Tokyo 2020 Is Here!
It's the last edition of "A Little Roundup" before the 2020 Tokyo Games officially begin, so it's a super-sized one to wrap up the blog's pre-Opening Ceremony roundups of athlete headlines.
Yukiko Ueno and Team Japan get Olympic competition underway in softball. "All I felt was excitement before the game."
(More) Softball
Sara Croenewegen was overcome with legionnaire's disease just three years ago; now she's starring for Team Canada.
Will Yamato Fujita be Team Japan's new softball superstar?
Gymnastics
Back fully from injury, Mai Murakami is ready to lead Japan's women in her home Games.
Tennis
"The most eye-catching star in tennis", Naomi Osaka stuns in Vogue Hong Kong...and on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition, too.
Sir Andy Murray: Why Tokyo 2020 is special.
Indian veteran Sania Mirza hasn't thought about retirement yet, despite headed to her fourth Olympics at age 34.
Karate
Switzerland's Elena Quirici is excited to do her "karate-mad" family proud at these Olympics.
Badminton
Nguyen Tien Minh will be the first Vietnamese athlete to appear in four Olympic Games, and still is his nation's leading medal hope.
Boxing
Delante Johnson carries a strong Cleveland-native tradition into the Games, with a real shot at gold.
Golf
Five things to know about golfer Justin Thomas, from For the Win.
Wrestling
Sports Illustrated has a Q&A with Helen Maroulis, the first U.S. woman to win Olympic wrestling gold, who's title defense comes after a tough few years.
Weightlifting
Can Wes Kitts help bridge the gap to the podium for Team USA weightlifting in this changing times for the sport.
Trampoline
Dominic Clarke is grateful to be "unapologetically queer...on the Olympic stage".
Diving
Krysta Palmer is not only finally a Team USA diver, she's also a member of the Iron Butt Association.
Triathlon
Veteran Javier Gomez returned to Olympic distance racing in triathlon for a shot at erasing a disappointing Rio 2016.
Artistic Swimming
Count Spain's Ona Carbonell as a mother uniquely impacted by the restrictions on accompanying family.
Archery
Re-live Team Bhutan's first official Olympic qualification, courtesy of archer Karma, in the documentary Kingdom of Archers.
Swimming
'Swimming's next superstar'? Team USA's Caeleb Dressel would rather "just shut up and swim".
With a "fly and die" strategy, teenager Torri Huske is one to watch in the pool.
But Team Great Britain's swimming star Adam Peaty is feeling fit and ready for a world record.
Sara Croenewegen was overcome with legionnaire's disease just three years ago; now she's starring for Team Canada.
Will Yamato Fujita be Team Japan's new softball superstar?
Gymnastics
Back fully from injury, Mai Murakami is ready to lead Japan's women in her home Games.
Tennis
"The most eye-catching star in tennis", Naomi Osaka stuns in Vogue Hong Kong...and on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition, too.
Sir Andy Murray: Why Tokyo 2020 is special.
Indian veteran Sania Mirza hasn't thought about retirement yet, despite headed to her fourth Olympics at age 34.
Karate
Switzerland's Elena Quirici is excited to do her "karate-mad" family proud at these Olympics.
Badminton
Nguyen Tien Minh will be the first Vietnamese athlete to appear in four Olympic Games, and still is his nation's leading medal hope.
Boxing
Delante Johnson carries a strong Cleveland-native tradition into the Games, with a real shot at gold.
Golf
Five things to know about golfer Justin Thomas, from For the Win.
Wrestling
Sports Illustrated has a Q&A with Helen Maroulis, the first U.S. woman to win Olympic wrestling gold, who's title defense comes after a tough few years.
Weightlifting
Can Wes Kitts help bridge the gap to the podium for Team USA weightlifting in this changing times for the sport.
Trampoline
Dominic Clarke is grateful to be "unapologetically queer...on the Olympic stage".
Diving
Krysta Palmer is not only finally a Team USA diver, she's also a member of the Iron Butt Association.
Triathlon
Veteran Javier Gomez returned to Olympic distance racing in triathlon for a shot at erasing a disappointing Rio 2016.
Artistic Swimming
Count Spain's Ona Carbonell as a mother uniquely impacted by the restrictions on accompanying family.
Archery
Re-live Team Bhutan's first official Olympic qualification, courtesy of archer Karma, in the documentary Kingdom of Archers.
Swimming
'Swimming's next superstar'? Team USA's Caeleb Dressel would rather "just shut up and swim".
With a "fly and die" strategy, teenager Torri Huske is one to watch in the pool.
But Team Great Britain's swimming star Adam Peaty is feeling fit and ready for a world record.
Soccer
Jayde Riviere is a key component of Team Canada's bridge toward youth in the women's soccer team.
Meanwhile, Brazil's Formiga will become soccer's first seven-time Olympian at Tokyo 2020.
Sport Climbing
Bouldering specialist Kyra Condie shares a rundown of sport climbing's Olympic format.
Equestrian
Who are the Rio 2016 equestrian gold medalists looking to repeat at Tokyo 2020?
Caroline Chew is a London-based lawyer, Singapore's first-ever equestrian Olympian, and rides a horse named after a Friends character.
Basketball
Keldon Johnson's promotion from training squad to Team USA's men's basketball led to parents' tears.
Skateboarding
Letitia Bufoni is not just a five-time X Games champion skateboarder and a soon-to-be Olympian...she also has her own video game character.
Judo
With Tahani Alqahtani's participation, judo again represents a step forward for women in Saudi Arabia.
Cycling
Winner of the last two Tour de France stages last week, Team Belgium's road cyclist Wout van Aert may have tired legs, but is happy to be in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, with "no hiding, no tactics", Team New Zealander Patrick Bevin looks forward to thee potential for surprises in the cycling road race.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Mexico's first-ever Olympic rhythmic gymnast, Rut Castillo started reluctantly in the discipline despite her 'super flexibility'.
Taekwondo
Taekwondo star Jade Jones: 'The making of a double Olympic champion.'
Track & Field
Budding Olympic star Armand Duplantis remembers watching previous Olympic pole vault finals, knowing it would be him one day there, too.
Hugues Fabrice Zango carries Burkina Faso's olympic medal dreams into Tokyo as a podium favorite.
The men's track 4x100 relay may be one of Japan's most anticipated events as a home nation. Team member Yoshihide Kiryu shares his enthusiasm for the race.
Fencing
Count world championship medalist fencer Vivian Kong Man-Wai as one athlete dedicated to observe all precautions to stay safe in the lead-up to the Games.
Shooting
Meet Derrick Main, trap shooter for Team USA who grew up quail hunting and now has a "dream come true" competing in the Olympics.
Rowing
Inspired by the pandemic delay, rower Helen Glover has un-retired and is the first mother to row for Team Great Britain at the Olympics.
Rugby Sevens
Will Olympic success push Team Australia's rugby sevens' Lachlan Miller back toward rugby league and the National Rugby League?
Fun fact about Team Ireland's rugby sevens squad: Harry McNulty is the one member to have helped start the program six years ago.
Jayde Riviere is a key component of Team Canada's bridge toward youth in the women's soccer team.
Meanwhile, Brazil's Formiga will become soccer's first seven-time Olympian at Tokyo 2020.
Sport Climbing
Bouldering specialist Kyra Condie shares a rundown of sport climbing's Olympic format.
Equestrian
Who are the Rio 2016 equestrian gold medalists looking to repeat at Tokyo 2020?
Caroline Chew is a London-based lawyer, Singapore's first-ever equestrian Olympian, and rides a horse named after a Friends character.
Basketball
Keldon Johnson's promotion from training squad to Team USA's men's basketball led to parents' tears.
Skateboarding
Letitia Bufoni is not just a five-time X Games champion skateboarder and a soon-to-be Olympian...she also has her own video game character.
Judo
With Tahani Alqahtani's participation, judo again represents a step forward for women in Saudi Arabia.
Cycling
Winner of the last two Tour de France stages last week, Team Belgium's road cyclist Wout van Aert may have tired legs, but is happy to be in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, with "no hiding, no tactics", Team New Zealander Patrick Bevin looks forward to thee potential for surprises in the cycling road race.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Mexico's first-ever Olympic rhythmic gymnast, Rut Castillo started reluctantly in the discipline despite her 'super flexibility'.
Taekwondo
Taekwondo star Jade Jones: 'The making of a double Olympic champion.'
Track & Field
Budding Olympic star Armand Duplantis remembers watching previous Olympic pole vault finals, knowing it would be him one day there, too.
Hugues Fabrice Zango carries Burkina Faso's olympic medal dreams into Tokyo as a podium favorite.
The men's track 4x100 relay may be one of Japan's most anticipated events as a home nation. Team member Yoshihide Kiryu shares his enthusiasm for the race.
Fencing
Count world championship medalist fencer Vivian Kong Man-Wai as one athlete dedicated to observe all precautions to stay safe in the lead-up to the Games.
Shooting
Meet Derrick Main, trap shooter for Team USA who grew up quail hunting and now has a "dream come true" competing in the Olympics.
Rowing
Inspired by the pandemic delay, rower Helen Glover has un-retired and is the first mother to row for Team Great Britain at the Olympics.
Rugby Sevens
Will Olympic success push Team Australia's rugby sevens' Lachlan Miller back toward rugby league and the National Rugby League?
Fun fact about Team Ireland's rugby sevens squad: Harry McNulty is the one member to have helped start the program six years ago.
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