After we celebrate with gusto our nation’s independence on July 4 next weekend, we will eagerly start the final countdown to the beginning of the postponed 2020 Olympic games.
With a high number of quality college and high school athletic programs throughout the state of Indiana, it is no surprise that a number of Hoosiers will be vying for a spot to represent Team USA in the upcoming Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan. This year’s games were postponed from 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so many of these athletes have been training and dreaming longer than usual about the team trials followed by the games themselves.
The road to the Olympics requires more than talent and dedication. For athletes to arrive at the Olympics, they must be ultra-focused and super-competitive with themselves, and resilient to overcome injuries, set-backs, and failures. Considering the last year that upended much of the regular training, this year’s Olympians are fired up for the July games.
In fact, last year, Olympic swimmers had started partially training here in Evansville at the Lloyd Pool. Evansville native Lilly King, who graduated from IU, along with IU swimmer Cody Miller and others, were working out here and in Bloomington just prior to the postponement of the 2020 games. For much of the summer, when pools were shut down, the two Olympians ended up training in a lake in Bloomington. As the team trials continue and the Olympics begin, make note of these names to follow, as they proudly claim a connection to the great state of Indiana.
Some of the Olympic Team Trials have already wrapped and teams are set. Others are still in progress. Last weekend were the swimming and diving trials, so those teams are now established, and we are happy to report that several athletes with ties to Indiana will be on Team USA! IU has always produced a number of swimming and diving Olympians, but a number also come from other Indiana institutions:
Women’s Diving
- Jessica Parratto (diving, IU)
Men’s Diving
- Andrew Capobianco (diving, IU)
- Brandon Loschiavo (diving, Purdue)
- Michael Hixon (diving, IU)
Men’s Swimming
- Zach Apple (swimming, IU) 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay
- Michael Brinegar (Swimming, Columbus, IN/ IU) 800 freestyle, 1500 freestyle
- Drew Kibler (swimming, Carmel) 200 freestyle relay
- Blake Pieroni (swimming, Valparaiso, IU) 100 freestyle
Women’s Swimming
- Lilly King (swimming, Evansville/IU) 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
- Annie Lazor (Bloomington) 200 breaststroke
As a special bonus, we also have a local athlete who will be competing in the Paralympic Games, slated to take place in Tokyo following the traditional Olympics. Last week, Evansville’s own Mikaela Jenkins took home 6 gold medals at the Paralympic trials and qualified for the US Paralympic swimming team. You can learn more about Mikaela in the May/June 2019 issue of Evansville Living. Brava Mikaela!
Track and Field and Marathoning:
Track and Field trials are happening right now, but won’t be finished until Sunday, June 27. Keep your eyes on these contenders.
Men
- Andy Bayer (1500 meter hurdles, IU)
- Chuk Enekwechi (shot put, Purdue, represents Nigeria)
- Derek Drouin (high jump, IU)
- Waseem Williams (100 meters, Purdue)
Women
- Molly Huddle (marathon, Notre Dame)
- Lynna Irby (400-meter, Indianapolis) qualified for relay
- Ashley Spencer (400-meter hurdles, Indianapolis)
- Kara Winger (javelin, Purdue)
Additionally, many other steller athletes in a wide variety of sports are set to represent other Indiana communities and universities during the summer games.
Women’s Fencing
- Courtney Hurley, epee (Notre Dame)
- Lee Kiefer, foil (Notre Dame)
- Mariel Zagunis, sabre (Notre Dame)
Women’s Shooting
- Sarah Beard, rifle (Danville, Indiana)
Women’s Volleyball
- Annie Drews (Elkhart/Purdue)
Women’s Cycling
- Chloe Dygert, track and road racing (Brownsburg)
- Coryn Rivera, road racing (Marian University)
Men’s Basketball
- Eric Gordon (Indianapolis/IU)
- Robbie Hummel (Valparaiso/Purdue)
Men’s Soccer
- Cam Lindley (Carmel)
Men’s Gymnastics
- Alec Yoder (Indianapolis)
And this isn’t the first time that Indiana will be well represented at the Olympic games. We Hoosiers have a long history and tradition of athletic prowess. Check out this article to learn more about some remarkable Indiana athletes from past Olympics. https://www.ranker.com/list/olympic-athletes-born-in-indiana/reference
Make sure you are ready for the games to begin! Remember that Tokyo’s time zone is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Time (so 14 hours ahead of Central time for those of us down here in Southern Indiana) and all coverage will be broadcast by NBC. A few of the events will commence on July 21, even though the Opening Ceremony won’t occur until Friday, July 23. Opening Ceremonies will be broadcast LIVE on Friday, July 23, from 6:55 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EDT, but will be rebroadcast that evening during the prime time hours. The competition is slated to last 2 weeks, with the Closing Ceremony taking place on Sunday, August 8.
