STARS TO WATCH

Defending their gold medals from Rio are American swimming favorites Lilly King, 24 (100-meter breaststroke), and Ryan Murphy, 26 (100- and 200-meter backstroke—two events that have been won by Americans since 1996). And look for 2016 gold medalist Caeleb Dressel, 24 (deemed “the next Michael Phelps”), in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter LÕÌÌiÀyÞ iÛinÌð

Volleyballer April Ross, 39 (the former teammate of Kerri Walsh Jennings), made some adjustments to her Olympic training regimen during the pandemic: She hung a net from her roof and leaned plywood against palm trees to mimic an opposing team. She and teammate Alix Klineman, 31, are No. 2 in the world.

At 22, U.S. track star Noah Lyles, now 23, was already running faster than Usain Bolt did at that age.

Alexander Massialas, 27, heads to his third Olympic games to try to win the gold in fencing. (Italy, France and Hungary usually dominate the sport.) No American has ever won.

U.S. sprinter Dalilah Muhammad, 31, is the reigning 400-meter hurdles champion in the Olympics—and the world. But watch out. She’s projected to take on her own teammate, Sydney McLaughlin, 21, who has the secondfastest 400-meter time in history.

Track star Sha’Carri Richardson, 21, clinched a spot on Team USA for her

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Archery superstar Brady Ellison, 32, had a brush with a potentially careerending injury to his right arm—the same one he uses to pull back the tension of his bow. You won’t want to miss Ellison, fresh off his recovery, as he aims to

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Nineteen-year-old canoe sprinter Nevin Harrison took up the sport at 13

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