The (extra) long wait is nearly over, and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo get underway this week. While it's not without issues - there were a lot of concerns about bringing thousands of athletes from around the world into one place, exacerbated by multiple positive COVID-19 tests already, and fans aren't allowed in - the Games will go on as planned.
And for those in search of a rooting interest, you don't have to leave the state! For Team USA (and beyond!) there are plenty of folks either residing from Connecticut or with CT ties.
UConn ALUMNI:
USA Women's Basketball: A few weeks ago we outlined the Husky-filled Team USA women's basketball roster. Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi each go for their record fifth gold medal, Tina Charles her third, and Breanna Stewart her second, while Napheesa Collier makes her Olympic debut. On the sidelines, meanwhile, Jennifer Rizzotti is an assistant for Dawn Staley.
That's the traditional Olympic team. In the new 3-on-3 tournament there are two more Huskies repping the United States. Katie Lou Samuelson and Stefanie Dolson make up half of Team USA in that event.
Aaliyah Edwards & Kia Nurse: Outside of the American team, there are plenty of UConn alums representing other countries on both the men's and women's side. For Team Canada, Kia Nurse leads the charge, and she's joined by active Husky Aaliyah Edwards, soon to be starting her sophomore season in Storrs.
Gabby Williams: Williams is going to miss basically all of the 2021 WNBA season because she helped France qualify for the Olympics. Though a Nevada native, she's able to play for Les Bleues by way of a dual citizenship. She makes the team over the injured Bria Hartley, as FIBA rules allow for only one roster spot to go to a naturalized citizen.
Gavin Edwards: Speaking of dual citizenships, former men's big man Gavin Edwards takes Japan's naturalized roster spot. The 2010 grad has spent the last eight years playing professionally in Japan, having averaged 14.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. And although he took exactly one three-pointer in his 123 games as a Husky, he's turned himself into a near-40 percent shooter from beyond the arc as a pro.
Niels Giffey: A two-time national champion at Connecticut, Giffey will play for his native Germany in Tokyo. He spent much of his pro career in Germany with Alba Berlin, before moving to Lithuania last year.
Roisin Upton: The former All-American will compete for her native Ireland in field hockey in Tokyo. The 27-year-old will be part of the country's first Olympic hockey team, and they have a podium finish in mind after taking home silver at the 2018 World Cup.
Stephanie Labbe: The only other non-basketball Husky to head to Tokyo, Labbe is a mainstay on the Canadian women's soccer team. The 34-year-old has made 78 appearances for the senior team and as the starting goalkeeper helped Canada win bronze at the Rio Games in 2016.
YALE ALUMNI:
Aliyah Boshnak: A current sprinter on the Yale track and field team, Boshnak heads to Tokyo with her native Jordan as perhaps its greatest sprinter ever. She is the nation's record-holder in the 100m, 200m and 400m events, and will compete in the short distances in Tokyo.
Ben Wanger & Ryan Lavarnway: The two former Yale baseball players will each play for Team Israel at the Olympics. Wanger was a two-way player with the Bulldogs, being named All-Ivy League First Teamer in both 2017 and 2018 while with the Elis. And Lavarnway won a national batting title in 2007 before turning pro and enjoying his way around Major League Baseball, most recently playing a handful of games with Cleveland this year.
Christina Bourmpou & Kristina Wagner: A pair of women's rowers will head to Tokyo, part of a mass gathering of Elis in that particular discipline (we'll get to the men in a bit). Wagner graduated in 2015 and will compete in the double sculls event. Bourmpou, meanwhile, hasn't even stepped foot on campus yet - she's an incoming freshman - but she'll be at the Olympics with Greece in the women's pair.
Haibin Wang: Yale's fencing coach (a former two-time Olympic medalist himself) will be manning China's 13-person squad in Tokyo. The President of the China Fencing Association, Wang will lead a team that is expected to medal in multiple events, most notably women's epee, ranked first in the world.
Miye Oni: The former Ivy League Player of the Year in basketball, Oni just finished his second season with the Jazz, where he played in 54 games and averaged 9.6 minutes. He will head to his first Olympics with Nigeria, who you may recall just beat Team USA in an exhibition last week. In that game Oni had six points and three rebounds off the bench.
Oarsmen: Rowing is full of current and former Bulldogs. There are nine total Elis headed to Tokyo, representing five different countries and partaking in three different events. Great Britain has three reps (Ollie Wynne-Griffith, Charles Elwes & Sholto Carnegie), while New Zealand (Dan Williamson and Jack Lopas) and Switzerland (Andrin Gulich and Paul Jacquot) each have a pair. Simon Keenan represents Australia, and Stephan Riemekasten is an alternate for Germany.
Stu McNay: It's no surprise that McNay is an Olympian. The 2005 Yale grad will make his fourth appearance at the Games in sailing, and he's steadily improved. He finished 13th and 14th, respectively, at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games, before just missing out on the podium with a fourth-place finish in Rio in 2016.
CONNECTICUT NATIVES:
Alexis Sablone: Skateboarding makes its debut in Tokyo, with the Old Saybrook native Sablone will partake in the women's street event for Team USA. The 35-year-old has seven X Games medals in her career in street, including three golds, and finished with a bronze medal at the 2016 World Championships.
Kieran Smith: Ridgefield's finest heads to his first Olympics after a decorated NCAA career at Florida (that isn't done yet!). A 14-time All-American, Smith was the 2020 SEC Swimmer of the Year after winning conference titles in the 500 freestyle, 400 individual medley and 800 freestyle.
Josh Zeid: Another baseball player, Zeid joins Lavarnway and Wanger on Team Israel. Originally from Woodbridge, the 34-year-old pitcher spent parts of two seasons with the Astros in 2013 and 2014 before bouncing around a bit. That includes a pit stop with the New Britain Bees at the start of 2016.