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Your guide to athletes with western Washington ties competing at Tokyo Olympics

Some of the top athletes competing at the Tokyo Games are homegrown in the Pacific Northwest. Here's who to watch out for at the Olympics this year.

SEATTLE — Dozens of athletes with ties to western Washington will compete at the Tokyo Olympics

Here are some of the top local athletes to watch from blockbuster sports, like gymnastics, to brand new events, like 3x3 basketball. For brevity, this list is limited to athletes representing Team USA, although other top-tier locals are also competing for other countries.

Jordan Chiles

Gymnastics

Hometown: Vancouver, Wash.

Credit: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
Jordan Chiles competes in the floor exercise during the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Sunday, June 6, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Vancouver native Jordan Chiles was a 2021 Winter Cup all-around, vault and floor exercise champion and balance beam silver medalist as well as a 2021 U.S. vault bronze medalist. The Olympics will be her first major international competition. Consistency is key for Chiles; she competed in 20 events in spring and early summer without a fail in any of them.

RELATED: Vancouver, Wash. native represents Team USA in women's gymanstics

Sue Bird

Women’s basketball

Current city: Seattle

Credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore
Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird (10) passes the ball against the Atlanta Dream during the first half of their WNBA basketball game Wednesday, June 9, 2021, in College Park, Ga.

A four-time WNBA champ, Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird looks to be among the first athletes to take home five Olympic gold medals (Olympian Diana Taurasi is also eyeing five golds this year). Bird is one of the most decorated athletes in Seattle sports history. She also made headlines off the field with fiancé and fellow Olympian Megan Rapinoe as the first same-sex couple to appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue.

RELATED: Seattle Storm's Sue Bird looks forward to final trip to the Olympics

Breanna Stewart

Women’s basketball

Current city: Seattle

Credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Seattle Storm's Breanna Stewart scores against the Connecticut Sun during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Tuesday, May 25, 2021, in Everett, Wash.

Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The top overall pick for the Storm in 2016, she was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year and 2018 WNBA MVP. Stewart’s back on the court after missing the 2019 season due to a torn Achilles.

Jewell Loyd

Women’s basketball

Current city: Seattle

Credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore
Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd (24) looks for an open teammate during the first half of their WNBA basketball game against the Atlanta Dream Wednesday, June 9, 2021, in College Park, Ga.

Seattle Storm’s Jewell Loyd is making her Olympic debut. Like Stewart, Loyd was also the top pick in the 2015 WNBA draft and was also named Rookie of the Year.

Kelsey Plum

3x3 women’s basketball

College: University of Washington

Credit: AP Photo/Wade Payne, File
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2020, file photo, USA Women's National Team guard Kelsey Plum drives the ball upcourt during an NCAA women's exhibition basketball game against Louisville in Louisville, Ky.

A University of Washington standout, Kelsey Plum now plays for the Las Vegas Aces. Plum is UW’s and the NCAA Division I’s all-time leading scorer with 3,527 points. In college, she averaged a whopping 25.4 points per game.

Zach LaVine

Men’s basketball

Hometown: Bothell, Wash.

Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, right, drives to the basket against Toronto Raptors center Khem Birch, left, and guard Jalen Harris during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Thursday, May 13, 2021.

A star guard-forward, Zach LaVine went from Bothell High School to the Chicago Bulls, where he’s averaging 27.4 points per game. LaVine’s addition to the team gives the American roster six of the top 10 NBA scorers from the U.S. this season.

Megan Rapinoe

Women’s soccer

Current city: Seattle

The OL Reign forward helped the U.S. win the 2015 and 2019 World Cup as well as a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. However, the squad is hasn’t won back-to-back World Cups and Olympic gold. An outspoken advocate off the field, Megan Rapinoe is involved with equality and human rights organizations. Last year she was named one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People of 2020.

RELATED: Megan Rapinoe looks to remain a strong voice on, off the field during Olympics

Rose Lavelle

Women’s soccer

Current team: OL Reign

Credit: AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
United States midfielder Rose Lavelle (16) controls a ball in front of Brazil midfielder Marta (10) during the second half of a SheBelieves Cup women's soccer match, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021, in Orlando, Fla.

Midfielder Rose Lavelle was the No. 1 overall pick at the 2017 NWSL College Draft and was just acquired by Tacoma-based OL Reign in May. Lavelle received her first call-up to the U.S. National Team her junior year at Wisconsin, and the 2019 World Cup was her first with the team.

Matthew Centrowitz

Men’s track – 1,500-meter

PNW connection: Former UW track volunteer assistant coach

Credit: AP Photo/Matt Dunham
Matthew Centrowitz of the U.S. celebrates after winning the men's 1500 meters race at the IAAF Diamond League athletics meeting at London Stadium in London, Sunday, July 22, 2018.

Matthew Centrowitz, who volunteered with the University of Washington track team in 2019, is the reigning Olympic champion in the 1,500-meter. A two-time Olympian, Centrowitz placed fourth at the 2012 London Olympics.

Devon Allen

Men’s track – 110-meter hurdles

PNW connection: Former Renton resident

Credit: AP Photo/Ashley Landis
Devon Allen wins a semi-final in the men's 110-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Eugene, Ore.

A former Renton resident, Devon Allen is competing in his second Olympics. Allen placed fifth at the 2016 Games in Rio.

Kara Winger

Women’s track – javelin throw

Hometown: Vancouver, Wash.

Credit: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Kara Winger competes during the finals of the women's javelin throw at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Eugene, Ore.

Winger, who attended middle school in Seattle before moving to Vancouver, Wash., is the American record holder in javelin. Winger is competing in her fourth Olympics after finishing 13th in Rio in 2016. Since then, Winger claimed gold at the 2019 Pan American Games.

Nevin Harrison

Canoe sprint

Hometown: Seattle

The 19-year-old Seattle native is the first American to earn a world championships medal in a sprint canoe event, and it was a gold medal. If Harrison wins gold in Tokyo, NBC Sports reports she will become the youngest woman to earn an Olympic canoe or kayak gold, breaking the record of German Birgit Fischer-Schmidt.

Katelin Guregian

Women’s eight rowing

College: University of Washington

Credit: USRowing
Coxswain Katelin Guregian.

A 2009 University of Washington alum, Katelin Guregian coxed the women’s eight boat to a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Brooke Mooney

Women’s eight rowing

College: University of Washington

Credit: USRowing
Brooke Mooney.

Brooke Mooney, who graduated from the University of Washington in 2018, is rowing in her first Olympics. She helped her boat to a silver medal at the 2019 World Rowing Cup II and finished fourth in the four and seventh in the pair at the 2019 World Rowing Cup I.

Jessica Thoennes

Women’s eight rowing

College: University of Washington

Credit: USRowing
Jessica Thoennes.

A 2018 University of Washington grad, Jessica Thoennes is also rowing in her first Olympics. Thoennes previously won silver in the women’s eight at the 2017 World Rowing Under-23 Championships.

Megan Kalmoe

Women’s pair rowing

College: University of Washington

Credit: AP Photo/Andre Penner
Grace Latz, Tracy Eisser, Megan Kalmoe, and Adrienne Martelli, of United States, compete in the women's eight heat during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016.

An Olympics veteran, Megan Kalmoe is rowing in her fourth Olympics. She won a bronze in the quadruple sculls at the 2012 London Games and placed fifth in Rio in 2016. Kalmoe graduated from the University of Washington in 2006.

Ben Davison

Men’s eight rowing

College: University of Washington

Credit: USRowing
Ben Davison.

Ben Davison’s eight boat finished fifth at the 2019 World Championship. Davison graduated from the University of Washington in 2017.

Ali Aguilar

Softball

College: University of Washington

Credit: AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
Infielder Ali Aguilar during the USA Softball Women's Olympic Team Selection Trials Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in Oklahoma City.

A 2017 University of Washington grad, Ali Aguilar helped the U.S. win gold at the 2019 Pan American Games and a world championship in 2018. The infielder now plays professionally in Japan. 

RELATED: Former UW softball standout representing Team USA in Tokyo Olympics

Harrison Maurus 

Weightlifting

Hometown: Auburn, Wash.  

Auburn native Harrison Maurus earned bronze medals in the clean and jerk at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships and the 2019 Pan American Games. In 2017, he became the first American man in 20 years to medal at the International Weightlifting World Championships.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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