The Big Ten celebrates the historic efforts of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The Big Ten Conference delivered its best performance at the recently completed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, as athletes with ties to the Big Ten set conference records by collecting a total of 51 medals and 22 golds during the 17-day competition. . All 14 major member schools have athletes who have won at least one medal in Tokyo, also a first in the history of the conference.

This year’s results surpass previous records of ten total medals and gold medals in a single Olympics, both achieved at the 2016 Rio Olympics, when the conference’s affiliated athletes collected 47 medals and 19 golds. In addition, the Big Ten has won a record number of medals each time for the past four Summer Olympics, starting with 30 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 35 at the 2012 London Olympics.

At least 43 top ten runners together won 51 medals at this year’s Tokyo Olympics, representing eight different National Olympic Committees – Canada, Great Britain, France, Hong Kong, Italy, the Netherlands, San Marino and the United States. Eighteen other Big Ten coaches and employees have helped individuals or teams from four Olympic committees to medals (Hong Kong, Japan, San Marino, and the United States), but technically these individuals don’t get Olympic medals themselves.

Of the 43 medals in this year’s Olympics, 26 were (60.5%), 31 of the 51 medals in the conference (60.8%) and 13 of 22 golds (59.1%) were won. The top ten player was also named as the United States flag bearer at the closing ceremony on August 8, with former javelin thrower Kara (Patterson) named Purdue the first American and a four-time winger for the prestigious honor. Her fellow United States Olympic team.

The Big Ten had a record number of athletes from 40 National Olympic Committees and all 14 member schools participating in 25 sports during the Tokyo Games. Including coaches/staff and alternate members, the Big Ten sent a delegation of 190 people to the 2020 games, led by 92 representatives from Team USA. Other NOCs that included the top 10 competitors were American Samoa, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain , Greece. , Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, San Marino, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, and Yemen.

Conference athletes have earned medals in 11 sports at the Tokyo Olympics, leading a large group of the top ten on the US women’s volleyball team, while eight conference players and assistant coaches helped the Americans earn their first Olympic gold medal in the sport. Among the other sports in which Big Ten has collected medals are baseball, basketball, diving, hockey, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, track and field, and wrestling. In addition to these medal-winning sports, the Big Ten in Tokyo 2020 will also participate in 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, cycling, fencing, golf, gymnastics, rugby, archery, sports climbing, synchronized swimming, tennis, triathlon, and water polo.

Here is a full summary of the top ten medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, while additional information on the full delegation of the top ten in Tokyo can be found on the Olympics’ official page at bigten.org/2020tokyo.

2020 10 olympic medals (listed alphabetically by school – US Athletes unless otherwise noted)
golden (22)

Michelle Bartsch Hackley, Illinois, woman volleyball player
Jordan Poulter, Illinois, women’s volleyball
Zach Apple, Indiana, men’s swimming (4 x 100m freestyle relay; 4 x 100m medley relay)
Blake Peroni, Indiana, men’s swimming (4 x 100m freestyle relay; 4 x 100m medley relay)
* Maggie McNeill, Michigan, Deszoimin (100m Flinders – Canada)
* Jade Rivers, Michigan, women’s soccer (Canada)
Shelena Zadorsky, Michigan, women’s soccer (Canada)
Draymond Green, Michigan State, Hernepaskebal
Bo Becker, MN, men’s swimming (4 x 100m freestyle relay)
* Gable Stevenson, Minnesota, wrestling (125 kg freestyle)
Jordan Larson, Nebraska, damesvolleybal
Kelsey Robinson, Nebraska, damesvolleybal
Justin Wong Orientes, Nebraska, women’s volleyball
* Hunter Armstrong, Ohio State, men’s swim (4 x 100 meter medley relay)
Nichelle Prince, Ohio State, women’s soccer (Canada)
Misha Hancock, Penn State, damesvolleybal
Erin McLeod, Penn State, women’s soccer (Canada)
David Taylor, Penn State, wrestling (86 kg freestyle)
Haley Washington, Pennsylvania, damesvolleybal
Annie Drews, Purdue, women’s volleyball
Coaches/Staff
+ Irene Vertu, Illinois, women’s volleyball (assistant coach)
* Ray Luz, Indiana, men’s and women’s swimming (assistant coach)
Bob Bowman, Michigan, men’s swimming (assistant coach)
* Trevor Brandfold, Minnesota, Wrestling (assistant coach)
* Brandon Eggom, Minnesota, wrestling (assistant coach)
Joe Russell, MN, Wrestling (Director of Men’s Freestyle Swimming Programs)
* Elaine Casey, MD, Penn State, damesgymnastiek (teamarts)
* Casey Cunningham, Penn State, Wrestling (Assistant Coach)
* Kyle Sanderson, Penn State, Wrestling (Assistant Coach)
* Cody Sanderson, Penn State, men’s and women’s wrestling (assistant coach)

Silver (14)

* Andrew Capopiano, Indiana, men’s diving (3m synchronized jump)
^ Michael Hickson, Indiana, Men’s Diving (3m Synchronous Start)
Lily King, Indiana, women’s swim (200m breaststroke; 4x100m medley relay)
Jessica Barato, Indiana, Women’s Diving (10-meter synchronized platform)
Amanda Chester, Michigan, softball
Siobhan Houji, Michigan, women’s (100m freestyle; 200m freestyle – Hong Kong)
* Maggie McNeil, Michigan, women’s swim (4 x 100m freestyle relay – Canada)
Kyle Snyder, Ohio State, wrestling (97 kg freestyle)
Joe Kovacs, Penn State, men’s athletics (hotshot)
Todd Fraser, Rutgers, Honkball
Patrick Kevelhan, Rutgers, baseball
Muhammad Ahmad, Wisconsin, Men’s Athletics (5000m Rally – Canada)
coaches
* Drew Johansson, Indiana, Diving for men and women (head teacher)
Rick Bishop, Michigan, women’s swimming (lead coach – Hong Kong)
* Mike Hilde, Michigan, Men’s and Women’s Diving (Assistant Instructor)
Tom Hovasi, Penn State, women’s basketball (head coach – Japan)
* Adam Soldati, Bordeaux, Men’s Diving (Assistant Instructor)
Darren Finster, Rutgers, baseball (assistant coach)

Bronze (15)

Lily King, Indiana, women’s swim (100m breaststroke)
Wrestling Thomas Gilman, Iowa (57kg freestyle)
Grace Baldon, Maryland, women’s hockey (Great Britain)
Diandra Chachwang, Maryland, women’s basketball (France)
Miles Amin, Michigan, wrestling (86 kg freestyle – San Marino)
Katie Delph, Michigan, women’s swim (4 x 100m freestyle relay)
* Maggie McNeill, Michigan, women’s swim (4 x 100m medley – Canada)
Sarah Groenwegen, MN, Softball (Canada)
* Federico Bordisso, Northwestern, Men (200m butterfly, 4x100m medley relay – Italy)
Ilse Paulis, Ohio, Women’s Rowing (Lightweight Double Rowing Boats – Holland)
Alyssa Naher, Penn State, women’s soccer
Carli Lloyd, Rutgers, women’s soccer
Kelsey Harshman (Jenkins), Softable (Canada)
Rose Laville, Wisconsin, women’s soccer
coaches
* Sean Burmette, Michigan, Wrestling (Head Coach – San Marino)
* Erica Dambach, Penn State, women’s soccer (assistant coach)

*- Current/future student-athlete or current coach/employee of the listed school
^ – Graduated from Indiana State; He is currently working as a graduate assistant in Michigan
+ – Graduated from Illinois. Previously worked as an assistant coach at Michigan and Northwest