Guide to Washington's Olympic hopefuls

Everyone from die-hard athletes to recliner referees should be able to find a Washingtonian to root for in the Paris Olympics , with the opening ceremony starting Friday.

Why it matters: Everyone loves a hometown hero.

State of play: Several local athletes are making their Olympic debuts while others are looking to defend gold medals across more than a dozen sports.

Zoom in: It's no surprise that in a region surrounded by lakes and seas, some of our highest profile athletes are competing in water sports.

• Nevin Harrison , who won gold for Team USA in the first-ever Olympic women's canoe single 200-meter sprint at the Tokyo Games, is among the area's highest profile competitors.
• Audrey Kwon and Keana Hunter , of Seattle and Issaquah respectively, are both part of the eight-member artistic or synchronized swimming team.
• Jonas Ecker and Aaron Small , friends and former University of Washington roommates, will compete together in the two-person 500-meter kayak race and against each other in the solo 1,000-meter event.
• Swimmer Matt King of Snohomish is competing in the 100-meter relay.

The Huskies will be well-represented with about a dozen former members of UW Rowing on the water, including Nina Castagna, Holly Dunford and Aisha Rocek in the women's eight, Teal Cohen, Tabea Schendekehl and Phoebe Spoors in the four and Jessica Thoennes in the pair.

• In the men's eight, Rielly Milne of Woodinville will be joined by Evan Olson of Bothell and former Huskies Jacob Dawson and Gert-Jan van Doorn.
• Other Husky alumni include Logan Ullrich in the four, Ben Davison in the double and Simon van Dorp in the single.

Fun fact: Seattle professional sports teams are also contributing to the games with Storm players Jewell Loyd, Ezi Magbegor, Sami Whitcomb and Jade Melbourne, as well as former players Lauren Jackson and Breanna Stewart, playing for the U.S. or Australia.

• Quinn and Jordyn Huitema of Seattle Reign FC are playing for Canada, the reigning Olympic champions, which opened with a win , defeating New Zealand 2-1 on Thursday.

More to watch: Gymnastic giant Jordan Chiles of Vancouver , who left Tokyo with a silver team medal after stepping up when Simone Biles stepped down, has received notes of support from Beyoncé and Michael Jordan .

• CJ Allen, a graduate of Washington State University who attended high school in Mason County, will be competing in the 400-meter hurdles.

Plus: Don't overlook the athletes competing in the Paralympic Games next month, including cyclists Travis Gaertner of Burien, Elouan Gardon of Acme — the youngest member of the U.S. Paralympics cycling team — and Aaron Keith of Woodinville.