More than a dozen individuals with Idaho ties will have a role in Tokyo Olympics
After a one-year delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics officially begin with the Opening Ceremony on July 23 at Olympic Stadium. Competition concludes Aug. 8.
Japan is hosting the Olympics for the fourth time in its history, but only its second Summer Games. The Summer Games were held in Tokyo in 1964, and the Winter Games were held in Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998.
About 11,000 athletes will compete in 33 sports and 46 disciplines. Surfing, skateboarding, karate and sport climbing are new to the Games this year, while baseball and softball are back for the first time since 2008.
Tokyo is 15 hours ahead of Mountain time. NBC is home to the Olympics, and coverage will also be available at NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports and Peacock.
If you’re looking for someone to root for at the Games, the Idaho Statesman has compiled a list of Idaho ties, including athletes, coaches and broadcasters. (All times listed below are Mountain time.)
OLYMPIC ATHLETES WITH IDAHO TIES
Valarie Allman, track and field: Pocatello native Zeb Sion, a former graduate assistant at Idaho State, coaches the women’s discus thrower who won the U.S. Olympic Trials by a whopping 24 feet, 3 inches. Allman is a favorite for the gold in Tokyo and owns the American record with a throw of 230-2. The qualifying round of the women’s discus is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. July 30 and the final begins at 5 a.m. Aug. 2.
Jordin Andrade, track and field: The former Boise State standout will represent Cape Verde in the men’s 400-meter hurdles. It is his second career Olympic appearance. At the 2016 Rio Games, Andrade advanced to the semifinals, placing 16th overall. During his time at Boise State, Andrade was a five-time Mountain West champion and finished runner-up in the 400 hurdles at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. His time of 49.24 seconds set a school record. Schedule: First round, 7:55 p.m. MT July 29; Semifinals, 6:05 a.m. Aug. 1; Final, 9:20 p.m. Aug. 2.
Sam Atkin, track and field: The nine-time All-American at Lewis-Clark State College will run in the men’s 10,000 meters for Great Britain. Atkin, a 2016 graduate of LCSC, is an assistant coach with the Warriors and a native of Lincolnshire, England. He is also set to be inducted into the LCSC Athletics Hall of Fame in April 2022. Schedule: Final, 5:30 a.m. July 30.
Haley Batten, mountain bike: This endurance-oriented event takes riders through rough terrain, with a 150-meter vertical height difference along the course. Batten, who is from Park City, Utah, is coached by three-time Olympic champion and Boise resident Kristin Armstrong. Batten will compete for Team USA. Schedule: cross-country mountain bike race, midnight July 27.
Lizzie Bird, track and field: The 2017 Princeton graduate will run the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase for Great Britain. Competing at the Müller British Athletics Championships in Manchester, England, Bird won the steeplechase with a time of 9:35.56 on June 26. Among Bird’s trainers is former College of Idaho and Boise State coach Pat McCurry. Schedule: First round, 6:40 p.m. July 31; Final, 5 a.m. Aug. 4.
Alycia Butterworth, track and field: Butterworth attended the University of Idaho from 2011 to 2015, and she’ll represent Canada in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. She’s an eight-time medalist at the WAC Championships, including steeplechase victories in 2012 and 2014. She owns the second-best steeplechase time in school history and earned All-America Honorable Mention accolades in 2015. Schedule: First round, 6:40 p.m. July 31; Final, 5 a.m. Aug. 4.
Adrienne Lyle, dressage: The former Ketchum resident is mentored and coached by another former Idaho Olympian, Debbie McDonald. Lyle and her horse Salvino are ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in dressage. She also represented the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London. McDonald, a Hailey resident, won a bronze medal in team dressage at the 2004 Athens Games. Schedule: Dressage Grand Prix Team and Individual competition, Day 1, 2 a.m. July 24; Dressage Grand Prix Team and Individual competition, Day 2, 2 a.m. July 25; Dressage Grand Prix Special and Victory Celebration, 2 a.m. July 27; Dressage Grand Prix Individual Freestyle, 2:30 a.m. July 28.
Jennifer Valente, cycling: She won a silver medal in Team Pursuit at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Valente also won the women’s pro race at the Boise Twilight Criterium three years in a row from 2017 to 2019. The San Diego native rides for Boise-based Twenty24 Pro Cycling. Valente will compete in Team Pursuit, Madison and Omnium for the U.S. Schedule: Team Pursuit qualification, 2:02 a.m. Aug. 2; Team Pursuit first round, 12:30 a.m. Aug. 3; Team Pursuit final, 2:05 a.m. Aug. 3; Madison final, 2:15 a.m. Aug. 6; Omnium scratch race, 7 p.m. Aug. 7; Omnium tempo race, 7:45 p.m. Aug. 7; Omnium elimination race, 8:26 p.m. Aug. 7; Omnium points race, 9:25 p.m. Aug. 7.
Liga Velvere, track and field: The 2013 University of Idaho graduate will compete in the women’s 800 meters for Latvia. Her time of 2:01.12 currently ranks 44th in the world. Velvere was an eight-time Western Athletic Conference champion, including three titles in the 800. She is a 13-time Latvian national champion, according to a U of I news release. Schedule: First round, 6:55 p.m. July 29; Semifinals, 5:50 a.m. July 31; Final, 6:25 a.m. Aug. 3.
Emma White, cycling: The Duanesburg, New York, native helped the U.S. win the 2020 Women’s Team Pursuit World Championships, and she’ll compete in Team Pursuit in Tokyo. White is coached by three-time Olympic champion and Boise resident Kristin Armstrong. This will be White’s first Olympics. Schedule: Team Pursuit qualification, 2:02 a.m. Aug. 2; Team Pursuit first round, 12:30 a.m. Aug. 3; Team Pursuit final, 2:05 a.m. Aug. 3.
IDAHO TIES ON THE SIDELINES IN TOKYO
Chris Lewis: The Boise-based sports broadcaster will be doing play-by-play of table tennis for NBC Olympics. The longtime voice of Boise State women’s basketball also does play-by-play announcing for CBS Sports Network and handles select events for the Mountain West Network. Table tennis competition runs July 23-Aug. 6.
Heather Cox: The Boise resident will be among NBC’s reporters covering indoor volleyball at the Tokyo Games. Cox is a former college volleyball player at University of the Pacific. Men’s and women’s volleyball runs July 23-Aug. 7.
Catherine Kase: The Boise resident is the open water coach for the U.S. swimming team, coaching the marathon event. Kase previously served as the associate head coach at USC. Kase moved to Boise in 2020, according to SwimSwam.com.
Dustin Williams: The Arco native is the head athletic trainer for BYU’s cross country and track and field teams. He’ll serve as the head athletic trainer for the U.S. track and field team in Tokyo.
Rosie Gallegos-Main: The chiropractor from Meridian will be assisting the U.S. women’s wrestling team at the Olympics for the third time. She also helped the team at London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Do you know someone who should be included on this list? Email sports@idahostatesman.com.
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
