These capsules highlight 37 Olympians with Colorado ties. In determining who counted as a Coloradan, we included athletes who attended a Colorado high school or college and those who currently live or train primarily in the state.
BASKETBALL
Canyon Barry
Specialty: 3×3 (guard)
Colorado connection: Graduate of Cheyenne Mountain High in Colorado Springs
What to know: Barry is the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry and known for his “granny style” free-throw shooting.
Competing: vs. Serbia July 30; vs. Poland July 31; vs. Lithuania, vs. Latvia Aug. 1; vs. France and vs. China Aug. 2; vs. Netherlands Aug. 4
Jimmer Fredette
Specialty: 3×3 (guard)
Colorado connection: Littleton resident
What to know: A unanimous national college player of the year at BYU, Fredette played six seasons in the NBA.
Competing: vs. Serbia July 30; vs. Poland July 31; vs. Lithuania, vs. Latvia Aug. 1; vs. France and vs. China Aug. 2; vs. Netherlands Aug. 4
Nikola Jokic (Serbia)
Specialty: 5×5 (center)
Colorado connection: Reigning NBA MVP and starting center for the Nuggets
What to know: Have you heard this guy likes horses?
Competing: vs. USA July 28; vs. Puerto Rico July 31; vs. Spain Aug. 3; quarterfinal Aug. 6; semifinal Aug. 8; bronze/gold medal game Aug. 10
Derrick White
Specialty: 5×5 (guard)
Colorado connection: Graduate of Legend High in Parker, played at UCCS and CU
What to know: It’s been a big year already for White, who won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in June and signed a $118 million contract extension a few weeks later.
Competing: vs. Serbia July 28; vs. South Sudan July 31; vs. Puerto Rico Aug. 3; quarterfinal Aug. 6; semifinal Aug. 8; bronze/gold medal game Aug. 10
CYCLING
Riley Amos
Specialty: Mountain bike
Colorado connection: Lists Denver as hometown, trains in Durango
What to know: Amos and Christopher Blevins are hoping to end the Americans’ 12-year Olympic medal drought in mountain biking. The U.S. has never won gold.
Competing: Men’s cross-country, July 28-29
Christopher Blevins
Specialty: Mountain bike
Colorado connection: Born and raised in Durango
What to know: Blevins is looking to improve on his performance at the Tokyo Olympics, where he finished 14th.
Competing: Men’s cross-country, July 28-29
Savilia Blunk
Specialty: Mountain bike
Colorado connection: Attended Fort Lewis College, now trains in Durango
What to know: This four-time elite national champion is a first-time Olympian.
Competing: Women’s cross-country, July 28
Olivia Cummins
Specialty: Road and track
Colorado connection: From Fort Collins, currently competes for Colorado Mesa University
What to know: Cummins is believed to be the first active CMU athlete to compete in the Olympics.
Competing: Women’s team pursuit Aug. 6-7
Chloé Dygert
Specialty: Road and track
Colorado connection: Lives and trains in Colorado Springs
What to know: Dygert’s comeback from a 2020 crash that nearly severed her leg has been full of setbacks. In addition to multiple surgeries, in 2022 was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus, which causes severe fatigue. She underwent heart surgery to correct an arrhythmia.
Competing: Women’s time trial July 27; women’s road race Aug. 4; women’s team pursuit Aug. 6-7
Grant Koontz
Specialty: Road and track
Colorado connection: Lives in Nederland, rides for Denver Disruptors
What to know: You’ll recognize this Texas A&M graduate by his distinctive mullet hairstyle.
Competing: Men’s omnium, Aug. 8
Jennifer Valente
Specialty: Track
Colorado connection: Attended UCCS, trains in Colorado Springs
What to know: America’s most decorated track cyclist, the San Diego native won gold (omnium) and bronze (team pursuit) in Tokyo and silver (team pursuit) in Rio. She is targeting Sarah Hammer’s record of four Olympic medals by a female American cyclist.
Competing: Women’s team pursuit Aug. 6-7; women’s madison Aug. 9; women’s omnium Aug. 11
GOLF
Wyndham Clark
Colorado connection: Born in Denver, Valor Christian graduate
What to know: Life’s been a whirlwind for Clark, 30, since winning both his first PGA Tour event (Wells Fargo Championship) and first major (U.S. Open) last year. The former Oklahoma State and Oregon golfer is expected to return to Colorado shortly after the Olympics for the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club.
Competing: Men’s stroke play, Aug. 1-4
GYMNASTICS
Lynnzee Brown (Haiti)
Specialty: All-around
Colorado connection: Former All-American, co-national champion at DU
What to know: Brown, now an assistant coach at Penn State, will be representing Haiti in Paris.
Competing: Women’s qualification round, July 28
ROWING
Jessica Thoennes
Specialty: Women’s pair
Colorado connection: Graduate of Mountain Vista High in Highlands Ranch
What to know: Thoennes and Team USA finished two seconds short of medaling in the women’s eight in Tokyo, then she didn’t make the eight boat for Paris. She’ll be looking for redemption in the pairs competition with Azja Czajkowski.
Competing: Women’s pair, July 28-Aug. 2
SHOOTING
Rylan Kissell
Specialty: Rifle
Colorado connection: Graduate of Dakota Ridge High in Littleton
What to know: Kissell was a team and individual national champion at University of Alaska-Fairbanks. He just received his bachelor’s degree in business administration in May.
Competing: Mixed air rifle July 27; men’s air rifle July 28-29; men’s 50m rifle 3 positions July 31-Aug. 1
Keith Sanderson
Specialty: Pistol
Colorado connection: Lives in Monument
What to know: Sanderson spent eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a three-time Olympian (2008, 2012, 2016).
Competing: Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol, Aug. 4-5
SOCCER
Lindsey Horan
Colorado connection: Graduate of Golden High
What to know: Now the USWNT captain, the midfielder won a World Cup in 2019 and a bronze medal in Tokyo. Horan & Co. will be tasked with getting that bad taste out of their mouths after last year’s Round of 16 exit from the World Cup.
Competing: vs. Zambia July 25; vs. Germany July 28; vs. Australia July 31
Sophia Smith
Colorado connection: From Windsor, Fossil Ridge High graduate
What to know: At just 23 years old, Smith’s resume already includes an NCAA title with Stanford, NWSL title with MVP honors with the Portland Thorns, and a World Cup appearance.
Competing: vs. Zambia July 25; vs. Germany July 28; vs. Australia July 31
Mallory Swanson
Colorado connection: Graduate of Mountain Vista in Highlands Ranch
What to know: Swanson tore her left patella tendon in 2023, forcing her to miss the World Cup. The 26-year-old forward, who signed a record-breaking NWSL contract, scored twice while wearing a brace in a 4-0 win over South Korea last month in Commerce City.
Djordje Mihailovic
Specialty: Midfielder
Colorado connection: Plays for Rapids
What to know: Mihailovic is one of just three players over age 23 on the U.S. roster, per Olympic rules. It’s a sort of redemption for the 25-year-old, who played on the U23 team that failed to qualify for the Tokyo Games.
Competing: vs. France July 24; vs. New Zealand July 27; vs. Guinea July 30
SPORT CLIMBING
Colin Duffy
Specialty: Combined boulder and lead
Colorado connection: From Broomfield, current CU student
What to know: At 17, Duffy was the youngest climber at the Tokyo Games when the sport made its Olympic debut, finishing seventh. Duffy, as well as teammates Natalia Grossman and Brooke Raboutou, can claim the first American sport climbing gold at the Olympics.
Competing: Men’s boulder and lead, Aug. 5-9
Natalia Grossman
Specialty: Combined boulder and lead
Colorado connection: Graduate of Fairview High and CU
What to know: Grossman was watching stateside when sport climbing made its Olympic debut in Tokyo. Now she’s making history as the first Latina climber for Team USA. Grossman punched her ticket to Paris with a gold medal win at the Pan American Games.
Competing: Women’s boulder and lead, Aug. 6-10
Brooke Raboutou
Specialty: Combine boulder and lead
Colorado connection: Graduate of Fairview High, trains in Boulder
What to know: Brooke’s parents, Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou and Didier Raboutou, coached her, Duffy and Grossman on Team ABC Boulder. Raboutou was the eighth and final American to qualify for Paris.
Competing: Women’s boulder and lead, Aug. 6-10
SWIMMING
Emma Weber
Specialty: Breaststroke
Colorado connection: Denver native, Regis Jesuit graduate
What to know: Weber originally planned to attend the Paris Games as a spectator. Then she took second in the 100-meter breaststroke with a personal-best 1:06.02. The University of Virginia rising junior will join Cavaliers teammates Alex and Gretchen Walsh and two recent UVA alumnae in Kate Douglass and Paige Madden.
Competing: Women’s 100-meter breaststroke, July 28-29
TRACK & FIELD
Valarie Allman
Specialty: Discus
Colorado connection: Graduate of Silver Creek in Longmont
What to know: The former Stanford All-American is heading to Paris to defend her gold medal in Tokyo. A 68.98-meter throw was enough to top the podium in Tokyo three years ago, but the 70.89 she threw at Olympic trials last month wasn’t even her personal best (that would be 71.46).
Competing: Women’s discus, Aug. 2-5
Valerie Constien
Specialty: Steeplechase
Colorado connection: Graduate of Battle Mountain in Edwards, ran at CU
What to know: The 28-year-old beat her personal best by 11 seconds to win at Olympic qualifying and punch a ticket to her second Olympics. She also plays the piano and French horn.
Competing: Women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, Aug. 4-6
Elise Cranny
Specialty: 5,000 meters
Colorado connection: From Niwot
What to know: The former Stanford runner has been vocal about her struggle with relative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S), which affects athletes who (intentionally or unintentionally) do not eat enough food to fuel their workouts. Cranny says it’s a major problem in the distance running world, where athletes feel pressure to get faster by losing body mass. Now she mentors young female athletes through Voice in Sport.
Competing: Women’s 5,000 meters, Aug. 2-5
Anna Hall
Specialty: Heptathlon
Colorado connection: From Longmont, Valor Christian graduate
What to know: The top-ranked heptathlete in the world, Hall could be a breakout star in her first Olympics. Only six months after a January knee surgery, the former Florida Gator was at the top of the podium at Olympic qualifying.
Competing: Women’s heptathlon, Aug. 8-9
Woody Kincaid
Specialty: 10K
Colorado connection: Graduate of Columbine in Littleton
What to know: Kincaid’s trademark is his closing kick. In 2023, it helped him win the U.S. men’s 10K title with a time of 28 minutes, 23.01 seconds and secured him the North American indoor record (12:51.61) in the 5K.
Competing: Men’s 10K, Aug. 2
Leonard Korir
Specialty: Marathon
Colorado connection: Colorado Springs resident
What to know: After growing up in Kenya, Korir ran at Iona College and then enlisted in the U.S. Army and joined its World Class Athlete program at Fort Carson. The staff sergeant competed in Rio in 2016, then missed out on a trip to Tokyo by three seconds.
Competing: Men’s marathon, Aug. 10
TRIATHLON
Kirsten Kasper
Colorado connection: Lives and trains in Boulder
What to know: Before she got into triathlon, Kaster was a Massachusetts state champion in swimming (four titles), cross country (three) and track and field (two), and a scoring member of Georgetown’s national championship cross country team.
Competing: Women’s individual triathlon, July 31
Taylor Knibb
Colorado connection: Trains in Boulder
What to know: A rare dual-sport Olympian, Knibb also qualified for two cycling events but resigned her spot in the road race to focus on the time trial and triathlon. At 23, she became the youngest person to qualify for the U.S. Olympic triathlon team and left Tokyo with a silver medal in the mixed relay.
Competing: Women’s individual cycling time trial, July 27; women’s individual triathlon, July 31
Morgan Pearson
Colorado connection: Ran at CU, lives and trains in Boulder
What to know: In May, Pearson became the first American man to win the World Triathlon Series since 2009, securing a trip to his second Olympic Games. He won silver in Tokyo with the mixed relay team.
Competing: Men’s individual triathlon, July 30
VOLLEYBALL
Jordyn Poulter
Colorado connection: Graduate of Eaglecrest High in Aurora
What to know: A member of the U.S.’s gold-medal team in Tokyo, Poulter suffered a devastating knee injury in December 2022. The last 18 months have been a race for the former University of Illinois All-American to recover in time for Paris. A bone bruise sustained in June — just days after the U.S. roster was announced — on that rebuilt knee has set her back, and earlier this month the American setter wasn’t taking reps in six-on-six practice.
Competing: vs. China July 29; vs. Serbia July 31; vs. France Aug. 4
Haleigh Washington
Colorado connection: Graduate of Doherty High in Colorado Springs
What to know: A Penn State alum who now plays professional volleyball in Italy, Washington once set a Colorado state high school record with 48 kills in a single match. The middle blocker helped the U.S. win gold in Tokyo.
Competing: vs. China July 29; vs. Serbia July 31; vs. France Aug. 4
WRESTLING
Kyle Snyder
Specialty: Freestyle (97 kg)
Colorado connection: Graduate of Coronado High in Colorado Springs
What to know: In 2016, the Ohio State product won an individual NCAA national title, world championship and Olympic gold medal — all before his 21st birthday. Now 28, he’s added two more NCAA titles, a pair of world championships and a silver medal in Tokyo. A gold in Paris would make him the fourth American wrestler to win multiple golds.
Competing: Men’s freestyle 97 kg, Aug. 10-11
Kamal Bey
Specialty: Greco-Roman (77 kg)
Colorado connection: Graduate of Pine Creek High in Colorado Springs
What to know: Part of the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program, Bey is a culinary specialist based at Fort Carson.
Competing: Men’s Greco-Roman 77 kg, Aug. 6-7
PREVIOUS ARTICLE
