​Breakout athletes for the Los Angeles Olympics are already emerging with two years until the Opening Ceremony on July 14, 2028.You know about the established gold medalists like Katie Ledecky and Noah Lyles. But here’s a look at some of the most exciting on-the-rise athletes on the road to LA:AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOne can argue Cruz and Brasher are new in name only.In 2024, Taryn (then) Kloth and Kristen (then) Nuss went into the Olympics ranked No. 2 in the world. Then they had what Brasher called the most devastating moment of her life in the round of 16 underneath the Eiffel Tower.After two weddings, the team from the unlikeliest of beach origins is on fire in 2026, winning three of their four top-level tournament starts with a 25-1 overall international match record.In 2028, Olympic beach volleyball returns to its spiritual home in Southern California. Cruz and Brasher are the early best hope for host-nation gold.Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum2028 Los Angeles Olympics: What’s new for biggest Games in historyAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNew sports, venues and storylines for the first Summer Olympics in the U.S. since 1996. Nick Zaccardi,The man they call “Housh” is the American face of flag football, a sport making its Olympic debut in Los Angeles.After leading the Americans to their fifth straight world title in 2024, he was MVP of the Fanatics Flag Football Classic this past March — guiding the national team to a 3-0 record, including outscoring opponents (teams with current and former NFL stars) 106-44.Doucette, a 5-foot-7 37-year-old, is a New Orleans native who in 2005 was displaced with his family to Atlanta due to Hurricane Katrina. He was a high school state champion in bowling (has recorded 300-score games) and MVP of the track team, then played intramural flag football at Xavier University of Louisiana. That’s where teammates noticed his resemblance to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, hence the nickname.Syndication: USA TODAYJosh Allen on flag football: Being an Olympic gold medalist is a dream I’ve always hadAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBills quarterback Josh Allen hopes to be Team USA’s quarterback in flag football in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Michael David Smith,Lacrosse returns to the Olympic medal program for the first time since the 1908 London Games. The first Olympic women’s tournament will be held in 2028, and the U.S. is ranked No. 1 in the world in the sixes discipline that will be held at BMO Stadium.Expect Humphrey to be there. In 2025, the North Carolina Tar Heel became the first freshman to win the Tewaaraton Award as the NCAA Player of the Year. In 2026, Humphrey tied the NCAA single-season goals record (109).Caitlin ClarkProjecting the U.S. women’s basketball roster for the 2028 Los Angeles OlympicsAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTwo years out, what might the Olympic roster look like for the 2028 Summer Games?powellbwgood.jpg Jackie P