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Ayden Owens-Delerme, an NCAA champion decathlete with ancestral roots in the Edneyville community, is representing Puerto Rico in the 2024 Olympics that open Friday in Paris.

Ayden Owens-Delerme poses with his cousin Brenda Wilkerson.LastLast
Last September Owens-Delerme visited Henderson County, meeting his cousin Brenda Wilkerson and local historian Jennie Jones Giles. He visited St. Paul Cemetery, where the grave site of his ancestor Butler Owens is located, and the Case Cemetery, where his Cherokee ancestor Polly George is buried. He had obtained information on his family from Giles's website hendersonheritage.com and began communicating with Giles on his family history.

His parents, Michael Owens and Carmen Delerme Owens, live in Raleigh. His mother's family is from Puerto Rico. Mike Owens, 6-foot-6 218-pound forward. was captain of the 1980 University of Virginia team that had starters Ralph Sampson, Jeff Jones and Jeff Lamp.

Owens-Delerme received his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Michigan, where he was named 2021 Big Ten  Field Athlete of the Year. He obtained his MBA from the University of Arkansas, where he won the 2022 NCAA Championship in the indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon, was named 2022 SEC Field Athlete of the Year and Co-SEC Outdoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He finished fourth in the World Championships decathlon, representing Puerto Rico.

He recently wrote the book "Race of My Own: An Olympian's Quest for Self-Discovery." In the book he writes of drawing inspiration from his ancestral roots, including his roots in Edneyville. The book can be ordered at www.aydenowens.com.