2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021) - Seminoles competed
The 2020 Summer Olympics is an international multi-sport event held from 23 Jul to 08 Aug 2021 in Tokyo, Japan [with some preliminary events that began on 21 Jul].
The Games of the XXXII Olympiad
339 events in 33 sports
More than two dozen athletes and coaches with connections to Florida State University are representing 17 different countries during the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, which run from July 23 to Aug. 8 after nearly a year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BASKETBALL 25 Jul - 08 Aug
Basketball first featured in the Olympic Games St. Louis 1904 as a demonstration sport, but it wasn’t until Berlin 1936 that men’s basketball appeared on the Olympic program. Meanwhile, the women’s game made its Olympic debut almost 40 years later at Montreal 1976. Professional players have been allowed to participate at the Olympics since Barcelona 1992, when the USA ‘Dream Team’ won gold. Since then, NBA players have continued to feature on their national teams, attracting attention with their outstanding skills.
Maria Conde is making her Olympic debut, representing her native Spain. She played for FSU for two years (2015-2017).
Leonor Rodriguez will compete in her third straight Olympics on the Spain team. She started playing basketball as a junior, then at 18, she moved abroad to play in the NCAA for the Seminoles.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL 24 Jul - 07 Aug
Beach volleyball derives from indoor volleyball but is played by teams of two on a sand court. It first appeared in Santa Monica, California in the early 1920s. Beach volleyball made its Olympic debut at Barcelona 1992 as a demonstration sport, before it became part of the sports program at Atlanta 1996.
Nick Lucena is part of two men's teams representing the USA in beach volleyball. He was named USA Volleyball Men's Beach Player of the Year in 2015. Nick is a native Floridian and graduated from FSU in 2003 with a sports management degree.
DIVING 25 Jul - 07 Aug
There are two Olympic Diving events:
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Springboard: athletes use a three-meter diving board to generate bounce so that they can perform acrobatic maneuvers in the air
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Platform: athletes dive from a 10-meter-high fixed platform
Katrina Young will participate in her second Olympics in individual platform. She competed as a diver for FSU from 2010-2015, and she still trains there.
GOLF 29 Jul - 07 Aug
Golf consists of striking a ball into a series of holes using a selection of clubs and counting the number of strokes it takes to do so. An official sport at the Paris 1900 and St. Louis 1904 Games, golf then vanished from the program until it returned at Rio 2016.
Matilda Castren was selected to represent her native Finland on the basis of her World Golf ranking. She earned All-American honors at FSU in 2014 and 2017, graduating with a degree in International Affairs.
SOCCER 21 Jul - 07 Aug
Men's Olympic Football has been played at every Games since Paris 1900, with the sole exception of Los Angeles 1932. Until Los Angeles 1984, participation was restricted to amateur players. A rule, introduced at the Barcelona 1992 Games, imposed a maximum age of 23. Since Atlanta 1996, teams have been allowed to include three over-age players.
The women's competition was added at the Atlanta 1996 Games. There are no age restrictions. The inclusion of women's football in the Games program has contributed greatly to its growing popularity and development around the world.
Gabby Carle will make her Olympic debut, representing her native Canada. She is a current defender/midfielder for FSU.
Casey Krueger will play in her first Olympics on the US National Women's team. She currently plays as a defender for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League. Casey played defender for FSU (2008-2012).
SOFTBALL 21 Jul - 27 Jul
Back at the Olympics after a 12-year absence, softball is expected to be one of the highlights of the Olympic program, with the United States hoping to regain the crown they lost in Beijing against Japan.
Lonni Alameda (FSU head coach since 2009) is pitching coach for the Canadian Olympic softball team. FSU has played in the NCAA postseason every year under Alameda.
Kaleigh Rafter will catch for the Canucks. She studied at the University of Detroit Mercy, before moving to FSU in 2008 where she completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in criminology in 2011, and a master's degree in sports management in 2012.
SWIMMING 24 Jul - 01 Aug
The breaststroke was the origin of the butterfly - Early 20th century breaststroke rules required swimmers to make a stroke with both hands simultaneously while keeping arm, shoulder and leg movements laterally symmetrical. A technique then emerged in which swimmers brought their hands forward above the water after making a stroke to cut down on the large amount of water resistance encountered while doing so underwater. This became the butterfly stroke. Melbourne 1956 was the first Olympic Games where butterfly was swum as a separate competition.
Izaak Bastian will be representing the Bahamas. He broke three national records during the Bahamas National Championships, including 200m and 50m breast. He is studying for a bachelor's degree in athletic training with a pre-physical therapy focus at FSU.
Julio Horrego will compete in his first Olympics and swim for his native Honduras. He swam his freshman and sophomore years at FSU. In Jun 2021, Julio set new Honduras national records in both the 50 and 100 breaststroke at the Bahamas Aquatics National Championship.
Ida Hulkko will swim for her native Finland in the 100m breaststroke. She spent time studying and training at FSU, before cutting short her time there and returning to Finland.
Emir Muratovic will represent Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 100m freestyle event. He was a member of the FSU swimming and diving team from 2015-2019. Julio was a 3-time All American in 2019 and helped the Noles claim gold in the 200m free relay at the ACC Championship.
TRACK 30 Jul - 08 Aug
The 100m, which determines the fastest human being and is one of the most eagerly awaited event at any Games, is run on a straight course. The distance was covered in 12 seconds at the Athens 1896 Games while Jim Hines (USA) became the first Olympian to dip below 10 seconds at Mexico 1968. Since then, the world record has been lowered primarily by American and Jamaican athletes.
Michael Cherry will represent the USA in the 400m race. While with FSU, he was a semifinalist in the 400m in the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2015.
Men's 400m 
