The 2020 Summer Olympics shall be held in Tokyo in less than a year, and the stage is set for the most anticipated competitions in the world. Thousands upon thousands will step into the world stage and vie for the gold medal in each sport. This is certainly something to look forward to in the New Year.
While gymnastics, track and field, and swimming usually steal the show during the Olympic Games, this year, there shall be more games to watch. Sport climbing and surfing are making their debut, and there is a lot of anticipation for this already.
Many players are anticipated to return, such as Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles; there is also plenty of new talent that is bound to make everyone excited for these games. Our list today looks at the top 10 athletes that are on the rise for the 2020 Summer Olympics, and these are the people to look out for.
Mariya Lasitskene
Country: Russia
Sport: Track and Field
Mariya Lasitskene is a high jumper from Russia, and during the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she was considered the best athlete to win the gold medal. She was, however, barred from competing due to a decision that was upheld to ban her from the track and field competition by the federation, due to systematic doping.
She had previously won the gold medal in 2015 and in 2017 in the world championships and was ranked #1 In the world. She finally has a chance to claim her gold at the 2020 summer Olympics.
Caeleb Dressel
Country: United States
Sport: Swimming
Caeleb Dressel managed to win eight medals in 2019 during the World Aquatics Championships, and he broke the previous world record that had been made by perhaps the most famous swimmer of all time – Michael Phelps – who had won seven medals during a single meet.
During the 2016 Olympics in Rio, he won two gold medals as a member of Team USA. In 2020, we are expecting to see more from him, as he looks to secure his first-ever individual medal.
Lois Toulson
Country: Great Britain
Sport: Diving
Lois is a 10-meter platform specialist, and she is only 19 years old. She made her Olympics debut in the 2016 women’s synchronized events, and we have included her in this list for 10 athletes on the rise for the 2020 summer Olympics because she will be making her individual 10-meter platform debut during the Summer Olympics.
Michael Andrew
Country: United States
Sport: Swimming
Michael Andrew started competing at 14 years old, which made him the youngest swimmer in the history of the United States. He competed in five events during the 2016 Olympic trials but did not qualify for the games.
He has, however, been gaining a lot of buzz because he has a non-traditional swimming style that involves the use of ultra-short race pacing which is a method that keeps swimmers in a pool for about two hours each day training as they would during a meet.
He is certainly one of the 10 athletes on the rise for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Takeru Kitazono
Country: Japan
Sport: Gymnastics
Many people say that Takeru Kitazono is the future of the Japanese gymnastics. He is set to succeed in the great Kohei Uchimura. This is because, at the 2018 Olympic Games, he managed to win five gold medals and became the first-ever gymnast to achieve this feat during a single Olympic Youth Game. These medals came from all over the floor, from parallel bars, rings, and horizontal bars, as well.
He, therefore, wins a spot in our 10 athletes on the rise for the 2020 Summer Olympics, and he will compete for the last time in Tokyo.
Regan Smith
Country: United States
Sport: Swimming
Regan Smith Participated in the 2016 Olympic trials when she was just 14 years old, but unfortunately, she did not qualify for the games.
In 2020, however, her chances are much higher, and during the World Aquatics Championships of 2019, she broke the record that had been set previously by Missy Franklin in the 200-meter backstroke. She went on to win her first Championships title. This is why she is in the 10 athletes on the rise for the 2020 Summer Olympics list.
Morgan Hurd
Country: United States
Sport: Gymnastics
Morgan Hurd is poised to join Simone Biles – one of the biggest names in gymnastics. She will be a part of Team USA, and at just 18 years old was named a member of the team in 2016. She also won the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in 2017, and she is a five-time World Medalist. For these reasons, she is certainly one of 10 athletes on the rise for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Noah Lyles
Country: United States
Sport: Track & Field
Noah Lyles is 22 years old and clocked in at a time of 19.65 during the diamond league meet in Paris, which broke the world record. The former record was 19.73, and it belonged to the legendary Usain Bolt. Needless to say that we shall be watching him keenly during the 2020 Summer Olympics as one of 10 Athletes on the rise.
Sydney McLaughlin
Country: United States
Sport: Track & Field
Sydney McLaughlin started her career at 16 years old, where she qualified for the 400-meter hurdles during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, which made her the youngest athlete to make the USA track and field team in the last 36 years, which is an incredible feat.
Since then, she has been rising as the top best in her field, and recently she defeated the former champion, Dalilah Muhammad. In 2020, we are looking forward to seeing what she will accomplish, and this gives her a spot on the 10 athletes on the rise for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Kliment Kolesnikov
Country: Russia
Sport: Swimming
This is an 18-year old who made his debut during the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, and he has so far set two junior world records. He is also the first swimmer who was born in the 2000s to achieve this during an individual event.
We look forward to seeing what he will accomplish during the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Conclusion
Well, that is our most promising list of the 10 Athletes on the Rise for the 2020 Summer Olympics; we hope that you shall look out for them, and if you did not have an athlete to cheer for, then this list gives you 10 good ones who will make the Olympic Games extremely interesting for you and your family.
