Round Rock celebrates local Olympian

You may have watched the dramatic end of the men's Olympic qualifier 400-meter hurdles as Michael Tinsley blasted past the front runners in the final stretch. What you might not know is that Tinsley lives and trains in Round Rock.

"Oh, man, so exciting, man" said Tinsley. "I've been training so hard for so long. I'm just glad I've reached one of my goals."

Qualifying turned him into an instant celebrity. He was the featured guest on the mayor's float at this year's Fourth of July Round Rock parade. Tinsley said he was excited to be back home.

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"That's pretty cool, man, to ride on the float with the mayor and the City Council, to really see the community of Round Rock," he said.

One of the things Tinsley said he likes about Round Rock is how welcome he has felt throughout his training.

"I love the city of Round Rock," he said. "They embraced us, the training group that I'm in, Training Ground Elite, and we're just happy to be here."

Mayor Alan McGraw is proud to have Tinsley as his hometown hero.

"This is exciting. It's a great day, Fourth of July," said McGraw. "It's such a great day for celebrating and celebrating the country, and to add an Olympian to that it makes it extra special."

Carlos Salinas, a councilman at Round Rock agreed.

"We are incredibly proud of Michael representing not only this country, especially this country, but certainly the city of Round Rock," he said. "We are incredibly proud of him."

So while Round Rock neighbors revel in the joy of celebrating the nation's independence and paying tribute to their nation's servicemen, they're also cheering on and their Olympic star athlete.

Good Luck Michael; we'll be watching.