ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - During more than two weeks of the greatest summer-sport athletes in the world competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics we saw a handful of St. Louis-area men and women take the podium.
Here they are:
Michelle Bartsch-Hackley - Gold, women's volleyball
An outsider hitter for the women's indoor volleyball team, the Collinsville High School graduate made her Olympic debut this year. She was born in Maryville, Illinois and played her college ball at the University of Illinois.
She helped get USA out to a 4-0 lead with two kills to start the gold medal match against Brazil. Her 14 points in the match were the second-most of any player.
Napheesa Collier - Gold, women's basketball
The 24-year-old power forward who also plays in the WNBA with the Minnesota Lynx helped the USA women's basketball team claim a seventh Olympic gold medal in a row.
She calls O'Fallon, Missouri her home and graduated from Incarnate Word Academy as a three-time Missouri Class 4 state champion.
Courtney Frerichs - Steeplechase, silver
The Nixa, Missouri resident had the highest finish of any American in the steeplechase in Olympic history. This was her second time at the Olympics, after finishing 11th in the same event in 2016.
She ran at the University of Missouri, Kansas City where she was a NCAA Champion in the steeplechase the same year she wen to the Rio Olympics.
Chris Nilsen
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, this first-time Olympian surpassed many expectations to earn himself a medal. His teammate Sam Kendrick, who won bronze at the 2016 Olympics, had to withdraw from the event after a positive COVID-19 test. Then Nilsen vaulted a personal best of 5.97 meters to win the silver medal.
Nilsen moved to California in high school and vaulted at the University of South Dakota where he was a three-time NCAA champ.
Jayson Tatum - Gold, men's basketball
The two-time NBA All-Star is one of the best young players in professional basketball and he scored 19 points in the gold medal game against France. He is a former Gatorade National Player of the Year and McDonald's All-American in high school at Chaminade College Prep.
Becy Sauerbrunn - Bronze, women's soccer
The captain of the US Women's National Soccer team was a vital member of the defense as she won her second Olympic medal (Gold, London 2012). She's a graduate of Ladue High School and went on to play college ball at the University of Virginia and is now a professional with Portland Thorns FC. She is the first player in history to be honored with a NWSL award in three consecutive seasons after claiming Defender of the Year Awards (2013, 2014, 2015).
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