Ross, a graduate of Garner Magnet High School, won a gold medal in the men's 4x400 relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were held this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ross was joined by family members as Mayor Ken Marshburn presented him with a key to the town.
The ceremony was held at the town council meeting, which began at 7 p.m.
Ross was part of the USA relay squad that captured gold Aug. 6 in Tokyo with a time nearly 2 seconds better than the silver-medalist team from the Netherlands.