Rio Olympics will feature a Texas twang
Texas has its usual share of Olympians. Some were born here. Some moved here. Some went to school here. Some train here. All of them leave for Rio with one goal — to bring home a medal.
Here are some Texans to watch in the Games, which begin with the Opening Ceremony on Friday:
Native Texans
Cammile Adams, swimming, Houston/Cypress Woods: The A&M product, who finished fifth in the 200 butterfly in the 2012 Games, won the event at the Trials in 2:06.80.
Simone Biles, gymnastics, Spring: The three-time defending world champion heads to her first Olympics having already been tagged the greatest ever in her sport.
Mackenzie Brown, archery, Flint: The 21-year-old is the lone female archer to compete for Team USA in the Olympics.
Michelle Carter, track and field, Red Oak: The UT product finished 15th in the shot put at the 2008 Games and fifth in 2012.
Glenn Eller, shooting, Houston: The five-time Olympian won the gold medal in the double trap at the 2008 Games.
Brittney Griner, basketball, Houston: She withdrew her name from Olympic consideration four years ago while still at Baylor.
Courtney and Kelley Hurley, fencing, Houston: The San Antonio Warren graduates, who were born in Houston and train there, were part of the U.S. women’s bronze medal-winning epee team in 2008.
DeAndre Jordan, basketball, Houston: The A&M product, who led the NBA with a 70.3 field goal percentage last season, will make his Olympic debut.
Madison Kocian, gymnastics, Dallas: The 19-year-old, who trains in Plano, won the uneven bars in the 2015 world championships.
Stephen Lambdin, taekwondo, Colleyville: The Colleyville Heritage graduate will compete in his first Olympics after earning the silver in the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament.
Simone Manuel, swimming, Sugar Land: She finished second in the 50 free and 100 free at the Olympic Trials to qualify for her first Games.
Katie Meili, swimming, Colleyville: The Nolan Catholic graduate finished second in the 100 breaststroke at the Olympic Trials to qualify for her first Olympics.
Shelbi Vaughan, track and field, Weatherford: The Mansfield Legacy and Texas A&M graduate finished second in the discus at the Olympic Trials with a 197-9 throw.
Dana Vollmer, swimming, Granbury: Vollmer, now a mom, qualified for her third Olympics and will try to repeat her gold medal in the 100 fly.
Adopted Texans
Trayvon Bromell, track and field, Baylor: The Waco resident finished second in the 100-meter dash at the Olympic Trails with a 9.84.
Tamika Catchings, basketball, Duncanville High: Her fourth Olympics will be her final one.
Kassidy Cook, diving, The Woodlands High: She won the springboard at the Olympic Trials, qualifying for her first Olympics after a near miss in 2012.
Ryan Crouser, track and field, University of Texas: He won the shot put with a throw of 72-6 1/2 , making him a medal favorite.
Tervel Dlagnev, wrestling, Arlington High: He finished fifth in the 275-pound freestyle division at the 2012 Games.
Kevin Durant, basketball, University of Texas: The newest Golden State Warrior led the 2012 USA team in scoring with a 19.5 average.
Vincent Hancock, shooting, Fort Worth resident: He is the only Olympian to win back-to-back gold medals in skeet.
Steven Lopez, taekwondo, Sugar Land Kempner High: He has two Olympic gold medals and a bronze in his previous three Olympics.
Gerina Piller, golf, UT El Paso: The Fort Worth resident cracked the top 15 in the Rolex rankings to qualify for the Olympics with a tie for eighth at the U.S. Women’s Open.
Gil Roberts, track and field, Texas Tech: He finished second in the 400 at the Olympic Trials with a time of 44.73.
Byron Robinson, track and field, University of Texas: He ran a personal-best 48.79 at the Olympic Trials to finish second in the 400-meter hurdles.
Sarah Scherer, rifle, TCU: She finished seventh at the 2012 Games.
This story was originally published July 30, 2016 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Rio Olympics will feature a Texas twang."