It's not unusual for Minnesota to be well-represented at the Winter Olympics. Our state is practically synonymous with that season, a reputation enhanced by miracles on ice and mastery on snow.
But as those of us who live here also know, Minnesota's summers are special. And so is the large contingent of athletes with Minnesota ties that competed for the United States at the Tokyo Summer Games. With several nationally recognized stars, returning medalists and exciting newcomers, this group put on a show to rival a Boundary Waters sunset.
Bowe Becker
Minnesota connection: Gophers
Sport: Swimming (men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay)
Olympic experience: First
Bio: Two years after he wrapped up an outstanding Gophers career, Becker, 23, made his first Olympic team as a member of the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay pool. The Las Vegas native was the 2019 NCAA runner-up in the men's 100-yard freestyle and finished fourth in the 50 free. A three-time Big Ten champion in freestyle sprint events, Becker still holds the conference record in the 50 free (18.69 seconds). Becker, who swims for the Cali Condors of the International Swimming League, finished fourth in the 50 free and fifth in the 100 free at the Olympic trials with personal-best times in each race.
Did you know?: Becker was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at age 11, which prevented him from competing in any sport other than swimming.
Results: Joining Caeleb Dressel, Blake Pieroni and Zach Apple, Becker won the gold medal in the men's 4x100 freestyle relay, swimming the third leg in 47.44 seconds.
Social media: @bowe_becker on Twitter and Instagram
Napheesa Collier
Minnesota connection: Lynx
Sport: Women's basketball
Olympic experience: First
Bio: Collier, 24, was supposed to play for the U.S. at the women's 3x3 Olympic qualifier last year. When the pandemic postponed it, she couldn't participate — but made it to the Olympics anyway, in the traditional version of the sport. She enters her first Summer Games as the Lynx's leading scorer (17.3 points per game) and second-leading rebounder (6.4 per game). The 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Collier has been part of the U.S. national team since 2017 and has a 49-1 record in international competition, including 3x3.
Did you know?: Collier is among five former UConn players on the U.S. roster, along with Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart.
Results: Scoreless in 2 minutes of play in win over Nigeria and did not play in victories over Japan and France. Played fourth-quarter minutes in a rout over Australia. Scored first points of the Olympics on a pair of fourth-quarter free-throws in USA's semifinal win over Serbia. Saw fourth-quarter minutes in the gold medal win over Japan.
Social media: @PHEEsespieces on Twitter, @napheesa24 on Instagram
Kyra Condie
Minnesota connections: Shoreview
Sport: Climbing
Olympic experience: First
Bio: The first time Condie got on a climbing wall was during a kids' birthday party at St. Paul's Vertical Endeavors. She kept going straight up, all the way to her sport's debut at the Olympics. The Mounds View High and University of Minnesota graduate is one of the world's best sport climbers despite limited mobility in her back, caused by spinal-fusion surgery to correct severe scoliosis when she was 13. Condie, 25, adapted well to the Olympic format, which combines the disciplines of lead, speed and bouldering, and became one of the first American athletes to qualify for Tokyo when she placed seventh at a 2019 qualifier in France.
Did you know?: Condie's U degree is in animal science, and she plans to become a veterinarian.
Results: Finished 11th in women's combined.
Social media: @kyracondie on Twitter, @kyra_condie on Instagram
Lara Dallman-Weiss
Minnesota connection: Shoreview
Sport: Sailing (women's 470)
Olympic experience: First
Bio: Dallman-Weiss, who like Condie attended Mounds View High, was introduced to sailing at age 6 on White Bear Lake. She has since competed in a diverse range of classes, on sailboats from 8- to 183-feet long. The captain of the sailing team at Florida's Eckerd College, Dallman-Weiss, 32, teamed up with Nikki Barnes to form Perfect Vision Sailing and pursue an Olympic berth in the women's 470, a two-person dinghy. The two qualified through a seventh-place finish at the world championships in March off the coast of Portugal. The U.S., which has more Olympic sailing medals than any other country, qualified for Tokyo in nine of 10 classes.
Did you know?: Dallman-Weiss raced on the pro circuit for five years.
Results: Finished 12th out of 21 teams after 10 fleet races with 98 net points. Only 10 teams qualified for the medal race.
Social media: @ldallman on Instagram
Mason Ferlic
Minnesota connection: Roseville
Sport: Track and field (men's 3000-meter steeplechase)
Olympic experience: First
Bio: Though Ferlic, 27, qualified for the Olympic trials in three events — the 1,500, the 5,000 and the 3,000 steeplechase — he stuck with the steeplechase, his signature race. His tenacity earned him a third-place finish and a berth on the team for Tokyo. After winning four state Class 1A titles in cross country and track for Mounds Park Academy, Ferlic went to Michigan, where he became a five-time Big Ten champion and won the 2016 NCAA title in the steeplechase. He battled injuries and inconsistent results early in his pro career, then put together one of his finest seasons this year.
Did you know?: Ferlic holds bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering and is pursuing a Ph.D at Michigan in applied statistics.
Results: Finished 21st overall in heats of the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase in 8:20.23. Only 15 runners qualified for the final.
Social media: @masonferlic on Twitter, @heybigbird on Instagram
Sylvia Fowles
Minnesota connection: Lynx
Sport: Women's basketball
Olympic experience: 2008, 2012, 2016
Bio: A three-time Olympic gold medalist, Fowles, 35, has had an astonishing run with USA Basketball. The U.S. women's team is 80-4 when the Lynx center is in the lineup, with gold medals in three other international tournaments in addition to the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics. In the U.S. Olympic record book, Fowles ranks fourth all-time in rebounds (131), seventh in points (210) and ninth in field-goal percentage (65.4). She leads the Lynx with 9.8 rebounds per game and is the team's second-leading scorer with 15.9 points per game over the first 19 games this season.
Did you know?: Fowles is the seventh American basketball player to participate in four or more Olympics, joining Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Teresa Edwards (five) and Carmelo Anthony, Tamika Catchings and Lisa Leslie (four).
Results: Nine points and five rebounds in win over Nigeria; four points and four rebounds in a win over Japan; nine points in 12+ minutes in win over France on Monday. In a win over Australia, played 14 minutes, four points, seven rebounds, an assist and a steal. Against Serbia in the semifinals, scored two points and grabbed five rebounds. Eared her fourth gold medal with two points and two rebounds vs. Japan.
Social media: @SylviaFowles on Twitter, @sylvia_fowles on Instagram
Joe Klecker
Minnesota connection: Minnetonka
Sport: Track and field (men's 10,000 meters)
Olympic experience: First
Bio: While Klecker, 24, is relatively new to the 10,000 meters, he brings an Olympic pedigree and a lifetime of distance-running experience to his first Summer Games. His mom, Janis, was a 1992 Olympian in the marathon; his dad, Barney, was a Grandma's Marathon champ and record-setting ultramarathoner. Joe earned nine all-America citations during his college career at Colorado, finishing second in the 2019 NCAA cross-country championships and second in the 5,000 at the 2019 NCAA indoor championships. As a senior at Hopkins High in 2015, he won Class 2A high school championships in the 1,600 and 3,200.
Did you know?: At the 2015 state high school championships, Klecker won the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 6.54 seconds, which remains the meet record.
Result: Finished 16th of 27 runners.
Social media: @JoeKlecker on Twitter, @joe_klecker on Instagram
Suni Lee
Minnesota connection: St. Paul
Sport: Women's gymnastics
Olympic experience: First
Bio: Lee, a recent graduate of South St. Paul High, is best known for her mastery of the uneven bars, with a routine considered perhaps the most difficult in the world. But she's also a top all-arounder, as she demonstrated at the Olympic trials. Lee, 18, finished second to superstar Simone Biles in the two-day all-around competition and outscored Biles on Day 2. A two-time U.S. champion on bars, Lee also was second to Biles in the all-around at last month's national championships and added a silver medal on balance beam. She is accomplished on the world stage, too, winning three medals — including team gold — at the 2019 world championships. Lee has been competing with an ankle injury but hopes to be fully healthy in Tokyo.
Did you know?: Lee is the first Hmong-American athlete to make the U.S. Olympic team.
Results: Lee won the gold medal in the women's all-around and the bronze in the uneven bars after helping the U.S. to silver in the team final after the withdrawal of Simone Biles. She finished fifth in the balance beam.
Social media: @sunisalee_ on Twitter and Instagram
Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Minnesota connection: Rochester
Sport: Tennis (women's doubles, mixed doubles)
Olympic experience: 2016
Bio: Born in Rochester, Mattek-Sands said her father, Tim, first put a racquet in her hands when she was 5. The family also lived in Neenah, Wis., before moving to Florida when Bethanie was a teenager. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she teamed with Jack Sock to win the gold medal in mixed doubles. A regular on the WTA Tour since 2005, Mattek-Sands, 36, has two Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and two in mixed doubles, winning championships in both at the 2015 French Open. She is playing with Jessica Pegula in women's doubles in Tokyo and with mixed doubles partner Rajeev Ram.
Did you know?: Despite her Minnesota roots, Mattek-Sands became a Packers fan during her time in Wisconsin and remains a devout Green Bay backer.
Results: Mattek-Sands and Pegula beat Magda Linette and Alicja Rosolska of Poland, 6-1, 6-3, in the first round of women's doubles, and then Alize Cornet and Fiona Ferro of France, 6-1, 6-4 in the second. Lost to Laurta Pigossi and Lisa Stefani of Brazil 1-6, 6-3 (10-6) in quarterfinals. In mixed doubles, lost in first round to Kevin Siegemund and Laura Krawietz of Germany 6-4, 5-7 (8-10). She is done competing.
Social media: @Bmattek on Twitter, @matteksands on Instagram
Grace McCallum
Minnesota connection: Isanti
Sport: Women's gymnastics
Olympic experience: First
Bio: Only seven months ago, McCallum worried that a broken hand might derail her hopes of making the Olympics. She recovered quickly from surgery and stayed on track, earning a place on the U.S. team by finishing fourth in all-around at the Olympic trials. A gold medalist in the team competition at the 2018 and 2019 world championships, McCallum, 18, is a solid all-arounder known for her consistency. She trains at Twin City Twisters, the Champlin gym that produced NCAA champion Maggie Nichols, and will begin her college gymnastics career at Utah this fall.
Did you know?: Like fellow Minnesota gymnast Suni Lee, McCallum is one of six siblings.
Results: Helped the U.S. to silver in the team final. Finished 13th in the all-around in qualifying but did not make the 24-person final because only two gymnasts per country can advance.
Social media: @grace_mccallum2 on Twitter, @grace.mccallum on Instagram
Payton Otterdahl
Minnesota connection: Rosemount
Sport: Track and field (men's shot put)
Olympic experience: First
Bio: At Rosemount High School, Otterdahl wrestled, played football and was the 2014 Minnesota state Class 2A champion in shot put and discus. His road to the Olympics accelerated at North Dakota State, where he won NCAA indoor titles in the shot put and weight throw in 2019. Otterdahl, 25, set the NCAA indoor shot put record of 71 feet, 6 ¾ inches that season, then finished second in discus and fourth in shot put at the NCAA outdoor championships. Brothers Trevor and Maxwell followed him to NDSU to throw for the Bison.
Did you know?: Otterdahl still trains with the throwers at North Dakota State and serves as a volunteer assistant coach.
Results: Peaked with a throw of 20.90 meters on his third attempt in qualifying, leaving him sixth in the first qualifying group, one spot and .03 meters behind American teammate Joe Kovacs. Unleashed a throw of 20.32 meters (66 feet, 8 inches) on his first attempt in the finals, then faulted on his second and third attempts and finished 10th.
Social media: @paytonotterdahl on Twitter, @p.train_throws on Instagram
Regan Smith
Minnesota connection: Lakeville
Sport: Swimming
Olympic experience: First
Bio: The reigning world champion and world record holder in the women's 200-meter backstroke, Smith, 19, did not qualify to swim that event in Tokyo. She will have a busy schedule nonetheless, highlighted by the 100 back. Smith's world record in that race was broken by Australia's Kaylee McKeown in June, and their expected showdown in the 100 back is one of the most anticipated events of the Olympic swim schedule. Smith also will swim the 200 butterfly and is part of the medley relay pool. Smith took a gap year because of the pandemic after graduating from Lakeville North and will begin her college career at Stanford this fall.
Did you know?: Smith followed her older sister, Brenna, into swim racing at age 7; three years later, she broke four national age-group records in one meet.
Results: Smith won the bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke and took home the silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly. In her final race, Smith helped the U.S. win silver in the 4x100 women's medley relay. She swam backstroke in the mixed 4x100 medley relay heats but did not race in the final. The U.S. placed fifth.
Social media: @reganesmith4 on Twitter, @regansmith4 on Instagram
Gable Steveson
Minnesota connections: Apple Valley, Gophers
Sport: Wrestling (men's freestyle, 125 kilograms)
Olympic experience: First
Bio: Steveson, 21, dominated his weight class at the Olympic trials, outscoring opponents 42-2 as he bulldozed his way to an Olympic berth. That continued a pattern that started at Apple Valley High School, where his 210-3 record included four state titles. Last spring, Steveson won his first NCAA heavyweight title, extended his Gophers record to 67-2 and was co-winner of the Hodge Trophy as the nation's best college wrestler. A world champion at the cadet and junior levels, Steveson won his senior international debut in May, blanking all five opponents at the Senior Pan American Championships.
Did you know?: Though the Gophers have produced several Olympians in Greco-Roman wrestling, Steveson is the first to make the Summer Games in freestyle.
Results: Won the gold medal with a stunning last-second comeback against three-time world champion Geno Petriashvili. Outscored his first three opponents 23-0 en route to the gold medal match. .
Upcoming schedule: Aug. 6, medal matches (6:20 a.m.)
Social media: @GableSteveson on Twitter and @gablesteveson on Instagram
Patrick Sunderman
Minnesota connection: Farmington
Sport: Shooting (men's 50m rifle, three positions)
Olympic experience: First
Bio: After graduating from Farmington High, Sunderman joined the West Virginia Army National Guard and enrolled at West Virginia University. His shooting skills earned him accolades in both worlds. A four-time NCAA champion for the Mountaineers' rifle team, Sunderman enlisted on active duty after his graduation in 2016 and joined the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit as a shooter and instructor. He earned his first World Cup medal, a silver, at a competition in India last spring. A sergeant, Sunderman, 26, won a multi-part Olympic trials to earn his Olympic berth.
Did you know?: Sunderman has a degree in sport psychology from West Virginia.
Results: Sunderman finished 12th during qualifying for the 50-meter three-position rifle competition at the Asaka Shooting Range. Only the top eight advanced to the finals.
Social media: @patricksunderman04 on Instagram
Jordan Thompson
Minnesota connection: Edina
Sport: Women's volleyball
Olympic experience: First
Bio: One of eight first-time Olympians on the women's volleyball roster, Thompson, 24, is a fast-rising star in the international game. Following a standout career at Edina High and the Northern Lights club, she became a college star at Cincinnati, ranking No. 7 in NCAA Division I history with 2,664 career kills. Thompson's 6.27 kills per set as a senior were an NCAA single-season record. She joined the U.S. women's national team in 2019 and has since become a mainstay. In the recent Volleyball Nations League tournament, her 12 kills, two blocks and two aces helped the U.S. beat Brazil for gold.
Did you know?: Thompson's father, Tyrone Doleman, played for the Harlem Globetrotters, and her late uncle Chris Doleman played 10 seasons with the Vikings and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Results: Thompson had a game-high 18 points as the U.S. beat Turkey, 25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 20-25, 15-12 to move to 3-0 in pool play on Thursday. Had six points for the U.S. before leaving with an ankle injury during ROC's 25-20, 25-12, 25-19 win on Friday. Sidelined for the rest of the tournament, which the U.S. won for its first Olympic gold in women's volleyball.
Upcoming schedule: Aug. 7, gold-medal match vs. Brazil (11:30 p.m.)
Social media: @jtomm19 on Twitter and Instagram
Alise (Post) Willoughby
Minnesota connection: St. Cloud
Sport: BMX racing
Olympic experience: 2012, 2016
Bio: Willoughby, 30, has been one of the top women in BMX racing for more than a decade, and she's only gotten better since her silver-medal performance at the 2016 Olympics. She won world championships in 2017 and 2019 and added her 10th U.S. elite title in March. A state champion gymnast for St. Cloud Tech, Willoughby learned to race at her family's track — Pineview Park in St. Cloud — and turned pro at age 15. In 2019, she married fellow BMX Olympian Sam Willoughby, who is now coaching her.
Did you know?: A documentary, "Every Pedal With You,'' followed the Willoughbys' relationship and careers during the 2014 season.
Results: Finished first in all three heats in the quarterfinal round but crashed twice in three heats of the semifinals to end her medal hopes.
Social media: @alisepost11 on Twitter and Instagram
Shane Wiskus
Minnesota connection: Spring Park, Gophers
Sport: Men's gymnastics
Olympic experience: First
Bio: Making the U.S. team for the 2019 world championships put Wiskus, 22, on the fast track toward the Olympics. Despite losing part of the Gophers' 2020 season to the pandemic — and his program after this past season to the university's decision to cut the sport — the Mound Westonka High graduate kept accelerating, all the way to Tokyo. Wiskus ended his college career as one of the greatest Gophers ever, winning two NCAA individual titles in parallel bars and one in rings and finishing second in the all-around three times. The reigning U.S. champion on parallel bars, he finished third in the all-around at the Olympic trials.
Did you know?: Wiskus' father, Mike, is a stunt pilot who flies in air shows for the Lucas Oil team.
Results: Wiskus helped U.S. men finish fifth in the men's team final, behind Russia, Japan, China and Great Britain. He competed on four events in final — rings, parallel bars, high bar and floor exercise — and had a team-high score on rings (14.166). In the qualifying round, he missed out on the final in floor exercise by .033 of a point.
Social media: @shanewiskus1001 on Twitter, @shanewiskus on Instagram
In addition to 17 U.S. Olympians with Minnesota ties, 13 notable athletes who competed for Minnesota high schools and colleges or are current pros in the state will be at the Tokyo Games representing other countries.
ARGENTINA
Leandro Bolmaro, Timberwolves, men's basketball: Scored eight points in three games as his team was eliminated in pool play.
BOTSWANA
James Freeman, Gophers, swimming: The Gophers sophomore was 35th in the men's 400 freestyle and 38th in the men's 200 freestyle.
CANADA
Natalie Achonwa, Lynx, women's basketball: Team eliminated in pool play after a 1-2 record. She averaged 8.3 points and 6 rebounds in about 23 minutes per game.
Bridget Carleton, Lynx, women's basketball: Team eliminated in pool play after a 1-2 record. She averaged 11.3 points and 6 rebounds in about 33 minutes per game.
Sara Groenewegen, Gophers, softball: Pitched in five games, starting three, and compiled a 1-0 record and 1.05 ERA in 13 1⁄3 in innings as Canada won the bronze, its first softball medal.
Kierra Smith, Gophers, swimming: A 2017 graduate at the U and an NCAA champion in the 200-meter breaststroke, Smith finished 24th in the heats of the women's 100m breaststroke.
FIJI
Cheyenne Rova, Minnesota State Mankato, swimming: Finished third in her 50 freestyle heat. Did not rank among top 16 qualifiers for semifinals.
IRAN
Michael Rostampour, St. Paul, men's basketball: Had two points and two rebounds. Played in two of Iran's three losses.
ISRAEL
Mitch Glasser, Macalester, baseball: Played five games for Israel and led the team with a .412 batting average (7-for-17). Finished with three doubles, four RBI and four runs scored.
LIBERIA
Joe Fahnbulleh, Hopkins, track and field: Finished fifth in the men's 200-meter final in 19.98 seconds.
Emmanuel Matadi, St. Paul/Minnesota State Mankato, track and field: Finished fifth in his 100-meter heat in 10.25 seconds and did not advance.
NIGERIA
Josh Okogie, Timberwolves, men's basketball: Averaged 4.3 points in 15 minutes per game. Team lost all three games in pool play.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Kion Benjamin, Gophers, track and field: Team finished sixth in qualifying heat of the 4x100 relay and failed to advance. Benjamin ran the first leg.