U.S. soccer star and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model misses out on 2024 Olympic gold

The United States women's soccer team won another gold medal at the Paris Olympics, but Abby Dahlkemper had to watch from the sidelines.

Dahlkemper has been a pillar of United States women's soccer for several years, but she was not selected to be part of the national team for the 2024 Olympics. This was a notable decision made by the program, as All for XI's website noted that both Dahlkemper and Alex Morgan would be left off the team.

Dahlkemper has a bronze medal to her name, which she won as part of the national team that competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, she missed out on being a part of the gold medal winning team in 2024, which would have added to her decorated soccer resume.

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Dahlkemper was an integral part of the 2019 United States Women’s World Cup victory, and has let her hair down as a swimsuit model for Sports Illustrated before the tournament began. She’s had an injury riddled stretch since that banner year, but remains relevant as one of the better defenders in all of women’s soccer.

Along with a few other U.S. women’s national teammates, Dahlkemper flew to St. Lucia to participate in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in 2019. It was her first time doing it, so she had to liken the experience to something she was more familiar with.

Abby Dahlkemper told Sports Illustrated at the time, “As a soccer player and being out in the field you really have to make adjustments through the game, and I think that’s kind of similar to this shoot and the way I approached it… As I went along throughout the day, I ended up with a sheer shirt on and I felt comfortable and confident.”

Dahlkemper told Sports Illustrated, “I was kind of in disbelief because Sports Illustrated is such an iconic magazine to be a part of… I was really excited about the opportunity to have people get to know me off the field and not in soccer clothes.”

Unfortunately, Dahlkemper has had to deal with a lingering back injury that has kept her off the pitch more than she would have liked. She spent a lot of the 2022 and 2023 campaign in the NWSL trying to get back to full strength.

Dahlkemper told Equalizer Soccer’s website, “It was hard to be away for so long, but I think then you can focus on mentally getting better and a sense of just finding happiness off the field. It helped me discover who I am outside of soccer and what I enjoy and I have a really good work-life balance now, which I’m appreciative of.”

The San Diego Wave entered the NWSL in 2022, and wasted no time tabbing Dahlkemper as the first player on the roster. “Abby is one of the best centerbacks in the world and a proven winner at the club and international level,” said Wave FC President Jill Ellis on the team website.

While Dahlkemper has been a great acquisition for San Diego, she let her feelings be known after a game against Gotham FC in June 2024. She and Gotham’s Mandy Freeman charged for possession of a ball, but Freeman missed the ball and appeared to step on Dahlkemper’s leg, spikes out.

Dahlkemper posted to social media “I’m sorry but in what world is this not a red card? I’m thankful I didn’t break my ankle.” After the harrowing road Dahlkemper had fought back from, the last thing she wanted was to suffer another serious injury.

Yahoo Sports thought she was on the Olympic roster bubble heading into the year. The program appeared to prefer Naomi Girma and Tierna Davidson, who ultimately ended up making the team.

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