If you've been following the Olympics these past couple of weeks, there's a good chance you've cheered for some Ohioans.
Thirteen Olympians and four Paralympians hail from the Buckeye State, according to Team USA. And even more athletes have ties here. From Ohio State alone, two dozen current incoming and former student athletes are competing in the games, the second biggest contingent in the school's history.
David DeGuzman is a self-proclaimed Olympics enthusiast and sports reporter for NBC4 in Columbus. He was in Paris for the opening ceremony and joined the Ohio Newsroom to talk about Ohio’s Olympic highlights so far.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
On Paris
“It was magical. Paris really did a great job with hosting the Olympics so far this year. It's kind of a pivotal time for the Olympic movement. You know, we were coming off of back to back pandemic games. So I feel like the Olympics really needed a boost. And Paris has certainly delivered with putting sports in iconic venues like Place de la Concorde and beach volleyball at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. It's been, I think, beyond everyone's expectations. You can tell there was kind of this, this magic in the air, just going through the metro and walking around the city. I think it's really made the city come alive.”
On Ohio’s Olympic highlights so far
“The first week, obviously swimming was the headline. And for us in Ohio, we were really following Hunter Armstrong, who's in his second Olympics. He did so well in the 4 by 100 meter freestyle, delivering gold, being part of that relay team. So that was his second gold medal of his career. He also competed in the 100 meter backstroke. And then he also competed in another relay, the 4 by 100 meter medley [for a] well-earned silver medal. So Hunter Armstrong, with three medals in his career, definitely giving Ohio State some pride.
And then this weekend, track and field, kind of a out-of-nowhere storyline that came out: Annette Echikunwoke. She's from Pickerington and she won silver this week in the women's hammer throw, and she is actually making her second Olympic appearance, technically, but she couldn't compete the first time in Tokyo. Long story short, she was competing for Team Nigeria. And the federation in Nigeria actually kind of messed up with drug testing. So she wasn't taking the proper tests. And that was at the fault of the Nigerian Olympic Committee. So she was in Tokyo and found out that she couldn't compete.
So she switched allegiances, competed for team USA. She qualified and met the Olympic standard. And then she made the Olympic final with just one throw. And she actually had the lead for several rounds in the women's hammer throw this week. Ended up losing to the Canadian, but, again, another well-earned silver medal from that competition. Those were kind of the two standout moments.
Obviously, a lot of people talk about Simone Biles and people kind of forget she is born in Columbus and she obviously had a great Olympics with several standout performances, including, of course, delivering gold in the team final and of course, the individual all-around. So, you know, there's so many places you could look with great memories that have already been made by Ohio Olympians.”
On more obscure Olympic events
“Artistic swimming has kind of stood out to me a bit. There's been three athletes with Buckeye ties, and two for the United States, including Kiana Hunter and Ruby Ramadi. And they kind of jumped from around fourth to second after two days of artistic swimming competition. So certainly, medal contenders this week.
And then, fencing is another sport that we don't really talk about when it's not the Olympics and we have Lee Kiefer who was able to win individual gold in the foil and then also helped her team win the women's team foil event, which, I believe, that's the first time that's happened, for the United States either in quite a while or forever.
You have to remember, a lot of these athletes will not take home a medal, but just to be able to make it to the Olympics is a feat in itself. So, just a lot of pride for Ohio.”
On what’s left to watch
“One athlete to definitely keep an eye on this upcoming weekend is [wrestler] Kyle Snyder, Ohio State alum. He's competing in his third Olympics. He won gold in Rio in 2016. And then,he came up short of winning the gold in Tokyo. So he's kind of on his own little redemption tour. This is a guy who made history in 2016. He was the first athlete to win an NCAA title, a world title and an Olympic title all in the same year. He was one of the youngest guys to win a gold medal for team USA in wrestling, and now he's back as the veteran and certainly has gold on his mind. He had a standout performance at the Olympic trials, but how is he going to do against the best in the world? We're going to have to see and find out.
And then, of course, we can't forget LeBron James, Akron native, going for another Olympic gold medal. This is a U.S. team that hasn't lost gold since they won bronze in 2004. So this is a team going for its fifth consecutive gold medal. And LeBron James has been a big part of that run. I would think that this is probably going to be his final time on the court in the Olympics. So he definitely wants to go out on a high note. Those are two Olympians right there from Ohio that you want to keep an eye on as the games wrap up.”
