More than a dozen of the medal winners at the Tokyo Olympics have ties to Texas. Here's a quick look at each athlete and their medal-winning performance below, we start with gold.
GOLD MEDAL:
Vincent Hancock - Benbrook
Benbook’s Vincent Hancock continued his dominance in the men’s skeet shooting event, winning gold for the third time in his career.
The four-time Olympian previously won gold in 2008 and 2012, but surprisingly finished 15th in 2016. Hancock left no doubt in his showing in Tokyo, missing just one target and setting an Olympic record score of 59.
Hancock is the only shooter ever in the history of the Olympic event to win multiple golds.
GOLD MEDAL:
Lydia Jacoby - University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin commit Lydia Jacoby surprised everyone, especially heavy favorites American Lilly King and South African Tatjana Schoenmaker, when she won the gold in the women's 100m breaststroke
In what became a viral moment, a camera on the crowd in her hometown of Seward, Alaska, shook as it captured her neighbors and friends erupting in excitement over her win. Jacoby is the first Olympic swimmer from the state.
SEE MORE: Seward, Alaska goes ballistic for Lydia Jacoby's shock win
GOLD:
Allisha Gray - Dallas Wings
Allisha Gray, who plays for the WNBA's Dallas Wings, joined three other WNBA players to bring home gold in the first-ever women's 3x3 basketball competition.
The team, which also included Stefanie Dolson (Chicago Sky), Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces) and Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces), left Tokyo with a record of 8-1 and enters the history books as the sport's first gold medal winners.
TWO GOLD MEDALS:
Lamont Jacobs - El Paso
Italy’s Lamont Jacobs, who was born in El Paso, has crowned the fastest man alive when he won the men’s 100m final on Aug. 1, 2021. Jacobs is the first Italian man to win the 100m final in Olympics history.
Days later, Jacobs would add to his gold medal count with the Italian team's first-place finish in the men's 4x100m relay final.
GOLD MEDAL:
Tamyra Mensah-Stock - Katy
Tamyra Mensah-Stock, from Katy, TX, became the first Black woman to win gold in wrestling when she defeated Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu 4-1 in the women’s freestyle 68kg wrestling final.
The American dominated the competition en route to a gold medal, beating her opponents 10-0, 10-0, 10-4.
TWO GOLD MEDALS:
Athing Mu - Texas A&M
Athing Mu, who attends Texas A&M, claimed gold for the U.S. in the women's 800m race in her first Olympic appearance. Her win marked the first time an American woman has claimed the top spot since the 1968 Mexico City Games.
Mu not only won gold, but she also broke Ajee Wilson's American record with 1.55.21.
Mu won a second gold three days later in the women's 4x400m relay.
At age 19, Mu's Olympic career is just getting started. She will most likely run in the 400m in Paris along with relays as well.
GOLD MEDAL:
Ryan Crouser - Unversity of Texas at Austin
You could call the University of Texas at Austin alum Ryan Crouser the shot put GOAT.
He broke the world record in June and broke his own Olympic record to win his second straight gold medal in Tokyo.
He says this gold-medal-winning performance was a tribute to his grandfather, Larry, who died shortly before Crouser left for Tokyo.
Crouser wrote the note and brought it to the stadium just in case, he held it up after securing gold. “Grandpa. We did it. 2020 Olympic champion!” it said.
GOLD MEDALS:
Kevin Durant - University of Texas at Austin
Khris Middleton - Texas A&M
Keldon Johnson - San Antonio Spurs
There are three Texas ties to the gold-medal-winning Team USA men's basketball team: former University of Texas star Kevin Durant, Texas A&M's Khris Middleton and Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs.
Durant earned the name 'Captain America' after he scored more points than any player in U.S. men's basketball history and tied the record for the most Olympic gold medals in the sport.
GOLD (and BRONZE) MEDALS:
Bryce Deadmon - Missouri City, TX and Texas A&M
The U.S. men's 4x400m relay team earned the first men's track gold medal in track and field at the Tokyo Olympics.
Texas A&M's Bryce Deadmon helped Team USA hold off the team from Botswana to cruise to a 4x400m men's relay gold medal on the last day of track and field events.
Deadmon also brings home a bronze medal. He ran in the 4x400m mixed relay race qualifier. After a DQ due to an apparent handoff error was overturned, the team – with different runners – took the bronze medal in the final.
GOLD MEDAL:
Brittney Griner - Houston and Baylor University
Ariel Atkins - Duncanville and the University of Texas at Austin
Duncanville's Ariel Atkins, who attended the University of Texas at Austin, and Houston's Brittney Griner, who attended Baylor University are bringing gold home for the Lone Star State.
Griner scored 30 points to lead the Team USA women's basketball team to its seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal. The final score over Japan was 90-75.
GOLD MEDAL:
Chiaka Ogbogu - Coppell and the University of Texas at Austin
Coppell's Chiaka Ogbogu, who attended the University of Texas at Austin can now call herself an Olympic gold medalist.
She was part of the "12-strong" team that clinched the United States' first-ever gold medal in women's volleyball with a victory over Brazil in the gold medal final. The 25-21, 25-20, 25-14 straight sets win came on the final day of competition in Tokyo.
SILVER MEDALS:
Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles - Spring, TX
Jordan Chiles moved to Spring to train alongside gymnastics' GOAT, but when Simone Biles withdrew from the team event, she and her teammates Grace McCallum and Suni Lee rallied to win silver behind the Russian Olympic Committee team.
Chiles stepped up to fill in for Biles on two events. She scored 14.666 on vault, 14.166 on bars, 13.433 on beam and 11.700 on floor.
SILVER MEDALS:
Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott - Houston, TX
Houston native Cat Osterman came out of retirement to pursue gold when the Olympic Committee brought softball back for the Tokyo Olympics.
Pitching by Osterman and Abbott was instrumental in keeping Team USA undefeated going into the gold medal game.
The 15-woman squad comes home with the silver medal after losing the gold medal game 2-0 to Japan.
Osterman says she's retiring from playing softball for Team USA, she's currently the softball coach at Texas State University. Abbott now calls Houston home and plays for Scrap Yard Fast Pitch, an independent women's professional softball team based in Conroe.
Softball is not on the program for Paris in 2024.
SILVER MEDAL:
Lydia Jacoby - The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin commit Lydia Jacoby earned a silver medal for her part in the women's 4x100m medley relay for Team USA. The 17-year-old came to the wall first during the breaststroke leg of the race.
The U.S. women finished .13 behind the Australians who finished with a new Olympic record time of 3:51:60.
The pink goggles she wore during races were the same pair of swim goggles Jacoby got from former Olympic swimmer Jesssica Hardy who won two medals in the 2021 London Games.
SILVER MEDAL:
Kendra Harrison - Austin, TX
Kendra 'Keni' Harrison won her first Olympic medal after what ended up being a photo finish for second. With a time of 12.52, Harrison claimed silver for Team USA.
Harrison is a volunteer assistant track & field coach at the University of Texas at Austin. She trains in Austin under Coach Edrick Floréal.
SILVER MEDAL:
Fred Kerley - San Antonio and Texas A&M
Fred Kerley, who was born in Taylor, TX, and attended Texas A&M won the silver medal in the men's 100m final with a personal best time of 9.84 seconds.
Kerley was hoping to bring home the title 'fastest man alive' but was edged out by Italy's Marcell Jacobs with 9.80.
SILVER MEDALS:
Scott Kamir - Houston, TX
Shane Baz - Tomball, TX
Simeon Woods Richardson - Sugar Land, TX
Three pitchers who hail from Texas helped Team USA bring home a silver medal in baseball.
Scott Kazmir from Houston, TX, Shane Baz from Tomball, TX, and Simeon Woods Richardson from Sugar Land were all on the roster in the first Olympic baseball tournament in 13 years.
Kazmir pitched five shutout innings to help Team USA stay alive and advance past the Dominican Republic in the knockout stage of the baseball tournament, but Japan pitched its way to a 2-0 win over the U.S. and the gold medal.
SILVER MEDALS:
Teahna Daniels and Gabby Thomas - The University of Texas at Austin
Former Texas Longhorn Teahna Daniels joined current Texas Longhorn Gabrielle Thomas, Jenna Pradini and Javianne Oliver to bring home the silver in the women's 4x100m relay.
Team USA finished with a time of 41.45 placing second behind Jamaica's 41.02.
BRONZE MEDALS:
Natalie Hinds - Midland
Simone Manuel - Sugar Land
Two Texans made up half the team that brings home silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
Natalie Hinds from Midland, TX, was the only swimmer to compete in both heats and the final round of the relay.
Team USA decided to go with three new swimmers for the final. It was Erica Brown for the first leg, Abbey Weitzeil second, Hinds was in the pool third and Simone Manuel from Sugar Land, TX was the anchor.
The four women earned a bronze medal for Team USA with a time of 3:32:81.
BRONZE MEDAL:
Brian Burrows - Denton, TX
Denton business owner Brian Burrows helped add bronze to the Team USA medal count with a win in mixed team trap alongside Madelyyn Ann Bernau.
Burrows and Bernau won bronze in a shoot-off against a team from Slovakia.
Burrows, who opened Ironwood Axe Throwing in Denton, walked away from trap shooting after failing to qualify for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. He was convinced to give it another try after a call three years ago from a former coach in North Texas.
BRONZE MEDAL:
Sarah Robles - Houston, TX
U.S. weightlifter Sarah Robles won a bronze medal for the second straight Olympics.
Robles trains in Houston with coach Tim Swords.
Robles, who also won bronze in the 2016 Rio Olympics, became the first U.S. woman to win multiple weightlifting medals with her in the 87+kg class in Tokyo.
BRONZE MEDAL:
Simone Biles - Spring, TX
It was her final chance to medal in Tokyo after withdrawing from five other individual event finals, but Simone Biles, from Spring, TX, overcame the 'twisties' to bring home bronze on the balance beam.
Biles altered her routine, ditching a full-twisting double back tuck on the dismount and instead went with a double back pike. The 24-year-old scored 14.000 for a third-place finish behind two athletes from China.
Biles has seven career medals, tied with Shannon Miller for the most in American women's gymnastics history.
BRONZE MEDAL:
Raevyn Rogers - Houston, TX
Raevyn Rogers still holds school records at The Kincaid School in Houston, TX, and now she holds a bronze medal in the women's 800m from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Rogers came in with a time of 1:56:81 behind a runner from Great Britain and Ameican Athing Mu.
BRONZE MEDAL:
Gabby Thomas - The University of Texas at Austin
Gabby Thomas faced off against two of the fastest women in the world in Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and brings home the bronze in the women's 200m.
Thomas finished just behind Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah and Christine Mboma of Namibia and just ahead of Fraser-Pryce, denying her a spot on the podium
Thomas is studying for her master's degree in epidemiology at the University of Texas at Austin.
BRONZE MEDALS:
Jane Campbell and Kristie Mewis - Houston, TX
Jane Campbell and Kristie Mewis who both play for the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League are now bronze medalists.
Campbell became the youngest goalkeeper for USWNT, while Mewis, a midfielder, returned to the team after a five-year absence.
BRONZE MEDAL:
Josh Green - Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Josh Green is bringing home bronze for his home country of Australia. The Boomers neutralized Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic in the bronze medal game.
The Australian team's victory marks the country's first medal in men's basketball in 15 Olympic tournaments.
