With the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics almost here, GCISD alumni have been participating in the qualifying competitions to make it to the City of Lights.
The first qualifier is 2020 iUniversity Prep graduate Austen Smith. This is Smith’s second consecutive Olympic Games where she has qualified for the Women’s Skeet Olympic Team. At the Skeet Nationals and in the Olympic Trials, Smith scored the highest and was the shoot-off winner. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Smith placed 10th in the world and hopes to place even higher this year.
The second GCISD alumnus to qualify is 2024 iUniversity Prep graduate Joscelyn Roberson. A member of the USA national gymnastics team and the gold medal-winning team at the 2023 World Championships, Roberson claimed her spot as an alternate on Team USA for the Olympic Games.
GCISD also had additional former students whose talents earned them a spot in the Olympic Qualifier Series – an impressive accomplishment in itself. 2023 iUniversity Prep graduate Jillian Cox registered a third-place finish in the 400-meter freestyle and 800-meter freestyle finals. In both of these final races, Cox competed against Katie Ledecky and was seconds away from Ledecky’s current Olympic time.
A 2021 graduate of Colleyville Heritage High School, Abby Devereaux also competed for a spot on Team USA for diving. In her competition, she performed five dives to earn a total of 213.5 points. While the two-time UIL state champion did not advance, her impressive dives showcased the skills she has been honing at the University of Kentucky.
Congratulations to the Team USA athletes from GCISD and the Olympic Qualifier participants who showed their individual talents.