SAN ANTONIO – The best athletes from Texas, the United States and the world are in Paris to light up the 2024 Summer Olympics in the historic City of Light.
While some Olympic events such as soccer have already kicked off in France, the Olympic Games symbolically began Friday with the opening ceremony.
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The United States sent 592 athletes to France, more than any other country competing in this year’s Games.
Texans often think of the Lone Star State as its own country, given its size, population and well-known history as a former independent nation. Team USA alone will enjoy the fruits and labors of 38 native Texans over the next two weeks, including the likes of legendary Houston-area gymnast Simone Biles and emerging Dallas track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson.
Even some South Texans will have a chance at their own Olympic moment in the sun. Jennifer Lozano, 21, became the first-ever Olympian from Laredo, according to USABoxing.org. Shaine Casas, a McAllen native who swims at the University of Texas, qualified for Paris with an exciting finish at last month’s U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.
Texas’ 38 athletes representing Team USA is more Olympians than countries such as Ethiopia (32), Venezuela (32), Indonesia (29) and Slovakia (28).
The San Antonio-Team USA Olympic connection
Two members of Team USA officially call San Antonio home.
Keith Sanderson is now a four-time Olympian representing the US. Sanderson, who will compete in the men’s 25-meter rapid-fire pistol shooting competition, attended John Marshall High School before spending eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps and eight more years in the U.S. Army.
Sanderson previously competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. His best Olympic finish was fifth place at the 2008 Olympic Games.
Sanderson qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, but the U.S. Center for SafeSport suspended him for three months due to alleged sexual misconduct and sexual harassment in June 2021. The suspension made Sanderson ineligible for the Tokyo Olympics.
Fred Kerley, 29, is the likeliest San Antonio native who could legitimately bring home a gold medal.
Kerley, who will compete in the men’s 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay, brought a silver medal back home to the states from the Summer Olympics in Tokyo three years ago.
His time of 9.84 seconds in the 100-meter dash was just four-tenths of a second slower than Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs, whose 9.80 earned him the gold.
Kerley was born in San Antonio, but he later started his collegiate career at South Plains College in Levelland, approximately 30 miles west of Lubbock, before landing on the track and field team at Texas A&M.
An international flavor
A familiar local face will be stepping onto the track for arguably the world’s most celebrated track and field outfit.
Andrew Hudson, a Steele High School graduate who also ran at Texas Tech, will suit up for Team Jamaica.
Hudson had been Jamaica’s fastest male runner in the 200-meter dash in 2022 and 2023. On his quest for a third first-place finish in a row, Hudson ran the 200-meter dash on June 30 in 20.02 seconds.
However, Hudson was beaten out by Bryan Levell (19.97 seconds), but Hudson’s season-best was fast enough for him to qualify for his first Olympic Games.
Hudson will take his place on the track on Aug. 5.
Texas State and the University of Texas at San Antonio will have some former, current and future alums suiting up as Olympians.
The Bobcats will be represented by Anicka Newell, a pole vaulter for Team Canada.
Earlier this month, KSAT Sports Reporter Mary Rominger profiled one of UTSA’s Olympians: Australian hurdler Alanah Yukich. While she was a nine-time Conference USA medalist at UTSA, Yukich has been at her professional best after college.
“To anyone in college, there’s a purpose to your life,” Yukich told KSAT two weeks ago. “Just because you don’t win a conference championship or you’re not an All-American, try again next year because I was never an All-American or National Champion, and here I am making my first Olympic team.”
The Roadrunners have two more Olympic representatives in track and field. Former Roadrunner sprinter Diego Pettorossi and soon-to-be Roadrunner hurdler and sprinter Fatoumata Kabo.
UTSA announced its signing of Kabo on July 15. Both Pettorossi and Kabo will suit up for Team Italy.
KSAT Sports Reporter Nick Mantas also caught up with another first-time Olympian three weeks ago. Aki Epenisa is representing Tonga as the country’s first-ever female Olympic boxer.
“I take my training so seriously because I know a lot of youths are looking up to me,” Epenisa told KSAT earlier this month. “Some young islander kid from the island of Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Solomon Islands could be watching me. And, you know what, whether it’s boxing or something else they want to pursue and put their heart into, I hope they see me, and they want to go after their dreams and their goals.”
Of course, a list of international Olympians with San Antonio-area ties wouldn’t be complete without Spurs forward/center Victor Wembanyama. He will take the floor for France’s first group stage match against Brazil on Saturday.
Texans on Team USA
Below is the full list of 38 Texans donning the red, white and blue of Team USA.
- Simone Biles; gymnastics, Spring, TX
- Kelsey Bing; field hockey, Houston, TX
- Orrin Bizer; rugby, The Woodlands, TX
- Taliyah Brooks; track and field, Wichita Falls, TX
- Joseph Brown; track and field, Mansfield, TX
- Shaine Casas; swimming, McAllen, TX
- Teal Cohen; rowing, Dallas, TX
- Kassidy Cook; diving, The Woodlands, TX
- Bryce Deadmon; track and field, Missouri City, TX
- Jourdan Delacruz; weightlifting, Wylie, TX
- Joshua Edwards; boxing, Houston, TX
- Alison Gibson; diving, Austin, TX
- Brittney Griner; women’s basketball, Houston, TX
- Jonathan Healy; taekwondo, Spring, TX
- Roscoe Hill; boxing, Spring, TX
- Asher Hong; gymnastics, Plano, TX
- Bryce Hoppel; track and field, Midland, TX
- Alaysha Johnson; track and field, Spring, TX
- David Johnston; swimming, Dallas, TX
- Fred Kerley; track and field, San Antonio, TX
- Kaitlin Knifton; rowing, Austin, TX
- Grant Koontz; cycling, Houston, TX
- Jarrion Lawson; track and field, Texarkana, TX
- Jeffrey Louis; breaking, Houston, TX
- Jennifer Lozano; boxing, Laredo, TX
- Simone Manuel; swimming, Sugar Land, TX
- Jasmine Moore; track and field, Grand Prairie, TX
- Chiaka Ogbogu; volleyball, Coppell, TX
- Ryann Phillips; shooting, Gail, TX
- Conner Prince; shooting, Burleson, TX
- Sha’Carri Richardson; track and field, Dallas, TX
- Keith Sanderson; shooting, San Antonio, TX
- Jaedyn Shaw; soccer, Frisco, TX
- Avery Skinner; volleyball, Katy, TX
- Austen Smith; shooting, Keller, TX
- Sam Watson; sport climbing, Southlake, TX
- Kevon Williams; rugby, Houston, TX
- Jacob Wooten; track and field, Tomball, TX
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