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Opinion

Our athletes are showing up strong for the Olympic trials

From Carter High to Southlake Carroll, Dallas area is shining.

Hailey Hernandez, 18, graduated a month ago from Southlake Carroll High School and secured her spot for the 3-meter dive with Team USA. Sha’Carri Richardson, 21, who graduated from Carter High School in 2018 and now runs with Louisiana State University, qualified to run the 100-meter with the quick time of 10.86 seconds. Jasmine Moore, 20, graduated from Mansfield Lake Ridge in 2019 and now numbers among the Olympians after her qualification in the triple jump.

While we watch local athletes continue to qualify, we are inspired by what we’ve witnessed at the trials so far. Here’s what we can take from it: Grit deserves to be rewarded.

Fox 4 reported that Hernandez went to Indianapolis with the sole purpose of gaining experience for the start of her athletic career at the University of Texas at Austin. Putting forth her best, despite her humble goal, she made the team. That an 18-year-old fresh from high school can accomplish such a feat underscores the power of will and determination that comes with being an Olympic athlete.

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As a college freshman, Richardson broke the NCAA record for fastest 100-meter time. Breaking her personal record in April, she is now the sixth fastest woman of all time. Performing at such a high caliber, while also grieving the loss of her mother last week, Richardson is an example of success.

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Moore balances athletic prowess with calculus class and her marketing internship with speaker company JBL. At the same time, she improved her personal-best from 45 feet, 1 inch — which would’ve ranked fifth this year — to her qualifying score of 46 feet, 2 1/2 inches in just one year.

It is always a joy to see locals on the screen representing North Texas and America on the world stage, and we are ecstatic to have another example of Texas creating world-class athletes.

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We are proud of these strong young women and are eager to see what they do next.