Ample storylines close to home as Paris Olympics get underway

The Summer Olympics are officially underway.

While many kids in this state grew aspiring to be Nebraska football or Nebraska volleyball players, I watched the 2004 Olympics as a swimming-obsessed 9-year-old and dreamed of being like Amanda Beard and Natalie Coughlin.

Obviously we all know how that ended for yours truly. An injury-riddled career forced a premature retirement. But, hey, I got to meet Michael Phelps and countless other star swimmers at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Omaha. I was sporting a sling, so I’m still convinced they felt bad for me.

Of the thousands of Olympians converging on Paris for the 2024 Games, there is one swimmer with a tie to the state of Nebraska: Kayla Hepler of the Marshall Islands.

Hepler — one of two Marshall Islands athletes competing in the Olympics — currently swims for Nebraska Wesleyan and qualified in the 50-meter freestyle.

I cannot wait to see how she does as she represents her home country — and the Prairie Wolves — with pride.

Hepler is far from the only Olympian with a tie to the state of Nebraska.

Here are some of the others who will be in the limelight over the next few weeks:

There are five Nebraskans representing the Good Life in these games: Jordan Larson of Hooper (volleyball), Maggie Malone Hardin of Geneva (track and field), Duncan McGuire of Omaha (soccer), Natalie Schneider of Ord (wheelchair basketball) and Dylan Travis of Omaha (3×3 basketball).

Larson, Malone Hardin and Schneider are far from Olympic newbies. This will be the fourth Olympics for Larson, the third for Malone Hardin and the fifth for Schneider.

Larson and Schneider boast six Olympic medals with three Golds combined, while the Geneva native is looking for her first podium appearance.

Volleyball’s Team USA gets started with a match against China on July 29 at 10 a.m. CT. If they advance through, the gold medal match is set for Aug. 11 at a time that’s yet to be determined.

Malone Hardin, competing in the javelin, set the event record during this year’s Olympic Trials at 211 feet, 10 inches. She’s currently ranked fifth in the world and will compete in the prelims on Aug. 7.

Wheelchair basketball’s Team USA sees its first action on Aug. 30 against Germany.

This is the first Olympics for McGuire and Travis.

McGuire, a former Creighton forward, got the start for Team USA in their match against France earlier this week. France won, 3-0. Team USA was back in action Saturday against New Zealand.

Travis — who played collegiately at Midland, Iowa Central and Florida Southern — will suit up for Team USA’s Olympic debut in 3×3 on July 30 against Serbia. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:35 p.m. CT.

Depending on who you count, there are around a dozen current and former Huskers representing nine different countries.

Those countries: Australia, the Bahamas, Great Britain, Hungary, Japan, Sweden, South Africa, the United States and possibly Germany.

Most of the Husker representation at these Olympics are in either track and field, volleyball or basketball.

There are five Husker field athletes who’ve punched their ticket to the Olympics: Nick Percy (Great Britain, discus), Malone Hardin (USA, javelin), Rhema Otabor (The Bahamas, javelin), Axelina Johansson (Sweden, shot put), Miné De Clerk (South Africa, shot put) and Petra Luteran (Hungary, para high jump). Additionally, All-American decathlete Till Steinforth is an alternate for Germany.

Discus qualification begins Aug. 5. Javelin qualification begins Aug. 7. Shot put qualification begins Aug. 8. The track and field Paralympics begin on Aug. 30.

Three Huskers are on Team USA for volleyball: Larson, Kelsey Robinson Cook and Justine Wong-Orantes. They begin their quest to defend their Gold on July 29.

Two former Huskers are on the hardwood for basketball: Jack McVeigh for Australia and Keisei Tominaga for Japan.

In Australia’s opening game against Spain on Saturday morning, McVeigh dominated off the bench to score 13 points for the Aussies in their 92-80 victory. Australia plays again July 30 at 6:30 a.m. against Canada.

Tominaga only logged a handful of seconds of action in Japan’s loss to Germany. Japan plays again on Aug. 30 at 10:15 a.m. against France.

Additionally, former Husker Tyrann Lue is coaching for Team USA. Team USA will play against Serbia on Sunday at 10:15 a.m.

Former Husker gymnast Csenge Bácskay will compete for Hungary in the vault. She will compete Sunday at 2:10 p.m.

In addition to McGuire, Taryn Kloth is the other former Bluejay (and LSU Tiger) representing Creighton. Kloth, along with her beach volleyball partner Kristen Nuss, are aiming for Olympic Gold.

Kloth and Nuss took the court Saturday. They continue pool play Monday against Australia.

Regardless of who you’re rooting for, there are ample storylines close to home worth cheering for.

They’ve already done us all proud.