Hey, Oklahoma, we're lookin' for Olympians
The Olympics are almost here.
I am stoked.
I wrote about my love of the Olympics a few days ago, but the more that I read and see and hear from Rio, the more excited I am. When I heard that pool play for women's soccer actually starts Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremonies, I actually cheered out loud.
In hopes of getting you excited, too, we here at Oklahoman world headquarters have compiled a list of Olympians with Oklahoma ties. These are folks who you may find yourself pulling for a little harder or cheering for a little louder.
But we figure there's got to be someone who's fallen through the cracks. That's where you come in. Let us know who we've missed. You can email me at jcarlson@oklahoman.com or Darnell Mayberry at dmayberry@oklahoman.com.
Here's our list of athletes with ties past and present. (And yes, we know Kevin Durant no longer plays for the Thunder. But these are connections past and present -- even if the connection came to a screeching halt that crushed dreams and melted hearts.)
Name, Affiliation, Country
Basketball
Alex Abrines, Thunder, Spain
Kevin Durant, Thunder, United States
Ebi Ere, Tulsa McLain HS/OU, Nigeria
Domantas Sabonis, Thunder, Lithuania
Oumoul Thiam, Southern Nazerene, Senegal
Ben Uzoh, Tulsa, Nigeria
Golf
Rickie Fowler, OSU, United States
Pernilla Lindberg, OSU, Sweden
Caroline Masson, OSU, Germany
Gymnastics
Chris Brooks, OU, United States
Jake Dalton, OU, United States
Alex Naddour, OU, United States
Rowing
Tony Fahden, OKC Boathouse, United States
Mix King, OKC Boathouse, United States
Tyler Nase, OKC Boathouse, United States
Megan O'Leary, OKC Boathouse, United States
Robin Prendes, OKC Boathouse, United States
Ellen Tomek, OKC Boathouse, United States
Swimming
A.J. Barbar, Oklahoma Baptist, Lebanon
David Plummer, Westmoore HS, United States
Ines Remersaro, Oklahoma Baptist, Uruguay
Taekwondo
Stephen Lambdin, Poos Taekwondo (Edmond), United States
Track and Field
Ronnie Ash, OU, United States, 110 hurdles
Brittany Borman, OU, United States, javelin
Eric Cray, OU, Philippines, 400 hurdles
Tom Farrell, OSU, Great Britain, 5,000
Jeffery Gibson, ORU, Bahamas, 400 hurdles
Gil Roberts, Millwood HS, United States, 400
Akela Jones, Oklahoma Baptist, Barbados, heptathlon/high jump
Laverne Jones-Ferrette, OU, Virgin Islands, 200
Shadrack Kipchirchir, OSU, United States, 10,000
Ingeborg Loevnes, OSU, Norway, 3,000 steeplechase
Nick Miller, OSU, Great Britain, hammer
Michael Rodgers, Oklahoma Baptist, United States, 100
Nickiesha Wilson, Oklahoma Baptist, Jamaica, 100 hurdles

Jenni Carlson, a sports columnist at The Oklahoman since 1999, came by her love of sports honestly. She grew up in a sports-loving family in Kansas. Her dad coached baseball and did color commentary on the radio for the high school football... Read more ›