10 Olympians to watch in Rio

OMAHA, NE - JULY 02: Michael Phelps of the United States competes in the final heat for the Men's 100 Meter Butterfly during Day Seven of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at CenturyLink Center on July 2, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

2 of 12

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – JULY 19: Dancers perform during the Rio 2016 Olympics inaugural ceremony at Olympic hall on July 19, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea will send 205 athletes and 127 officials to a Olympics (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) /

10. Ginny Thrasher, Shooting

Ginny Thrasher’s road to the Olympics was nontraditional. She initially hoped to be an Olympian in the sport of figure skating, but in the end, she found her true talent was shooting.

Thrasher is not necessarily an Olympic gold-medal favorite, but she has been on such an upward trajectory that it would not be surprising if she pulled off an upset.

At the 2015 USA Shooting National Championships for Rifle / Pistol, she earned five medals and a spot on the U.S. National Team. After, at the West Virginia University, Thrasher became a fierce competitor on her university’s team, leading them to their fourth consecutive national championship.

Thrasher’s enthusiasm is also infections. She said via NCAA.com, “I’ve realized that life is a lot more than my sport. Life is a lot of sports and a lot of people coming together and working hard. The Olympics are a great time for the world to come together. The fact that I get to be a bigger part of that experience, and not just watch it on TV, is exhilarating.”

Shooting usually isn’t a prime-time sport, but NBC has promised that Rio will be the most “live” Olympics ever, so you will be able to catch most events on multiple platforms.

Next: 9. Vashti Cunningham, Track and Field