Rio Olympics 2016: 8 Latinos To Watch From Mariana Pajón, Mijaín López, Caterine Ibargüen, More

The much anticipated Summer 2016 Olympics in Rio start Friday, August 5 beginning with the opening ceremony. Among the hundreds of athletes competing we've picked out some Latinos you need to know about as they go for gold.

Mariana Pajón

Age: 24

Born: Medellín, Colombia

Team: Colombia

Event: Cycling BMX

Pajón, the "Queen of BMX" was born and raised in Colombia. She won her first Olympic Gold Medal at the summer 2012 Olympics and is also a four-time BMX World Champion. She's defended her World Champion title since 2014 and looks to do the same this summer in the Olympics.

Mijaín López

Born: Pinar del Río, Cuba

Team: Cuba

Event: Wrestling

López is a Cuban wrestlerwho has represented his country twice. He won gold at both the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling, López looks to end his career with a third straight gold medal at this year's 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior

Age: 24

Born: Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil

Team: Brazil

Event: Soccer

Known as Neymar, the Brazilian National Team captain plays for FC Barcelona. After losing in the finals to Mexico in the summer 2012 Olympics he will no doubt be anxious to win this time around.

Rubén Limardo

Age: 30

Born: Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela

Team: Venezuela

Event: Fencing

Limardo Gascón is an épée fencer from Venezuela. He won the gold medal in the individual épée competition in 2012. he will also be his country's flag bearer this year.

Caterine Ibargüen

Age: 32

Born: Apartadó, Colombia

Team: Colombia

Events: High jump, Long jump, Triple jump

Ibargüen competes in high jump, long jump and triple jump. She has won two gold medals while participating in the IAAF World Championships, a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and two gold medals at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games.

Fernando Gaviria

Age: 21

Born: La Ceja, Colombia

Team: Colombia

Event: Cycling Track

Fernando Gaviria Rendon is a Colombian professional road and track racing cyclist who is well known for his ability to pass oponentss while maintaining high speeds on his bicycle. He grabbed the attention of the cycling world when he beat former Tour de San Luis champion Mark Cavendish in two sprint finishes. His sister Juliana Gaviria will also be racing for team Colombia this summer.

Mayra Aguiar

Age: 24

Born: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Team: Brazil

Event: Judo

Mayra Aguiar is a Brazilian judoka looking to win her first Olympic gold medal. She took the bronze at the 2012 Games in London.

Idalys Ortiz

Age: 26

Born: Pinar del Río, Cuba

Team: Cuba

Event: Judo

Ortiz was the youngest Olympic medalist to receive a medal in the heavyweight Judoka category. At the age of 18 years old she took home the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She won her first medal in 2007 at the Pan American Judo Championships. This summer she looks to take home her first Olympic gold medal.

Isaquias Queiroz

Age: 22

Born: Ubaitaba, Bahia, Brazil

Team: Brazil

Event: Canoe Sprint

Isaquias won Brazilian Sportsman of the Year in 2015 where he shared the award with fellow teammates. He was the first Brazilian to win the ICF Sprint World Championship and won four more gold medals afterwards. He is a two-time gold medallist at the Pan American Games and three-time gold medalist at the World Championships.