US sending record number of women to Rio Games

Posted July 23, 2016 7:00 am

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The United States is sending 292 women to the Summer Olympics- the most women who have ever competed at an Olympics for a single country.

The U.S. Olympic Committee officially announced its 555-person team Saturday. Three members of the team are making their sixth Olympics: equestrian Phillip Dutton and shooters Emil Milev and Kim Rhode. There are seven athletes making their fifth Olympics, including Michael Phelps, Bernard Lagat, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Venus Williams.

At the London Games four years ago, the U.S. sent 269 women and 261 men, marking the first time the country was represented by more females than males.

Dutton is the oldest U.S. Olympian at 52. There are four 16-year-olds: Kanak Jha (tennis), Laurie Hernandez (gymnastics), Sydney McLaughlin (track) and Laura Zeng (rhythmic gymnastics).

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