The Lone Star State is always heavily represented when the Summer Olympics come around, and the 2024 Olympics in Paris are no different.
Since Texas pride is always so strong we wanted to highlight the success of athletes who call Texas home, attended school or trained in Texas.
Here are the athletes who are bringing home a medal to North Texas:
PLANO'S HEZLY RIVERA WINS GOLD
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Hezly Rivera, the youngest member of Team USA at the Paris Olympics, moved to North Texas to train at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Plano. The 16-year-old New Jersey native made her Olympic debut on the balance beam and uneven bars and helped Team USA's women's gymnastics team secure a spot in the team finals. They went on to win gold, making Rivera's childhood dream come true, and she did it alongside her idol, Simone Biles.
DALLAS'S SHA'CARRI RICHARDSON WINS GOLD AND SILVER
Dallas native Sha'Carri Richardson has been on a quest for redemption since missing the Tokyo Olympics following a suspension. After dominating all the races leading up to the women's 100m final, she was the heavy favorite to win but was upset by Julien Alfred of St. Lucia. Richardson's first Olympic medal, a silver came in that race, but she shined brightest in the women's 4x100m relay. Richardson, who was the anchor, got the baton with Team USA in third place and quickly took the lead sprinting across the finish line to bring home her second medal, a gold.
DALLAS'S NIC FINK WINS GOLD, 2 SILVER
Reigning world champion and Dallas resident, Nic Fink is bringing home three medals. His Olympic career might be starting late, but it's been successful in Paris. Fink tied for silver in the men’s 100m breaststroke final, missing the gold by two-hundredths of a second, a fingernail away from the top of the podium. Then, after a couple of days of rest, he was back in the pool, lending his breaststroke skills to Team USA's relay teams. First, winning gold while setting a new world record in the mixed 4x100m medley relay, then closed out his Olympics journey in Paris with silver in the men's 4x100m medley relay. Fink returns to Dallas, where his pregnant wife -- a gold medal-winning Olympian who is an assistant swim coach at Southern Methodist University -- is expecting their first child, a boy due in September.
FRISCO'S MATT KING WINS GOLD
Matt King recently moved to Frisco, where he trains at Texas Ford Aquatics. All the training paid off, he got Team USA's men's 4x100m freestyle relay team to the final. While Jack Alexy, Hunter Armstrong, Caeleb Dressel, and Chris Guiliano cruised to victory in the 4x100m freestyle relay final, King and another swimmer, Ryan Held, received gold for swimming the free relay in the prelims.
HIGHLAND PARK'S SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER WINS GOLD
Highland Park's own Scottie Scheffler was heavily favored to win gold at the Paris Olympics. It wasn't looking good until the final when Scheffler pulled out all the stops and surged to the top of the leaderboard. Scheffler was four shots behind to start the final round, six shots behind early on the back nine, then he birdied five of six holes down the stretch and matched the course record with a 9-under 62, a one-shot victory over Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood.
FRISCO'S JAEDYN SHAW WINS GOLD
Frisco's Jaedyn Shaw and the USWNT returned to the top of the podium with a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the gold medal women's soccer match at Parc de Princes on the final Saturday of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The U.S. women did it again - for a record fifth time - brought home gold.
COPPELL'S CHIAKA OGBOGU WINS SILVER
Coppell's Chiaka Ogbogu and the U.S. women's team lost only their first game as they battled to make it to gold medal final. The defending champions lost to Italy at the Paris Olympics 0-3, bringing home silver. But Ogbogu and her teammates can be proud of the silver finish, it's the Americans' seventh Olympic medal making them the winningest country in women's volleyball.
ALLEN'S AUSTIN KRAJICEK WINS SILVER
Allen resident and Texas A&M graduate Austin Krajicek and his men's tennis doubles partner Rajeev Ram first grabbed headlines when they eliminated Spain's team of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals in a 6-2, 6-4 victory. The American tandem started strong in their quest for gold, winning the first set 7-6 and then dropping the second set 6-7. In the fight for a "first-to-10, win-by-two" victory needed in the Olympic gold medal match, the score after multiple tiebreaking sets was 10-8 and Krajicek and Ram won silver. It was Krajicek's first Olympic medal.
SOUTHLAKE'S SAM WATSON WINS BRONZE
Southlake's Sam Watson is bringing home bronze as the first-ever men’s Olympic speed climbing medals were awarded in Paris. Watson already got everyone’s attention when he broke his own world record with a 4.75-second run in the qualifying rounds. The 18-year-old lost by just .08 in the semifinal and then went on to again set a world record with a 4.74-second run in the bronze medal final. Watson's time in the bronze medal final was faster than the silver and gold medalists' times of 4.75 and 4.77.
PLANO'S ASHER HONG WINS BRONZE
Plano native Asher Hong brought his fiery spirit to Team USA's men's gymnastics team. The 5-foot-1 hype man provided the shot of adrenaline and points needed for momentum to win the bronze medal in the men's team final. Hong, who trains in Houston, performed a stellar vault that helped Team USA edged out Great Britain. It's the first medal for the U.S. men's gymnastics team since 2008.
GRAND PRAIRIE'S JASMINE MOORE WINS TWO BRONZE
Grand Prairie's own Jasmine Moore is making history in Paris, becoming the first U.S. female Olympian to compete and medal in both the triple jump and the long jump in the same Olympics. Moore missed the podium in Tokyo but not in Paris. Moore became the first American woman to ever medal in triple jump. The Mansfield Lakeridge High School alum jumped to bronze with a season-best 14.67. Moore also won bronze in the long jump.
FORT WORTH'S HAILEY VAN LITH WINS BRONZE
Hailey Van Lith will play for the TCU Horned Frogs during the 2024-2025 basketball season but first served as USA captain for the women's 3x3 basketball team in Paris. Van Lith was the leading scorer throughout the Olympics, averaging 5.2 points per game, as Team USA had to dig out from an 0-3 hole in pool play. Van Lith scored a game-high six points to help power Team USA to a 16-13 victory over Canada in the bronze medal game. Van Lith said TCU head basketball coach Mark Campbell came to Paris to support her in her Olympic debut and that support like that from her coach and teammates is going to drive her to give her all for the Horned Frogs. "It just really means the world to me. My teammates were even texting me every day, and the coaching staff. So I'm going to go give that school all that I have for my last year of college basketball," Van Lith said.
VINCENT HANCOCK WINS GOLD, SILVER
Vincent Hancock made Olympic history when he won this fourth gold medal in men's skeet. Hancock hit 58 out of 60 shots, beating his student at Northlake Shooting Sports. Hancock won skeet gold at the Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2021, and is the only skeet shooter to take the individual Olympic gold more than once. Hancock won silver in mixed team skeet alongside his other student, Austen Smith. The 35-year-old who calls North Texas home said he'll chase a fifth individual gold medal in four years in Los Angeles. No Olympic shooter has won five career gold medals since 1924.
BURLESON'S CONNER PRINCE WINS SILVER
Conner Prince from Burleson made his Olympic debut in Paris. He hit 57 of 60 shots, missing one shot in his last sequence of four and opening the door to his coach and mentor Hancock. The pair hugged and shook hands as Hancock closed out the win and Prince won silver. He later said they had talked about going 1-2. Conner went on to compete in mixed team skeet but didn't add to his medal haul.
KELLER'S AUSTEN SMITH WINS SILVER, BRONZE
Keller native Austen Smith also trains with Hancock at Northlake Shooting Sports and was making her second Olympic appearance in Paris. The University of Texas at Arlington student won the women’s individual skeet bronze and then 24 hours later joined her coach to represent Team USA in the mixed team skeet final. The pair gave the Italian team a run for the gold. Hancock and Smith had 148 of 150 shots for silver.
WYLIE'S TARA DAVIS-WOODHALL WINS GOLD
Tara Davis-Woodhall is known for putting on a cowboy hat after she wins. She grew up in Wylie and went to the University of Texas at Austin. She can call herself a gold medalist after jumping 7.10 meters and securing a first place finish in women's long jump. It's her first Olympic medal.
OTHER TEXAS OLYMPIANS BRINGING HOME MEDALS:
Texas is a big state, slightly larger than the whole country of France, so it stands to reason the Lone Star State would have more than one star in the Paris Olympics. Here are the other athletes who hail from Texas who are bringing home medals from the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.
SPRING'S SIMONE BILES WINS 3 GOLD, SILVER
Simone Biles was another athlete on a redemption tour. The 27-year-old from Spring is walking away from Paris with four medals and is still considered the GOAT. First, Biles and her teammates, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Hezly Rivera, claimed gold in the team final. Then she went on to win gold in the individual all-around. In the individual event finals, Biles took gold in the vault, and on the last day of competition, drained mentally and physically, she took silver in floor exercise.
SPRING'S JORDAN CHILES WINS GOLD
Jordan Chiles trains with Biles at her parents' gym in Spring and made her second run at the Olympics in Paris after helping the American women win silver in Tokyo. In Paris, the team's hype woman helped keep their spirits up and their scores up to bring home gold in the team final. Then, in the final individual competition, floor exercise, there was a stunning turn of events. When her coach inquired about the level of difficulty on one of her leaps, judges changed Chiles's score from 13.600 to 13.766, pushing her ahead of Romania's Ana Barbosu who thought she won bronze with 13.700. Unfortunately, the IOC says Chiles must return the bronze after in yet another twist, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said the level of difficulty appeal came after the window allowed for appeal. The bronze will be awarded to Barbosu and the original finishing order restored; which puts Chiles in fifth.
BRITTNEY GRINER WINS GOLD
Houston's own Brittney Griner was on the U.S. women's basketball team that went into the gold medal final as the heavy favorite and eked out a 67-66 win against France. The Americans claimed a record-breaking 8th straight Olympic gold medal in women's basketball. It's the third gold medal for Griner. The Baylor alum helped Team USA win gold in Tokyo and Rio and competed in Paris after spending 293 days in Russian captivity.
UTHEALTH HOUSTON ALUM GABBY THOMAS WINS TWO GOLD MEDALS
Gabby Thomas now calls Austin home after getting her master's at the UT Health Science Center at Houston. Thomas went to Paris hoping to upgrade after winning bronze in the women's 200m at the Tokyo Olympics. Before the race, she said she felt confident and in control and it showed -- Thomas sprinted to gold with a time of 21.82. Thomas also brings home gold for her part in the women's 4x100m relay.
AUSTIN RESIDENT VALARIE ALLMAN WING GOLD
Valarie Allman now calls Austin home and entered the discus ring at Stade de France as the defending Olympic champion. Her first throw landed foul, but on her second throw, she launched the disc 68.75 meters catapulting her into first place where she stayed. But she continued her dominance, her fourth throw measured 69.50 meters. She became the first American woman to win back-to-back Olympic discus gold medals.
THE WOODLANDS'S KASSIDY COOK WINS SILVER
Kassidy Cook from The Woodlands is half of the diving duo known as Cook 'n' Bacon. The pair narrowly failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and were determined to bring home a medal in women's synchronized 3-meter springboard. Cook, 29, and Bacon, 27, won their first medal together as synchro partners; they're returning from Paris with silver. Cook also became the first-ever women's diver to compete in non-consecutive Olympics; she last competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
SUGAR LAND'S SIMONE MANUEL WINS 2 SILVER
Simone Manuel didn't have the desired result in the women's 50m freestyle but still returns from Paris with two medals. First, she swam in both the prelim and final of the women's 4x100m freestyle relay where Team USA took silver. Manuel was second on the blocks for Team USA for the women's 4x200m freestyle relay and while she didn't swim in the final, she still gets a medal for her work getting the team there.
HOUSTON'S SHELBY McEWEN WINS SILVER
Shelby McEwen trains for men's high jump in Houston. McEwen and Hamish Kerr of New Zealand were tied for gold when they decided to settle the score with a jump-off for gold during the last Saturday of track and field events at Stade de France. In the end, McEwen left the 2024 Olympics in Paris with silver.
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN ATHLETES
Several University of Texas at Austin alums found success in Paris, starting with Longhorn Aquatics athletes, including three of the four responsible for silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
FORMER UT SWIMMER DREW KIBLER WINS SILVER
Team USA missed the podium in the Tokyo Olympics but not in Paris. Former Texas Longhorn swimmer Drew Kibler was first off the blocks for Team USA in both the men's 4x200m freestyle relay preliminary heat and final. Kibler only found out he would swim in the final after they came in first in the prelim. Kibler was the only swimmer in the water for both and helped with the team's mission for Olympic redemption and a silver medal.
UT SWIMMER LUKE HOBSON WINS SILVER, BRONZE
Luke Hobson is a senior at the University of Texas and he's bringing two medals home to the campus in Austin. Hobson overcame a bad start and claimed the bronze medal in a very close 200-meter freestyle. Only 0.17 seconds separated the gold medal winner from the swimmer who finished in fourth. Hobson swam second in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay final and helped propel Team USA to a silver finish in the final.
FORMER UT SWIMMER CARSON FOSTER WINS SILVER, BRONZE
Former Texas Longhorn swimmer Carson Foster narrowly missed out on a silver medal in the 400-meter medley, finishing with bronze when he touched the wall with a time of 4:08:66 to Japan's Tomoyuki Matsushita's 4:08.62. Then it was on to the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. Foster didn't compete in the preliminary but helped get Team USA onto the podium with a silver medal performance in the final.
Longhorns also showed their strength in track and field events.
UT ALUM KEVIN DURANT WINS GOLD
University of Texas at Austin alum Kevin Durant made history on the last Saturday in Paris after helping the U.S. men's basketball team win a fifth consecutive gold medal. Durant's fourth gold medal in the 98-87 victory over France in the gold medal game made him the most decorated Team USA men's basketball player in history. Durant has gold medals from Paris, Tokyo, Brazil and London. Durant is also Team USA's all-time leading scorer in the Olympics.
UT ALUM RYAN CROUSER WINS GOLD
University of Texas at Austin alum Ryan Crouser was going for history when he stepped into the shot put circle at Stade de France, hoping to become the first man to ever win three gold medals in shot put, and he did it. Crouser, 31, was in first place throughout the competition and secured his third-straight Olympic gold medal with a season-best 22.90 meters.
UT ALUM JULIEN ALFRED WINS GOLD FOR ST. LUCIA
Former University of Texas at Austin standout Julien Alfred, who grew up in St. Lucia, claimed the title 'fastest woman in the world' when she sprinted to a gold medal in the 100-meter dash. Alfred crossed the line in 10.72 seconds to beat Sha'Carri Richardson's 10.87 seconds and secure the first Olympic medal ever for the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia.
AGGIES GIG 'EM IN PARIS
Texas A&M athletes also represented the Lone Star State well in Paris. Here's a look at the Aggie alums who are bringing home precious medals and a little chunk of the Eiffel Tower.
A&M ALUM FRED KERLEY WINS BRONZE
Texas A&M's Fred Kerley was one of the men in the photo finish of the men's 100m, which some say might be the greatest Olympic race of all time since only .12 seconds separated gold medalist Noah Lyles from the last-place finisher. The 29-year-old from Taylor, TX, finished in 9.81 seconds to win the bronze medal. Kerley has back-to-back Olympic medals in the 100m, having won silver in Tokyo.
A&M ALUMS BRYCE DEADMON, SHAMIER LITTLE WIN SILVER
Former Aggies Bryce Deadmon and Shamier Little were the two men to participate in Team USA's mixed 4x400m relay. The pair joined Vernon Norwood and Kaylynn Brown on the podium for the silver medal in the final. Just the day before, during prelims, Deadmon and Little helped propel Team USA to the final while setting a new Olympic and world record with a time of 3:07.41.
A&M ALUM CASEY KAUFHOLD WINS BRONZE
Casey Kaufhold will graduate from Texas A&M with the class of 2026 and can brag that she's the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in archery since 1988. Kaufhold and Brady Ellison won the bronze medal in mixed-team archery. It was redemption for Kaufhold who didn't medal at the Tokyo Olympics and was knocked out of women's individual in Paris in the round of 32.
A&M ALUM LINDON VICTOR WINS BRONZE FOR GRENADA
Lindon Victor, a 2018 Texas A&M graduate who trains in Fort Worth, competed for his native Grenada at the Paris Olympics. He became his country's second-ever Olympic medalist when he won bronze in the men's decathlon.
