The 2012 Summer Olympic Games take place in London, England and run from July 27th through August 12th. There will be 302 events in 26 sports, with over 200 nations participating, and NBC will broadcast the games in high-definition.
As you watch the 2012 Summer Olympics, keep your eye on a few athletes with Oklahoma ties. Here are profiles of the Oklahoma athletes participating in the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
Dominique Allen (Women's Basketball)
Born: September 10, 1989
Hometown: Wordsley, West Midlands
Residence: Tulsa, OK
Bio: Originally from Wordsley, West Midlands, Allen attended Oral Roberts University. She competes for Team Britain in her first Olympics appearance.
Rose Anderson (Women's Basketball)
Born: March 23, 1988
Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland
Residence: Cardiff, Wales
Bio: Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Anderson played collegiately at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. She is the school's first alumni to ever appear in the Olympics.
Brittany Borman (Women's Track & Field)
Born: July 1, 1989
Hometown: DeSoto, MO
Residence: Norman, OK
Bio: Competing in women’s javelin for her first Olympics appearance, Borman is a teammate and good friend of Tia Brooks (below) for the University of Oklahoma.
Chris Brooks (Men's Gymnastics)
Born: December 19, 1986
Hometown: Houston, TX
Residence: Norman, OK
Bio: Brooks is one of many gymnasts on this list who made a name for himself at OU. In fact, he is even a childhood friend of former Sooner Jonathan Horton (below).
Tia Brooks (Women's Track & Field)
Born: September 2, 1990
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
Residence: Norman, OK
Bio: According to NBC, "Brooks won the shot put at the Big 12 Championships both indoors and outdoors and took the indoor and outdoor titles at the NCAA Championships, becoming the 12th athlete in history to pull off the latter sweep." London will be her first Olympics appearance.
Liz Cambage (Women's Basketball)
Born: August 8, 1991
Hometown: Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia
Residence: Tulsa, OK
Bio: Cambage represents Team Australia in the 2012 Olympics, but Tulsans know her as a member of the WNBA's Shock, an All-Star as a rookie.
Ines Remesaro Coronel (Women's Swimming)
Born: February 2, 1992
Hometown: Montevideo, Uruguay
Residence: Shawnee, OK
Bio: Next to the University of Oklahoma, the area school with the most representatives on this list is Shawnee's Oklahoma Baptist University (see Greaves and Wilson below). Coronel competes in the 100 meter backstroke for her native country Uruguay.
Jake Dalton (Men's Gymnastics)
Born: August 19, 1991
Hometown: Reno, NV
Residence: Norman, OK
Bio: Dalton, a two-time NCAA title winner for the University of Oklahoma, makes his first Olympic appearance in 2012. He posted the highest combined scores on floor and vault in Nationals and Trials to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka
Bio: Though none are Oklahoma natives, the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder is well represented this summer. Durant, Westbrook and Harden are part of Team USA basketball while Serge Ibaka plays for Team Spain.
Jared Frayer (Men's Wrestling)
Born: October 7, 1978
Hometown: Clearwater, FL
Residence: Norman, OK
Bio: Frayer is the oldest of the Oklahoma Olympic representatives. At 33 years old, he nearly left the sport, but his decision to give it another try paid off. After finishing 2nd at World Trials, the former OU standout turned Assistant Coach makes his first Olympics appearance.
Latoya Greaves (Women's Track & Field)
Born: May 31, 1986
Hometown: Kingston, Jamaica
Residence: Shawnee, OK
Bio: A former Oklahoma Baptist University athlete, Greaves competes in the hurdles for her native country Jamaica.
Sam Hazewinkel (Men's Wrestling)
Born: March 4, 1984
Hometown: Pensacola, FL
Residence: Norman, OK
Bio: A former University of Oklahoma standout wrestler, Hazewinkel is actually a 2nd generation Olympian. His father Dave Hazewinkel competed at the 1968 and 1972 games.
Jonathan Horton (Men's Gymnastics)
Born: December 31, 1985
Hometown: Houston, TX
Residence: Norman, OK
Bio: Jonathan Horton is well-known in the metro as a former University of Oklahoma standout gymnast. He has won 3 American Cup titles in 2006, 2007 and 2011 as well as a school-record 6 NCAA titles with the Sooners. He took home two medals, silver in the horizontal bar and a team bronze, at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
Steve Legendre (Men's Gymnastics)
Born: May 5, 1989
Hometown: Port Jefferson, NY
Residence: Norman, OK
Bio: Legendre, an alternate for the men's team, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2011. In 2009, he won NCAA all-around, floor, and vault titles.
Alex Naddour (Men's Gymnastics)
Born: March 4, 1991
Hometown: Gilbert, AZ
Residence: Norman, OK
Bio: Like Legendre (above), Naddour is an alternate for the U.S. men's gymnastics team in London. A junior at the University of Oklahoma, Naddour is known as a pommel horse specialist.
Coleman Scott (Men's Wrestling)
Born: March 19, 1986
Hometown: Waynesburg, PA
Residence: Stillwater, OK
Bio: Perhaps surprisingly given the schools reputation in wrestling, Coleman Scott is Oklahoma State University's only athlete on this list. Scott was a 4-time All American wrestler for OSU and won the 2008 NCAA championship.
Nickeisha Wilson (Women's Track & Field)
Born: July 28, 1986
Hometown: Kingston, Jamaica
Residence: Kingston, Jamaica
Bio: A runner for Oklahoma Baptist before transferring to LSU, Nickeisha Wilson competes for her native country of Jamaica in the 2012 games. She will run the 400 meter hurdles.
