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The Tokyo Olympics 2020 is nearing its way and the USA will be eager to continue its dominance in the quadrennial extravaganza. In the Rio Games, the country bagged 46 gold, 37 silver, and 38 bronze medals. And a significant portion of that came from black athletes.
Claressa Shields won her second gold medal in the women's middleweight division. Brianna Rollins finished at the top of the podium in the women's 100m hurdles while Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin took home the silver and bronze medals in the only podium sweep at the Rio Games.
Michelle Carter won the gold medal in the women's shot put after throwing the metallic spherical ball over a distance of 20.63m. Kerron Clement won the men's 400m hurdles race with a timing of 47.73m. Jeff Henderson ended USA's long wait in the men's long jump event by winning a gold medal after leaping to a distance of 8.38m.
Dalilah Muhammad won the gold medal in the women's 400m hurdles clocking 53.13s. Ashley Spencer came third with her PB of 53.72s. Simone Manuel came first in the women's 100m freestyle event and was also a part of the gold medal-winning women's 4x100m medley race.
Ashton Eaton won the yellow metal by showing resilience in winning the men's decathlon for the second time. Christian Taylor also won his second gold medal in the men's triple jump event.
The USA men's basketball team, which won the gold medal, had 11 colored athletes on their 12-member roster. The women's basketball team also came out at the top and they had 8 colored athletes on their roster.
And last but not least, Simone Biles won three individual gold medals in gymnastics alongside being a part of the women's artistic all-round team that perched at the top.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, black athletes are expected to play an integral part in Team USA's medal aspirations. Here we look at 5 such athletes who are expected to bag the top honors.
Honorable Mentions: Rai Benjamin, Athing Mu, Gabby Thomas
Top 5 Black US athletes who are set to dominate at Tokyo Olympics 2020
#5 Simone Biles
Heading into her second Olympics, Simone Biles will be aiming for a clean sweep. In Rio, the only blemish was a bronze medal in the individual balance beam. Alongside a strong team, fans are expecting Biles to come up with five gold medals this time.
Also Read: Simone Biles details preparations behind performing Yurchenko double pike
The extra additional year has helped Biles add some new moves to her arsenal like the Yurchenko double pike on the vault. She became the first woman to land it in competition at the 2021 US Classic Tournament and would be eager to repeat the same at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
#4 Noah Lyles
Noah Lyles won the gold medal in the men's 200m race at the 2019 World Championships in Doha and followed it with a top of the podium finish in the men's 4x100m relay race.
In the 2021 US Olympic Track and Field Trials, he missed out on the men's 100m event by finishing seventh with a timing of 10.05 seconds. However, he made up for it by dominating the 200m race to come out on top, clocking a world-leading time of 19.74 seconds.
#3 Simone Manuel
Simone Manuel became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Games when she clinched the top honors at the women's 100m freestyle race tied with Canada's Penny Oleksiak. This was a watershed moment as people of color were not allowed to enter swimming pools in the past.
Manuel failed to qualify for the women's 100m freestyle final in the 2021 US Olympic Swimming Trials, finishing ninth in the semi-finals. But she punched her ticket to Tokyo by finishing first in the women's 50m freestyle race, clocking 24.29 seconds.
Manuel has been named as one of the captains of the US Olympic swimming team alongside Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Murphy, and Allison Schmit.
#2 Sydney McLaughlin
Sydney McLaughlin set a new WR in the women's 400m hurdles race at the 2021 US Olympic Track and Field Trials by clocking 51.90 seconds. She won the silver medal in the 2019 Doha World Championships and will be eager to go one step forward in Tokyo.
Sydney will be joined by Dalilah Muhammad at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, who clinched the gold medal in Tokyo at the women's 400m hurdles race.
#1 Trayvon Bromell
The men's 100m race is one of the most talked-about events in the Olympics and USA has a good chance to come out with a gold medal this time. Usain Bolt bagged the top honors each time in the last three editions of the Olympics for Jamaica.
Trayvon Bromell finished first in the 2021 US Olympic Track and Field Trials, clocking 9.80 seconds. He will be accompanied by Ronnie Baker and Fred Kerley. Apart from South Africa's Akani Simbine, all the athletes to have breached the 9.90 seconds mark are Americans.
With a golden opportunity beckoning, Trayvon Bromell will be looking forward to winning a gold medal for USA at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
