Meet the athletes with Kansas City-area ties who’ll compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games

Watch the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo later this month and you may see a familiar face or two.

That’s because many athletes from the greater Kansas City area — whether natives or competing for local schools, or both — have punched their tickets to Japan for the Games, which were delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And in some cases, those athletes could very well be in the running for medals.

Here’s a rundown ...

Michael Andrew

Swimming (Lawrence)

The Minnesota-born Andrew, who moved to Lawrence in 2012, will compete for the U.S. in the Tokyo Games in three events: the 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke and 200 intermediate. The breaststroke is his strongest event and one in which the 22-year-old should contend for a medal. His time of 58.19 at the U.S. Olympic Trials not only broke an American record but ranks as the third-best all-time.

Christina Clemons

Track and field (Lawrence)

Clemons was a star in the 100-meter hurdles — the event in which she placed third at the U.S. Olympic Trials — at Ohio State. She now lives in Lawrence with her husband, KU alum Kyle Clemons, and is a volunteer coach for the Jayhawks’ track squad. Clemons won two national titles and was an 11-time All-American with the Buckeyes.

Kara Eaker

Gymnastics (Grain Valley)

Eaker is an alternate for the U.S. gymnastics roster after placing seventh overall at last month’s Olympic Trials in St. Louis. The University of Utah-bound Eaker, who trains at the GAGE Center in Blue Springs, placed second in the balance beam at the trials and won gold in that event at the 2019 Pan American Games.

Mason Finley

Track and field (Kansas City/KU)

Finley is back for his second Olympic appearance in the discus and returns as an American champion, having placed first at the recent U.S. Olympic Trials. Also a volunteer assistant coach for the Jayhawks’ track program, the KC-born Finley, whose family moved to Colorado when he was young, threw 206-11 at the trials and made the Olympic finals in 2016.

Adrianna Franch

Soccer (Salina/Salina South H.S.)

A National Women’s Soccer League veteran and elite goalkeeper with the Portland Thorns, Franch was selected for coach Vlatko Andonovski’s 18-player roster. The Americans will face Sweden, New Zealand and Australia in Group G later this month. Franch earned all-state honors in both soccer and basketball at Salina South, eventually playing soccer at Oklahoma State before being selected by the now-defunct Western New York Flash in the 2013 NWSL College Draft.

Courtney Frerichs

Track and field (Nixa/UMKC)

Frerichs qualified for her second Olympics with a second-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She placed 11th in the same event in Rio the same year she won a NCAA national title in the 3,000 steeplechase. She still holds six school records at UMKC.

Bryce Hoppel

Track and field (KU)

Hoppel placed third in the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials, following up a stellar college career with a Team USA nod. He was a two-time national champion and five-time All-America selection during his time in Lawrence, winning both the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles in 2019 as part of his streak of 21 consecutive victories.

KC Lightfoot

Track and field (Lee’s Summit H.S.)

There’s lots of local flavor in Team USA’s men’s pole vault corps: Lightfoot, who placed third in the U.S. Olympic Trials at 19-2 1/4, joins Park Hill High product Chris Nilsen for the Games in Japan. Lightfoot, who competed at Baylor, broke the NCAA indoor pole vault record with a mark of 19-8 1/4 earlier this season before turning pro in advance of the recent U.S. trials.

Derrick Mein

Shooting (Paola)

A decorated shooter who has won numerous competitions around the world, Mein will compete for the U.S. in trap shooting in Tokyo. Mein, who worked at Powder Creek Shooting Park in Lenexa until 2014, has been awaiting his turn in Tokyo for more than a year. He qualified last spring, before COVID-19 concerns prompted rescheduling of the Games until this summer.

Chris Nilsen

Track and field (Kansas City/Park Hill H.S.)

The newest American champion in the men’s pole vault, Nilsen enjoyed a record-breaking prep career at Park Hill before becoming a three-time national champion at South Dakota. He won last month’s U.S. Olympic Trials and is tied for the third-best mark in the world this year, at 19 feet, 4 1/4 inches. It’ll be the 23-year-old’s first Olympic appearance.

Mikel Schreuders

Swimming (Mizzou)

Schreuders, the Tigers’ school record-holder in the 200 freestyle, made his second Olympic team with his home nation of Aruba in the 100 freestyle. A three-time first-team All-America selection at Missouri, he finished 45th in the 200 freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Karissa Schweizer

Track and field (Mizzou)

Schweizer will compete in two events in Tokyo: the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. One of the most decorated athletes in Missouri history, the six-time national champion and American record-holder in the women’s indoor 3,000 will now get a chance to prove herself on track and field’s most elite stage.

Bubba Starling

Baseball (Gardner/Gardner Edgerton H.S.)

Starling, made the fifth overall selection in the 2011 MLB Draft by the KC Royals, is listed as one of five outfielders for the American Olympic baseball roster earlier this month. A three-sport prep star who signed to play football and baseball at Nebraska before being drafted, Starling opted to turn pro instead. He made his major-league debut in 2019.

Jacarra Winchester

Wrestling (Missouri Valley College)

Winchester made the Olympic roster by winning the 53-kilogram final at the trials in April, her first spot on Team USA after missing out in 2016 due to a torn ACL. Winchester, who won a national title at Missouri Valley (located in Marshall, Missouri) in 2015, was the gold medalist in the 55kg division at the 2019 World Championships.

Leanne Wong

Gymnastics (Overland Park/Blue Valley H.S.)

Wong, like GAGE teammate Eaker, is an alternate for the U.S. Olympic gymnastics roster and trains at the GAGE Center. Wong, who has signed to compete college at at Florida, placed second in the floor exercise behind only superstar Simone Biles. Just 17, Wong is headed to her first Olympics.