What to Know
- NBC is your home for the 2024 Paris Olympics from the Opening Ceremony on July 26 to the Closing Ceremony on August 11
- 329 events featuring 32 sports (including the 4 additional sports)
- Some of the most iconic, historic destinations in the City of Lights will be used as competition venues
Here are the athletes from North Texas who have either qualified for Team USA or heading to Olympic trials this summer in hopes of earning a spot for Paris.
SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON - TRACK & FIELD
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Sha’Carri Richardson, from Dallas, was crowned the fastest woman in the world on the track in the 100-meters. Richardson will represent Team USA in the 100m and 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics after a first place finish at Trials in June.
In December of 2023, she won gold in Budapest for the world championships record. Richardson crossed the finish line at 10.65 seconds, just shy of Florence Griffith-Joyner’s world record that has stood for the last 35 years.
Richardson graduated from Carter High School in Dallas.
SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER - GOLF
Scottie Scheffler, from Highland Park, has officially qualified for the Paris Olympics in men's golf.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
The decorated golfer just celebrated his second Green Jacket win at the Masters in April 2024. Just after winning the Masters, he went on to win the coveted plaid jacket from the 2024 RBC Heritage tournament in South Carolina. The current world number one is the first player from the U.S. to be mathematically guaranteed qualification for the 2024 Olympics.
It will be Scheffler’s first Olympics after failing to qualify for the Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, when golf made its return to the Games or in Tokyo in 2020, which was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The qualification period for golf ended on June 17 for men. Team USA will be made up of Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa.
HEZLY RIVERA - GYMNASTICS
Hezly Rivera, from Plano, has dedicated her entire life to gymnastics.
Her sacrifices come with her family’s as well. The 15-year-old's family moved from New Jersey earlier in her career so that she could start training at WOGA Plano with world champion coaches Valeri and Anna Liukin. The Liukins are the parents of five-time Olympic medalist, Nastia Liukin.
At U.S. Olympic Trials, Rivera made the five-woman team headed to Paris and in the process became the youngest person on Team USA at 16 years and 26 days.
SAM WATSON - SPORT CLIMBING
Sam Watson, from Southlake, is the reigning world record holder in sport climbing in the discipline of speed.
The 18-year-old recently broke the world record twice at the World Cup competition in China.
Watson has been in the conversation as one of the favorites to win gold at the Paris Olympics as he has already qualified for a spot on Team USA.
ASHER HONG - GYMNASTICS
Asher Hong of Plano will make his first Olympic appearance in Paris in 2024.
He was the 2023 U.S. Championship all-around champion and in the same year, he earned NCAA team and vault champion honors with Stanford University. That win made him the youngest U.S. men’s all-around gymnastics champion in 34 years.
At trials in June, Hong and four other men were named to Team USA.
BRYCE HOPPEL - TRACK & FIELD
Bryce Hoppel is the reigning world indoor champion in the 800-meter. Hoppel ran a personal best and U.S. Olympic Trials record of 1:43 at the end of June to win first place in the men's 800m and secure his spot on Team USA for his second Olympic appearance.
Hoppel, who is from Midland, but lives in Dallas now, competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 finishing 16th in the men’s 800m.
When running for the University of Kansas, he won first place in both the indoor and outdoor NCAA championships in 2019.
NIC FINK - SWIMMING
Nic Fink is headed to his second Olympics after his recent win in the 100-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
The now Dallas resident, who does some of his training at SMU was a grad student at Georgia Tech and spent his undergrad at the University of Georgia as a decorated athlete.
Fink finished fifth in Tokyo in 2021, hoping for a medal at the Paris Olympics.
Fink is originally from New Jersey and is married to 2016 Olympic gold medalist Melanie Margalis-Fink who is an assistant coach for SMU women's swimming.
VINCENT HANCOCK - SKEET
Vincent Hancock, who lives in Argyle, is trying to do what no skeet shooter has done before. Paris will be his fifth Olympics (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024), and hoping for his fourth Olympic gold.
The decorated skeet shooter owns Northlake Shooting Sports in Denton County, where he coaches two other members of Team USA’s skeet shooting team.
Austen Smith and Conner Prince both credit much of their success to Hancock’s teaching. North Texas skeet shooters are three of the four-member team.
JASMINE MOORE - TRACK & FIELD
Mansfield Lake Ridge High School alum Jasmine Moore looks to make her second USA Olympic team at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Moore will be competing in triple jump and long jump.
Moore, a Grand Prairie native, won the 2023 NCAA indoor championships with the University of Florida. As a senior at UF, Moore became the second woman to clear both 15m in the triple jump and 7m in the long jump indoors. Moore set the American and collegiate record in the triple jump and the collegiate record in the long jump at the NCAA Indoors on her way to her fifth and sixth national title as a Gator.
Moore has been training on the East Coast ahead of the track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon June 21-30. When asked what's going through her mind as she tries to make it to her second consecutive Olympics she said, "I am just focused on executing, seizing the moment and just trusting in the Lord and my training."
MATT KING - SWIMMING
Matt King trains at Texas Ford Aquatics in Frisco. He earned a spot on the Paris Olympic team in the 4x100 free relay. He attended the University of Alabama, but ultimately ended up at the University of Virginia. Originally from Washington, he became an SEC and ACC champion and a seven-time NCAA All-American.
Both the Men's and Women's Olympic teams will embark on training camps in North Carolina and Croatia before heading to Paris for the Olympic Games. The swimming competition in Paris is scheduled to commence on July 27th and conclude on August 4th.
JOURDAN DELACRUZ - WEIGHTLIFTING
Jourdan Delacruz was born in Wylie, but now calls Atlanta, GA home. Delacruz hopes to be one of three women to make the U.S. weightlifting team for the Paris Olympics. Delacruz, who is a decorated weightlifter, just missed the medal podium at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 25-year-old hopes that the previous Olympics experience paired with extensive training alongside Tokyo silver medalist Kate Vibert will be the perfect recipe for success in Paris. The two also mentor some of the best up-and-coming junior lifters in the country at the gym they workout at outside of Atlanta.
Delacruz started her athletic career as a competitive gymnast before getting into CrossFit with her parents and eventually finding weightlifting.
Her competition personal records include: 91 kg snatch, 116 kg clean & jerk, 207 kg total.
UPDATE: Delacruz is headed to her second Olympics being selected on Team USA weightlifting in June.
DAVID JOHNSTON - MEN'S SWIMMING
David Johnston, a rising senior at the University of Texas at Austin and Dallas native, is heading to the Paris Olympics.
His runner-up finish in the 1500-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Team trials earned him a spot on the 46-person team in swimming. Generally, the first-place finisher which was Bobby Fink, in the individual swimming events earns an automatic spot and the runner-up waits to be confirmed by USA Swimming. That confirmation came soon after the conclusion of Sunday’s final.
UT has five current or former swimmers that will represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics.
HAILEY VAN LITH - 3x3 BASKETBALL
TCU guard Hailey Van Lith, Cameron Brink, Rhyne Howard, and Cierra Burdick will look to defend the United States gold medal performance at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 in 3x3 basketball at the Paris Olympics this summer.
Van Lith transferred to TCU this past spring after a season at LSU. She previously played at Louisville.
The sport requires that two of the four members of the team be in country's top 10 for total points accumulated in FIBA rankings. Burdick, Brink and Van Lith are all ranked that high.
AUSTEN SMITH - SKEET
Austen Smith, from Keller, is heading to her second Olympics in women’s skeet. Her first Olympic showing was in Tokyo.
Smith's coach, Vincent Hancock, who is also on Team USA for skeet shooting says she is one of the best he has ever seen.
In a first of its kind at the Paris Olympics, the two will have the chance to medal twice -- once in the individual competition and again in the mixed-doubles team competition.
JOSEPH BROWN - DISCUS
Joseph Brown, Mansfield High School alumni, can now add Olympian to his resume. It wasn't without drama at the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, OR though. Going into his final throw, he was in eighth place. It was that sixth throw that was good enough to put him in third place. That third place earned him a spot on Team USA.
Brown, who still lives in North Texas, also had a decorated college career at Texas A&M-Commerce, highlighted by an NCAA Division II national championship in 2019.
CHIAKA OGBOGU - VOLLEYBALL
Chiaka Ogbogu, from Coppell, won gold at the Tokyo Olympics with USA Volleyball. Ogbogu said then that she would love to be part of the Olympic team going to Paris and that dream has become a reality.
Chiaka Ogbogu, of Coppell, is one of eight players headed back to the Olympics for Team USA. At just 29 years old, Ogbogu is considered one of the veterans on the team. She has been a member of the national team since her first appearance with them in 2018 and has played professionally in Italy, Poland and Turkey.
Before making Team USA she was an All-American at the University of Texas-Austin and before that, she led her volleyball team at Coppell High School to state titles in 2011 and 2012.
CONNER PRINCE - SKEET
Conner Prince, from Burleson, was introduced to skeet shooting when he was at Centennial High School a decade ago. The Spartan Clay Target Team “kind of stuck”, as he put it.
Now, Prince has shot his way onto Team USA, qualifying for the Paris Olympics. The Tarleton State University senior said that he was even shocked when he made the team, but is more than ready for his chance.
His coach, Vincent Hancock, is also on this year’s team headed to his fifth Olympics, hoping for his fourth gold.
TEAL COHEN - ROWING
Teal Cohen from Dallas has qualified for the Paris Olympics in quadruple sculls in women’s rowing.
She and her team qualified in June at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in Rowing. Cohen graduated from Hockaday School in Dallas in 2017.
She graduated from the University of Washington as a decorated NCAA athlete. Teal was a 2022 CRCA First-Team All-American, a 2021 CRCA Second-Team All-American, and a 2020 CRCA All-American nominee (no selection due to COVID.)
She started rowing in 2013 at The Hockaday School under Tim McAllister.
JOHAN GOMEZ - SOCCER
The U.S. Men's National Soccer Team will have qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 2008.
Johan Gomez, from Keller, who played for FC Dallas' Youth Academy and Dallas Club Solar has been named an alternate. Gomez was born in Arlington and first started playing recreational soccer in a local YMCA team in Fort Worth at age 3. The 22-year-old currently plays for German club Eintracht Braunschwig.
The USMNT will be one of the first teams to compete in any sport at the Paris Olympics, kicking off on Wednesday, July 24, two days before the Opening Ceremony on July 26.
JAEDYN SHAW - SOCCER
Jaedyn Shaw, from Frisco, got her soccer start at FC Dallas (youth academy) and Solar Soccer Club in Dallas.
Currently a forward for the San Diego Wave in the National Women’s Soccer League, but also making her mark with the United States Women’s National Team. She became the first player in USWNT history to score five goals in her first five starts with the national team.
At the end of June, Shaw was announced as one of the 18 women headed to Paris on the U.S. Women's National Team.
JAMES FRASCHILLA - 3X3 COACH
James Fraschilla graduated from Highland Park High School in Dallas in 2011. He is slated to assistant coach for the 3x3 men's basketball team at the Paris Olympics.
Fraschilla started supporting USA Basketball 3x3 in 2023. Currently an assistant coach for the Capital City Go-Go, the NBA G League affiliate of the Washington Wizards, Fraschilla was named an assistant coach for the 2024 USA 3x3 Men's National Team on Feb. 8, 2024.
Fraschilla played basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 2011-2015.
LUISA BLANCO - GYMNASTICS
Dallas' Luisa Blanco is headed to the Paris Olympics to represent Colombia in women's gymnastics after earning her spot at the Colombian National Championship.
Blanco moved to Dallas from Los Angeles when she was seven. She spent her junior career with WOGA-Frisco and graduated from Lebanon Trail High School. While at WOGA, she trained with world-class athletes like Skye Blakely, who is currently preparing for Team USA Olympic trials in gymnastics.
Blanco recently graduated for a second time from the University of Alabama as a decorated SEC gymnast. Blanco said she went through the arduous task of getting her dual citizenship in order to have a chance to compete for her parents' home country.
EMMA MALABUYO - GYMNASTICS
Flower Mound's Emma Malabuyo has earned a chance at another Olympics, but this time, it won't be with Team USA.
Malabuyo was an alternate for USA Gymnastics at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021. Now, she has a chance to compete for the Philippines earning a quota spot for the Paris Olympics after a third-place all-around finish at the Asian Gymnastics Championships in Uzbekistan.
The Philippines is the birthplace of her grandparents. She said her parents encouraged her to try for another Olympics through the Asian Championships, giving her the confidence boost she needed to go through with the meet.
The five-time U.S. National Team member is now a junior at UCLA where she has earned All-American honors.
GABRIEL CASTAÑO-GARCIA - SWIMMING
Gabriel Castaño-Garcia said he is ready for his second chance at an Olympic medal. He will be representing Mexico, but he lives in Addison and trains in Frisco.
"Its a unique feeling," Castaño-Garcia said. "This is my second Olympics, but I feel like this is, in reality, my first Olympics in a way because of the Tokyo Olympics and everything that happened there."
Castaño-Gacia's specialty is the men's freestyle. Swimming events are from July 26 to August 11.
SATOU SABALLY - W. BASKETBALL
Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally will represent Germany at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Germany qualified for the Olympics for the first time after Sabally led the squad to wins over Brazil and Serbia at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Brazil in February.
Germany is in Group C at the Paris Games, which also includes the United States, Japan, Belgium. They will open play in France on July 29 against Belgium at 6:30 a.m. CT.
The Germans will then face Japan on Aug. 1 at 4 a.m., before wrapping up Group play against Team U.S.A. on Aug. 4 at 10:15 a.m.
SKYE BLAKELY - GYMNASTICS
Skye Blakely, from Frisco, deferred her first year at the University of Florida for one more shot at Olympic glory.
Blakely started the 2024 season winning silver overall in the 2024 Winter Cup in February. She trains at WOGA Frisco, one of the most prestigious gymnastic academies in the country, boasting nearly 40 Olympic and World Championship medals.
Blakely was recently named to the roster of Nike-endorsed athletes.
UPDATE: Blakely ruptured her Achilles the week of U.S. Olympic Trials on June 26 and was unable to compete. She promised her fans on social media, "I'll be back."
HAILEY HERNANDEZ - DIVING
Hailey Hernandez, from Southlake, has become a decorated 1 and 3-meter springboard diver at the University of Texas-Austin.
Hernandez is a three-time All-American, three-time Big 12 team champion, two-time Big 12 Diver of the Year, and five-time individual champion in her time as a Longhorn.
Her first trip to the Olympics was to Tokyo in 2021, just months after graduating from Southlake-Carroll High School.
UPDATE: The UT junior missed making Team USA this year coming in eighth overall at trials in 3-meter springboard diving.
ASJIA O'NEAL - VOLLEYBALL
Asjia O'Neal, from Southlake, made her senior national team debut at the 2023 Volleyball Nations League. The two-time AVCA first team All-American at the University of Texas helped the team to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2022 and 2023. She finished at UT with the most blocks in school history topping her U.S. Women's teammate, Chiaka Ogbogu.
O'Neal's athletic career has come with medical obstacles. She was born with a heart condition in which she has had two open-heart surgeries. While she thought at one point her volleyball career would be over, she persevered and was able to excel in college and now on the international stage.
UPDATE: O'Neal will not be making the trip to the Olympics with USA Women's Volleyball which announced its roster in June.
RILEY MARX - ARCHERY
Riley Marx, who is from Allen where she attended Allen High School, before heading to Texas A&M University.
Marx is a senior studying Sport Management. She is the president of the Texas A&M Target Archers and is the founder of a 501c3 nonprofit that raises money for cancer research through donations to archers.
She began archery in the 7th grade and is now a 3-time All-American, and as of April was in the top 8 women in the U.S. Olympic Trials Qualification for Paris 2024.
UPDATE: Marx missed Team USA at qualifiers in June.
COTTON FIELDS, JACK HOAGLAND AND DANNY KOVAC - SWIMMING
At least half a dozen swimmers from Southern Methodist University men’s swim team have qualified for U.S. Olympic Trials. Junior Cotton Fields and graduate students Jack Hoagland and Danny Kovac are among them.
Kovac comes back to swimming after taking 18 months off following his decorated career at the University of Missouri. He used his “COVID” year of eligibility to hit the pool one final time with SMU.
Hoagland, also a graduate student, has been part of the team’s success this year as well. Hoagland placed sixth and earned All-American honors with a program record in the 1650 freestyle at the NCAA tournament and Kovac earned honorable mention All-American honors with a program record in the 200 fly.
At this year’s Atlantic Sun Conference tournament, the men’s swim team won their 45th conference title in program history.
UPDATE: Fields, Hoagland and Kovac all competed in trials, where they were not able to make the team of just 52 swimmers headed to Paris.
NBC 5 is your Olympics station with the Opening Ceremony starting off the 2024 Summer Games from Paris on July 26.
