The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is quickly approaching. Swimmers from around the world are getting ready to speed across the finish after the impressive Rio 2016 Games. Americans like Ryan Lochte and Katie Ledecky are favourites to win gold at the Olympics. However, to do so, they will have to beat their fellow competitors. With rising talents from all over, there are a few athletes to look out for. Here are three swimmers to watch for in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games!
Olivia Smoliga, 21, Team USA
Smoliga beat two former gold medalists to win the 100m backstroke at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. This quickly qualified her for a sport on the Rio 2016 team.
In Rio, she showed what she could do. Being a member of the gold medal-winning women’s 4×100 medley relay team and placed sixth in the 100m backstrokes. Simoliga’s other accomplishments include silver in the 100m backstroke at the 2015 Pan American Games, first place in the 50m freestyle and third in the 400m medley relay at the 2013-2014 NCAA Women’s Division I Swimming and Diving Championships. Currently, she holds the American record in the 50-meter backstroke.
The success and experience that Smoliga earned at Rio 2016 make her someone to watch out for. She truly is a rising star in the pool and an invaluable asset to the U.S.A. Swimming.
Santo Condorelli, 21, Team Canada
This Canadian-American Swimmer was raised in Portland, Oregon. However, he is eligible to compete for Team Canada as his mother is from Kenora, Ontario.
2015 was when Condorelli started to shine. He is one of Canada’s most decorated athletes. At the Pan Am Games, he received a silver in the 100m freestyle and a bronze medal in the 100m butterfly. At the 2015 World Championships, he finished fourth in the 100m freestyle and missed out on the podium by only 0.07. He still managed to defeat former American Olympic champion, Nathan Adrian. In Rio, he placed fourth in the 100m freestyle and competed in the 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle.
Condorelli’s strength and speed will only go up in the next four years. Big results are expected from him on the world stage for Canada at Tokyo 2020!
Georgia Coates, 17, Team GB
The youngest member of the British swimming team that was sent to Rio is Georgia Coates. This doesn’t take away from how talented she is. The 17-year-old had an excellent 2015 season! She was able to win a silver in the 400m individual medley and bronze in the 200m in the individual relay at the 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships. Additionally, Coates picked five medals at the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan. She had to write her final exams b
between races!
At her first Olympics in Rio, Coates competed in the 200 freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay and the 4x100m freestyle
freestyle relay. She was also chosen to receive the UK Sport’s Athlete
lete Performance Award (APA). This prestigious award provides her with increased funding and access to world-class sports science facilities.
Coates’s talent combined with her youth makes her an athlete to watch in Tokyo and beyond!
