Who is Melissa Gonzalez? Why is the entire Detroit Lions roster cheering her on for the Olympics?

The Detroit Lions may be preparing for training camp in a few weeks, but backup quarterback David Blough is also keeping a close eye on the upcoming Olympic Games. His wife, sprinter Melissa Gonzalez, made the Olympic Team, representing Colombia.

Melissa Gonzalez and David Blough's career and relationship

Melissa Gonzalez and David Blough met while attending the same high school in Carollton, Texas. Gonzalez went on to pursue her collegiate track and field career at the University of Texas, where she was an All-American and First-Team All-Big 12.

Blough chose to pursue his football aspirations at Purdue University. He was undrafted out of Purdue and initially signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2019 before being traded to the Detroit Lions. Blough made his NFL debut on Thanksgiving Day 2019 after injuries to both Matthew Stafford and Jeff Driskel. He spent most of the 2020 season on the Lions' practice squad.

Melissa Gonzalez is a dual citizen with the United States and Colombia since her father was born in Colombia. She currently holds the record for the 400m hurdles in Colombia with a time of 55.68 seconds. She will be competing in the same event in Tokyo.

Gonzalez qualified for the upcoming Olympic Games by winning a gold medal at the South American Championships.

Although friends and family won't be allowed to attend the Olympic Games, there will be quite a cheering section from the Detroit Lions training camp. The Lions will report to training camp on July 23 and the first heat of the Women's 400m hurdles will take place on July 31, with the final slated for August 4.

Blough recently told The Athletic that head coach Dan Campbell has been very supportive and will make sure he doesn't miss her race. He also said:

"There's been some excitement, man," Blough said. "The quarterbacks have been so great encouraging her. [QB coach] Mark Brunell always asks how she's doing, what's the update. The quarterbacks have gotten pretty close, pretty quick -- it's a small room, so it makes it easy. They were pumped, to say the least. The group message was on fire when I let them know it was official. Dan [Campbell] has been fantastic accommodating us.

As for Gonzalez, she has a golden opportunity to make it to the final of the 400m hurdles at the Olympic Games. She will compete against American 400m hurdler and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin.

Melissa Gonzalez, married to @Lions QB @david_blough10, has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics (@Tokyo2020).She will represent Colombia in the 400-meter hurdles & owns the national record in the event (55.68).Melissa & David both attended Creekview H.S. in Carrollton, Texas. pic.twitter.com/ZqhHDPCF6i

— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) July 2, 2021

As for Blough, he will have his own competition at Detroit Lions training camp this summer. Blough will fight it out to get the backup quarterback spot behind offseason acquisition Jared Goff.