Local Olympians going for gold in Beijing

Opening Ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics are set for Friday night. Here's a quick look at the local athletes who will participate in the Games:

Sam Querrey, men's tennis: A rising star on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, Querrey, formerly of Thousand Oaks High, is making his first Olympic appearance.

Querrey's first win on the ATP tour, earlier this year in Las Vegas, helped him land a spot on the five-man U.S. roster.

Querrey, ranked 48th on the ATP, will participate in both singles and doubles in Beijing. His doubles partner will be James Blake, the eighth-ranked player in the world. The other U.S. doubles team features Bob and Mike Bryan, both of whom graduated from Rio Mesa High.

Will Simpson, show jumping: Simpson, a Thousand Oaks resident, made the U.S. Equestrian team in show jumping.

A two-decade veteran of California's Grand Prix Circuit, Simpson has won numerous titles during his career, including championships this year at the FEI World Cup Qualifier and Zada Enterprises LLC Masters Cup, as well as the WEF Challenge Cup. Show jumping events will take place in Hong Kong.

Deena Drossin Kastor, women's distance running: The 35-year-old Agoura High graduate will be competing in her third Olympics, having earned a bronze medal in the women's marathon at the 2004 Athens Games. She also ran at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 but did not medal.

Drossin Kastor has long been a force in competitive distance running. In 2007, she won the 10,000 meter race at the U.S. Outdoor Championships, finishing with a time of 31:57.00. That same year she was sixth at the World Championships in Japan and first at the U.S. Cross Country Championship.

Her resume also includes competing at the New York, Chicago and London marathons. In 2000, Drossin Kastor, who attended the University of Arkansas, was selected to introduce then-President Bill Clinton to other athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

Note: Camarillo High grad Jessica Mendoza is a member of the USA Softball squad. Information courtesy of NBCOlympics.com and Equisearch.com.