5 Local Olympic Hopefuls to Watch

From wrestlers to rowers, a slew of Philly-area athletes look to have a serious shot at Olympic glory in Rio this month. Before the games get under way, here’s a quick introduction to the faces you just might see on the winners’ dais.
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Clockwise from top left: Casey Gibson/USA Cycling; USATF; Olugbenro Ogunsemore/Red Bull; USA basketball; Tony Rotundo/WrestlersAreWarriors.com.

Clockwise from top left: Casey Gibson/USA Cycling; USATF; Olugbenro Ogunsemore/Red Bull; USA basketball; Tony Rotundo/WrestlersAreWarriors.com.

Matt Baranoski
Age: 23 // Sport: Cycling
First Olympics? Yes
Hometown: Perkasie
At 17, Baranoski was the youngest male ever to win an American elite track national championship. The 2016 Penn State engineering grad excels at keirin, a high-speed sprinting event that’s relatively new to the Olympics.

Jordan Burroughs
Age: 28 // Sport: Wrestling
First Olympics? No (London 2012)
Hometown: Sicklerville
A three-time world champ, Burroughs began his career with a U.S. record 69 consecutive wins internationally. With the Instagram handle “alliseeisgold,” he seems confident he’ll repeat his 2012 gold-medal win.

English Gardner
Age: 24 // Sport: Track and field
First Olympics? Yes
Hometown: Voorhees
The former Eastern High School star and four-time NCAA title holder won the women’s 100-meter U.S. Olympic trial with a near-record time of 10.74 seconds—only Florence Griffith Joyner has ever run the distance faster.

Elena Delle Donne
Age: 26 // Sport: Basketball
First Olympics? Yes
Hometown: Wilmington
The WNBA’s 2015 MVP, Delle Donne can play multiple positions, making her a valuable addition to a promising roster (nine of the 10 players who won in London in 2012 are returning) that’s aiming for a sixth straight gold medal.

Miles Chamley-Watson
Age: 26 // Sport: Fencing
First Olympics? No (London 2012)
Hometown: Philadelphia
The London native, who moved to the U.S. at age nine, became the first-ever U.S. men’s fencer to win an individual Senior World Championship title, in 2013. He’s currently ranked third in the U.S. and 18th internationally.

Published as “The Lineup” in the August issue of Philadelphia magazine.

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