14 Olympians…and Counting

With each passing week, the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad are drawing inexorably closer. The Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday, July 26th, an occasion that will be observed in multifarious ways at the NYAC, not least by the 100 Days Out virtual event that will be taking place on April 17th with Jimmy Pedro (two-time judo bronze medalist), Meghan Musnicki (two-time rowing gold medalist), Joe Kovacs (two-time shot put silver medalist) and Omari Jones (Olympic debutant in Paris for boxing) as guest panelists.

The countdown to the Games also means that more NYAC athletes (fingers crossed) are being selected to compete in Paris. Some teams will not be finalized until five or six weeks prior to the Games; however, 14 Club members have already secured their places and are deep into preparations that they hope will see them produce performances of a lifetime once they reach the French capital. By name, those athletes are:

• Jess Davis, modern pentathlon (these days, more often referred to as simply the “pentathlon”), who is frequently seen working out at the City House.

• Omari Jones, boxing, the first NYAC pugilist of modern times – possibly ever –  to compete at an Olympic Games.

• Tatyana McFadden, Paralympics marathon. A 20-time Paralympics medalist (19 summer, one winter) who, more than likely, will contest a handful of other events in Paris.

• Taylor Knibb, triathlon, a silver medalist from the mixed team relay in Tokyo, now one of the world’s most formidable competitors at both Olympic and Ironman distances.

• Morgan Pearson, triathlon, a silver medal-winning team-mate of Knibb’s from the mixed team relay in Tokyo, presently in the shape of his life.

• Nick Mead, rowing, men’s four, a silver medalist from last year’s world championships and a member of the men’s eight that placed fourth in Tokyo.

• Molly Reckford, rowing, lightweight women’s double sculls, a fifth place finisher in Tokyo and silver medalist in 2022 at the world championships.

• Charlotte Buck, Olivia Coffey, Claire Collins, Meghan Musnicki, Kelsey Reelick, Regina Salmons and Maddie Wanamaker, rowing, women’s eight and four. Buck and Coffey both competed in Tokyo, while Musnicki competed in London, Rio and Tokyo and already has two gold medals.

Even a cursory reading of the above leaves one powerful impression: that the level of accomplishment among the NYAC’s athletic members is almost beyond compare. And bear in mind that these are still early days in the selection process. Many wrestlers will be named in the middle of April, with the selection impetus gaining speed as we head into spring. At the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, a total of 58 NYAC athletes took part. The early indicators are that our athletes may reach those numbers again this time around. In the interim, we can celebrate the fact that 14 members are in the process of writing the next chapter in the NYAC’s storied Olympic history.