McAllen native Shaine Casas secured his spot in the semifinals.

He competed in the 200-meter individual medley at 5 a.m. on Thursday. His family held a watch part to see him compete and qualify for the semi's.

Many friends and family, and even his high school principal, showed up early to watch Shaine debut in Paris.

They were all nervously waiting to see their own Olympian take the big stage.

Shaine finished in second place in fourth heat in the 200-meter individual medley. But Shaine's journey to Paris was not an easy one.

In 2020, he qualified for the Tokyo Olympic trials, but he missed making the team by one place.

He took some time off before competing in the 2021 world championship, where he won six medals. Shaine decided to go pro and finally qualified for the Paris Olympics in June.

Now he's on a mission to win a gold medal in this year's summer games. Shaine will compete in the second-semi finals starting at 3 p.m. Thursday.

McAllen High School will be hosting a watch part at the auditorium. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. and they are asking the community to bring signs, Olympic gear and energy.