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5 to Watch: Texas Connects Us to Rio

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Texas Connects Us to Day 14 of the 2016 Rio Games with Texans and North Texans competing in everything from track and taekwondo, to golf and BMX.

TO WATCH: Tune in to NBC 5 at 7 p.m. for primetime coverage from Rio. Or return here to watch on your phone, tablet or computer.

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KYLE CLEMONS AND COURTNEY OKOLO QUALIFY IN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S 4x400m RELAYS

Rowlett High School graduate Kyle Clemons will try to take his Lone Star State success to the finals in Rio. Clemons helped Team USA qualify for the 4x400m relay. Clemons has already been part of the U.S. team that set a world record at the Athletics World Indoor Championships in Poland in 2014.

Meanwhile, Carollton Newman Smith High School's Courtney Okolo also found success helping the women's 4x400m relay team advance. Okolo holds the NCAA record, she graduated in May from UT and hopes to bring home gold for Team USA in Rio.

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MORE GOLD HANDED OUT IN 4x100m MEN'S AND WOMEN'S RELAYS

The Fastest Man Alive will compete in the 4x100 meter final late Friday. Usain Bolt has already electrified the Rio crowd by winning the 100 meter dash. (Editor’s note: he races in the 200m final late Thursday)

Morolake Akinosun will graduate from the University of Texas in December, on Friday night the women's 4x100m relay team took gold. Akinosun will get gold too, since she ran in the qualifier.

HOW TO WATCH: See Bolt race live online or during NBC’s primetime broadcast. Coverage of track and field events begins at 6:10 p.m. CT. Bolt’s final Rio race is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. CT.

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Connor Fields of the United States, Anthony Dean of Australia, Corben Sharrah of the United States, Bodi Turner of Australia competes in the Cycling BMX - Men's Quarterfinals on Day 13 of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games at Olympic BMX Centre on August 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

CONNOR FIELDS' WIN ENDS US GOLD MEDAL BMX DROUGHT

The United States has ended its gold medal drought in BMX cycling after Plano's Connor Fields took the men's final.

Fields won with a time of 34.622 seconds, beating the Netherlands' Jelle van Gorkom by .684 seconds. It's the first time that Team USA has won BMX since the American-born action sport became an Olympic medal event in 2008. The United States also returned to the podium after getting shut out in 2012 in London.

There was a photo finish for third, with Carlos Ramirez Yepes of Colombia just edging out the United States' Nic Long for the bronze.

GERINA PILLER IN THIRD PLACE AFTER ROUND THREE

Flower Mound resident Gerina Piller went from 11th to third in round three play Thursday.

Here's how things stand through 54 holes:

Park (-11), Ko (-9), Piller (-9), Shanshan Feng (-8), Charley Hull (-5), Amy Yang (-5), In Gee Chun (-5).

Piller joins Park and Ko in the final group playing on Saturday.

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Steven Lopez of USA in action during a men's -80 kg final combat of Taekwondo PANAM Qualification Tournament for Rio 2016 Olympic Games at IDEA Olympic Gym on March 10, 2016 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

TAEKWONDO LEGEND STEVEN LOPEZ COMPETES IN FIFTH OLYMPICS

American Steven Lopez is through to the quarterfinals of the taekwondo competition at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics after winning his first-round fight against Albert Gaun of Russia.

The match started tentatively, but Lopez landed a spinning roundhouse kick during the second round that gave him a definitive lead. Lopez eventually won the fight by a score of 7 to 4.

Lopez said he was very happy to make it through the first fight of the day, which he said is usually the toughest one of the day because of nerves. Lopez is the first taekwondo athlete to compete in five Olympic Games.

"I'm just blessed with this opportunity to be able to go out there and perform my best. And my best was enough to win the first match," he said.

Unfortunately, Lopez lost his match on Friday afternoon when he faces Lutalo Muhammad of Great Britain.

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