SEATTLE — Dozens of athletes with ties to western Washington will compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
Here are some of the top local athletes to watch from blockbuster sports, like gymnastics, to brand new events, like 3x3 basketball. For brevity, this list is limited to athletes representing Team USA, although other top-tier locals are also competing for other countries.
Jordan Chiles
Gymnastics
Hometown: Vancouver, Wash.
Vancouver native Jordan Chiles was a 2021 Winter Cup all-around, vault and floor exercise champion and balance beam silver medalist as well as a 2021 U.S. vault bronze medalist. The Olympics will be her first major international competition. Consistency is key for Chiles; she competed in 20 events in spring and early summer without a fail in any of them.
Sue Bird
Women’s basketball
Current city: Seattle
A four-time WNBA champ, Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird looks to be among the first athletes to take home five Olympic gold medals (Olympian Diana Taurasi is also eyeing five golds this year). Bird is one of the most decorated athletes in Seattle sports history. She also made headlines off the field with fiancé and fellow Olympian Megan Rapinoe as the first same-sex couple to appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue.
Breanna Stewart
Women’s basketball
Current city: Seattle
Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The top overall pick for the Storm in 2016, she was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year and 2018 WNBA MVP. Stewart’s back on the court after missing the 2019 season due to a torn Achilles.
Jewell Loyd
Women’s basketball
Current city: Seattle
Seattle Storm’s Jewell Loyd is making her Olympic debut. Like Stewart, Loyd was also the top pick in the 2015 WNBA draft and was also named Rookie of the Year.
Kelsey Plum
3x3 women’s basketball
College: University of Washington
A University of Washington standout, Kelsey Plum now plays for the Las Vegas Aces. Plum is UW’s and the NCAA Division I’s all-time leading scorer with 3,527 points. In college, she averaged a whopping 25.4 points per game.
Zach LaVine
Men’s basketball
Hometown: Bothell, Wash.
A star guard-forward, Zach LaVine went from Bothell High School to the Chicago Bulls, where he’s averaging 27.4 points per game. LaVine’s addition to the team gives the American roster six of the top 10 NBA scorers from the U.S. this season.
Megan Rapinoe
Women’s soccer
Current city: Seattle
The OL Reign forward helped the U.S. win the 2015 and 2019 World Cup as well as a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. However, the squad is hasn’t won back-to-back World Cups and Olympic gold. An outspoken advocate off the field, Megan Rapinoe is involved with equality and human rights organizations. Last year she was named one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People of 2020.
Rose Lavelle
Women’s soccer
Current team: OL Reign
Midfielder Rose Lavelle was the No. 1 overall pick at the 2017 NWSL College Draft and was just acquired by Tacoma-based OL Reign in May. Lavelle received her first call-up to the U.S. National Team her junior year at Wisconsin, and the 2019 World Cup was her first with the team.
Matthew Centrowitz
Men’s track – 1,500-meter
PNW connection: Former UW track volunteer assistant coach
Matthew Centrowitz, who volunteered with the University of Washington track team in 2019, is the reigning Olympic champion in the 1,500-meter. A two-time Olympian, Centrowitz placed fourth at the 2012 London Olympics.
Devon Allen
Men’s track – 110-meter hurdles
PNW connection: Former Renton resident
A former Renton resident, Devon Allen is competing in his second Olympics. Allen placed fifth at the 2016 Games in Rio.
Kara Winger
Women’s track – javelin throw
Hometown: Vancouver, Wash.
Winger, who attended middle school in Seattle before moving to Vancouver, Wash., is the American record holder in javelin. Winger is competing in her fourth Olympics after finishing 13th in Rio in 2016. Since then, Winger claimed gold at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Nevin Harrison
Canoe sprint
Hometown: Seattle
The 19-year-old Seattle native is the first American to earn a world championships medal in a sprint canoe event, and it was a gold medal. If Harrison wins gold in Tokyo, NBC Sports reports she will become the youngest woman to earn an Olympic canoe or kayak gold, breaking the record of German Birgit Fischer-Schmidt.
Katelin Guregian
Women’s eight rowing
College: University of Washington
A 2009 University of Washington alum, Katelin Guregian coxed the women’s eight boat to a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Brooke Mooney
Women’s eight rowing
College: University of Washington
Brooke Mooney, who graduated from the University of Washington in 2018, is rowing in her first Olympics. She helped her boat to a silver medal at the 2019 World Rowing Cup II and finished fourth in the four and seventh in the pair at the 2019 World Rowing Cup I.
Jessica Thoennes
Women’s eight rowing
College: University of Washington
A 2018 University of Washington grad, Jessica Thoennes is also rowing in her first Olympics. Thoennes previously won silver in the women’s eight at the 2017 World Rowing Under-23 Championships.
Megan Kalmoe
Women’s pair rowing
College: University of Washington
An Olympics veteran, Megan Kalmoe is rowing in her fourth Olympics. She won a bronze in the quadruple sculls at the 2012 London Games and placed fifth in Rio in 2016. Kalmoe graduated from the University of Washington in 2006.
Ben Davison
Men’s eight rowing
College: University of Washington
Ben Davison’s eight boat finished fifth at the 2019 World Championship. Davison graduated from the University of Washington in 2017.
Ali Aguilar
Softball
College: University of Washington
A 2017 University of Washington grad, Ali Aguilar helped the U.S. win gold at the 2019 Pan American Games and a world championship in 2018. The infielder now plays professionally in Japan.
Harrison Maurus
Weightlifting
Hometown: Auburn, Wash.
Auburn native Harrison Maurus earned bronze medals in the clean and jerk at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships and the 2019 Pan American Games. In 2017, he became the first American man in 20 years to medal at the International Weightlifting World Championships.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.