Young, Black & Olympian: 10 Black Females Representing In The 2012 Summer Olympics [PHOTOS]

With the 2012 Summer Olympics kicking off this Friday in London, our eyes are on our sisters who will be competing in the summer games. These young black female athletes have worked and trained hard to get to the top of their game in their respective sport from basketball, swimming, track, gymnastics and much more.

Find out why they’re the ones to keep your eye on during the 2012 summer games!

Scroll down to continue…..

Sanya Richards-Ross

Specialty: Track and Field. Having set four world-leading times over 200 and 400 meters in her first three competitions of the season, this is her first indoor competition for the first time in several years.

Paige McPherson

Speciality: Taekwondo. A surprise qualifier during the Olympic trials, McPherson, 21, defeated 2004 silver medalist, Nia Abdallah, to earn a spot on the 2012 roster.

Lia Neal

Specialty: Swimming. This Brooklyn native father is black and her mother is Chinese. She is considered the second black woman to make the US Olympic swim team. When Neal made the team Alicia Keys congratulated her on Twitter.

Lolo Jones

Specialty: Track and Field. She grew up in a very poor household but was able to get a scholarship to LSU to run track. In the 2008 Olympics, Lolo tripped over a hurdle in the 100m, ruining her chance at a medal. This year is her time for gold.

Gabrielle Douglas

Specialty: Gymnastics. This 16 year-old is the first African American since Dominique Dawes in 2000 to join the women’s U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team.

Allyson Felix

Specialty: Track and Field. At the Olympic qualifiers, Allyson ran the 200 in 21.69 seconds, the fastest woman since Marion Jones in 1998. Allyson already has two silver medals in the 200 from Beijing, and we’re sure she’s looking for gold this year.

Carmelita Jeter

Specialty: Track and Field. Jeter won the 100m race at the Olympic trials, running it in 10.92 seconds. She beat Marion Jones’ 100m record in 2009, making her the second fastest woman ever.

Nzingha Prescod

Speciality: Fencing. The Brooklyn native was named First Team All-Ivy League and 2011 Rookie of the Year as a student at Columbia University.

Maya Moore

Specialty: Basketball. Maya Moore is one of the best female basketball players to ever play in college. She took UConn to back to back national championships while scoring an average of 20 points a game. We’re sure nothing is going to slow her down at her first Olympics.

Chaunté Lowe

Specialty: Track and Field, High jump, long jump. Chaunte took a year off from competition in 2007 and gave birth to her daughter, Jasmine. After her second daughter was born in April 2011, Lowe started training two-days later.

Follow AfricanLimelight.com for the latest in entertainment news, celebrity gossip, pictures and more on Twitter @africanlimeligh and on Facebook.