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In a few days, most of the world will be watching the 2020 Summer Olympics, which have been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The international multisport event starts on July 23rd and ends on August 8th, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Almost 600 athletes from the United States alone are reported to be taking part in the Olympics.
Although the athletic team will include famous names like the Williams sisters, Steph Curry, Christian Taylor, and Simone Biles, there are plenty of young stars, many of whom are eager to win their first Olympic medals. People also stand up for them while they’re on their way to make it big and compete against athletes from other nations.
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Simone Manuel [Swimming]: Manuel, 24, made history in the 2016 Summer Olympics, commonly known as Rio 2016, when she won the 100m freestyle and became the first African American woman to win an individual swimming competition. But this time in Tokyo, the 24-year-old will not compete in the 100 meter freestyle because she lost the qualifying round in the US Olympic tests. Instead, she will compete in the 50m freestyle in Tokyo after winning silver at that event in Rio.
Hannah Roberts [BMX Freestyle]: Roberts is only 19 years old and will fight for the gold medal in BMX Freestyle, which will debut as a sport at the Tokyo Olympics. At such a young age, Roberts is already the winner of two BMX World Championships and three World Cup events. According to reports, her focus is more on introducing the world to the greatness of BMX freestyle than the gold.
Caroline Marks [Surfing]: In addition to BMX Freestyle, surfing is also making its debut at the Olympic Games, as is surf star Caroline Marks. According to the World Surf League website. Marks is “the youngest surfer to ever qualify for the Women’s Championship Tour and has now provisionally qualified to represent the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.” The website also mentioned her other achievements, including winning the 2018 Rookie of The Year award on the Championship Tour and finishing the year at No. 7 on the world rankings. In her second, the rise continued when she won two CT events on the Gold Coast and was in the world title mix in Portugal until the final event in Maui. “
Kanak Jha and Nikhil Kumar [Table Tennis]: Jha is only 21 years old, who became the youngest American to qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016. The young man has won the US singles champion four times and is currently 26th in the world. In Tokyo, he is reportedly accompanied by 17-year-old Nikhil Kumar. Together they will represent the United States in one of the fastest sports in the Olympics.
Colin Duffy [Climbing]: Duffy is only 17 and one of the youngest participants in the Tokyo Olympics. According to the USA Climbing website, he started climbing when he was just five years old at ABC Kids Climbing in Boulder, CO, where he still trains with Olympic teammate Brooke Raboutou today. This event will be even more special for Duffy, as Climbing will also make his debut with him in Tokyo.
Sunisa Lee [Gymnastics]: The 18-year-old is a Hmong American gymnast from St. Paul, Minnesota. At the age of six she began her training for sports. She was on a team that won gold at the 2019 World Cup. Lee also won silver for the floor exercise category and bronze for the uneven bars. On the USA Gymnastics website, her career highlights include: “Winter Cup uneven bars champion in 2021 and silver medalist on the balance beam and US uneven bars champion in 2019, all-round silver medalist and bronze medalist in floor gymnastics.” Lee told Alabama.com, “I’ve worked so hard over the past few years and it feels great to go out and do whatever I should be doing.”
Noah Lyles [Athletics]: Lyles reportedly has his eye on the 100m, 200m and 4 × 100m titles. Known for his patterned socks, love of painting and the “ICON” tattoo on his chest, the 23-year-old is well on his way to becoming one of the biggest names in the sport. Not only his breathtaking speed, but also his fun-loving personality is very attractive. He once said, “Too many people are busy not having fun while running.”
Nyjah Huston [Skateboarding]: Huston is reputedly the highest paid skater in the world. With his debut in skateboarding at the Olympics, the 26-year-old is ready to represent the United States. In April 2020, he wrote for The Players’ Tribune where he said, “Every day I’m inside, I swear I’ll be thinking of coming to Tokyo in 2021 and putting on these Team USA Nike jerseys. I hope we get it right with our fans, with the people who helped bring the sport to this point. And I also hope that in due course a little boy or girl will be watching in the park or on TV. “
At the time, Huston added, “It’s strange to me that skating doesn’t happen on a bigger stage more often because so many kids around the world are doing it. It’s an easily accessible sport with parks across the country. You don’t need a lot of money or equipment for that. “
Nevin Harrison [Sprint Canoeing]: The 19-year-old is the first American canoeist to win a medal in a world championship. The young star from Seattle was only 17 years old in 2019 when she won gold in the 200m C1 at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships 2019 in Hungary. In February she told Tokyo 2020: “I make training my top priority no matter what. Having the Olympic Games in mind has always kept me very focused on my goals. I am fortunate to be surrounded by a great team and a great coach who help me and guide me through this crazy time. I am currently training in Florida with Team USA. Training was a real challenge last year when Covid hit really hard, but over time we learned to deal with the pandemic and keep training as normal as possible. We’re lucky because we can work out in the gym and on the water every day. “
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