NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The Tokyo Olympics are rolling on, and the tri-state representation in the medal count is apparent!
Here’s who has brought home Olympic glory from our neck of the woods so far:
ATHING MU
MEDAL WON: Gold in women’s 800M (track)
HOMETOWN: Trenton, New Jersey
The Trenton Central High School grad made some incredible noise for Team USA — bringing the country gold in the women’s 800 meter event for the first time since 1968.
The 19-year-old made her win look easy and is now being looked at as a star for now and the future.
Mu’s parents emigrated from Sudan before she was born. She actually did not compete at Trenton Central, but instead ran for the Trenton Track Club.
She’s no stranger to knocking out all-time runs — at Texas A&M just this season she broke six collegiate records.
STEFANIE DOLSON
MEDAL WON: Gold medal in women’s 3x3 basketball
HOMETOWN: Port Jervis, NY
Dolson broke new ground in Tokyo, being among the gold medal winners in 3x3 basketball’s first appearance in the Olympics.
The U.S. topped France and the Russian Olympic Committee to win the medal. Dolson had the team’s second most points, behind fellow women’s basketball star Kelsey Plum.
Dolson won two national championships at the University of Connecticut and currently plays for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.
Rai Benjamin
MEDAL WON: Silver in 400M hurdles (track)
HOMETOWN: Mount Vernon, New York
The Mount Vernon High School graduate was clearly a bit disappointed in not going gold after an incredible race against Norway’s Karsten Warholm in the 400 meter hurdles.
Warholm’s run stunned the NBC broadcast team — another world record that he put up just a month previous.
“That was unbelievable. I gave it everything I had. It’s hard, but you know, first medal, it is what it is,” said Benjamin.
Benjamin teared up as he watched his family cheer him on from home. He said he’s already turning his focus to world championships next month.
ANDREW CAPOBIANCO
MEDAL WON: Silver in 3-meter synchronized dive
HOMETOWN: Wantagh, New York
Capobianco brought home the silver in the 3-meter synchronized dive alongside partner Michael Hixon.
The diving duo scored a 444.36, only trailing China for the gold medal.
The 21-year-old attended Wantagh High School before moving down to North Carolina, according to WTVD.
Capobianco has his stamp in the Nassau County record books, as he broke a high school diving record as a seventh grader in 2011.
And he’s still active in the Long Island community, where he’s a part of the Nassau County Pal Special Needs Unit, which assists children with disabilities in sports activities.
MORGAN PEARSON
MEDAL WON: Silver in mixed triathlon relay
HOMETOWN: Spring Lake, New Jersey
The mixed triathlon relay made its first-ever appearance at this year’s Olympics, and the U.S. had a strong showing, behind Great Britain’s gold medal.
Pearson completed the final leg of the exhausting event, swimming, biking and running his country to the silver.
The 27-year-old qualified for the Olympic team shortly after his brother Andrew passed away.
“I know my family’s watching at home, family, friends. And my brother’s watching too. This is for my brother, if anything, and my family,” he said after the historic result.
KIERAN SMITH
MEDAL WON: Bronze in 400M freestyle swimming
HOMETOWN: Ridgefield, CT
The 21-year-old Smith brought his decorated college resume to the Olympic stage and scored bronze in the 400M freestyle.
Smith was part of one of the most thrilling events of the Olympics — where Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui took home gold in a massive upset.
Smith graduated from Ridgefield High School in 2018, and went on to swim at the University of Florida. He’s earned more than a dozen NCAA All-American selections and was the Southeastern Conference’s Male Swimmer of the Year in 2020.
KATE DOUGLASS
MEDAL WON: Bronze in 200M individual medley swimming
HOMETOWN: Pelham, NY
At just 19, Pelham’s Douglass nabbed her first medal in an extremely tight 200 IM medley.
Japan’s Yui Ohashi barely beat Douglass and fellow American Alex Walsh to take the top spot on the podium.
But the New York City-born athlete who currently attends the University of Virginia still had plenty to celebrate.
RACE IMBODEN
MEDAL WON: Bronze in men's team foil (fencing)
HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, New York
Imboden, in his third Olympics, was part of the American team that topped Japan to win a bronze medal - the country's second consecutive third place medal.
Imboden is originally from Florida, but moved to Park Slope when he was 11. His fencing origin story stems from being seen playing with swords at a park when a stranger suggest he should take up the sport. And the rest is history.
Imboden also thrust his name into the headlines when he kneeling at a medal podium at the 2019 Pan Am Games while the National Anthem played. He ended up catching a 12-month probation from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
The 28-year-old is also a runway model when not practicing his craft.
