Team USA Olympians Reveal Their Favorite Pump-Up Music — from Justin Bieber and SZA to Creed (Exclusive)

Ever wondered what your favorite athletes are blasting on their headphones right before it's go time? Team USA stars reveal their go-to tunes

There may not be a gold medal awarded for best pump-up playlist, but Olympic athletes have certainly made a sport of picking the perfect song to blast when it’s time to compete.

Whether it’s energetic rap music, showtunes or something more relaxing, sports stars’ tastes differ when it comes to what they’re blasting from their headphones as they get in the zone.

Here, some of Team USA’s best and brightest stars reveal to PEOPLE just what tunes they’re cranking just before showtime at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Defying Gravity” from Wicked (Taryn Kloth and Kirsten Nuss, Beach Volleyball)

Kloth, 27, and Nuss, 26 aren’t just a perfect pair on the beach volleyball court — they’re also roommates in real life! Just as they share their digs and their court, the two also share a playlist and a set of AirPods before they compete. Kloth gets the left AirPod and Nuss gets the right, and the two warm up to songs both “meaningful” and “exciting,” says Kloth.

“It can be country, it can be a musical, it can be rap,” she explains. Though “Defying Gravity” is a favorite, Nuss notes that her brother, a doctor by day, wrote them a song specifically for the Olympics.

“It’s a hype-up song,” she says.

“Baby” by Justin Bieber (Anna Hall, Heptathlon)

Hall’s race day routine consists of getting ready in her hotel, making TikToks and of course, listening to music. The 23-year-old athlete says her taste runs the gamut from old-school Taylor Swift to Justin Bieber.

“I am listening to ‘Baby,’ even though I look really serious and locked in, which is funny,” she says.

“No Role Modelz” by J. Cole (Jasmine Moore, Triple Jump and Long Jump)

Track and field star Moore, who won bronze in the triple jump on Aug. 3 (the U.S.'s first-ever medal in the event), gets in the groove with a wide range of artists — including her favorite, J. Cole.

“Honestly, it’s a mix of everything. I like J. Cole. J. Cole’s my guy. That’s my number one,” says the athlete, 23. “Sometimes country, sometimes gospel. I love Morgan Wallen, BigXthaPlug. I’ve been listening to him a lot. So it really is a range of everything.”

Related: Lady Gaga Goes Full Cabaret Girl in Corset and All the Feathers for 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony Performance

“Fireflies” by Owl City (Yared Nuguse, Track and Field)

He’s an unlikely track star, so it checks out that Nuguse’s song of choice is an unexpected one.

“I feel like I kind of mix it up, but I think the song that I’m always playing, at least once on the day [of races] is ‘Fireflies’ by Owl City,” he says. “That song’s such a meme, but it’s a very calming song. I kind of want to be a little [calm] versus really amped up.”

In addition to the 2009 electro-pop hit, Nuguse, 25, says he’s also a fan of Taylor Swift.

“My Sacrifice” by Creed (Men’s Rowing Team)

Though a passion for Creed’s hard-rocking 2001 hit “started out as a bit,” says Nick Mead, it ultimately became an anthem for him and his teammates Justin Best, Liam Corrigan and Michael Grady.

The group — who won the U.S.’s first men’s four gold medal since 1960 last week — say Creed’s “Higher” is also on rotation.

“Pink Skies” by Zach Bryan (Ryan Held, Swimming)

Held, who won gold in the 4x100-meter men’s freestyle relay, says he prefers calmer tunes before competing, and has recently been playing this cut off Bryan’s new album The Great American Bar Scene.

“Snooze” by SZA (CJ Nickolas, Taekwondo)

When it comes to his tunes, Nickolas, 23, keeps it low-key. The athlete says that the last time he hit the ring, he was delayed, and ended up skipping a playlist in lieu of keeping just one song on repeat.

“I had ‘Snooze’ by SZA playing for 30 minutes straight,” says Nickolas, whose event will kick off in Paris on Aug. 7 .”I was just walking around the ring, and usually I’ll bring a crowd with me to my rings, and they were all just waiting for my fight to start, and I was just singing ‘Snooze’ for 30 minutes.”

“Lose Yourself” by Eminem (Kelsey Bing, Field Hockey)

Bing, 26, says she doesn’t have one song in particular that pumps her up, but tends to go with whatever matches the vibe of the day.

“I’ve got a bunch of different stuff. I just queue up whatever I want,” says the athlete, whose field hockey team finished ninth in the Paris Olympics this year. “It’ll be anything like classic rock, to Eminem, or country, or just music. It’s whatever I’m feeling that day.”

“Really Really” by Kevin Gates (Perry Baker, Rugby)

If Kevin Gates has a biggest fan, it may well be Baker, 38, who says he almost always uses the hip-hop star’s music as the soundtrack to his warm-up.

“I’m music all the time. Any song by Kevin Gates,” says Baker. “Sometimes it just depends on the mood, too. Music just makes me feel good. It’s a certain song that helps you get in the zone. I put some Gates on, that’s time to go.”

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