Cat Osterman
Sport: Softball
When Cat Osterman first pitched for Team USA, she led the talented squad in strikeouts despite being the youngest player on the roster. That was at the 2004 Olympics and now the 38-year-old softball legend has come out of retirement just to compete in Tokyo. She led America to the gold medal in 2004, but then the team was stunned by Japan in 2008 and ended up with a silver medal before softball was removed from the Olympics program for 12 years. All that sets up a potential meeting between the Americans, their veteran leader and the host country that comes straight out of a Hollywood screenplay.
AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
Lydia Jacoby
Sport: Swimming
Lydia Jacoby will be only the second athlete from Alaska to ever compete in the Summer Olympics — and the first to do so in swimming. She’s one of several athletes who were actually helped by the delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as she was originally only going to be able to go to the Tokyo Games as a fan on a trip with her parents. But the year-long pause gave 17-year-old Jacoby time to improve her strength and swim times, leading her to qualify in the 100-meter breaststroke.
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Naomi Graham
Sport: Boxing
When she’s not punishing opponents in the ring, North Carolina’s Naomi Graham is serving her country as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army. That day job makes her trip to Tokyo historic, as Graham will be the first woman who is an active member of the American military to box in the Olympics. She fights as a middleweight and is viewed as a favorite to medal following her silver medal performance at the 2019 Pan American Games, which was later upgraded to a gold after her opponent was found to be doping.
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Trayvon Bromell
Sport: Track and Field
Florida-born sprinter Trayvon Bromell’s first trip to the Olympics in 2016 ended in no medals, an injury and complete disappointment for him. But now he’s risen to become one of the world’s premier runners and is viewed as the odds-on favorite for gold in the men’s 100-meter event. Leading up to the Tokyo Games, Bromell had not lost a single race at that distance during the entire season. If he wins gold in that marquee event this year, he’ll be the first American to do so since Justin Gatlin in 2004.
AP Photo/Chris Carlson
Simone Manuel
Sport: Swimming
Simone Manuel became an instant fan-favorite at the 2016 Olympics, when the world saw her reaction as she realized she’d won gold in the 100-meter freestyle. That win was a major milestone for the Houston native, as she became the first Black swimmer in American history to earn an individual medal at the games. Manuel earned four medals total in Rio and will likely be up for a few more in Tokyo, including in the 50-meter freestyle.
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Emily Sisson
Sport: Track and Field
Everyone loves when an athlete bounces back from a soul-crushing disappointment to finish on top again. That’s exactly what long-distance runner Emily Sisson did in qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. The Missouri native was viewed as a favorite in the 10,000-meter run — which is more than 6 miles — heading into the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, but dropped out of the race and thought her dream of competing in Tokyo was over.
But when the pandemic gave her a second chance to qualify in 2021, she dominated the field in 85-degree heat, with a performance that shattered a finishing-time record that had been standing at that event for nearly 20 years.
AP Photo/Ashley Landis
Coco Gauff
Sport: Tennis
When Serena Williams loudly declined a spot in the women’s tennis tournament at the Tokyo Olympics, it left the door open for the next generation of American stars to shine. Coco Gauff, who famously upset Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019 to burst onto the scene, is one who will benefit from her absence. At 17 years old, the Atlanta native will be the youngest tennis player to compete at the Olympics since 2000 and the second-youngest to ever represent Team USA in the sport.
AP Photo/Alastair Grant