• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, August 4, 2016

Sure, bigger brands may have flashy stars like swimmer Michael Phelps or gymnast Simone Biles. But Dick’s Sporting Goods is saluting the hard work and dedication of some lesser-known talent, including a handful who are working part-time for the sporting goods retailer to make their dreams come true.

The Pittsburgh-based chain just released “Gold in US,” which will air during Friday night’s Opening Ceremonies. In addition to highlighting the 0.2 milligrams of gold circulating in every human body, the spot also zeros in on seven of its own U.S. Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls. That includes Olympic vets Kerri Walsh Jennings, the volleyball player hoping to win her fourth gold medal, and boxer Claressa Shields, who won gold in 2012. Fencer Daryl Homer, who came in 6th in London’s 2012 games, also appears in the ad, as does diver Laura Ryan, and it concludes with a mesmerizing look at Kristin Smith, working on her hammer throw. (Both Smith and Ryan are currently Dick’s employees, and didn’t make the 2016 team, but have their sights set on the 2020 games.) Agency Anomaly created the spot.

The athletes are part of Dick’s Contenders program. With a #GritBeforeGold motto, the company employs about 200 Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls training in 36 sports, from wheelchair rugby to curling to the long jump.

The company, which kicked off the campaign back in March with a spot highlighting the crazy-rigorous training required to make it to Rio, has been featuring video back stories of its athletes all spring. It’s also running an “Every Medal” campaign, vowing to donate $1,000 to youth sports every time a U.S. Olympian wins a medal, concentrating the donations at four organizations: USA Diving, Fencers Club, Ability 360 and the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes.

It’s been a treacherous time for sporting goods retailers, with fallout from Sports Authority’s bankruptcies continuing. But in its more recent quarterly results, Dick’s had better-than-forecast sales, with revenues climbing 6.1% to $1.7 billion, and same-store results rising 1%. And Deutsche Bank, while noting that liquidation sales could pressure Dick’s, writes that Dick’s is also “likely biggest recipient of the approximately $2.6b of sales that will now be up for grab…if Dick’s picks up 20% of these lost sales, that would equate to $520 million in incremental sales, equivalent to a 7% boost to comparable-store sales if the share pick-up happens in year one.”