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5 Olympic Athletes To Watch In Tokyo

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Team USA Athletes Who Will Be Competing For Gold In Tokyo Olympics

Due to Covid-19, the Olympics faced an unprecedented delay by a full calendar year. After a long wait, especially for the world class athletes that have been preparing for years, the opening ceremony will start this Friday. 

There are many Team USA superstars who have made the trip to Tokyo, and are expected to compete for gold medals. Some of these names include well known stars like Simone Biles, and Kevin Durant and others are less known commodities such as Sunisa Lee and Nyjah Huston. 

What all these Team USA athletes share is that they are the most elite in their respective disciplines,  not just domestically but globally. Biles has been the #1 gymnast in the world for years now, Durant in contention for the NBA’s best player currently, and Huston whom is by far the winningest contest skater that has ever stepped on a board.

Image credit – reuters.com

Simon Biles, Gymnastics

Simone Biles, 24 is the defending Olympic gold medalist and a five-time world all-around champion. For the last 5 years, Simone Biles has been as dominant of a gymnast as one can be, a true force of nature in the discipline. While Biles was the consensus best gymnast in the world during the 2016 Rio Olympics, now years later she is considered even better. Her most serious competition will be her teammate, Susina Lee.

What you need to know about Simone Biles:

Biles is the consensus greatest of all time. She is the Michael Felps of Gymnastics, and she’s not looking to end her reign soon. Many consider her to be the hands down favorite for 5 golf medals in Tokyo. If she completes her goal of 5 golds in the Tokyo Olympics she will have tied to the legendary record held by Larisa Latynina.

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Sunisa Lee, Gymnastics

Sunisa Lee may be the future of Team USA Gymnastics. Six years junior to Biles, Lee is making a name for herself after her run in the Olympic trials. Finishing second to Biles, Lee actual had a higher event total on Day 2, which is the only time Biles has been outscored in eight years. Lee is considered to be the most serious competition for a Biles sweep.

What you need to know about Susina Lee: 

Lee’s bar routine is considered the toughest in the world. If she completes her bar routine without significant errors, she could upset Biles for gold.

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Image credit – lamag.com

Nyjah Huston, Street Skateboarding

Like Biles, Huston is widely considered the best contest skater ever. A 12-time X Games gold medalist, and No. 1-ranked street skater, Huston is favored to take home Tokyo Gold. This will be skateboarding’s Olympic debut as an event, and with skaters like Huston in the competition it will be one to remember.

What you need to know about Nyjah Huston:

Huston isn’t just known for his consistency in events but his willingness to attack the biggest obstacles on the course. A prodigy who emerged on the scene when he was only 9 years old competing against grown adults, Huston has an uncanny ability to take on the biggest stairs and rails with technical tricks that his competition isn’t even attempting. Going into the games, Huston has expressed his desire to attack the ultra-long hand rails that the Tokyo course is rumored to have.

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Kevin Durant, Men’s Basketball

Durant may be the best basketball player in the world now, and if he isn’t he’s in great company with Lebron James and Stephen Curry. Now 32, Durant won 2 NBA Championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. He has already competed and won gold at the 2012, and 2016 Olympics with the USA Men’s Basketball team.

What you need to know about Kevin Durant:

He’s chasing Carmelo Anthony’s Team USA points record of 336. Entering the Tokyo Olympics with 311 career points, Durant is nearly guaranteed to break the record unless he incurs a freak injury or is placed in Covid protocols during the event.

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Image credit – latimes.com

Katie Ledecky, Swimming

Katie Ledecky is a five-time gold medalist and the defending champion in 3 freestyle events. She is the clear favorite in four freestyle events: 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m. If she wins both the 200m and 1,500m freestyle events on the same day, she will be the first man or woman to have done so.

What you need to know about Katie Ledecky:

If Ledecky wins gold in the 800m freestyle, she will become the third woman to win the same event three times.

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