Top 5 Olympic Athletes Of All Time From Texas

With the Tokyo Olympics currently underway, we're looking back at some of the greatest Olympic athletes who once called Texas home.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of Texans have competed in the Olympics, but here are five who broke records, earned multiple medals, and now have a permanent spot in sports history.

5. Simone Biles

Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio

Texas connection: She considers Spring, Texas, her hometown and she trains at World Champions Centre in Spring.

Medals won: 4 gold (team all-around; individual all-around; vault; floor exercise); 1 bronze (balance beam)

Olympics attended: Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020

Simone Biles is at her second Olympic games, but it's easy to say that she's one of the best American gymnasts ever. The 24-year-old soared onto the national scene during the Rio games and continues to set herself apart by doing twists and flips that others wouldn't dare try. Biles is still creating her legacy, but she already has gymnastics moves named after her.

4. Michael Johnson

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Texas connection: Texas native

Medals won: 4 gold (2 in 400 meter; 1 in 200 meter; 1 in 4x400 meter relay)

Olympics attended: Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000

Michael Johnson is best known as "The Man With The Golden Shoes" for the custom made golden Nikes he wore during competitions. He broke several records for the fastest times in the 200m, 300m, and 400m.

3. Mary Lou Retton

Hometown: Fairmont, West Virginia

Texas connection: Her family moved to Houston, Texas, when she was a teen, and she attended the University of Texas at Austin.

Medals won: 1 gold (individual all-around); 2 silver (vault and team all-around); 2 bronze (uneven bars and floor exercise)

Olympics attended: Los Angeles 1984

Mary Lou Retton helped push American woman to the forefront of Olympic gymnastics. She was the first female gymnast outside of Eastern Europe to win the individual all-around gold medal, according to History. The then 16-year-old took home multiple medals in the 1984 games despite having knee surgery just six week before the Olympics started.

2. Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Birthplace: Port Arthur, Texas

Texas connection: Texas native

Medals won: 2 gold (80m hurdles and javelin throw); 1 silver (high jump)

Olympics attended: Los Angeles 1932

Babe Didrikson Zaharias was one of the greatest athletes of her time. Born in 1911, she broke barriers as a softball player, diver, roller-skater, bowler, and basketball player. She was one of the first women allowed to pitch at a major league baseball exhibition game in 1934. While she did take home two gold medals in the Los Angeles 1932 Olympics, Didrikson Zaharias is best known for being one of the founders of the Ladies Professional Golf Association in the 1950s. She died in 1956 in Galveston.

1. Carl Lewis

Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama

Texas connection: Attended the University of Houston

Medals won: 9 gold (2 in the 100m; 1 in the 200m; 2 in the 4x100m; and 4 in the long jump); 1 silver (1 in 200m)

Olympics attended: Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992; Atlanta 1996

Long before Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis was the man who dominated Olympic track and field. Lewis is only one of four Olympic athletes to ever win nine gold medals and he was the first athlete to win consecutive golds in the long jump. Lewis is now 60-years-old and is an assistant track coach at his alma mater, the University of Houston.