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10 Texans to watch at the 2024 Paris Olympics: Teenage phenoms and American record holders

Sha’Carri Richardson, Scottie Scheffler and Simone Biles top the list of athletes with Texas connections who are competing in Paris.

When the Opening Ceremonies for the 2024 Paris Olympics commence July 26, Texas will be omnipresent on the global stage.

Below is a list of 10 Texans to watch, and to make sure you catch all the locals vying for a gold medal, here’s a list of all the athletes with Texas connections.

Scottie Scheffler aligns his third hole during the second round of AT&T Byron Nelson on...
Scottie Scheffler aligns his third hole during the second round of AT&T Byron Nelson on Friday, May 13, 2022 at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney. (Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)

1. Scottie Scheffler

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What a year it’s been for the Highland Park and Texas graduate. Scheffler won the Players Championship for the second consecutive year and took home his second green jacket in three years at the Masters. His four additional wins made him the first golfer since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six PGA tournaments before the month of July.

Off the course, Scheffler experienced triumph and tribulation in the span of a few weeks in May. Nine days after the birth of his son, Scheffler was arrested when he attempted to get to Valhalla Golf Club for the second round of the PGA. His name dominated the news for nearly two weeks until a felony charge of assaulting a police officer with his vehicle and three misdemeanor charges were dropped.

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On June 18, it was announced that Scheffler would represent the U.S. in his first Olympics, joined by Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa. Scheffler and the group will compete from Aug. 1-4 at Le Golf National.

100 meters world champion Sha'Carri Richardson, shows her World Athletics Championship 2023...
100 meters world champion Sha'Carri Richardson, shows her World Athletics Championship 2023 medal during a ceremony in which the track at John E. Kincaide Stadium was named in honor of her, Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, in Dallas. (Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)

2. Sha’Carri Richardson

Richardson, a Carter graduate, will start her Olympic journey on Friday, Aug. 2, at 4:50 a.m. in the preliminary rounds of the women’s 100 meters.

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At last month’s U.S. Olympic trials for track and field, Richardson stormed to victory in the women’s 100 meters with a season’s best time of 10.71 seconds. She’ll also likely compete on the women’s 4x100 meter relay team, with preliminary rounds on Thursday, Aug. 8 at 4:10 a.m.

Richardson will not compete in the 200 meters after failing to make the top three at the trials.

After a wildly successful prep career and winning multiple collegiate titles at LSU, Richardson vaulted herself to the forefront of the American track world by taking home the gold medal in the women’s 100 meters at the 2023 World Track and Field Championships in Hungary. At the same World Championships, she anchored the U.S. women’s 4x100 meter relay to a gold medal.

This will be Richardson’s first Olympic Games after she initially qualified for Tokyo but was unable to compete because of her suspension for a positive marijuana test.

Simone Biles competes on the balance beam during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships on...
Simone Biles competes on the balance beam during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Sunday, June 2, 2024, in Fort Worth.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

3. Simone Biles

Biles, who is from Spring, outside Houston, is the world’s most decorated gymnast with a whopping 37 medals from the Olympics and the World Championships.

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In the 2020 Olympic Games, Biles notably pulled out of a number of event finals to prioritize her safety and mental health.

She clinched her third straight trip to the Olympics at the U.S. gymnastics trials on June 30. Plano resident Hezly Rivera; Sunisa Lee; Jade Carey; and Jordan Chiles, who trains with Biles in Spring, will join her on the five-woman Olympic team in Paris.

The women’s events will start at 2:30 a.m. July 28, with the team final at 11:15 a.m. July 30. The individual events will start Saturday, Aug. 3, and finish Monday, Aug. 5.

United States' Jaedyn Shaw (26) celebrates her first international goal during the second...
United States' Jaedyn Shaw (26) celebrates her first international goal during the second half of a soccer game against China, on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.(Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer)
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4. Jaedyn Shaw

Frisco native Shaw, 19, is a member of the U.S. women’s soccer team and a forward for the NWSL’s San Diego Wave. She is a former member of the FC Dallas Youth Academy.

Shaw burst onto the scene in fall 2023 when she scored in a 3-0 win over Colombia, a friendly that was only her second appearance with the national team. She also scored in the USWNT’s She Believes Cup win in April, and she has three goals and one assist for the Wave in the 2024 NWSL season.

She’s one of five forwards on the Olympic roster, joining veterans Sophia Smith, Crystal Dunn, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson. Shaw will try to help the USWNT bounce back under new head coach Emma Hayes after their disappointing third-place finish at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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The USWNT’s opening group game will be against Zambia on Thursday, July 25, at 2 p.m. They play Germany on July 28 at 2 p.m. and finish group play against Australia on July 31 at noon.

USA’s Ronnie Baker, Su Bingtian, and Fred Kerley race to the finish in the men’s 100 meter...
USA’s Ronnie Baker, Su Bingtian, and Fred Kerley race to the finish in the men’s 100 meter final during the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics at Olympic Stadium, on Sunday, August 1, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Kerley took second place with a time of 9.84 seconds. Baker took 5th and Bingtian took 6th place. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)(Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)

5. Fred Kerley

The Texas A&M sprinter will feature prominently for the U.S. men’s track team after finishing third in the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials for track and field and qualifying for this second straight Olympic Games.

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Kerley, who attended Taylor High School outside of Austin, broke onto the scene while competing at Texas A&M when he won the 400 meters at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He won that title in a world-leading time of 44.85 seconds.

After his standout collegiate career for the Aggies, Kerley continued his rise through the sport. He was mostly known for his 400-meter exploits in college, but since turning professional in 2017, Kerley has found success in the shorter distances of 200 and 100 meters. He took home the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and followed that up with a 2022 World Championship at 100 meters in Eugene.

Preliminary rounds for the men’s 100 meters will begin Aug. 3 at 3:35 a.m.

6. Asher Hong

Hong, a Plano native, will compete at his first Olympics in Paris alongside fellow American gymnasts Brody Malone, Fred Richard, Paul Juda and Stephen Nedoroscik.

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Hong’s first-place finish on rings was the highlight of his U.S. Olympic trials in June. He also placed fourth on floor exercise and on parallel bars.

The Stanford gymnast trained at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Frisco before his family relocated to the Houston area, where he trained at Cypress Academy of Gymnastics.

Hong and the Americans will begin competition July 27. The men’s team final will take place two days later, starting at 10:30 a.m.

USA’s Jasmine Moore competes in the women’s triple jump qualification round during the...
USA’s Jasmine Moore competes in the women’s triple jump qualification round during the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics at Olympic Stadium, on Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Moore did not advance to the next round. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)(Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)
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7. Jasmine Moore

Moore is competing in the long jump and triple jump in Paris, her second Olympics after Tokyo, where she finished 23rd in the triple jump.

At last month’s U.S. Olympic trials for track and field, the Grand Prairie native finished first in the triple jump and second in the women’s long jump. Moore is the first American woman to be selected for the same Olympics in both events and holds the U.S. record in the in the women’s triple jump.

The Mansfield Lake Ridge graduate competed for Georgia in college before transferring to Florida. In 2022, she became the first woman to qualify for both the triple and long jump at the World Championships.

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Moore will start competition Aug. 2 in qualifying for the women’s triple jump. Women’s long jump qualifying will take place Aug. 6.

8. David Johnston

Johnston, a Dallas native who went to The Covenant School, finished second in the 1,500 freestyle at the Olympic swimming trials last month and will also compete in the men’s 10-kilometer race in Paris. He was announced as an open-water entry when the roster for the swim team was revealed last month.

Johnston was an eight-time All-American at Texas and a member of the team that won the 2021 NCAA national championship.

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Heats of the men’s 1,500 freestyle begin Aug. 3, and the 10-kilometer race is Aug. 8.

9. Bryce Hoppel

Hoppel is perhaps Team USA’s best chance to take home a medal in the men’s 800 meters. The Midland native won the event last month in a new U.S. trials record of 1:42.77.

While at Kansas, he won two NCAA titles in the 800 meters and at one point had a 21-race unbeaten streak. In Tokyo and at the 2022 World Championships, he failed to qualify for the final, and in 2023, he placed seventh.

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Hoppel is coming off one of the most successful stretches of his career. He won the gold medal at the 2024 Indoor World Championships in Scotland and will be looking to capitalize on that form in Paris.

Preliminary rounds of the men’s 800 meters will begin Aug. 7, with the final Aug. 10.

Hezly Rivera competes on the balance beam during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships on...
Hezly Rivera competes on the balance beam during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Sunday, June 2, 2024, in Fort Worth.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

10. Hezly Rivera

Rivera, a 16-year-old from Plano, will make her Olympic gymnastics debut as one of the youngest athletes in Paris.

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Originally from Oradell, N.J., Rivera and her family moved to Texas, where she trains at the World Olympics Gymnastics Academy. Her specialties are the uneven bars and balance beam. At the U.S. gymnastics trials, Rivera tied for first in both events with a score of 14.300 on bars and 14.275 on beam.

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