The 2012 Olympic Games begin with Friday's opening ceremony and saying California will be well-represented is an understatement.
The Golden State is sending the largest percentage of athletes -- almost one-fourth of the entire USA contingent -- to the 2012 Olympic Games, reports NBC. Our state, which lays claim to 128 Olympians this year, is also sending the complete badminton team, as well as 24 of the 26 water polo players.
Check out our slideshow below to get up close and personal with some of California's star Olympians, who vary from career firefighters to normal 16-year-olds. Whether they're professing their love for journalism or avowing that they'll always swim -- these passionate Californians are sure to make you proud.
Be sure to visit the Team USA Olympics site for the complete list of California's impressive 128 Olympians.
Anthony Ervin
Name: Anthony ErvinAge: 31 Hometown: Valencia, CA Event: Swimming Fun Fact: Ervin auctioned off his 2000 Olympic gold medal to aid survivors of the 2004 tsunami. Quotable Quote: On leaving and then returning to swimming: "I really didn't think I'd be in this position again. So, in a lot of ways, I'm very much surprised at the vicissitudes of life."
Landon Donovan
Name: Landon DonovanAge: 30 Hometown: Redlands Event: Soccer Fun Fact: His Manhattan Beach home was featured on MTV's "Cribs" in 2006. Quotable Quote: "My mindset now is I want to be successful, and I realize now that as I'm getting older I'm not going to be the guy who's scoring goals every game or making a great impact all the time. I'm going to do it as much as I can in that way. But if I can be a part of the team and help lead it to successful times, then that's what I want to do."
Shannon Rowbury
Name: Shannon RowburyAge: 26 Hometown: San Francisco, CA Event: Track & Field: 1,500 m Fun Fact: Rowbury graduated magna cum laude from Duke, and loves Irish dancing. Quotable Quote: On making the Olympic team: "To make the Olympic team is going to be very challenging and those who do so will have to be very fit, stay on their feet, get to the final and race well tactically. A faster race is good for me and I'll always take a faster race when I can, but I am working on my speed to prepare myself for any situation. It will be a challenge, but for me I am glad I have all of these years under my belt - at the championship level, it isn't just about fitness, but about mental toughness."
Heather Petri (Left)
Name: Heather PetriAge: 34 Hometown: Orinda Event: Water polo Quotable Quote: In response to being told to play with the boys: "Yeah, right!" Fun Fact: Petri played on the boys' water polo team in high school, and helped start the girls' team.
Name: Jennifer Kessy Age: 35 Hometown: San Juan Capistrano Event: Volleyball Quotable Quote: "It's my attitude and my perseverance that got me here." Fun Fact: Kessy graduated from USC with a degree in history.
Carlos Bocanegra
Name: Carlos Bocanegra Age: 33 Hometown: Alta Loma Event: Soccer Quotable Quote: On moving to different countries for his career: "I ask myself: how do these people live? I want to learn about their culture, the way they think. I do not want to be fighting against the culture." Fun Fact: Bocanegra was named one of E! Entertainment Television's ten sexiest sports stars.
Name: McKayla Maroney Age: 16 Hometown: Long Beach Event: Artistic gymnastics Quotable Quote: "My mom put me in gymnastics because i had so much energy and I was always running around, so she thought gymnastics might take away some of the insane amounts of energy." Fun Fact: Like most 16-year-olds, Maroney loves Drake, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry.
Name: Steve Cherundolo Age: 33 Hometown: San Diego Event: Soccer Quotable Quote: "As long as my legs will carry me, I love playing." Fun Fact: Cherundolo has spent time playing soccer in Germany, and now speaks fluent German.
Name: Alex Morgan Age: 23 Hometown: Diamond Bar Event: Soccer Quotable Quote: "My dad and I have always played card games and kept score so when he won, he would sort of taunt me. I think that's part of where I got my competitive edge." Fun Fact: Her boyfriend, Servando Carrasco, plays soccer professionally with the Seattle Sounders.
Russell Westbrook
Name: Russell Westbrook Age: 24 Hometown: Long Beach Event: Basketball Quotable Quote: "My job is to be aggressive." Fun Fact: Westbrook is famous for wearing fake glasses; he owns about 25 pairs.
Name: Amy Rodriguez Age: 25 Hometown: Lake Forest Event: Soccer Quotable Quote: "I never thought that I would one day be where I am. I worked really hard as a teenager and always loved playing soccer." Fun Fact: Rodriguez says that her favorite pet is her little sister.
Alexander Massialas
Name: Alexander MassialasAge: 18 Hometown: San Francisco Event: Fencing Quotable Quote: On the thrill of competition: "It's impossible to explain how you focus, you just do; you just can't freeze up in the moment. You train your whole life for those experiences." Fun Fact: Massialas speaks Chinese and his father is a three-time Olympian.
Chloe Sutton
Name: Chloe SuttonAge: 20 Hometown: Mission Viejo Event: Swimming Quotable Quote: "When I was six years old and I first joined a swim team, from the moment I dove in the pool, I knew that I was going to the Olympics when I was 16. I told boys that I couldn't have a boyfriend until after I won my gold medal. Everybody knew me as the swimmer." Fun Fact: Sutton aspires to be a journalist.
Jimmy Watkins
Name: Jimmy WatkinsAge: 29 Hometown: Bakersfield Event: Track cycling Quotable Quote: On being named to the Olympic team: "It really hasn't sunk in yet." Fun Fact: Watkins is a career firefighter.
Jessica Hardy
Name: Jessica HardyAge: 25 Hometown: Long Beach Event: Swimming Quotable Quote: After winning the 100 freestyle in trials: "I absolutely couldn't believe it. The 100 free is my weakest event and I swam my best time ever. At 25, I didn't see that coming! I was honestly thinking, 'Just place in the top six,' so that I could have a relay spot on the team...To get first, no way! I was the one least likely to win. It was the night of my life." Fun Fact: Hardy is engaged to Swiss Olympian Dominik Meichtry.
Scott Weltz
Name: Scott WeltzAge: 25 Hometown: San Jose Event: Swimming Quotable Quote: On his experience during the trials: "My whole body was kind of tingling and I was like, 'I'm feeling it and something is different, this is the time.' " Fun Fact: Weltz surprised everyone at the Olympic trials, beating out medalists after having placed outside the top 35 in 2008.
Nathan Adrian
Name:Nathan AdrianAge: 23 Residence: Berkeley, CA Event: Swimming Quotable Quote: On taking dance lessons: "I'm not a hip wiggler. I do have big hips, but they're not meant for wiggling." Fun Fact: Nathan is currently a pre-med student at the University of California, Berkeley.
Jason Lezak
Name: Jason LezakAge: 37 Hometown: Irvine, CA Event: Swimming Quotable Quote: After winning gold in the relay at the 2008 Olympics: "People always step up and do things out of the ordinary at the Olympics". Fun Fact: Jason Lezak was an All-American in water polo.
Carmelita Jeter
Name: Carmelita JeterAge: 32 Hometown: Torrance, CA Event: Track & Field Quotable Quote: "I'm good at staying focused... I think I'll be OK. I'm not even at London yet, but this definitely feels pretty good." Fun Fact: Jeter is the second-fastest woman in history, and is recognized as the fastest woman in the world.
Kerri Walsh
Name: Kerri WalshAge: 34 Hometown: Santa Clara Event: Beach Volleyball Quotable Quote: About her several endorsements and TV commercial appearances: "I wish we had action figures. Maybe next time". Fun Fact: In 2006, Kerri became the fourth American woman to surpass $1 million in career earnings.
Scott Gault
Name: Scott GaultAge: 29 Hometown: Piedmont, CA Event: Rowing Fun Fact: After rowing, Scott sees himself as a professional golfer.
Michelle Carter
Name: Michelle CarterAge: 27 Birthplace: San Jose, CA Event: Track & FIeld Quotable Quote: "It was pretty rough today ... The goal was to make the team and now we can focus on getting ready for London." Fun Fact: Her father played for the San Francisco 49ers
Natalie Coughlin
Name: Natalie CoughlinAge: 30 Hometown: Vallejo, CA Event: Swimming Quotable Quote: Concerning steroids in Olympic athletes: "The people who have cheated have ruined it for everybody. That is just the way it is." Fun Fact: Natalie has won a medal in every single Olympic event she's ever entered.
Kristin Hedstrom
Name: Kristin HedstromAge: 26 Residence: Oakland, CA Event: Rowing Quotable Quote: On athletes who did not make the Olympics: "We might now be in two separate groups - those who have made it and those who have not - but we all still have the same dream: to win gold for the USA." Fun Fact: Kristin participates in In The Arena, a program to connect youth with professional athletes to cultivate character and community.
Kibwe Johnson
Name: Kibwe JohnsonAge: 31 Birthplace: San Francisco, CA Event: Track & Field Quotable Quote: "There's a reason they say the United States Olympic team is the hardest team to make. It isn't just the competition. It's also the sheer amount of physical and mental stress. Both in preparation, and the competition itself. Whether acknowledged or not, it's there." Fun Fact: His wife, Crystal Johnson-Smith, is also a thrower.
Julie Nichols
Name:Julie NicholsAge: 34 Hometown: Livermore, CA Event: Rowing Quotable Quote: On her fourth place finish to qualify for the Olympics: "We had no idea it was that close. But we'll take it." Fun Fact: Julie is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at UCLA
Jessica Steffens
Name: Jessica SteffensAge: 25 Hometown: Danville, CA Event: Water Polo Quotable Quote: Describing the victory over Hungary before the Olympics: "It's a huge help. You kind of get a sense of what it will be like." Fun Fact: Jessica's sister, Maggie, is a member of the Senior National Team for water polo.
Maggie Steffens (Left)
Name: Maggie SteffensAge: 19 Hometown: Danville, CA Event: Waterpolo Quotable Quote: "I can envision myself (in London), but it's kind of just in my own mind. It's a lot of work to get there, and there are a lot of great girls on that team. (But) you get a taste of something, you just want it so much more." Fun Fact: Of Maggie's 45 cousins, most are successful athletes.
Peter Varellas
Name:Peter VarellesAge: 27 Hometown: Moraga, CA Event: Water Polo Fun Fact: Peter is the only left-handed returning Olympian on the team.
Misty May-Treanor
Name: Misty May-Treanor Age: 34 Hometown: Los Angeles Event: Volleyball Quotable Quote: On her workout routine: "You'd be surprised. I think people think we do a tremendous amount of exercises that are completely different from what the general population can do. It's not true. I think athletes in general have to be a little more disciplined and get our work in." Fun Fact: May-Treanor and her teammate, Kerry Walsh, have won gold medals in 2004 and 2008.
Ronda Rousey
Name:Ronda RouseyAge: 25 Hometown: Riverside, CA Event: Mixed Martial Arts Fun Fact: Rousey only started mixed martial arts two years ago, in 2010. Quotable Quote: On her relationships with fellow Olympians: "Michael Phelps kind of annoyed me."
Anthony Fahden (Right)
Name:Anthony FahdenAge: 26 Hometown: Lafayette, CA Event: Rowing Fun Fact: Fahden's favorite song is "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John. Quotable Quote: On the Olympic qualifying race: "They call it the Regatta of Death for a reason."
Kara Kohler (Second To Left)
Name:Kara KohlerAge: 21 Hometown: Clayton, CA Event: Rowing Fun Fact: Kohler swam competitively throughout high school. Quotable Quote: On her favorite part of the sport: "Having so many people holding each other accountable to do our best for the benefit of the team."
Alex Osborne
Name:Alex OsborneAge: 25 Hometown: Sherman Oaks, CA Event: Rowing Fun Fact: Osborne hopes to have career in technology and internet startups, with a focus on mobile gaming.
Mary Whipple
Name:Mary WhippleAge: 32 Hometown: Orangevale, CA Event: Rowing Fun Fact: Whipple was named the 2008 World Rowing Female Crew of the Year by FISA, following her Olympic gold medal win. Quotable Quote: Describing her style in one word: "Supportive."
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