PARIS, France — The Olympic Trials for diving, gymnastics, swimming and track and field are underway and for most sports, they are scheduled to go until June 30.
Now, while it might seem a bit arbitrary to make notable athletes such as Dallas-native Sha'Carri Richardson compete in these trials, it's a necessary process for the United States to ensure it is sending the top athletes to the world competition.
This year, there are several North Texas athletes vying for a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
For most Texans, the closest they've come to Paris is Paris, Texas. But for these athletes, their dreams of representing their country in the Olympics stretch beyond even the Lone Star State.
Below is a list of North Texas athletes who have punched their tickets and qualified to represent the U.S. in France so far:
- Sha'Carri Richardson - Track
- Richardson, a Dallas native, earned her spot on the U.S. Olympic Team after running a 10.71 in the women's 100-meter final in Oregon.
- Jasmine Moore - Track & Field
- Moore, born in Grand Prairie, Texas, is a Lake Ridge high alum. She'll be competing in triple jump. In 2022 and 2023 with the Florida Gators, Moore logged 15 first place finishes across multiple indoor and outdoor championships.
- David Johnston - Swimming
- Johnston, from Dallas, Texas, is a junior at UT Austin. He was a part of the 2021 NCAA National Championship team and is an eight-time All-American in the 500 free, 1650 free and 400 IM. He'll compete in the 1500 free, where his top time is 15:02.37.
- Teal Cohen - Rowing
- Cohen, who is from Dallas, Texas, is coming off of a huge win at the 2024 World Rowing Final Olympic & Paralympic Qualification Regatta. Teal attended the University of Washington where she graduated in 2022.
- Jordan Delacruz - Weightlifting
- Delacruz is a 26-year-old from Wylie, Texas and she will be making her second Olympic appearance this summer. She fell short of a medal in 2020, but she's ready to redeem herself in Paris.
- John Joss - Para Shooting
- Joss from Corsicana, Texas is a two-time Paralympian, veteran and national record holder in the R6-Mixed 50m Free Rifle Prone SH1.
- Chiaka Ogbogu - Volleyball
- Ogbogu is from Coppell, Texas, and has been a member of the U.S. Women's National Team since 2018, winning a gold medal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
- Conner Prince - Shooting
- Prince, who is from Burleson, Texas, has qualified for the Men's Skeet shooting in Paris 2024. Prince has collected a number of accolades since picking up the sport in high school.
- Austen Smith - Shooting
- Smith is from Keller, Texas and she is making her second Olympic appearance. In 2020, Smith was the youngest member of the USA Shooting team as she claimed tenth place in Women's Skeet shooting.
- Sam Watson - Sport Climbing
- Watson, who is from Southlake, Texas, has been climbing since he was just five years old. Thirteen years later, he is now set to compete in Paris after securing gold at the Pan-American Games.
- Scottie Scheffler- Golf
- Scheffler, a Dallas native and the current World No. 1 Golfer is going to represent the U.S. in the Olympics alongside Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa. Scheffler has had quite the year so far as he's won five times on the PGA Tour, including at the Masters for the second time in his career.
- Jaedyn Shaw - Soccer
- Shaw, a Frisco native, was named to the 18-player women's soccer team roster. She's burst onto the scene in U.S. soccer in the last year. Her first goal of her international career in her second-ever appearance for the women's team was in October 2023. This is the first time Shaw will compete for a world championship with the USWNT on the senior level. She's also the youngest player on this Olympic team.
- Hezly Rivera - Gymnastics
- Rivera, who trains at WOGA in Plano, is the youngest member of Team USA at 16 years old. She previously won the all-around title in the junior division at the 2023 U.S. Championships. Her strongest events are uneven bars and balance beam, where she placed fourth and fifth, respectively, at nationals.
- Vincent Hancock - Skeet
- Hancock is a resident of Argyle, Texas, and is a three-time gold medalist. Paris will be his fifth Olympic appearance. Hancock operates Northlake Shooting Sports in Northlake, Texas, training the next generation of shooting athletes.
- Nic Fink - Swimming
- A Dallas resident, Nic Fink will compete with Team USA in swimming. Fink's specialty is breaststroke, where he is a six-time world champion. His wife, Melanie Margalis Fink, is an assistant coach for SMU's women's swim and dive team.
- Bryce Hoppel - Track & Field
- Originally from Midland, Texas, Hoppel now resides in Dallas. The runner is the reigning indoor world champion in the 800-meter. Since 2022, Hoppel has finished first in every national championship running the 800-meter.
- Luisa Blanco - Gymnastics
- Blanco was born in Los Angeles, but Dallas is her hometown. The gymnast was born to Colombian immigrants, and thus will represent Colombia at the 2024 Olympic Games.
- Hailey Van Lith - Basketball 3x3
- Van Lith's North Texas ties are pretty slim, but she recently transferred to TCU. Van Lith is the only college athlete representing Team USA in basketball. Van Lith will be part of the four-woman roster in the women's 3x3 competition.
- Joseph Brown - Discus
- A Mansfield-native, Brown will represent Team USA in discus. Brown finished third in the U.S. Olympic trials by a two-inch margin. Prior to his final throw in the qualifiers, he was in eighth place.
- Asher Hong - Gymnatics
- From Plano, Texas, Asher Hong will compete in the 2024 Olympics for the U.S. men's gymnastics team. Hong has competed internationally since 2017. Representing the Stanford Cardinals, he won six NCAA gold medals.
The Summer Olympics officially start on July 26 with the opening ceremony and conclude on August 11.
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