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The usually accurate Sports Illustrated projections say only one athlete with Utah ties will win a medal in the 2016 Olympics — and she grew up in eastern Washington, played just one season of basketball for the University of Utah and is competing for Australia.
Leilani Mitchell may be Team Utah's only medal favorite in Rio de Janeiro, but she's hardly the only interesting contestant. These 22 athletes (including alternates) who graduated from a Utah high school, attended college in the state or currently play for a Utah professional team will represent nine countries in nine sports.
Andrew Bogut
Australia, men's basketball
Having injured his knee during the NBA Finals while playing for Golden State, Bogut is recovering on a timetable that may make him available for Australia's opening game, Aug. 6 vs. France. The final roster is due the previous day. Bogut played for the Aussies in the 2004 Olympics prior to his sophomore season at Utah and competed again in 2008, but was injured in 2012. Bogut, 31, has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Boris Diaw
France, men's basketball
The Utah Jazz acquired Diaw in a trade with San Antonio in early July, while he was helping France qualify for the Olympics. He's the French captain and a national team fixture. Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert may take some of Diaw's playing time after not playing in the qualifying tournament, but the 6-foot-8 Diaw will remain vital to the team as a scorer, rebounder and passer. France will meet the U.S. team Aug. 14, the last day of preliminary play.
Kim Gaucher
Canada, women's basketball
The former Kim Smith is the only Ute women's basketball player to have her jersey retired, so her No. 4 hangs alongside Bogut's No. 4 in the Huntsman Center. Gaucher recently spent two seasons on the Utah administrative staff, but since has returned to pro basketball in France. At age 32, she remains one of Canada's top players and is one of three former Utes expected to have big roles for a team that's ranked No. 9 in the world.
Jake Gibb
USA, beach volleyball
Gibb reached the quarterfinals in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012 with former partner Sean Rosenthal, and now the University of Utah alumnus from Bountiful will team with former BYU volleyball player Casey Patterson in Rio. Gibb, 40, is motivated for another Olympics. "If I feel like I have a real chance at medaling at an Olympics, I want to go," he said. "I don't want to sneak in just to be an Olympian."
Rudy Gobert
France, men's basketball
The Jazz encouraged Gobert to target "active rest" and "strength development" during the summer, after he missed about one-fourth of the 2015-16 season with a knee injury. Team officials secretly may have hoped France wouldn't qualify for the Olympics, but they're supporting his participation in Rio. France will rely on him as an inside presence, particularly against USA centers DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan.
Long Gutierrez
Mexico, men's swimming
Now attending the University of California, Gutierrez graduated from Brighton and holds 50 swimming records in Utah, counting prep, short-course and long-course competition. He qualified for the 100 butterfly in Rio and may draw Michael Phelps in a preliminary race. Gutierrez was born in Mexico City and his family moved to Utah when he was 2. He swam for three of Cal's winning relay teams in the 2016 Pac-12 Championships.
Joe Ingles
Australia, men's basketball
The Jazz's Gordon Hayward cited his expectant wife's late July due date as his reason for turning down a U.S. Olympic invitation, but skipping the Games never was a consideration for Ingles, whose wife, Renae, delivered twins (a boy and girl) July 25. Ingles, who averaged 4.1 points for the Jazz in 2015-16, is an Olympic veteran and a key player for the Boomers. He posted 11 assists in an exhibition win over the Pac-12 All-Stars.
Devery Karz
USA, women's rowing
A graduate of Park City High School, where she competed in cross country and track and field, Karz, right, teamed with Kate Bertko to earn a spot in Rio in the women's lightweight double sculls event. Karz had never tried rowing until she attended Oregon State and she ended up being named the team's Most Valuable Oarswoman in 2011. She's only the second Oregon State rower ever to qualify for the Olympics.
Leilani Mitchell
Australia, women's basketball
The 5-foot-5 Mitchell thrived in her only season as a Ute active player, averaging 16.8 points, 7.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds as the Mountain West Player of the Year in 2008. Former Utah coach Elaine Elliott labels Mitchell "the best pure point guard" in her long tenure. The WNBA veteran's mother is Australian, and Mitchell has played her way onto the team at age 31. Sports Illustrated picks the Opals to win a bronze medal in Rio.
Raul Neto
Brazil, men's basketball
With a big gap in age from 33-year-old Marcelo Huertas to the 24-year-old Neto among Brazilian guards, Neto is a major part of the team's future. He appeared in only three of Brazil's six games in London in 2012, but will be in the rotation in Rio, if not the starter. Neto started 53 games for the Jazz last season while Dante Exum was injured, but will face increased competition this year with the team having traded for George Hill.
Chirine Njeim
Lebanon, women's marathon
A former Ute skier, Njeim will become the 28th woman to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, historian Bill Mallon told the Chicago Tribune. Njeim, 31, who grew up in Beirut and attended Rowmark Ski Academy in Salt Lake City, skied for Lebanon in three Olympics, most recently in 2010. Now living in Chicago, she took up running and beat the Olympic qualifying standard of 2 hours, 45 minutes in the Houston Marathon in January.
Thretton Palamo
USA, rugby
The former Ute running back and defensive end did not make the 12-man U.S. roster for the rugby sevens tournament, but is competing for one of three reserve spots that would get him to Rio. Palamo completed his Utah football career in 2013 when he appeared in all 12 games and made 13 tackles. He was encouraged to try football by Utah rugby club coach Blake Burdette, a former Ute tight end.
Casey Patterson
USA, men's beach volleyball
The former BYU volleyball player describes himself as "a burst of energy and excitement," teaming with the comparatively subdued Jake Gibb. The team is seeded No. 6 in the Olympics. The 6-foot-6 Patterson, from California, was named the MVP of the Puerto Rican indoor league in 2010 and the AVP Best Offensive Player on the beach in 2013. Gibb has labeled his 2013 choice of Patterson as his teammate "a leap of faith."
Michelle Plouffe
Canada, women's basketball
One of Utah's last recruits of the Elaine Elliott era, Plouffe is joined on the Canadian team by her twin sister, Katherine, who played for Marquette. Michelle Plouffe is a 6-foot-3 forward who completed her Ute career in 2014 under former coach Anthony Levrets, having totaled 2,100 points (No. 2 all-time) and a school-record 1,155 rebounds. She plays professionally in Mondeville, France, with Canadian teammate Kim Gaucher, another ex-Ute.
Taylor Sander
USA, men's volleyball
Sander starred for the 2013 BYU team that reached the NCAA final match before losing to UC Irvine. In 2014, he was named the AVCA Player of the Year nationally. His brother, Brenden, currently plays for the Cougars. Now playing professionally in Italy, Sander is one of eight first-time Olympians on the U.S. roster. Coming off a disappointing fifth-place finish in 2012, the Americans will open the tournament Aug. 7 vs. Canada.
MyKayla Skinner
USA, women's gymnastics
Having deferred her enrollment as a Ute gymnast from 2015 until later this month, Skinner barely missed making the U.S. team. She will travel to Rio as the first alternate, available for the Aug. 7 team qualifying meet if any of the five U.S. gymnasts is unable to compete. Skinner performed wonderfully in the Olympic trials, finishing fourth in the all-around competition, but the team filled its event-oriented needs with other picks.
Shona Thorburn
Canada, women's basketball
Thorburn played the same four years at Utah with Canadian teammate Kim Gaucher, helping the Utes reach the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight in 2006. She broke her leg during the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship in Edmonton, Alberta. Canada won the tournament without her to qualify for the Olympics. Thorburn, 34, averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 assists in 2012 as Canada reached the quarterfinals in London.
Kim Tillie
France, men's basketball
France could have activated Evan Fournier, but other than bringing in Rudy Gobert, team officials chose to stick with the roster that won a qualifying tournament in Manila. Although he played only scored 3.3 points per game, Tillie started 30 games for the 2008-09 Utah team that shared the Mountain West regular-season championship, won the tournament title and played in the NCAA Tournament. Tillie, 28, plays professionally in Spain.
Tatenda Tsumba
Zimbabwe, men's track and field
Tsumba, a BYU sprinter, has spent time training with Usain Bolt in Jamaica and may compete against him in a heat of the 200 meters in Rio. Tsumba qualified for the 2015 World Championships in Beijing and won the 200 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor meet this past winter. He ran a personal-best 20.44 in the 200 to qualify for the Olympics, but barely missed the standard for the 100.
Elder Torres
Honduras, men's soccer
The Real Monarchs midfielder played for Honduras' U-23 national team in pre-Olympics exhibitions and was named to the roster July 21. He has posted one goal and two assists for the Monarchs, affiliated with Real Salt Lake. He was loaned to the Monarchs by CD Social Vida of his native Honduras. His team will open play Aug. 4 (the day before the Opening Ceremonies) vs. Algeria in the primary soccer host, the Olympic Stadium.
Maka Unufe
USA, men's rugby
Unufe was academically eligible to play football only as a senior at Provo High School, making a big impact for the Bulldogs as a receiver and Tribune All-State defender in 2009. He was publicized as committed to Utah, but never graduated from high school. He found a niche in rugby, initially with the Utah Warriors, and then with the national team. Having watched him overcome trials, his mother, Leslie, said, "I look forward to seeing what's next."
Jared Ward
USA, men's marathon
Ward's race is not until Aug. 21, the final day of the Games. The graduate of Davis High School and BYU qualified for the U.S. team by finishing third in the Olympic trials in Los Angeles, ahead of Judge Memorial alumnus Luke Puskedra. Ward is a BYU adjunct statistics professor whose masters thesis was based on pacing strategy in a marathon. He has trained in Park City and other high-altitude Utah areas.
Cody Sanderson
USA, men's wrestling coach
Sanderson is the associate head coach at Penn State, working for his brother Cael, a 2004 Olympic champion. Cody Sanderson will coach Frank Molinaro in Rio, where the former Penn State wrestler will try to cap his unlikely rise to the Games with a strong performance. He is a Nittany Lions assistant coach who qualified for the Olympics in the 65kg/143-pound freestyle division, and was seeded No. 9 going into the Olympic trials.