The 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio kicks off today! 552 of our athletes are in Rio, 129 of them make up our Track & Field team. We truly have some amazing athletes on our 2016 Team USA Summer Olympic Team. I’m very much looking forward to watching them compete in the next couple of weeks.
The Olympic Marathon, both Men’s and Women’s are the events I am looking forward to. Six awesome runners are representing the USA in Rio for the marathon races. For the men, we have Meb Keflezighi, Galen Rupp, and Jared Ward. For the women, Shalene Flanagan, Desiree Linden and Amy Cragg-Hastings. The women’s marathon will take place on Sunday, August 14th and the men’s marathon on Sunday, August 21st.
Shalene Flanagan is a three-time Olympian (2004, 2008, 2012) and holds the American record of 30:22 for the 10,000m which she set at the 2008 Olympic Finals in Bejing. Amy Cragg-Hastings came in 11th at the 2012 Olympic Games in London in the 10,000m and her fastest marathon time is 2:27:03. Desiree Linden ran in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, making Rio her second Olympics. Linden came in second at the 2011 Boston Marathon, and her PR is 2:22:38.
Meb Keflezighi is probably one of the most well-known distance runners. He is a three-time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2012) and took first place at the 2014 Boston Marathon. His list of accomplishments is quite long, including three wins at the New York City Marathon. Meb’s marathon PR is 2:08:37. Galen Rupp is a two-time Olympian (2008, 2012) and is also a track and field champion in the 10,000m and 5,000m races. Galen will also be running in the men’s 10,000m race at the Rio Games. Jared Ward is a first-time Olympic qualifier who came in third in the trials. Jared took irst place in the 2015 U.S. Marathon Championships and second in the 2014 Championships. His marathon PR is 2:12:56.
With the running events, including the Track & Field events not starting until a bit into the Games (round one for T&F is 8/12), those of us itching to see our favorite runners hitting the pavement will have to wait a bit after the Opening Ceremonies. Women’s and Men’s swimming begins this Saturday, August 6th as does Men’s Gymnastics. On Sunday, Women’s Gymnastics begins qualification. As a fan of the women’s gymnastics team, I am looking forward to seeing that. There’s obviously lots going on after Opening Ceremonies, it just depends upon what sports you like to watch.
For full coverage and the current schedule of events, head over to the official Rio Olympics website.
What events are you looking forward to watching at the 2016 Olympics in Rio?