The 2012 Olympics were awarded to London, England. A number of the athletes are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are often nicknamed Mormons. On this page, you can learn a little about some of them.
The 2012 Olympics were expected to be different from others in that the use of social media, smart phones, and small cameras will bring a barrage of attention to the games and the athletes. Organizers have been forced to create social media rules for spectators, athletes, and staff.
London is the first city to host the Olympics three times. Barron Pierre de Coubertin came up with the idea of a modern Olympics in England, making the country a natural place for the event to be held. It is the first time the Paralympics have been held in London. London also hosted the first publicly televised Olympics program in 1948.
Trials are still in progress as this article is being written, but the Deseret News currently lists the following Mormon Olympians:
“racewalker John Nunn, water polo player Tumua Anae and weightlifter Sarah Robles for the United States; shot putter Valerie Adams and swimmer Hayley Palmer for New Zealand; Venezuelan fencers Maria Gabriela Martinez Gascon and Johanna Fuenmayor; and swimmer Andrew Rutherford for Bolivia” (Mormons in the 2012 Olympics).
Tumua Anae: water polo, United States
Breeja Larson: Breaststroke, United States
Rafael Alfaro and Andrew Rutherford
Jason Smyth: Ireland, Paralympic sprinter
Other Mormon Olympians in London included Nooa Takooa for Kiribati, track and field – 100 meters; Becky Holliday for the USA – track and field – women’s pole vault; and Mary Killman, for the USA in synchronized swimming duets.
Updates:
Becky Holladay (USA) was ninth in the women’s pole vault finals. She cleared the 4.45-meter height but not the 4.55-meter bar.
Jillian Camarena-Williams was 16th in the shot put for the US.
Valerie Adams (New Zealand) took the Silver Medal in shot put.
Jake Gibb, who is LDS, and Sean Rosenthal lost to Latvia’s Janis Smedins and Martins Plavins in the beach volleyball quarterfinals, ending their shot at the medal podium.