Source: Olympic Gators website
The Tokyo Olympics are finally underway and a total of 31 former and current University of Florida athletes are competing in eight different sports. The 2021 games mark the Gators’ third-most participated Olympics. Fifteen of this year's Gators will be representing their home countries, once again demonstrating that the Gator Nation is global.
Gators are representing 15 different countries in Tokyo: Australia (1), Bahamas (1), Canada (2), France (1), Germany (1), Jamaica (1), Japan (1), Jordan (1), Liberia (1), Puerto Rico (2), Serbia (1), United States (15), U.S. Virgin Islands (1), Uruguay (1) and Venezuela (1).
Read more about these athletes and cheer them on through their Olympic journey!
For more information, visit the Olympic Gators website.
Doneisha Anderson
Sport: Women's 4x400m Relay
Country: Bahamas
Schedule/Results: Aug. 5 at 6:25am
Doneisha Anderson, current UF junior, will be running leadoff in the Olympics after her 4x400-relay team qualified in a “Last Chance” meet in the Bahamas. During her time at UF, Anderson has competed as a three-time indoor All-American and member of the 2021 4x400 relay team that placed second in the SEC and fourth at the NCAA outdoor competition. The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations also named her the 2014 Female Youth Athlete of the Year. Anderson aspires to be a professional track coach and hopes to help “others… be successful with the same tools and resources [she] was given as an athlete.”
Lloydricia Cameron
Sport: Women’s Shot Put
Country: Jamaica
Schedule/Results: Ranked 12th with 17.43m in Qualifications
With an extensive and high-achieving record in track and field, Lloydricia Cameron will be competing in shot put for her home country in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. A UF alum, the Miami-born athlete knew she wanted to represent her parents’ country from the first time she saw Jamaicans competing internationally in track and field. During her UF career, Cameron earned a gold medal in shot put at the 2018 Jamaican Senior Championships and was the SEC champion at the 2018 Indoor Shot Put and the 2017 Outdoor Shot Put. After suffering an injury in 2018, the former Gator is back to full health and focused on reaching the shot put finals at the Olympics.
Yanis David
Sport: Women’s Long Jump
Country: France
Schedule/Results: Ranked 11th with 6.27m in Qualifications
Born in Les Abymes, a French commune, Yanis David credits UF for one of the most important competitions of her life: the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. After moving across the world to join the Gator track and field team, David completed an historic career as the second woman in SEC history to win the indoor and outdoor long and triple jump at the SEC Tournament. Her list of accolades did not end there, and she eventually earned a spot on the top 10 all-time list in outdoor long and triple jump. Although the games are different this year, David is ready to jump into one of the biggest challenges in her career.
Genevieve LaCaze Gregson
Sport: Women’s 3000m Steeplechase
Country: Australia
Schedule/Results: Aug. 4 at 7:00am
As half of Australia’s most famous running couple, Genevieve LaCaze Gregson will be representing her country for the third time at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in steeplechase. During her time at UF, Gregson made school history as one of the best long-distance runners and became the first woman in SEC history to score wins in the 1500m, 3000m steeplechase, and 5000m events. Coming 9th in her heat at the 2012 Olympics and placing 9th in the 2016 Olympic finals, the UF alum has enjoyed taking on the role of mentor this year and passing down the wisdom gifted to her by past teammates. Although her husband or family because of COVID restrictions cannot accompany her, she feels their constant love and support as she sets her sight on the steeplechase finals.
Adriana Leon
Sport: Soccer
Country: Canada
Schedule/Results: Aug. 2 at 4:00am
Just five months after breaking the fifth metatarsal in her left foot, Adriana Leon is heading to the Olympics to represent her home country. The Ontario born Canadian first stepped onto the UF soccer field in 2012, starting in 17 out of the 22 games of the season and ending her Gators career with five goals and two assists before turning pro soon after. The Canadian National Team qualified for this year’s games by claiming silver at the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament last year, and Leon is ready to take on Tokyo alongside her former UF teammate, Deanna Rose.
Deanne Rose
Sport: Soccer
Country: Canada
Schedule/Results: Aug. 2 at 4:00am
At just 17 years old, Deanne Rose, recent UF graduate, scored her first Olympic goal in the 2016 games for the Canadian National Team. The daughter of two Jamaican immigrants, she earned many personal and team accolades, including golden goals and National Player of the Week, throughout her time as a Gator. Her nagging hamstring injury limited her availability during her last season in the Swamp, but Rose is taking the lessons of this last year to “control what you can control and… to be ready when you're called upon” as she heads back to the field. Rose holds the title as the youngest player to score a goal in Olympic women’s soccer history and she is on her way to win a second Olympic medal at just 22 years old.
Marife Torres
Sport: Golf
Country: Puerto Rico
Schedule/Results: Aug. 3 at 6:30pm
First recruited to the Gator Golf team in 2013, Marife Torres faced several barriers throughout her move from Trujillo, Puerto Rico to Gainesville, Florida. From a language barrier to personal growth, Torres adapted to her new surroundings and flourished to make program history by winning the 2016 Southeastern conference Championship and being crowned SEC Player of the year. After her time at UF, the former Gator turned professional, becoming the first player from Puerto Rico to earn full membership on the LPGA Tour. Although she is the only woman from Puerto Rico to qualify for the golf section of the 2021 Olympics, she is ready and proud to represent her country.
Marija Vucenovic
Sport: Women’s Javelin Throw
Country: Serbia
Schedule/Results: Aug. 2 at 8:20pm
From 2013-17, Marija Vucenovic worked to become one of the most decorated javelin throwers in UF and SEC history. Now, as part of her home country’s team, the Serbian-born Gator will compete in Tokyo after qualifying in Croatia with a throw of 62.25 meters. Although she is currently ranked 18th in the javelin event, Vucenovic hopes to give an exceptional performance to find her way to a medal.
Amro Al-Wir
Sport: Men’s 100m & 200m Breaststroke
Country: Jordan
Schedule/Results: Ranked 2nd with 1:02.17 in Heat 2
This year, Jordan will send two swimmers to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. One of those swimmers is current UF sophomore Amro Al-Wir, the Jordanian record holder in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events, who will compete in the latter. During his UF career, he has placed eighth in the 200 breast at the 2021 SEC Championships, as the UF team claimed their ninth straight league title. Al-Wir’s home country first sent swimmers to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and after posting the minimum required times set by Jordan, this Gator has earned the opportunity to represent his country.
Andres Arroyo
Sport: Men’s 800m
Country: Puerto Rico
Schedule/Results: Ranked 11th with 1:53.09 in Round 1
During his first Olympics in Rio, Andres Arroyo made history and became the first Puerto Rican to reach the semifinals of the 800-meter run. Five years later, Arroyo, who finished a storied career at Florida in 2017, returns to track’s biggest stage. During his time at UF, the former Gator accomplished many feats, being named the 2017 SEC Indoor Champion for 800m and breaking Mark Everett's 26-year-old indoor 800m school record (1:46.20) at the 2016 SEC Indoor Championships. Looking up to Roberto Clemente growing up, Arroyo strives to be a role model for runners back in home in Puerto Rico saying, “I am where I am today because of the environment I had in Puerto Rico, Orlando and Gainesville; those same tools are available to kids today, and if I can do it, so can they.”
Joseph Fahnbulleh
Sport: Men’s 200m
Country: Liberia
Schedule/Results: Aug. 2 at 10:05pm
Emigrating from Liberia to Minnesota with his family, Joseph Fahnbulleh went on to become the top prep sprinter in that state's history, holding the state record in the 100- and 200-meter dash. In 2020, the 19-year-old joined the UF team and currently ranks as the number 2 sprinter in UF history for the 200m outdoor and indoor. Fahnbulleh wonders how his life might be different if he had not decided to Mike Holloway's offer to come to Florida stating, "I did not think I would be here… Coach Holloway said 'come here and I'll make you great.' And here is where I am." While the Tokyo games will be the first time he runs for Liberia, Fahnbulleh hopes to run his heart out in every race and every round.
Eric Friese
Sport: Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Country: Germany
Schedule/Results: Ranked 8th with 3:15.34 in Heat 2
Officially qualifying for the German Olympic team in the 100 free relay at the 2021 TYR Pro Swim Series, Eric Friese is heading to Tokyo to represent his home country. Although the games look different this year, the current sophomore feels grateful to train with the Florida Gators and in disbelief that his Olympic dream is becoming reality. He shares, “When I grew up as a kid, I watched the Olympics, and I always wanted to be there… If you had told me during the last one in 2016 that I would be in the next Olympics, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
Enzo Martinez-Scarpe
Sport: Men’s 50m Freestyle
Country: Uruguay
Schedule/Results: Ranked 4th with 22.52 in Heat 6
Feeling honored to have this opportunity, Enzo Martinez-Scarpe says, “I couldn't have made it this far in my sports career without my family, friends, coaches, teammates, healthcare and authorities. Going to the Olympics has always been my ultimate goal, my dream and finally being there is amazing. I know I made my childhood proud." During his UF career, Martinez-Scarpe developed into a two-time All-American and NCAA champion in the 200-free relay as a fifth-year senior, teaming with Caeleb Dressel, Jan Switkowski, and Mark Szarenek to win the title in 2018. The All-American swimmer qualified for the games at the South American Swimming Championships. In Uruguay, Martinez-Scarpe's star will burn bright as he swims for his homeland half a world away.
Alfonso Mestre
Sport: Men’s 400m & 800m Freestyle
Country: Venezuela
Schedule/Results: Ranked 1st with 3:47.14 in Heat 2 (400m) and 2nd with 7:52.07 in Heat 3 (800m)
In Venezuela, one of the big stories of the 2021 Summer Olympic Games is the Mestre family legacy making its splashing revival in Tokyo. Alfonso Mestre, son of Alberto Mestre who swam for his home country in the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Games, qualified for the Venezuelan Olympics team at the Caribbean Confederation Amateur Swimming Championship. 35 years after their father hit the Olympic pool both Alfonso Mestre and his brother will carry on his legacy to represent their home country in Tokyo. In addition to being an Olympic family, the Mestres are also the only father-son Olympic tandem in Gators history. Alfonso hopes to use the skills he has trained for all his life and give it all for Venezuela.
Hakim Sani Brown
Sport: Men’s 200m
Country: Japan
Schedule/Results: Aug. 2 at 10:05pm
During the 2019 Track and Field Outdoor Championships, Hakim Sani Brown finished third in the 100-meter dash as part of the Gator team, setting a then Japanese record, and third in the 200, posting the second-best time in Japanese history. With the Tokyo Olympics a year away at the time, Sani Brown was already a budding star in his homeland as evidenced by Japanese media visiting UF to cover his road to the Olympics. Sani Brown shot to national fame at home in 2015 when he won the 100 and 200 at the World Youth Championships and broke Usain Bolt's meet record in the 200 to establish himself as one of the world's top up-and-coming sprinters. Now, the former UF track star has qualified to represent Japan and hopes to do his best to bring cheer to his hometown.
Eddie Lovett
Sport: Men’s 110m Hurdles
Country: U.S. Virgin Islands
Schedule/Results: Aug. 3 at 6:10am
Eddie Lovett was born in Miami and figured football was his path to athletic success but a broken arm in high school slowed him down on the field. He drifted into track and with the guidance of Aubrey Hill, the late Gators receiver and assistant coach, stuck with the sport when he thought about quitting. Lovett blossomed on the track, which led to a distinguished career with the Gators from 2011-14. While he is an American citizen, Lovett has deep family ties to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where his parents are from, and spent a lot of time visiting St. Croix growing up. Having competed in Rio, has personal goals to break the 13 seconds in his event and to inspire other young athletes from the U.S. Virgin Islands through his continued commitment to the sport and chasing his Olympic dreams.