblazer in her home state. "I have trained and gave camp my all. When I am boxing my style and at the level I am capable of, I am hard to beat. I am ready to punch my ticket to Paris.” Mendoza said.
From exclusive NBC play-by-play action of Team USA to live hourly updates from the Games to original Summer Games podcasts, you can listen to the Olympics stream only on iHeartRadio. Find out more about how to listen.