Former UConn All-American field hockey player and now Olympian Melissa Gonzalez.
Just in time for the launch of the 2012 London Summer Olympics, CTLatinoNews.com brings you a list of the Latino athletes who will be competing comprised from various sources. Also, if you’re a Twitter user, you can hang on their every character as they tweet their experiences.
The list includes 19 Latinos, including a couple with strong Connecticut ties. Comment below on who you will be following during the Olympics that run now through Aug. 12.
Latina.com chimes in with its list of Latina Olympians to follow. Among those not mentioned below in the lists of Latinos to follow on Twitter are Melissa Gonzalez, who some Latinos may recognize as an All-American field hockey player who graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2011; Amy Rodriguez, 25, won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in women’s soccer; and Lauren Tamayo, 29, a rookie Olympian, joins Team USA for cycling;
Other Latinos are tennis Olympian Christina McHale; 1500 meter two-time Olympian Leo Manzano, who finished a disappointing 12th in Beijing trials but is hoping to finish with a medal in London; USA Taekwondo star Steven Lopez joins his sister Diane Lopez (see below); two-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi, the UConn women’s basketball great, is shooting for her third Olympic gold on the heels of Athens and Beijing; and, Tony Azevedo, the U.S.A. water polo captain, will be appearing in his 4th Olympics and, at age 30, has no plans to slow down.
NBCLatino has comprised a list of the 10 Latino Olympians you can follow on Twitter. They are (followed by their Twitter handle)
- Ryan Lochte (@ryanlochte) is a six-time Olympic medalist in swimming (and seen as a legitimate threat to Michael Phelps)
- Marlen Esparza (@Marlen112boxing) is on the inaugural U.S. women’s boxing team
- Brenda Villa (@brenda4villa) is the captain of the U.S. women’s water polo team.
- Dannell Johan Leyva (@DannelJLeva) escaped from Cuba as a child and is now a world-class gymnast
- John Orozco (@JohnW_Orozco) is a Puerto Rican from The Bronx who overcame taunts as a kid to become a top gymnast
- Joseph Diaz (@JosephDiazJr) at 19 is the youngest member of the U.S. men’s Olympic boxing team
- Manuel Huerta (@trimanny) is a triathlete who split time between Argentina and Costa Rica to train
- Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) is an NBA great competing at his third Olympics
- Sarah Robles (@roblympian) is a weightlifter who some call the strongest woman in America
- Diane Lopez (@dianalopez25) is representing Team USA as an Olympic Taekwondo competitor
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