DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado punches well above its weight when it comes to producing athletes for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics — but not quite to the extent Hawaii does.
The summer games — postponed last year in the throes of the global pandemic — will begin July 23.
All told, the U.S. is sending a team of 821 athletes to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic games. Every state except North Dakota and Wyoming is sending at least one athlete to represent the country, along with Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
Colorado will send 41 athletes: 11 in track and field; four in shooting; three in cycling; two apiece in rowing, climbing, wrestling, swimming, wheelchair rugby, volleyball and triathlon; and one apiece in pentathlon, soccer, American canoe, archery, rugby, gymnastics, modern pentathlon, taekwondo and Paralympic judo.
In its raw athlete-producing capacity, Colorado rivals the nation’s most populated states.
Only two states are sending more than Colorado. California is sending 150 athletes, and Florida is sending 64.
New York tied Colorado with 41 athletes. Texas is sending 40, and Illinois is sending 29.
More well-populated states will naturally send more athletes, but Colorado is second-best in athletes-per-population.
For the 2021 Olympic Games, it is sending 7.1 athletes per 1 million residents.
The bigger states don’t come close, even though they send more total athletes overall.
California’s Olympians-per-million is half Colorado’s. Florida’s is less than that, while New York’s and Illinois’ are only a third. Texas has one of the lowest national rates of Olympians-per-million at 1.37.
Only one state beats Colorado’s density of athletes: Hawaii.
Hawaii is only sending 11 total athletes, but it is sending 7.56 athletes per million, with heavy representation in surfing and volleyball.
Athlete | Event | Hometown | High School |
Lokken, Zachary | American canoe | Durango, Colo. | Durango High School |
Mather, Kevin | Archery | Lakewood, Colo. | |
Duffy, Colin | Climbing | Broomfield, Colo. | Stargate Charter School |
Raboutou, Brooke | Climbing | Boulder, Colo. | Fairview High School |
Blevins, Christopher | Cycling | Durango, Colo. | Durango High School |
Godby, Maddie | Cycling | Louisville, Colo. | Monarch High School |
Huck, Erin | Cycling | Boulder, Colo. | Estes Park High School |
Moldauer, Yul | Gymnastics | Arvada, Colo. | Golden High School |
Schultz, Samantha | Modern pentathlon | Littleton, Colo. | Chatfield Senior High School |
Tanaka, Robert | Paralympic judo | Denver, Colo. | |
Elgeziry, Amro | Pentathlon | Colorado Springs, Colo. | |
Chase, Kendall | Rowing | Evergreen, Colo. | Mullen High School |
Thoennes, Jessica | Rowing | Denver, Colo. | Mountain Vista High School |
Melphy, Cody | Rugby | Littleton, Colo. | Heritage High School |
Bardfield, Stetson | Shooting | Colorado Springs, Colo. | |
English, Amber | Shooting | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Cheyenne Mountain High School |
Kozeniesky, Lucas | Shooting | Colorado Springs, Colo. | |
Shaner, Will | Shooting | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Colorado Springs High School |
Horan, Lindsey | Soccer | Golden, Colo. | Golden High School |
Herzog, Sophia | Swimming | Fairplay, Colo. | South Park High School |
Stickney, Morgan | Swimming | Colorado Springs, Colo. | |
Zolotic, Anastasia | Taekwondo | Colorado Springs, Colo. | |
Allman, Valarie | Track and field | Longmont, Colo. | Silver Creek High School |
Bor, Hillary | Track and field | Colorado Springs, Colo. | |
Chelimo, Paul | Track and field | Colorado Springs, Colo. | |
Coburn, Emma | Track and field | Crested Butte, Colo. | Crested Butte Community School |
Constien, Val | Track and field | Edwards, Colo. | Battle Mountain High School |
Cranny, Elise | Track and field | Boulder, Colo. | Niwot High School |
Finley, Mason | Track and field | Chaffee, Colo. | Buena Vista High School |
Hatz, Beatriz | Track and field | Lakewood, Colo. | D’Evelyn High School |
Keter, Benard | Track and field | Colorado Springs, Colo. | |
Kincaid, Woody | Track and field | Littleton, Colo. | Columbine High School |
Kunz, Annie | Track and field | Denver, Colo. | Wheat Ridge High School |
Rappaport, Summer | Triathlon | Thornton, Colo. | Mountain Range High School |
Stockwell, Melissa | Triathlon | Colorado Springs, Colo. | |
Poulter, Jordyn | Volleyball | Aurora, Colo. | Eaglecrest High School |
Washington, Haleigh | Volleyball | Colorado Springs, Colo. | Doherty High School |
Newby, Eric | Wheelchair Rugby | Bailey, Colo. | |
Scaturro, Adam | Wheelchair Rugby | Lakewood, Colo. | Lakewood High School |
Gray, Adeline | Wrestling | Denver, Colo. | |
Hancock, G’Angelo | Wrestling | Fountain, Colo. | Fountain-Fort Carson High School |