Tracy Eisser ’12 (rowing) and Rudy Winkler ’17 (track and field) are returning to the Games for a second time after competing in Rio de Janeiro five years ago; Kyle Dake ’13 (wrestling), Michael Grady ’19 (rowing) and Taylor Knibb ’20 (triathlon) all will be making their Olympic debuts.
The group will be looking to add to Cornell’s total of 61 medals at the Olympics since 1904 when the Games begin their 16-day run July 23.
Winkler will be making a return trip to the Games, after his 18th-place finish in the hammer throw in Rio. An information science major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), Winkler has continued to ascend on the world stage after winning an NCAA outdoor championship in 2017 and capturing All-America honors three times in the hammer throw and twice in the weight throw.
Winkler will arrive in Tokyo on a roll after dominating the field at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. He had the top six throws of the night, breaking a 25-year-old American record in the process.