Cal at the Olympics: Thirty-One International Athletes Trek from Berkeley to Tokyo

The Golden Bears will be represented by athletes from 16 countries outside the USA.

Jeff Faraudo | Jul 24, 2021

Cal at the Olympics: Thirty-One International Athletes Trek from Berkeley to Tokyo /

Once again this summer, Cal will be represented by an Olympics version of the United Nations over 16 days in Tokyo.

In addition to the 16 Cal athletes on USA teams competing in the Games, the Golden Bears have sent 31 athletes from 16 international countries spanning five continents. There are Cal athletes from North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa gathering in Japan.

As with the Bears who have U.S. roots, Cal is most heavily vested in the water sports, with 10 international rowers, 10 swimmers and six water polo players. Among them is Anna Illes of Hungary’s top-ranked women’s water polo team.

In the video above, Cal hammer thrower Camryn Rogers of Canada talks about her preparation and expectations for the Olympics as she attempts to become the first Cal woman to capture an Olympic medal in track and field.

Here are profiles of each of Cal’s 30 international athletes headed to the Olympics along with the date and time they compete for first time in Tokyo:

Stephanie Au, Swimming, Hong Kong

Stephanie Au receives award from coach Teri McKeever. — Stephanie Au / Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

At Cal: A senior at Cal in 2014, Au earned honorable mention All-America honors in 2012 in the 100-yard backstroke. She achieved the same status in the 200 back at the 2011 NCAA Championships.

Beyond Berkeley: The 29-year-old will swim in her fourth Olympics. She first made it to the 2008 Beijing Games at the age of 16, when she was the youngest member of Hong Kong’s team, and swam the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle events. Four years later at London in 2012, Au swam the 100 and 200 backstroke. At Rio in 2016, Au was her country’s flag bearer in opening ceremonies and participated in the 400-meter medley relay. She qualified to swim the 50 free and 100 backstroke and the 400 medley and 800 free relays in Tokyo.

Tokyo debut: Au will swim at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in heats of the 100-meter backstroke on Sunday, July 25 at 7:02 p.m., Tokyo Time (Sunday, July 25, 3:02 a.m., Pacific Time) and the 50 free on Friday, July 30 at 7:24 p.m. Tokyo Time (Friday, July 30, 3:24 a.m. Pacific Time).

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Camille Cheng, Swimming, Hong Kong

At Cal: Cheng swam at Cal from 2012 through ’15 serving as co-captain her senior season. She swam on the Bears’ winning 800 free relay and runner-up 400 free relay at the NCAA Championships in 2015.

Beyond Berkeley: Born in Beijing, the 28-year-old will represent Hong Kong in her second Olympics, after competing in heats of the 100- and 200-meter freestyle at Rio in 2016. She won bronze medals in two relays at the 2014 Asian Games and was eighth in the 100 free in the Pan Pacific Games that same year. She will swim the 400 free and 800 free relays this summer.

Tokyo debut: Cheng will swim at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in the 400 free relay heats on Saturday, July 24 at 9:15 p.m. Tokyo Time (Saturday, July 24, 5:15 a.m., Pacific Time), then the 800 free relay heats on Wednesday, July 28 at 8:34 p.m. Tokyo Time (Wednesday, July 28, 4:34 a.m. Pacific Time).

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Jack Cleary, Rowing, Australia

At Cal: A 2018 graduate, Cleary helped the Bears win the silver medal in the second varsity eight as a senior at the IRA National Championships.

Beyond Berkeley: Cleary, 27, has significant international experience representing Australia. He won a bronze medal in the coxed four at the U23 World Championships in 2016. He also has raced in double sculls at the World Junior Championships. The Perth native began rowing when he was 13 as part of his rehab from a knee injury he sustained as a dancer.

Tokyo debut: Cleary and his men’s quadruple sculls teammates will row in the heats at Sea Forest Waterway near Central Tokyo on Saturday, July 23 beginning at 11:30 a.m. Tokyo Time (Friday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Daisy Cleverley, Soccer, New Zealand

At Cal: A midfielder from Auckland, Cleverley attended Cal from 2017 through ’19. She played in 36 games her final two seasons after missing a portion of the 2017 campaign with a knee injury. She graduated from Cal in 2019, then transferred to Georgetown, where she completed her collegiate eligibility.

Beyond Berkeley: Cleverley, 24, represented New Zealand at the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cups. She made her first appearance on her country’s national team in 2014. Cleverley played in a pair of 2017 friendlies against the U.S. national team.

Tokyo debut: An alternate on New Zealand’s team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Cleverley and the current national team — ranked No 22 in the world — open against No. 9 Australia in Group G play at Tokyo Stadium on Wednesday, July 21 at 8:30 p.m., Tokyo Time (Wednesday, July 21 at 4:30 a.m., Pacific Time).

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ANDRE JIN COQUILLARD, Rugby, South Korea

At Cal: Coquillard played on Cal’s rugby team from 2009 through ’13. He was part of two 15’s national championship teams and the Bears’ first 7’s (Olympic style) national championship squad in 2013.

Beyond Berkeley: A native of Seoul, South Korea, Coquillard is a member of the first-ever South Korean Olympic rugby team.

Tokyo Debut: South Korea will make its Olympic debut in the sport against New Zealand at Tokyo Stadium on Monday, July 26 at 10 a.m. Tokyo Time (Sunday, July 25, 6 p.m. Pacific Time).

Angus Dawson, Rowing, Australia

At Cal: The 20-year-old from Dingabledinga in South Australia returned home a year ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was back this spring, when he helped the Bears earn the silver medal in the varsity eight and second place in the overall team competition at the IRA national championships.

Beyond Berkeley: Dawson won a gold medal in the coxed four boat at the 2019 U23 World Championships. He captured an open pair coxless national championship earlier this year and will row in his first Olympics at Tokyo.

Tokyo debut: Dawson and the Aussies will compete at Sea Forest Waterway in the men’s eight heats on Sunday, July 25 beginning at 11 a.m. Tokyo Time (Saturday, July 24, 7 p.m. Pacific Time).

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Gennaro di Mauro, Rowing, Italy

At Cal: Di Mauro will enroll at Cal in the fall after originally planning to arrive last fall, then deferring enrolling a year in order to train for the Olympics. “Gennaro is an impressive young man," Cal coach Scott Frandsen said. "To be representing Italy in the men's single at the age of 19 is extraordinary. We are excited to watch him race this summer and to have him join our team in the fall."

Beyond Berkeley: Di Gennaro, who will compete in single sculls, already owns an impressive rowing resume, including participation at the World Rowing Cup II, World Rowing Cup III and European Championships. He placed fourth at the 2019 World Junior Championships and fifth at the 2018 World Junior Championships.

Tokyo debut: The heats of the single sculls at the Sea Forest Waterway are set for Friday, July 23 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tokyo Time (Thursday, July 22, 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time).

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Marina Garcia, Swimming, Spain

At Cal: Garcia completed her collegiate career in 2017 after finishing a career-best 12th in the 200-yard breaststroke at the NCAA Championships. She left Cal ranked No. 2 all-time in the 200 breast and third in the 100 breast. She was a team co-captain as a senior.

Beyond Berkeley: The 27-year-old Barcelona native will compete in her second Olympics after swimming heats in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke and helping Spain to a 13th-place finish in the 400 medley relay at the 2012 London Games. Her brother Guillem was a member of the Spanish Olympic water polo team.

Tokyo debut: The women’s 200-meter breaststroke heats at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre will be held on Wednesday, July 28 at 7:52 p.m. Tokyo Time (Wednesday, July 28, 3:52 a.m. Pacific Time).

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HUGO GONZALEZ, Swimming, Spain

At Cal: A native of Mallorca, Spain, Gonzalez arrived at Cal in 2019 as a transfer from Auburn and earned All-America honors in four races at this year’s NCAA Championships, totaling 42 points in individual events while also swimming a leg on the Bears’ winning 400-yard freestyle relay. Cal finished second in the team competition at the NCAAs. He is a three-time Pac-12 meet individual champion.

Beyond Berkeley: Gonzalez will swim the 100-meter backstroke and 200 individual medley in Tokyo in his second Olympic appearance for Spain. A semifinalist in the 200 back at the 2016 Rio Games, he finished 16th place. He recently had a strong performance at the European championships, winning the 200 IM, earning a silver medal in the 100 back and a bronze in the 50 back. Gonzalez set national records in the 200 IM (1:56.7) and the 50 back 24.47). He has represented Spain at international competitions since 2017.

Tokyo debut: Gonzalez will swim at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in the 100 backstroke heats on Sunday, July 25 at 8:19 p.m. Tokyo Time (Sunday, July 25, 4:19 a.m. Pacific Time) and in the 200 IM heats on Wednesday, July 28 at 8:15 p.m. Tokyo Time (Wednesday, July 28, 4:15 a.m. Pacific Time).

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Robin Hanson, Swimming, Sweden

At Cal: Hanson signed with the Bears last November and will enroll in the fall after competing at Tokyo. He becomes the latest Swedish swimmer to find his way to Cal, following Olympic greats Par Arvidsson and Bengt Baron.

Beyond Berkeley: The 20-year-old swam a Swedish national record of 1:46.50 in the 200-meter freestyle in the prelims of the European Championships at Budapest, Hungary in May, then finished seventh in the finals. Hanson is the Swedish junior national record-holder in both the 100 and 200 free. He won three medals at the 2019 European Junior Championships, including gold in the 200 free.

Tokyo debut: Hanson will swim heats in the men’s 200-meter freestyle at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Sunday, July 25 at 7:22 p.m. Tokyo Time (Sunday, July 25, 3:22 a.m. Pacific Time).

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Betsy Hassett, Soccer, New Zealand

Becky Hassett / Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

At Cal: A 5-foot-2 midfielder from Auckland, Hassett played at Cal from 2009 through ’12, earning all-conference honors in her final two seasons, including as a first-team selection in 2012 when she had six goals and five assists.

Beyond Berkeley: Hassett, who will turn 31 next month, represented her country in the 2012 and ’16 Olympics and the 2011 and ’15 Women’s World Cup. well over 100 international caps with New Zealand. As a starter at the 2012 London Olympics, Harrett helped her squad become the first New Zealand team to advance to the second round of a major FIFA event. She made her senior national team debut with the Football Ferns in 2008 in a 1-0 win over Argentina. Hassett played professionally since 2013 in Germany, England, Norway, Netherlands and Iceland.

Tokyo debut: Hassett and the 22nd-ranked New Zealand squad open play at Tokyo Stadium against No. 9 Australia in Group G play on Wednesday, July 21 at 8:30 p.m., Tokyo Time (Wednesday, July 21 at 4:30 a.m., Pacific Time).

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Maarten Hurkmans, Rowing, Netherlands

At Cal: A 6-foot-7, 215-pound native of Amersfoort in the Netherlands, Hurkmans was part of the varsity eight boat as a freshman in 2016 that captured Pac-12 and IRA national titles. In subsequent seasons, he finished fourth, third and fifth in the same event with the Bears at the collegiate nationals.

Beyond Berkeley: Hurkmans, 23, won a silver medal with the Dutch in the men’s eight at the 2019 World Championships after taking a silver at the 2018 European Championships. He was named to the Dutch Olympic rowing team in June.

Tokyo debut: The men’s eight heats at Sea Forest Waterway will be held on Sunday, July 25 beginning at 11 a.m. Tokyo Time. (Saturday, July 24, 7 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Anna Illes, Water polo, Hungary

At Cal: Known by the nickname Nusi, Illes was a four-time All-American for the Bears (2014-18). She helped Cal to the NCAA championships each year (sitting out in 2016 while preparing for the Rio Olympics). She is seventh on Cal’s career goals list with 161.

Beyond Berkeley: The 27-year-old helped Hungary reach the championship game of the FINA World League Super Final last month, where they lost 14-8 to the top-ranked USA team. She contributed to Hungary’s fourth-place finish at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Tokyo debut: Illes and Hungary, still sitting atop the FINA world rankings, play their first match against the No. 2 ROC Russian team in Group B play at the Tokyo Tatsumi Water Polo Centre on Monday, July 26 at 3:30 p.m., Tokyo Time (Sunday, July 25, 11:30 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Kitty Lynn Joustra, Water polo, Netherlands

At Cal: A rising senior center for the Bears, Joustra was an ACWPC All-American honorable mention as a freshman, a first-team selection as a sophomore and, after sitting out the 2020 season to train with the Dutch team, returned to Cal to earn second team All-America honors this past season. She helped the Bears reach the NCAA semifinals in both 2018 and ’19. Joustra has scored 94 goals in her three seasons at Berkeley.

Beyond Berkeley: Joustra is a first-time Olympian, joining a Dutch team that failed to qualify for the Games in 2012 and 2016 but won the gold medal in 2008. The Netherlands earned its spot in Tokyo after a 13-11 loss to Hungary in the championship game of an Olympic qualification event in Italy in January.

Tokyo debut: The Dutch, No. 3 in the FINA world rankings, open in Group A play against Australia on at the Tokyo Tatsumi Water Polo Centre on Monday, July 26 at 6:20 p.m., Tokyo Time (Monday, July 26, 2:20 a.m., Pacific Time).

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Martin Mackovic, Rowing, Serbia

At Cal: As a sophomore in 2016, Mackovic rowed in the varsity eight boat that won Pac-12 and IRA national titles, helping the Bears won the overall national team championship. As a junior, he was a member of the varsity eight boat that went undefeated in the regular season. He then helped Cal to a bronze finish at the 2018 IRA nationals.

Beyond Berkeley: Mackovic, who has been a member of the Serbian national team since 2013, won the men’s pair Final B at the 2019 World Championships and the men’s pair crown at the 2019 World Cup. The 25-year-old captured a bronze medal in the men’s pair at the 2017 World U23 Championships.

Tokyo debut: Mackovic and teammate Milos Vasic will row at Sea Forest Waterway in the men’s pair heats on Saturday, July 24 beginning at 10:20 a.m. Tokyo Time (Friday, July 23, 6:20 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Kelly McKee, Water polo, Canada

At Cal: A 2015 graduate of Cal, the Calgary, Alberta native played three seasons for the Bears after transferring from Hawaii.

Beyond Berkeley: McKee, 29, played on Canada’s silver medal team at the 2019 Pan American Games. She helped Canada to a fourth-place finish at the recent World League Super Finals, four years after securing a silver medal at the same event. McKee began playing the sport at age 10 and represented Canada for the first time when she was 15.

Tokyo debut: The Canadians open against Australia at the Tatsumi Water Polo Centre on Saturday, July 24 at 3:30 p.m., Tokyo Time (Friday, July 23, 11:30 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Rowan McKellar, Rowing, Great Britain

At Cal: A native of Glasgow, Scotland, McKellar rowed for the Bears from 2014 through ’17. Rowing in the varsity eight boat for three seasons, she helped Cal win the 2016 national championship with runner-up NCAA finishes in 2015 and ’17.

Beyond Berkeley: McKellar won a silver medal in the pairs boat at the 2015 U23 World Championship. A year later, she was in fours and helped Britain second fourth place.

Tokyo debut: McKellar and the women’s four team row at Sea Forest Waterway in heats on Saturday, July 24 beginning at 11:50 a.m., Tokyo Time (Friday, July 23, 7:50 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Ben McLachlan, Tennis, Japan

At Cal: McLachlan competed for Cal from 2011 through ’14, earning All-America honors in singles as a senior and a place on the All-Pac-12 first team. He qualified to play NCAA singles his final three seasons at Cal.

Beyond Berkeley: Ranked 47th in the world in doubles, McLachlan will team with Kei Nishikori at Tokyo. In 2019, McLachlan had a career-best No. 18 world ranking. At Wimbledon earlier this month, the 29-year-old and partner Raven Klaasen of South Africa scored a five-set victory in the third round before being eliminated in the quarterfinals. McLachlan previous represented New Zealand in international play but in 2017 switched to Japan, his mother’s home country.

Tokyo debut: Men’s doubles preliminary play begins on July 24 at Ariake Tennis Park. Matchups be announced the night before.

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Farida Osman, Swimming, Egypt

At Cal: Osman was born in Indianapolis while her parents were attending dental school there but was raised in Cairo after the family returned to Egypt. She won the 2017 NCAA title in the 100-yard butterfly as a senior, was a member of three national champion relay teams and was part of numerous other relays that scored at the NCAAs during her four seasons. She left Cal as the school record-holder in the 50 freestyle.

Beyond Berkeley: Osman, 26, will compete in her third Olympics for Egypt, swimming in the 100 butterfly. In 2012 at the London Games, where she was the only female Egyptian swimmer, she placed 41st in the 50-meter freestyle. Four yeas later at Rio, she placed 18th in the 100 free an 11th in the 100 butterfly, setting African records in both. In 2017, she made history as the first Egyptian woman to win a medal at the FINA World Championships, claiming a bronze in the 50-meter butterfly. Nicknamed “The Golden Fish,” she was featured in Vogue magazine this spring. Forbes named her one of the Middle East’s 30 most influential people under 30 for 2020.

Tokyo debut: Osman will swim heats in the 100 butterfly at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Saturday, July 24 at 7:28 p.m Tokyo Time (Saturday, July 24, 3:28 a.m. Pacific Time).

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Kindred Paul, Water polo, Canada

At Cal: A 25-year-old native of Spruce Grove, Alberta, Paul played defender for the Bears. She scored 19 goals in 2016 and 15 a year later. One of her best games was a three-goal performance against a top-ranked Stanford team. She graduated in 2018.

Beyond Berkeley: Paul has experience with the Canadian national team, at the junior or senior level, dating back to 2014. She has participated in four FIBA Super League Finals, including this year when she helped Canada to a fourth-place finish. Paul contributed to Canada’s silver-medal finish at the 2019 Pan American Games and competed that same year at the at the FINA World Championships.

Tokyo debut: The Canadians open against Australia at the Tatsumi Water Polo Centre on Saturday, July 24 at 3:30 p.m., Tokyo Time (Friday, July 23, 11:30 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Sydney Payne, Rowing, Canada

At Cal: A 23-year-old native of Toronto, Payne rowed for the Bears from 2016 through ’19. As a junior, she helped Cal win the varsity eight gold and the overall team title at the 2018 NCAA Championships. A year earlier, Payne and the eight boat were undefeated during the regular season before placing third at the collegiate nationals.

Beyond Berkeley: A world-class age-group super-G skier prior to becoming a rower, Payne won gold for Canada in the eight at the U23 World Championships in 2017 and ’18. Also in 2018, she rowed in Canada’s senior boat that won silver at the World Championships in Bulgaria.

Tokyo debut: The Canadian women’s eight boat competes at Sea Forest Waterway in heats on Sunday, July 25 beginning at 11:20 a.m.Tokyo Time (Saturday, July 24, 7:20 p.m.. Pacific Time).

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Rosemary Popa, Rowing, Australia

At Cal: A native of Melbourne, Pope competed for Cal from 2011 through ’14. She finished fourth in the varsity eight at the 2011 NCAA Championships and fifth in the same boat at the same event the next year. Popa was a Pac-12 champion in the varsity eight her freshman year.

Beyond Berkeley: Popa, 29, has dual American-Australia citizenship and has competed internationally while representing both countries. Both of Popa’s parents were Olympic rowers for Australia. Ion Popa, her father, rowed for his native Romania before defecting to Australia. Her mother, Susan Chapman, was Australia’s first female Olympic medalist, winning bronze in the coxed four at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Her father competed for both Romania an Australia and her mother

Tokyo debut: Popa and her teammates — two of whom are experienced Olympians — will row in the women’s four heats at Sea Forest Waterway on Saturday, July 24 beginning at 11:50 a.m. Tokyo Time (Friday, July 23, 7:50 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Zheng Quah, Swimming, Singapore

At Cal: Quah was part of three Pac-12 championship teams (2018-19-20) at Cal and the 2019 NCAA winning team. He was a 13-time All-American and a 9-time Pac-12 champion, including a three-time winner in the 200-yard butterfly. He broke his own Pac-12 record in the 200 fly in the 2020 Pac-12 meet as a senior.

Beyond Berkeley: The 24-year-old will compete in his third Olympics after swimming in heats of the 400-meter individual medley at the 2012 London Games and advancing to the semifinals in the 200 butterfly at Rio in 2016, the first male swimmer from Singapore to reach that stage at the Olympics. He has two sisters who also have represented Singapore in international swimming competition.

Tokyo debut: Quah will swim heats at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in the 100 backstroke on Sunday, July 25 at 8:19 p.m. Tokyo Time (Sunday, July 25, 4:19 a.m. Pacific Time) and the 100 butterfly on Thursday, July 29 at 7:50 p.m. Tokyo Time (Thursday, July 29, 3:50 a.m. Pacific Time).

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Ema Rajic, Swimming, Croatia

At Cal: A rising senior for the Bears, Rajic broke Cal’s school record in the 100-yard breaststroke four times this past season and also ranks second in program history in the 200 breast. She finished second in the 100 and 200 breast and was part of two winning relays at the 2021 Pac-12 meet.

Beyond Berkeley: Rajic, who owns American-Croatian dual citizenship, has been member of Croatia’s national team since 2019. Rajic will swim in the Olympics for the first time but she has international experience, including at the FINA World Championships. At the European Championships this year she broke Croatia’s national record in the 50 breast, a non-Olympic event.

Tokyo debut: Rajic swims heats at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in the 100-meter breaststroke heats on Sunday, July 25 at 7:59 p.m. Tokyo Time (Sunday, July 25, 3:59 a.m. Pacific Time) and the 50 freestyle heats on Friday, July 30 at 7:24 p.m. Tokyo Time (Friday, July 30, 3:24 a.m. Pacific Time).

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Camryn Rogers, Track & Field, Canada

In the video above, Cal throws coach Mo Saatara talks about Rogers' preparation for the Olympics and how he expects her to respond to the biggest stage:

At Cal: Undefeated in the hammer throw in collegiate competition for more than two years, Rogers is the two-time reigning Pac-12 and NCAA champion. She had the five longest throws at this year’s NCAA meet, breaking the collegiate record with a best of 247 feet 9 inches, and winning the event by 14 feet over the second-place finisher. Rogers became the first Cal track and field athlete to repeat as NCAA champion since triple jumper Sheila Hudson in 1987 and ’88.

Beyond Berkeley: A 22-year-old native of Richmond, B.C., Rogers ranks fifth on the 2021 world list, trailing only the three U.S. entries into the Olympics — DeAnna Price, Brooke Anderson and Gwen Berry — and Anita Wlodarczyk, the 35-year-old world-recordholder from Poland. Rogers' 75.52-meter personal best (247-9) ranks her second on Canada’s all-time list, behind national record-holder Sultana Frizell (75.73 in 2014). No stranger to international competition, Rogers won the 2017 Pan American Junior title and the 2018 U20 World Championship.

Tokyo debut: Prelims in the women’s hammer throw at Tokyo Olympic Stadium will be held on Sunday, Aug. 1 at 9:10 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. Tokyo Time (Saturday, July 31 at 5:10 p.m. and 6:40 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Bjorn Seelinger, Swimming, Sweden

Bjorn Seeliger / Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

At Cal: Seelinger is coming off an impressive freshman season at Cal this spring where he earned All-America honors in six events at the NCAA Championships. He was a member of Cal’s winning 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays, finished second in the 50 free, fourth in the 100 free and swam on two other relays that scored points. He won four relay crowns at the Pac-12 meet.

Beyond Berkeley: Competing at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome, Italy, in late June, Seeliger swam a 21.71 for the 50-meter freestyle to set a personal record and attain the FINA “A” standard. The time ranks him as the 13th-fastest man in the world. Seelinger was subsequently added to the Swedish Olympic roster.

Tokyo debut: Heats in the men’s 50-meter freestyle at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre are set for Friday, July 30 at 7:02 p.m. Tokyo Time (Friday, July 30, 3:02 a.m. Pacific Time).

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Joachim Sutton, Rowing, Denmark

At Cal: A native of the Danish town of Roskilde, Sutton rowed for the Bears from 2016 through ’19. As a sophomore, he helped Cal win Pac-12 and IRA national titles in the varsity eight boat.

Beyond Berkeley: Sutton represented his country for the first time at the 2012 Junior World Championships, and by 2017 he helped Denmark to a fifth-place finish in the men’s four at the World Rowing Championships. He and teammate Frederic Vystavel, earned their trip to Tokyo with a second-place finish at the Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland in May.

Tokyo debut: Sutton will row in the men’s pair heats at Sea Forest Waterway on Saturday, July 24 beginning at 10:20 a.m. Tokyo Time (Friday, July 23, 6:20 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Roser Tarrago, Water polo, Spain

At Cal: A 28-year-old driver born in Barcelona, Tarrago earned All-America honors her two seasons at Berkeley (2014-15) when she totaled 104 goals. She took off the 2016 season in order to prepare for the Rio Olympics. As a sophomore, she was named MVP of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament.

Beyond Berkeley: Tarrago is headed to her third Olympics with Spain. In 2016, she scored 16 goals (third-most in the tournament), helping Spain to a fifth-place finish. Tarrago and Spain earned a silver medal at the 2012 London Games. She helped her country to a gold meal at the 2013 World Championships.

Tokyo debut: Tarrago and Spain begin preliminary play in Group A against South Africa at Tatsumi Water Polo Centre on Saturday, July 24 at 6:20 p.m., Tokyo Time (Saturday, July 24, 2:20 a.m., Pacific Time).

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Niki Van Sprang, Rowing, Netherlands

At Cal: A native of Almere in the Netherlands, Van Sprang rowed for Cal from 2013 through ’16, helping the Bears capture a silver medal in the varsity eight title at the IRA nationals in 2015, then a gold medal in the event and the overall team title — the program’s 17th — in 2016.

Beyond Berkeley: Van Sprang and Guillaume Krommenhoek won the final at the Olympic qualifying tournament at Lucerne in May to secure an Olympic bid in the men’s pair event. Also an avid cyclist, Van Sprang has won Dutch rowing titles in the double and quad sculls.

Tokyo debut: The men’s pair heats will be held at Sea Forest Waterway on Saturday, July 24 beginning at 10:20 a.m., Tokyo Time (Friday, July 23, 6:20 p.m., Pacific Time).

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Alicia Wilson, Swimming, Great Britain

At Cal: A senior-to-be next fall, Wilson set personal bests in the 200-yard backstroke, 200 individual medley and 400 IM during the 2021 Cal season. She won the Pac-12 title and finished third at the NCAA Championships in the 200 IM. Wilson also finished second in the 200 back and 400 IM at the conference meet.

Beyond Berkeley: Wilson, 21, qualified to swim at Tokyo after finishing second in the 200-meter individual medley at the British trials in a personal-best time of 2:09.61. She won a gold medal in the event at the 2019 World University Games and represented Britain at the 2021 European Championships.

Tokyo debut: The 200-meter individual medley heats at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre are Monday, July 26 at 7:56 p.m., Tokyo Time (Monday, July 26, 3:56 a.m. Pacific Time).

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Emma Wright, Water polo, Canada

At Cal: Wright has one season of eligibility remaining after sitting out the past two to train with the Canadian team. She scored 40 goals as a freshman in 2017, a team-high 47 in 2018, then 67 a year later when she was named second-team All-American, placing her ninth on Cal’s career list with 154. She twice recorded seven goals in a game, one shy of the all-time program record.

Beyond Berkeley: A 24-year-old native of Lindsay, Ontario, Wright was just 16 and the youngster member of Canada’s national team at the 2013 FINA World Championships. She played in the same event in 2015, ’17 and ’19, helping Canada to a fourth-place finish in 2017. In 2015, Wright scored 16 goals in six games as Canada claimed a silver medal at the Pan American Games.

Tokyo debut: The Canadians open against Australia at the Tatsumi Water Polo Centre on Saturday, July 24 at 3:30 p.m., Tokyo Time (Friday, July 23, 11:30 p.m., Pacific Time).

Cover photo of New Zealand soccer player Daisy Clevereley by Al Sermeno, KLC fotos

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

Published Jul 24, 2021

JEFF FARAUDO

Jeff Faraudo was a sports writer for Bay Area daily newspapers since he was 17 years old, and was the Oakland Tribune's Cal beat writer for 24 years. He covered eight Final Fours, four NBA Finals and four Summer Olympics.