Las Vegas athletes make impact at Tokyo Olympics

3 years ago 436

The Tokyo Olympics were delayed a year, but for galore with Las Vegas ties, the timing was conscionable right.

They made a large interaction successful the Games, from the Sandpipers of Nevada winning 3 medals to 4 Aces players bringing location golden successful 2 events.

The Sandpipers lived up to the pre-Olympics hype, with Bowe Becker claiming a golden medal and Erica Sullivan and Bella Sims each taking silver. Then determination was 15-year-old Katie Grimes coming adjacent with a fourth-place finish.

Sullivan heads to Texas, and Becker was an All-American astatine Minnesota. Sims, 16, and Grimes instrumentality to the Sandpipers with the 2024 Games successful Paris successful their sights.

“We had known they had a accidental to marque the (Olympic) team, but adjacent better, they made the champion of it,” Sandpipers manager Ron Aitken said successful a substance message. “The aboriginal is agleam for some of them, and I look guardant to carving retired a program for past implicit the adjacent 3 years.

“2024 is lone 3 years away, and determination is simply a batch of momentum successful the programme and can’t privation to spot who volition beryllium next!”

Here is simply a look astatine the astir notable performances:

Gold medal winners

Bowe Becker

United States men's 4x100m freestyle relay squad  of Bowe Becker, Blake Pieroni and Caeleb Dresse ... United States men's 4x100m freestyle relay squad of Bowe Becker, Blake Pieroni and Caeleb Dressel respond aft winning the golden medal astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, successful Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Sport: Swimming

Country: United States

Local connection: Faith Lutheran High School, Sandpipers of Nevada

Performance: He swam the 3rd limb of the 4×100-meter relay, extending the U.S. pb and helping the Americans repetition the gold won 5 years earlier successful Rio de Janeiro. The clip of 3 minutes, 8.97 seconds was the 3rd fastest successful history.

Chelsea Gray

United States' Chelsea Gray (8) drives astir   Serbia's Tina Krajisnik (33) during women's baske ... United States' Chelsea Gray (8) drives astir Serbia's Tina Krajisnik (33) during women's hoops semifinal crippled astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, successful Saitama, Japan. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Sport: Basketball

Country: United States

Local connection: Aces

Performance: She was the backup constituent defender to Sue Bird, averaging 7.3 points and 3.2 assists successful six games. As she does with the Aces, Gray masterfully and efficiently ran the U.S. offense.

Kelsey Plum

United States' Kelsey Plum celebrates triumph  implicit    Russian Olympic Committee successful  a women's 3-on- ... United States' Kelsey Plum celebrates triumph implicit Russian Olympic Committee successful a women's 3-on-3 golden medal hoops crippled astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, successful Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Sport: 3-on-3 basketball

Country: United States

Local connection: Aces

Performance: Plum led the U.S. squad with 55 points successful 9 games successful an lawsuit making its Olympic debut. She scored 5 points in the golden medal game, an 18-15 triumph implicit the Russian Olympic Committee.

Xander Schauffele

Xander Schauffele of the United States celebrates winning Gold successful  the Men's Golf lawsuit   astatine  the 2 ... Xander Schauffele of the United States celebrates winning Gold successful the Men's Golf lawsuit astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics during the last circular of the men's play lawsuit astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics connected Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, successful Kawagoe, Japan. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Sport: Golf

Country: United States

Local connection: Las Vegas resident

Performance: Two cardinal putts helped Schauffele locomotion distant with the gold. He changeable 4-under 67 successful the last circular to decorativeness astatine 18 under, edging Slovakia’s Rory Sabbatini — who closed with a 61 — by 1 shot.

A’ja Wilson

United States's A'Ja Wilson (9) reacts aft  scoring against Australia during a women's basketb ... United States's A'Ja Wilson (9) reacts aft scoring against Australia during a women's hoops quarterfinal crippled astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, successful Saitama, Japan. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Sport: Basketball

Country: United States

Local connection: Aces

Performance: Wilson asserted herself arsenic the person of the undefeated team, averaging 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots successful six games. She led the U.S. successful scoring.

Jackie Young

United States' Jackie Young (8) shoots implicit    France's Ana Maria Filip (11) during a women's 3-on ... United States' Jackie Young (8) shoots implicit France's Ana Maria Filip (11) during a women's 3-on-3 semifinal hoops crippled astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, successful Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Sport: 3-on-3 basketball

Country: United States

Local connection: Aces

Performance: Young was a precocious summation to the squad and made the astir of her opportunity, playing outstanding defence during the Americans’ run. She scored 18 points successful 9 games.

Silver medal winners

Bella Sims

United States women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay squad  Paige Madden, left, Bella Sims and Kathy ... United States women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay squad Paige Madden, left, Bella Sims and Kathy McLaughlin, right, respond during their vigor astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, successful Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Sport: Swimming

Country: United States

Local connection: Sandpipers of Nevada

Performance: She was part of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay team that qualified for the final. Katie Ledecky replaced Sims successful the last and helped acceptable an American grounds with a clip of 7 minutes, 40.73 seconds, earning Sims the silver.

Erica Sullivan

Erica Sullivan of the United States poses with metallic  medal for the women's 1500-meters freesty ... Erica Sullivan of the United States poses with metallic medal for the women's 1500-meters freestyle last astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, successful Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Sport: Swimming

Country: United States

Local connection: Palo Verde High School, Sandpipers of Nevada

Performance: She rallied from 5th to decorativeness 2nd successful the 1,500-meter freestyle successful 15 minutes, 41.41 seconds, down Katie Ledecky’s 15:37.34.

Other notable performances

Vashti Cunningham

Vashti Cunningham, of United States, competes during a qualification circular  of the women's precocious   ... Vashti Cunningham, of United States, competes during a qualification circular of the women's precocious leap astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, successful Tokyo. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Sport: Track and field

Country: United States

Local connection: Bishop Gorman High School

Performance: Cunningham tied for sixth successful the precocious jump, clearing a tallness of 1.96 meters (6 feet, 4.3 inches).

Katie Grimes

Katie Grimes, left, of the United States, talks with teammate Katie Ledecky, pursuing  their helium  ... Katie Grimes, left, of the United States, talks with teammate Katie Ledecky, pursuing their vigor of the women's 800-meter freestyle astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 29, 2021, successful Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Sport: Swimming

Country: United States

Local connection: Sandpipers of Nevada

Performance: The 15-year-old, the astonishment of the U.S. Olympic Trials, conscionable missed medaling with a fourth-place finish successful the 800-meter freestyle astatine 8 minutes, 19.38 seconds.

Collin Morikawa

Collin Morikawa of United States studies his putt connected  the 5th spread   during the last  circular  of the ... Collin Morikawa of United States studies his putt connected the 5th spread during the last circular of the men's play lawsuit astatine the 2020 Summer Olympics connected Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, successful Kawagoe, Japan. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Sport: Golf

Country: United States

Local connection: Las Vegas resident

Performance: He closed beardown with an 8-under 63 to get into a seven-way playoff for bronze. Morikawa became 1 of the past 2 standing, but mislaid to Chinese Taipei’s CT Pan.

Kasia Wasick

Kasia Wasick of Poland, 29, unpaid  adjunct  manager  astatine  UNLV, poses for a photograph  astatine  Buchanan Na ... Kasia Wasick of Poland, 29, unpaid adjunct manager astatine UNLV, poses for a photograph astatine Buchanan Natatorium, connected Monday, May 10, 2021, successful Las Vegas. Wasick prepares for the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye

Sport: Swimming

Country: Poland

Local connection: UNLV unpaid adjunct coach

Performance: Wasick qualified for the last and finished 5th successful 24.32 seconds, missing retired connected a medal by .11.

Contact newsman Mark Anderson astatine manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 connected Twitter.

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