By Cameron Davis:
After being delayed for an entire year because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have finally commenced. Out of the 613 Olympians on Team USA, the majority, 126 are from California. So let's take a look at our fellow So Cal Olympians that have participated in the 32nd Olympiad.
Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix is now an eleven-time Olympic medalist born in Los Angeles, California. Allyson has participated in the previous Olympic games since 2004 in Athens, where she won her first Silver medal only at 18 years old. She set a junior world record of a 200-meter race with a time of 22.18. Allyson was known as the youngest gold medalist sprinter in 2005 at the World Championships in Helsinki. Additionally, Allyson is a graduate of the University of Southern California. Throughout her years of being an athlete, Allyson received the Jesse Owens Award 5 times in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, and in 2015 and no other person has been rewarded this award more times than her. Now at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games, this is Allyson's 5th and last Olympics that she is taking part in. In the women's 400 meters, she won her 10th medal and the first bronze medal in her Olympic career. In the women's 4x400 meter relay competition with Sydney McLaughlin, Allyson Felix, Dalilah Muhammad, and Athing Mu representing Team USA, they triumphed and won gold. Allyson is now adding her 11th and final gold medal to her collection. Allyson Felix has achieved numerous titles: Oldest U.S. woman to win gold in track and field, the most decorated athlete in U.S. track history, and has the seventh top 200-meter time on the all-time list. At 35 years old, Allyson Felix has a 2-year-old daughter and created Olympic history.
Nick Itkin
Nick Itkin, also born in Los Angeles, won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as an American foil fencer. His current U.S. ranking is number one, and in the world, he ranks at spot number nine. In the 2020 Olympics, Nick competed in the men's foil team competition and won his first medal, bronze. This happens to be Nick's first-ever Olympic games at the age of 21. Nick also competed in the men's individual foil and received 12th place. In addition to Nick's victorious first Olympic medal, here are a few other previous accomplishments Nick has made. In 2017 he won gold in the Junior World Championships in team tournament; in 2018, he came back and won gold in the individual and bronze in the team tournament. The same year, Nick Itkin became the first U.S. fencer to win Individual Junior World, USA Fencing Division I, and NCAA championship titles in the same season.
This is only the beginning for Nick Itkin, and maybe he will return for gold in the 2024 Paris Olympic games.
Rai Benjamin
Rai Benjamin won two medals this year at his first-ever Olympics, silver, and gold. This Los Angeles Olympian hurdler and sprinter is the second fasted man in history in 400-meter hurdles. As a college student at UCLA and USC, his USC team set the world's best time record for indoor 4x400 relay with a time of 3:00.77 in 2018. Rai is a 3 time NCAA Division I track champion and earned 8 NCAA Division I All-America Honors, all when he was a college student-athlete. Rai participated in the men's 4x400 meter relay at his first Olympic games with Michael Cherry, Michael Norman, Bryce Deadmon. All four ended up winning victoriously and taking home gold. Along with Rai's gold medal, he won a silver medal in the men's 400-meter hurdles and broke the existing world record by half a second. Although Rai has made history that day, he is yet to be satisfied with his silver medal while shedding a few tears after the race was finished. Who knows? Maybe Rai Benjamin will be back for the 2024 Paris Olympics since this was only his first Olympics, and it's just the beginning.
Justine Wong-Orantes
Justine Wong-Orantes won a gold medal this year at the Olympics with Team USA's volleyball team. She was born in Cypress, California, and has the position of libero on her volleyball team and even earned the name "best libero" at the 2020 Olympics tournament. Justine was the youngest known player to ever earn a AAA CBVA rating after winning a AAA beach tournament only at the age of 12. When she was 6 years old, Justine started her journey of becoming a professional volleyball player. The 2020 Olympics was only Justine's first Olympic Games, but she did end up achieving the top prize and taking home the gold medal for Team USA. From the semifinals match against Serbia, where they won 3 to 0, to the finals against Brazil winning 3 to 0 again. Team USA defeated everyone and deserved their place at the top of the podium.