Meet the Colorado athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris

Colorado is sending more than two dozen athletes to the Summer Olympic Games in Paris that start this week.

By the numbers: The roughly 28 athletes who call the Centennial State home will compete in 12 sports and 28 disciplines, according to the official roster of 592 athletes from the Colorado Springs-based U.S. Olympic Committee.

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• The sports range from women's 100m breaststroke and pairs rowing to equestrian dressage and golf.

What we're watching: Colorado athletes are poised to win big as they defend titles from the Tokyo Games three years ago.

• The women's soccer team features three Colorado players — Lindsey Horan, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith — who are looking for Olympic gold after finishing with a disappointing bronze in 2021.
• In track and field, Longmont's Valarie Allman is looking for her second gold in the women's discus throw after dominating the competition in Tokyo.
• Aurora's Jordyn Poulter and Colorado Springs' Haleigh Washington lead Team USA as it tries to defend its gold medal in volleyball.

The bottom line: Turn on the TV to watch the Olympics and you're likely to see a Colorado athlete on the screen.

Go deeper: Check back for continual updates through the Olympics.

3x3 Men's Basketball

From left, Canyon Barry, Dylan Travis, Jimmer Fredette and Kareem Maddox of Team USA after winning the Gold Medal in Men's Basketball 3x3 at the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games in Chile. Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Two of the four members of the first-ever Team USA 3x3 men's basketball team to qualify for the Olympics live here.

Littleton's Jimmer Fredette , 35, is the former 2011 national college player of the year from his days at Brigham Young University, where he led the nation in scoring.

• He played parts of six seasons in the NBA and then in overseas leagues.
• In the 2023 World Cup, where Team USA finished with the silver medal, he led all scorers with 59.

Canyon Barry of Colorado Springs is a 3x3 veteran with experience in two World Cups and numerous other international tournaments.

• The 30-year-old played college ball at Charleston and Florida and then in the NBA's G League for the Iowa Wolves.
• His family is steeped in basketball history. His father is NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry and his brother, Brent, is also an NBA champion.

The two other team members are Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis.

Fun fact: Barry shoots free-throws underhanded , a shot perfected by his father.

Cycling

Christopher Blevins competes in an April mountain bike race in Brazil. Photo: Piotr Staron/Getty Images

Durango's Christopher Blevins returns for his second Olympics and leads a handful of cyclists from Colorado into the Paris Games.

Blevins , 26, started racing at age 12 and shifted to mountain biking ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games. He finished 14th in the cross-country mountain bike race.

Dig in: His pre-race ritual includes eating pancakes and drinking coffee three hours before the start and then meditating.

Riley Amos competes at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Val Di Sole, Italy, on June 16. Photo: Piotr Staron/Getty Images

Riley Amos , 22, is making his Olympic debut. He is the under-23 gold medalist in this year's UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and won four USA Cycling national titles as a junior in high school.

• He lists Denver as his hometown but rides in Durango with Blevins, his training partner .

Fun fact: He first started mountain biking at age 2.

Chloe Patrick, Colleen Gulick, Olivia Cummins and Shayna Powless of Team USA compete in track cycling at the 2023 Pan Am Games. Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Olivia Cummins , 20, will compete in the women's team pursuit track cycling race for Team USA. She is from Fort Collins and attends Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

• She races road bikes and track — a sport she began at age 5. "I wouldn't be who I am today without cycling. It has taught me everything I know about compassion, integrity, teamwork, relationships, and so much more," she says on her Team USA page .

Colby Lange, left, and Grant Koontz, right, pose on the podium at the 2023 Pan Am Games. Photo: Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Grant Koontz , the 30-year-old track cyclist, calls Nederland home and stands out with his mullet haircut.

• Instead of a car at age 16, he received a bike for his birthday. He went on to win a national championship in college and dozens of other medals for USA Cycling on the track and road.