Athletes from around the world are competing for gold at the Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, from Feb. 6-22, 2026, including four standouts from Texas.
While Hannah Bilka (ice hockey player from Coppell), Emily Chan (figure skater who grew up in Pasadena), Amber Glenn (figure skater from Plano), and Boone Niederhofer (bobsledder who played football at Texas A&M) may not be household names yet, they will join a list of famous Lone Star State Olympic athletes that runs from Babe Didrikson Zahrias (born in Port Arthur) to Simon Biles (grew up in Spring).
Look for Texans to shine at the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as those with a Texas connection claimed more Olympic medals than most countries at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, led by Biles and four former University of Texas athletes: shot putter Ryan Crouser, sprinter Julien Alfred, golfer Scottie Scheffler, and basketball star Kevin Durant.
Here are 10 famous Texas Olympic athletes you should know:
1. Carl Lewis
- Sport: Track and Field
- Texas Tie-in: Competed at the University of Houston
- Notable: Lewis swept to 10 medals, including 9 gold in four Olympics (1984-1996). Considered the greatest track and field athlete of his generation, with dominance in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100 relay, and long jump.
2. Babe Didrikson Zaharias
- Sport: Track and Field.
- Texas Tie-in: Born in Port Arthur.
- Notable: Considered on any short-list of the greatest female athletes of the 20th Century, Zaharias won two gold (80 meter hurdles and javelin) and a silver (high jump) at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games. She later became a legendary professional golfer.
3. Simone Biles
- Sport: Gymnastics.
- Texas Tie-in: Raised and trained in Spring.
- Notable: Called by many the greatest gymnast of all time, as she holds 11 Olympic medals, including four gold (team, all-around, vault, floor exercise) and a bronze (balance beam) at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and three gold (team, all-around, vault) and a silver (floor exercise) at the 2024 Paris Games.
4. Michael Johnson
- Sport: Track and Field.
- Texas Tie-in: Born in Dallas and ran for Baylor.
- Notable: One of the greatest sprinters in history, Johnson, wearing his trademark golden-colored Nike racing spikes, took gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games (4x400 relay), at the 1996 Atlanta Games (200 meters, 400 meters), and at the 2000 Sydney Games (400 meters).
5. Mary Lou Retton
- Sport: Gymnastics.
- Texas Tie-in: Trained in the Houston area and attended the University of Texas.
- Notable: The first American woman to win the Olympic all-around gold. Her performance at the 1984 Los Angeles Games (5 medals, including a gold, two silver, and two bronze), while a sophomore in high school, made her one of the most famous faces during the 1980s and the first woman featured on the front of a Wheaties box.
6. Kevin Durant
- Sport: Basketball.
- Texas Tie-in: Played at the University of Texas.
- Notable: One of the greatest basketball players and scorers in NBA history, Durant has helped Team USA to gold medals in four consecutive Olympic games: 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. His 518 points scored are the most in Team USA Olympic history, and he holds the U.S. Olympic records for career field goals, free throws, and 3-pointers made.
7. Sanya Richards-Ross
- Sport: Track and Field.
- Texas Tie-in: Ran for the University of Texas.
- Notable: A dominant 400-meter runner, Richards-Ross won 5 Olympic medals, including 4 gold medals from 2004-2012. She was a six-time U.S. national champion at 400 meters and the second American woman to win the 400 at the Olympic Games. She helped anchor three American Olympic gold 4x200 relay squads.
8. Ryan Crouser
- Sport: Track and Field.
- Texas Tie-in: Competed at the University of Texas.
- Notable: This Longhorn shot put champion has now won Olympic Gold at three consecutive games (2016, 2020, 2024), the first man to ever do so. Since 2021, he has held the indoor and outdoor shot put world records. He won four NCAA shot put titles at UT.
9. Charley Paddock
- Sport: Track and Field.
- Texas Tie-in: Born in Gainesville.
- Notable: Once called the “World’s Fastest Human”, Paddock won 4 Olympic medals across three Olympics (1920, 1924, 1928). He won gold in the 100 meters and 4x100 meters in the Antwerp Olympics (1920), and his 1924 performance in the Paris Olympics was featured in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire.
10. Gary Hall, Jr.
- Sport: Swimming
- Texas Tie-in: Swam at the University of Texas.
- Notable: Hall won 10 Olympic medals over three games (1996, 2000, 2004) with five gold medals. Hall stood out in the pool and out of the pool, sporting patriotic boxing robes and shorts. His father competed in three Olympics, and his grandfather was a national champion.
Honorable Mention: Texas has such a long and proud Olympic tradition that it is hard to narrow it down to just 10 athletes. Others who could have made the list include: Aaron Peirsol (swimmer, UT), Scottie Scheffler (golfer, UT), Julien Alfred (sprinter, UT), George Foreman (boxer, born in Marshall), Bob Beaman (long jumper, UTEP), Lance Armstrong (cyclists, born in Plano), Mia Hamm (soccer, grew up in Wichita Falls), Rafer Johnson (track and field, born in Hillsboro), Ian Croker (swimmer, UT), Athing Mu-Nikolayev (middle distance runner, Texas A&M), Simone Manuel (swimmer, born in Sugar Land), Tara Davis-Woodhall (long jumper, born in Mesquite), and Bobby Morrow (track and field, Abilene Christian).
And don’t forget, Houstonian Forest McNier, who won the first-ever gold medal for a Texan, the 1920 trapshooting champion at the 1920 Antwerp Games.
While Texas has never hosted the Olympic Games, its athletes, both native and adopted, will continue to make the state proud every time the torch is lit.