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Tokyo, Japan – The Tokyo 2020 Olympics ended on Sunday with the closing ceremony. Auburn, represented by a contingent of 15 athletes and three coaches, has won a total of six Olympic medals, including three gold medals.
It’s now in Paris, the site of the 2024 Summer Olympics, but first here’s a look back at the highlights from Auburn’s representatives in Tokyo.
Incoming rookie Sunisa Lee competed for Team USA in the women’s artistic gymnastics competition and put in tremendous performances throughout the week to walk away with three medals.
The St. Paul, Minnesota product started with a silver medal in the team competition. After superstar Simone Biles was retired after the first rotation, Lee guided the young USA team on uneven bars and beam with huge scores and capped it off with an excellent floor routine to secure the silver medal. to Americans.
🥇𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃🥇
WHAT A PERFORMANCE! @sunisalee_ wins GOLD for Team USA in the All-Around! 🤩
1. 🇺🇸 57.433
📸 @GettySport #WarEagle | #OlympiansMadeHere pic.twitter.com/iampnp50fy
— Auburn Gymnastics (@AuburnGym) July 29, 2021
The highlight of her week was her victory in the individual all-around. She continued the line of American Olympic champions and became the fifth consecutive American to win gold in the all-around. Lee won the all-around with a 57.433, ahead of Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (57.298) and Russia’s Angelina Melnikova (57.199).
Lee added another medal winning bronze in the uneven bars final with a 14.500. With her three medals in Tokyo, she became one of four all-time Auburn Olympians to win three or more medals at the same Olympics.
Competing in their first Olympics for Team USA, Zach Apple and Annie Lazor each won Olympic medals in Tokyo. Apple won gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay and the men’s 4x100m medley relay, anchoring both teams, while Lazor won bronze in the women’s 200m breaststroke, her only event of the Summer Games.
Hello and WAR EAGLE!
🥉 @lazorlaze #WarEagle | #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/Gjk28IyBOI
— Auburn Swim & Dive (@AuburnSwimDive) July 30, 2021
There were a total of eight current or former Auburn swimmers at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Marcelo Chierighini made his third Olympic appearance and swam Brazil’s 4x100m freestyle and 4×100 medley relays. For Santiago Grassi (Argentina), Peter Holoda (Hungary), Luis Martinez (Guatemala) and Julie Meynen (Luxembourg), it was their second Olympic Games.
Martinez reached the men’s 100m butterfly final and set a new personal best (51.09) to finish seventh in the world. He became the first swimmer in Guatemalan history to reach a final at the Olympic Games.
Adriel Sanes, a transfer graduate who will swim for Auburn next season, made his Olympic debut swimming the 100m and 200m breaststroke for the US Virgin Islands. He was also one of his country’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony.
High jumper Donald Thomas competed in his fourth Olympics and was the flag bearer for his home country of the Bahamas, becoming the first track and field athlete from Auburn to serve as the flag bearer at the Olympics in ‘summer. Thomas cleared 2.21 meters to finish 13th in Group A.
Discus thrower Rachel Dincoff became the first American woman to represent Auburn athletics at the Summer Olympics. Dincoff finished 12th in Group A with a mark of 56.22 meters.
On the track, Nathon Allen – making his second Olympics appearance – ran the anchor leg of the men’s 4x400m relay for Jamaica who finished sixth overall. Competing in her fourth Olympics for Trinidad and Tobago, Kai Selvon ran the third leg of the women’s 4x100m relay which placed 15th.
A former three-time Tiger All-American and current Auburn softball assistant coach, Emily Caroson made program history as the first Olympian in Auburn softball history while competing for Team Italy in the Tokyo Olympics.
Carosone started all five competitions for the Italy team as a designated player and had a .231 on-base percentage in her Olympic debut. Carosone and Australia’s Taylah Tsitsikronis led the entire Olympic field with three hits apiece. After the conclusion of his Olympic run, the Italy team announced Carosone’s retirement from their national team.
Former tennis player Tim Puetz made his Olympic debut with Kevin Krawietz to represent Germany in the men’s doubles competition held at Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo.
The Germans won their first-round match with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Argentines Diego Schwartzman and Facundo Bagnis on the first day of Olympic competition. In the round of 16 match, twice delayed by rain, Puetz and Krawietz fell to Great Britain’s Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury 6-2, 7-6(2).
A native of Usingen, Germany, Puetz — Auburn’s first Olympian in men’s tennis — was four years at Auburn (2008-11) and All-American for two years. Puetz is currently ranked No. 33 in the world in doubles and has won four career ATP titles, including victories this season in Lyon, Estoril and Hamburg.
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