At least three athletes with connections to San Antonio will compete in the Paris 2024 Games, and two are veterans.
The 2024 Olympic Games will begin July 26, bringing together competitors from more than 200 countries. Here’s a rundown of athletes with Alamo City ties.
Fred Kerley
Born in San Antonio, Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley never took running seriously until his family encouraged him to walk onto the Texas A&M University Track & Field team during college, according to his Team USA bio.
Kerley, 29, rose to quick prominence on the track, dominating the men’s 400-, 200- and 100-meter in numerous World Championships and taking home three gold, two silver and one bronze medal.
This is Kerley’s second time at the Olympics. In 2020, he won silver in the men’s 100-meter at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Keith Sanderson
It makes sense that a keen-eyed marksman would hail from Military City U.S.A.
Keith Sanderson, an alumnus of San Antonio’s John Marshall High School, is a three-time pistol Olympian. Sanderson, 49, began shooting in 1996 while serving in the United States Marine Corps, according to his Team USA bio.
Since then, his sharpshooting skills have taken him to three prior Olympic games, earning him fifth place in 2008 in Beijing, 12th place in 2012 in London and 10th place in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
Sanderson also earned an unprecedented three medals in three separate 2009 World Cups, according to his website. Sanderson, who currently resides in Monument, Colorado, will compete in the Men’s Rapid Fire Pistol competition on Sunday, August 4.
Kelly Elmlinger
San Antonio resident Kelly Elmlinger, 45, will compete on the USA Paralympics Triathlon team.
According to her Team USA bio, Elmlinger is a U.S. Army veteran who served three back-to-back deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, she lost her leg in 2008 due to a rare soft-tissue cancer diagnosis, which led to amputation.
But that setback didn’t stop her from becoming a triathlete. She made her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Elmlinger is the only Paralympic triathlete from Texas, according to Team USA.
The Paralympics will be held in Paris on Sept. 1-2 after the Olympic games have concluded.
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This article appears in Jul 3-9, 2024.
