19 Military Members Participating As Athletes in the 2021 Olympics

Introduction

DOD News announced there are 19 military members who will also be Olympians athletes in the COVID-delayed 2020 games to be held in Tokyo the last week of July and first week of August 2021.

U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! You can bet that we are going to be cheering from afar for these athletes!

Athletes Going To Tokyo

Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Marks is looking to add to the gold and bronze medals she won in the 2016 Paralympic games. She credits Brooke Army Medical Center’s swim therapy during her recovery from injury while serving as combat medic with inspiring her love of the sport.

Marks is the Army’s first Paralympic swimmer with the World Class Athlete Program. WCAP is part of the U.S. Army’s Installation Management Command and allows top-ranked soldier-athletes to perform at the international and Olympic level while also serving their nation in the military.

Below is a list of other brave men and women who have or are currently serving our country who will also be attending this year’s Olympic games.

Army

1. 1st Lt. Amber English – women’s skeet
2. Staff Sgt. Naomi Graham – women’s boxing, 75 kilogram category
3. Staff Sgt. Nickolaus Mowrer – 10m air pistol, men; 10m air pistol, mixed team; and 50m rifle, 3 positions
4. Staff Sgt. Sandra Uptagrafft – 10m air pistol, women; 10m air pistol, mixed team; and 25m sport pistol
5. Sgt. Samantha Schultz – modern pentathlon
6. Sgt. Amro Elgeziry – modern pentathlon
7. Sgt. Ildar Hafizov – Greco-Roman wrestling, 60 kg category
8. Spc. Alejandro Sancho – Greco-Roman wrestling, 67 kg category
9. Spc. Benard Keter – 3,000-meter steeplechase, track and field
10. Sgt. Patrick Sunderman – men’s smallbore rifle
11. Spc. Sagen Maddalena – women’s smallbore rifle
12. Spc. Alison Weisz – women’s air rifle
13. Sgt. Philip Jungman – men’s skeet
14. 1st Lt. Sam Kendricks – pole vaulting
15. Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Marks – Paralympic swimming in 50-meter freestyle, 50-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter backstroke
16. Staff Sgt. John Joss – Paralympic shooting, 50m rifle
17. Staff Sgt. Kevin Nguyen – Paralympic shooting, 50m rifle

Marine Corps

1. Staff Sgt. John Stefanowicz – Greco-Roman wrestling, 87 kg category

Coast Guard

1. Lt. Nikole Barnes – 470-class sailboat category

Conclusion

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