After a successful first week of the Olympics, three LDS Olympians won medals in their events. With more LDS Olympians currently competing, here’s a mid-week update of events and tweets from Mormon Olympians.
Taylor Sander: Men’s Volleyball, USA
When he’s not being made fun of for his mustache, Taylor Sander is a powerhouse on the U.S. men’s volleyball team. After a rocky start losing against Canada and Italy, Sander fought against his nerves to become an integral part of Team USA. “We feel good,” he said. “We’re more confident.”
“Well, we know what not to do,” Sander commented. “That experience of losing those first two matches helped us to grow.”
Looking better than ever, the U.S. men’s volleyball team will compete in the semifinals on Friday, August 19, at 10:00 a.m. (MT). If they win their semifinal match against Italy on Friday, the gold medal match will take place on Sunday, August 21, at 10:15 a.m. (MT).
Thanks for all the support! Heading to hang out with our families! Thanks @Uber @MChristenson5 @Kshoji7 @shojinator pic.twitter.com/SBclULnLBb
— Taylor Sander (@TaylorSander15) August 15, 2016
Sami Hill: Women’s Water Polo: USA
Sami Hill, a 24-year-old UCLA graduate, is a goalie for the U.S. women’s water polo team and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After decisively beating Hungary, China, and Spain, Team USA beat Brazil in the quarterfinals 13-3. On Wednesday, August 17, they beat Hungary 14-10 in the semifinals.
Only one game away from the gold medal, the U.S. women’s water polo team will compete in the finals on Friday, August 19, at 12:30 p.m. (MT). Whether they win or lose the final game, their final match against Italy will determine whether they win silver or gold.
https://twitter.com/samihillusa/status/766028252838100992
Bruna Soares: Women’s Soccer/Football, Brazil
Brazilian soccer player Bruna Soares competed with the women’s soccer team to beat Sweden and China in the preliminaries. After tying South Africa (0-0) in the preliminary pool, Brazil also tied Australia in the quarterfinals (0-0) and Sweden in the semifinals (0-0).
On Friday, August 19, at 10 a.m. (MT), Brazil will battle against Canada in the finals for the bronze medal.
Bruna Soares, a Brazilian soccer player, holds up a Book of Mormon (via osmormons.com).
Leilani Mitchell: Women’s Basketball, Australia
After a solid preliminary pool, Leilani Mitchell and the Australian women’s basketball team are at the top of their bracket. Winning against Belarus (74-66), Japan (92-86), France (89-71), and Turkey (61-56), Australia competed against Serbia in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, August 16. However, after losing to Serbia (73-71), the Australian women’s basketball team was eliminated from the competition bracket.
Leilani Mitchell plays basketball for Australia in the Rio 2016 Olympics (Charlie Neibergall, Associated Press).
Other Mormon Olympian Tweets
After winning silver, New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams tweeted her farewell to Rio.
https://twitter.com/ValerieAdams84/status/765909924195012608
Bronze medalist Sarah Robles, who competed for Team USA in weightlifting, shares hilarious photos on her Instagram.
Two LDS Olympians are yet to compete: John Nunn will compete in the men’s 50km walk on Friday, August 19, at 5:00 a.m. (MT), and Jared Ward will run the men’s marathon on the last day of the Rio 2016 Olympics, Sunday, August 21, at 6:30 a.m. (MT).