After a year-long delay, the Tokyo Summer Olympics are underway. The greater Cincinnati area will be well-represented at these games. Through several athletes with hometown, collegiate and professional connections to the Queen City.

Rose Lavelle and Todd Frazier are two Olympians that are already household names in Cincinnati. For achievements beyond the Olympics itself. Frazier became a household name as a former Cincinnati Reds player. Winning the 2015 Home Run Derby with the Reds when Cincinnati hosted the MLB All-Star Game. Frazier played for the Reds from 2011-2015. The Reds drafted him 34th overall in 2007. Frazier is currently with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

While this will be the first Olympics for Rose Lavelle. She already has a stellar resume when it comes to international competitions. As a midfielder for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion U.S. National Team. Lavelle is both a Cincinnati native and a Mount Notre Dame High School alumnus. USWNT’s gold medal aspirations are hitting an early rut. After the USWNT lost 3-0 to Sweden on Wednesday. They will face New Zealand Saturday at 7:30 AM Eastern time.

Greater Cincinnati will have more than one athlete to cheer on in several sports. From baseball, making it’s return to the Olympics after a 13 year absence. To women’s soccer, along with men’s and women’s indoor volleyball. Along with Lavelle, Vanessa Gilles is competing in soccer. Gilles is a defender for the Canada’s national women’s soccer team. She played soccer at the University of Cincinnati from 2014-17. Earning the American Athletic Conference’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2017.

Canada had a 1-1 draw in their opening match against Japan on Wednesday. Canada will face Chile this Saturday at 3:30 AM Eastern.

Gilles isn’t the only UC alums that will represent a foreign country in these games. Annette Echikunwoke will represent Nigeria in the hammer throwing competition. Echikunwoke was born in the United States and will celebrate her 25th birthday during these games. She’s eligible to compete for Nigeria through her parents being born there. Beyond track and field, Annette is a search specialist at a local marketing company. The women’s hammer qualifying round is set for August 1st.

Meanwhile, Todd Frazier isn’t the only Olympian with Cincinnati Reds ties. Mark Kolozsvary is a catcher for Cincinnati’s Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts. The Baseball tournament will start this coming Tuesday. Team USA’s opening game is next Friday at 6 AM Eastern. The US will face Israel in their opening game. The Israeli team will have a University of Cincinnati connection. Through former UC player and Israeli third base coach Nate Fish.

Cincinnati will have two representatives in volleyball. Jordan Thompson is part of Team USA’s Women’s indoor volleyball team. Thompson graduated from UC in 2019, she married fellow UC alum Blake Yager in 2018. Yager played football at UC for two seasons. Jordan is part of a family with numerous athletic connections.

Her father Tyrone Doleman played with the Harlem Globetrotters. Jordan’s uncle Chris Doleman was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012. After a career with the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings. Team USA’s women’s indoor volleyball team will start Olympic action Saturday night. Taking on Argentina in pool play at 10:05 PM Eastern.

Max Holt is part of the U.S. Men’s indoor volleyball team. He’s a Cincinnati area native and Purcell Marian High School alumnus. Holt was an alternate for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. He helped the U.S. win a bronze medal at the Rio Summer Olympics in 2016. Holt and his teammates will face France Saturday at 8:45 AM Eastern.

Duke Ragan and Zach Apple are two other local representatives in the Olympics. Ragan is a member of the locally renowned Cincinnati Golden Gloves. Which is developing a good track record of helping train Olympians. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, members of six of the last eight U.S. Olympic teams have a connection to Cincinnati Golden Gloves. The featherweight boxer’s first Olympic competition is tonight. Ragan faces Samuel Kistohurry of France at 10 PM Eastern.

Zach Apple will be part of the U.S. Olympic swimming team. He’s an alumnus of Edgewood High School and swam at Auburn and Indiana University. Apple will swim in the 200 meter freestyle. Prelims for that race is set to start this Sunday at 6:22 AM Eastern. The semifinals will take place later that day (Monday morning in Tokyo) at 9:37 PM Eastern.