Grant Koontz, a cyclist with Lincoln County roots will be competing in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
Koontz’s parents originate from Stroud and Shawnee, while the 30-year-old is originally from Houston, Texas.
He now resides in Nederland, Co. with his wife and fellow professional cyclist, Daphne Karagiannis.
Koontz is competing in the omnium track cycling on August 8, live on Peacock. The omnium is an event that involves four races in a single day.
Those races include the scratch, tempo, elimination and points race. A rider earns points based on their performance in each event and the top three with the most cumulative points at the end of the event are the medalists.
Koontz will attempt to be one of those medalists and his family will be there to watch him do it. His mother Susan Koontz, a Stroud high school graduate, his father Craig Koontz, a Shawnee graduate, along with his aunt and uncle, Marilyn and Kim Wheeler, current Stroud residents, all are making the trip to Paris.
With his roots in Lincoln County, Grant Koontz comes from small beginnings, but the spotlight of being an elite cyclist is nothing new to him.
He is a multi time national champion from his time at Texas A&M and also is a multi time gold medalist in the Pan American Track Cycling Championships.
After already adding “Olympian” to his resume, Koontz will try to take his career to the next level with an Olympic medal in Paris.