The lighting of the torch, ogling team uniforms, and cheering on your favorite athletes—the summer Olympics are back July 26, and we’re especially excited to root for six Palm Beach County Olympians.
That’s right, six of the 46 athletes hailing from Florida call Palm Beach County home, and surprise, surprise, most of them are on the equestrian squad (we see you, Wellington).
On its website, Team USA has its members separated by state, allowing fans (that’s us!) to find out who they share a hometown with. Another fun fact we gleaned from the site: while 46 members are Floridians, that also means we only come in second to California (133). Take that, Texas (42).
So without further ado, our hometown heroes to cheer on during the Paris Olympics:
Markus Edegran
Hometown: West Palm Beach
Sport: Sailing
Age: 30
Other fun facts: Edegran started racing at age 10, sailing at 8, and is ranked #4 in the world. He won first place in the 2022 US Open Sailing Series in Clearwater and the 2021 US open Sailing Series in Long Beach.
Kent Farrington
Hometown: Wellington
Sport: Equestrian
Age: 43
Other fun facts: This is not Farrington’s first Olympics; he competed in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, where he won a silver, and in 2020 in Tokyo. His team also won gold during the 2011 Pan American Games. He grew up skateboarding and started horseback riding when he was 8.
Coco Gauff
Hometown: Delray Beach
Sport: Tennis
Age: 20
Other fun facts: Making her Olympics debut, we are very familiar with Gauff, who has deep Delray Beach roots and came up on our tennis courts starting at age 6. At 15, she became the youngest singles title holder for the WTA when she won at the 2019 Linz Open. Her younger brothers, Codey and Cameron, are on our radar as well.
Laura Kraut
Hometown: Wellington
Sport: Equestrian
Age: 58
Other fun facts: Paris will be Kraut’s fourth Olympics appearance; she won a gold medal in team jumping during the 2008 Beijing games and a silver in 2020.
Adrienne Lyle
Sport: Equestrian
Age: 39
Other fun facts: Another Olympics alum, Lyle competed in the 2012 London games and 2020 in Tokyo, where she earned a silver medal.
Marcus Orlob
Hometown: Loxahatchee
Sport: Equestrian
Age: 42
Other fun facts: Born in Dusseldorf, Germany, Orlob has been riding since he was a child. He competed extensively throughout Europe before moving to the United States, where he founded Orlob Dressage.
