U.S. Latinos Well Represented at the London 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad, also known informally as London 2012, began in London, United Kingdom, on 27 July and will continue until 12 August 2012. They will be followed by the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games, officially the Games of the XIV Paralympiad, which will take place between 29 August and 9 September 2012.

A number of the athletes at the Games representing the United States of America are of Latino/Hispanic heritage (that is, from Spanish-speaking Latin America, Brazil, Spain or Portugal). Below is a list of some of those athletes and their respective sports (Olympians are marked in blue while Paralympians are marked in red). The list does not include any of the athletes representing Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa or the United States Virgin Islands, nor does it include any U.S.-born athletes playing for the home nations of their parents (for example, track and field star Félix Sánchez, representing the Dominican Republic).

Diana López and Steven López

Alejandro Albor • Cycling

Carmelo Anthony • Basketball
Tony Azevedo • Water Polo
Lindsey Berg • Volleyball
Donn Cabral • Track and Field
Patty Cisneros • Wheelchair Basketball

Desirée Dávila • Track and Field
Joseph Díaz, Jr. • Boxing
Marlen Esparza • Boxing

Christella García • Judo

Rudy García-Tolson • Swimming

Melissa González • Field Hockey

Loraine Gonzales • Wheelchair Basketball

Melissa González • Field Hockey
Manuel Huerta • Triathlon

Tony Íñiguez • Track and Field

Oz Sánchez

Sarah Robles

Giuseppe Lanzone • Rowing

Carlos León • Track and Field

Danell Leyva • Artistic Gymnastics

Ryan Lochte • Swimming

Diana López • Taekwondo

Steven López • Taekwondo

Leonel Manzano • Track and Field

Gerard Moreno • Fencing

Ryan Lochte

Kyla Ross

John Orozco

Danell Leyva

Jamie Nieto • Track and Field
John Orozco • Artistic Gymnastics
José Ramírez • Boxing
Amy Rodríguez • Football (Soccer)

Ileana Rodríguez • Swimming

Mario Rodríguez • Fencing
Sarah Robles • Weightlifting

Marlen Esparza

Patty Cisneros

Kyla Ross • Artistic Gymnastics

Oz Sánchez • Cycling

Diana Taurasi • Basketball
Brenda Villa • Water Polo

For more information, click here or here.

 

Athletes of Latino/Hispanic descent representing Puerto Rico at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics include Eric Alejandro, Héctor Cotto, Javier Culson, Enrique Llanos, Miguel López, Jamele Mason Vargas, Beverly Ramos, Carol Rodríguez, Samuel Vázquez, Wesley Vázquez (track and field); Jeyvier Cintrón, Enrique Collazo, Jantony Ortiz, Francisco Vargas Ramírez, Félix Verdejo (boxing); Lorena Quiñones, Tommy Ramos (artistic gymnastics); Melissa Modica (judo); José Torres Laboy (shooting); Raúl Martínez Colomer, Vanessa García (swimming); Lely Gómez (weightlifting); Franklin Gómez, Francisco Soler, Jaime Espinal (freestyle wrestling). For more information, click here. There are no known Olympians nor Paralympians of Latino/Hispanic descent representing American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands or the United States Virgin Islands.