Florida Olympians rule. Going to the Tokyo Olympics are four Sarasota local athletes: skateboarder Jake Ilardi, swimmer Emma Weyant, rifle shooter Mary Tucker and rower Clark Dean. Also competing, will be former University of Florida Gator swimmer Caeleb Dressel. Dressel is among the top American athletes and could compete in up to seven events. He likely will be favored to win them all. The University of South Florida’s Ken Eriksen is the head coach of the powerhouse USA softball team. He was an assistant on the gold-medal winning team in 2004.
Click here to see Jake Ilardi’s Team USA Profile.
Click here to see Emma Weyant’s Team USA Profile.
Click here to see Mary Tucker’s Team USA Profile.
Click here to see Clark Dean’s Team USA Profile.
Click here to seee Caleb Dressel’s Team USA Profile.
Florida Olympic champions of the past include former Major League pitcher Bobby Seay, a Sarasota High School grad, won Olympic gold in 2000 playing baseball for the U.S. team. Tripp Schwenk, a former Sarasota Sharks swimmer, is a two-time Olympian, winning gold and silver medals in 1996. Tennis star Maria Sharapova, who owns a home on Longboat Key and trained at IMG, won a silver in the 2012 Olympics.