Sami Hill: Gold Medal in Women’s Water Polo, USA

Sami Hill, who is a 24-year-old UCLA graduate, is one of the U.S. women’s water polo goalies. After beating Hungary, China, and Spain, Team USA beat Brazil in the quarterfinals (13-3) and Hungary again (14-10) in the semifinals.

With only one game between them and the gold medal, the U.S. women’s water polo team competed against Italy in the finals on Friday, August 19. With a decisive victory (12-5), Sami Hill and Team USA won the gold medal. For the first time in Olympic water polo history, the U.S. won back-to-back gold medals from London in 2012 and Rio in 2016.

Sami Hill (bottom row, third from right) and the rest of the women’s water polo team place their gold medals around their coach’s neck (via usatoday.com).

Taylor Sander: Men’s Volleyball, USA

After a disappointing loss to Italy in the semifinals, Taylor Sander and Team USA competed in a bronze medal showdown with Russia for the bronze in men’s volleyball. The U.S. men’s volleyball team lost to Italy (3-1) in a preliminary match, and continued on to defeat Brazil, France, Mexico, and Poland to make it to the semifinals against Italy. Following five sets of intense competition, Team USA failed to beat Italy once again, and competed in the finals Sunday, August 21, to fight for bronze.

In another nail-biting match, Team USA pulled ahead in the fifth set to beat Italy (3-2) for the bronze medal. In the gold medal match, Italy lost to host country Brazil to win silver.

Team USA celebrates after a point in the bronze medal match against Italy. Taylor Sander (far right) helped the men’s volleyball team win the bronze medal.

Other Mormon Olympian Updates

Bruna Soares: Women’s Soccer/Football, Brazil

Bruna Soares, who plays women’s soccer for Brazil, faced defeat against Canada in the bronze medal match. After a series of ties in the preliminaries matches, Brazil failed to qualify for the gold medal match against Germany when they tied Sweden (0-0) in the semifinals and lost in a penalty shootout. However, they had a chance for the bronze medal against Canada.

On Friday, August 19, Brazil fought against Canada for the bronze medal, but ultimately came up short and lost (2-1) to place fourth in the tournament. While the Brazilian women’s soccer team faced disappointment in the finals, Brazil’s men’s soccer won gold against Germany in their home country.

After a disappointing loss, Brazilian soccer player Bruna Soares comforts her teammate (via thestar.com).

John Nunn: 50km Race Walk, USA

After two weeks of training in Rio, race walker John Nunn competed in the men’s 50km walk on Friday, August 19. He completed the race in 43rd place with a time of 4:16:12, not even a minute after gold medalist Matej Tóth from Slovakia. Nunn enjoyed his time in Rio, documenting his travels and adventures on Twitter.

John Nunn competed in the 50km race walk (via teamusa.org).

Jared Ward: Men’s Marathon, USA

Like John Nunn, marathon runner Jared Ward trained for two weeks in Rio prior to his event. On the last morning of the Rio 2016 Olympics, Ward ran a marathon course through Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to finish in 6th place with a personal record of 2:11:30. He and the other marathon runners battled through rain, heat, and 90 percent humidity to finish the race in just over two hours.

Ward, who was roommates with Jared Nunn in the Olympic Village, also shared his experiences in Rio on social media.

Jared Ward (USA jersey, middle right) competes in the men’s marathon through the rain, heat, and humidity of RIo.

Starting on September 7, the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will feature other LDS athletes. Find more information about LDS Paralympians on LDS.net.

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.

In case you missed it, I was a last minute addition to the #usatf team. Bolt wasn't too happy about it. #superfastsarah

A photo posted by Sarah Robles (@roblympian) on Aug 16, 2016 at 6:43pm PDT

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).

After the first week of competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Mormon Olympians are competing all across the board. From medals to qualifying races, and from volleyball to shot put, here are where Mormon Olympians stand after week one of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Medals for Mormon Olympians

Valerie Adams: Silver Medal in Shot Put, New Zealand

Silver medalist Valerie Adams congratulates gold medal winner, Michelle Carter (Matt Dunham, Associated Press).

As the two-time reigning champion of Olympic shot put, Valerie Adams hoped to win her third gold medal in Rio. However, after an upset by U.S. shot putter Michelle Carter, Adams came in second to win the silver medal.

“It’s tough, but it’s sport,” Adams said in an interview with Deseret News. “It’s been a very tough road for me to even be here. And for me to make it here and make it to the final and get a medal is, um, pretty awesome. I’m going to try to enjoy the moment.”

Ashley Steacy: Bronze Medal in Rugby Sevens, Canada

Ashley Steacy (bottom row, third from right) poses with women’s rugby sevens team from Canada after winning bronze.

Ashey Steacy, of Lethbridge, Alberta, was on the women’s rugby sevens team for Canada. After beating Japan and Brazil, the Canadian rugby team lost to Great Britain before the quarterfinals. With a win against France, they reached the semifinals on August 8, where they lost to Australia. No longer able to qualify for gold or silver, the team beat Great Britain 33-10 for the bronze medal.

Sarah Robles: Bronze Medal in Weightlifting, USA

Sarah Robles joyfully accepts the bronze medal for women’s weightlifting (via deseretnews.com).

Legendary weightlifter Sarah Robles won bronze at her second Olympic Games in the women’s over 75kg weightlifting competition. In her London 2012 Olympic debut, she placed seventh overall. After winning bronze in Rio, she is now the first U.S. weightlifting champion to win a medal for the United States in 16 years.

Faith plays a part in her competition. Robles said, “I had a moment with my coach. We were reading scriptures together, and . . . it talked about using your faith as a foundation and using singing and dancing as a way to praise. And I’ve tried to view the platform as my spiritual foundation, and my lifts as singing and dancing and praising. I try to keep it in the right perspective and use my body to glorify my God.”

Robles competed on Sunday, August 14, in the women’s over 75kg weightlifting division.

Mormon Olympians Currently Competing

Taylor Sander: Men’s Volleyball, USA

Taylor Sander helps U.S. men’s volleyball team defeat Brazil (via deseretnews.com).

After an upsetting loss to Canada and Italy, Taylor Sander helped the U.S. men’s volleyball team make a come back in the preliminaries to defeat Brazil and France, putting themselves back in the running. Their next competition is another preliminary match against Mexico scheduled for Monday, August 15, at 8:35 a.m. (MT).

Sami Hill: Women’s Water Polo: USA

Sami Hill is a goalie for the U.S. women’s water polo team (via swimmingworldmagazine.com).

Sami Hill, a 24-year-old UCLA graduate, competes in the Rio 2016 Olympics as a water polo goalie for the U.S. women’s team. After decisively beating Hungary, China, and Spain, Team USA will face Brazil on Monday, August 15, at 3:20 p.m. (MT). The finals for women’s water polo will take place on Friday, August 19.

Bruna Beatriz Benites Soares: Women’s Soccer/Football, Brazil

Bruna Soares plays for the Brazilian soccer/football team.

The 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).

On Tuesday, August 16, at 10 a.m. (MT), Brazil will face Sweden in the semifinals.

Leilani Mitchell: Women’s Basketball, Australia

Leilani Mitchell plays basketball for the Australian women’s basketball team (via abc.net.au).

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 will compete in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, August 16, at 7:15 p.m. (MT).

Completed Events for Mormon Olympians

Maka Unufe: 9th Place in Rugby Sevens: USA

Maka Unufe gets tackled in a rugby game against Brazil (via newsday.com).

With rugby events returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1924, Maka Unufe, a 24-year-old from Provo, Utah, was part of the U.S. rugby sevens team. In the preliminaries, the U.S. Rugby team lost to Argentina and Fiji, while beating Brazil in the semifinals. They beat Spain 24-12 to place ninth overall. 

Lucía Palermo: Single Sculls Rowing: Argentina

Lucia Palermo is a single sculls rower for Argentina.

Lucía Palermo, an Argentine sculls rower, competed in qualifying races throughout week one of the Olympics. Ranking third in her semifinal heat, Palermo was able to finish in seventeenth place overall on Saturday, August 13.

Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson: Men’s Beach Volleyball, USA

Jake Gibb (left) and Casey Patterson (right) celebrate after a victory against Quatar (via latimes.com).

Although men’s beach volleyball players Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson fought well in their early preliminary game against Quatar, they were defeated by Austria and Spain in an unlucky turn of events on August 10, losing their chance to compete for the gold. “We fought,” Gibb said. “That’s what we do. That’s what this team does. That’s what we’ve done for four years together. We fight. And we gave it everything we have.”

While Gibb and Patterson are done competing in Rio, the remaining men’s beach volleyball teams will compete for gold on Thursday, August 18.

Patricia Taea: Women’s 100m Race, Cook Islands

Patricia Taea (second from left) competed in the 100m sprint for Cook Islands (Getty Images).

After qualifying in the second heat of the preliminary races, Patricia Taea was the second finisher in her heat. In the first round of qualifiers, Taea didn’t qualify, and she finished in 61st place. This was her second Olympic Games, following the London 2012 Olympics.

Lydia Casey Jele: Women’s 40m Race, Botswana

Lydia Jele ran the 400m race for Botswana.

Ranking 24th in the first round of qualifying races, Lydia Casey Jele from Botswana didn’t qualify for further rounds of racing. She ran the 400m race with a time of 52.42 seconds on Saturday, August 13.

Mormon Olympians Yet to Compete

John Nunn: Race Walking, USA

#TeamMeeting #athletesvillage #athletics #usatf pic.twitter.com/yrzWvoOFVc

— John Nunn (@johnnywalker04) August 11, 2016

Mormon Olympian John Nunn, 38, will compete in his third Olympics. After finishing 26th overall in the Athens 2004 Olympics and 42nd overall in the London 2012 Olympics, Nunn will participate in the men’s 50km walk.

Nunn will compete in the race walking event on Friday, August 19, at 5:00 a.m. (MT).

Jared Ward: Men’s Marathon, USA

I'm excited for this tonight…

A photo posted by Jared Ward (@jwardy21) on Aug 12, 2016 at 5:40pm PDT

Adjunct BYU statistics professor Jared Ward, 27, has been enjoying his time in Rio. Roommates with fellow Latter-day Saint John Nunn, Ward has enjoyed supporting other sports, including swimming, volleyball, and fencing.

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).

While many LDS Olympians have started to compete in their events, many other LDS Olympians are currently in Rio training for their events next week, checking out other sports, and taking selfies with famous athletes. Luckily for viewers, these LDS Olympians are sharing a behind-the-scenes peek of what it’s like to train and live in Rio’s Olympic Village.

Taking Selfies with Other Athletes

https://twitter.com/MSkinner2016/status/761597692346822656

As an alternate for the U.S. gymnastics team, MyKayla Skinner found time to take selfies with the U.S. basketball team.

https://twitter.com/caseypatt/status/763123039701569541

Casey Patterson and Jake Gibb, who have started competing in qualifying rounds for men’s beach volleyball, take time to visit other athletes and watch other sports in their spare time.

Posing with the Team

https://www.instagram.com/p/BItX-gNgAyB/?taken-by=makaunufe

U.S. rugby player, Maka Unufe (right bottom), shared a picture of his rugby team.

Unforgettable night #Openingceremony #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/kHAb9jKkhU

— Micah Christenson (@MChristenson5) August 6, 2016

Taylor Sander (back row, second from right) shared a picture of the U.S. men’s volleyball team at the Opening Ceremonies in preparation for their second qualifying round game against Italy on Tuesday.

Supporting Other Sports

https://twitter.com/caseypatt/status/763080935155732480

Casey Patterson, U.S. men’s beach volleyball player, watched indoor volleyball and supported fellow LDS Olympian, Taylor Sander, in the match against Italy.

This is the craziest sport I have ever seen live!!! #Rio2016 #tabletennis pic.twitter.com/2OHzUxarUN

— John Nunn (@johnnywalker04) August 10, 2016

Race walker John Nunn, who competes for the U.S. next week, spends his spare time watching table tennis, women’s rugby, and women’s gymnastics.

Hanging at Women's Rugby medal matches w @jwardy21 #Rio2016 #OlympiansWatchinOlympians pic.twitter.com/lR3nUEaJGP

— John Nunn (@johnnywalker04) August 8, 2016

Roommates Jared Ward and John Nunn will both compete next week in Rio.

Training Facilities

The facilities are not short on televisions. Olympics 24/7 here

A photo posted by Sarah Robles (@roblympian) on Aug 9, 2016 at 12:36pm PDT

Weightlifter Sarah Robles shares a picture of the training facilities, which include televisions to watch other Olympic events.

What’s for Dinner?

Olympic update for @Lesdoggg – today after training we had ribs and chicken. Yo, u gotta get down here! #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/kqTvlwPSEn

— John Nunn (@johnnywalker04) August 9, 2016

John Nunn also shared a picture of the rib and chicken dinner at the Rio Olympic Village.

Look at That View

View of the Olympic Village from my bedroom window. Beautiful here. #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/L2EeN7ZpTb

— Jared Ward (@jwardy21) August 8, 2016

Marathon runner Jared Ward, who will compete during Week 2, shares his view of Olympic Village.

Rio #TeamAdams has settled in and completed our first session. #excitingtimes #TeamAdams #RoadToRio #countdown pic.twitter.com/V3hgwxoWVR

— Valerie Adams (@ValerieAdams84) August 8, 2016

Valerie Adams, New Zealand shot putter, shares her eagle-eye shot of the Olympic Village. She is scheduled to compete on Friday, August 12.

With the Olympics already in full swing, athletes from all over the world are competing for gold. From rugby to volleyball, here’s how members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are currently fairing in their respective events:

Taylor Sander: USA, Men’s Volleyball

In a lackluster qualifying game against the Canadian volleyball team, Team USA’s debut was plagued with errors, which led them to lose to Canada (25-23, 25-17, 25-23). “I don’t know if it was nerves or what,” Taylor Sander said about the first match, “but I’ll come back, watch some video and mentally prepare better.”

Canada won 28 points from Team USA’s errors, and Sander takes much of the blame. “I think my decision making wasn’t good attacking,” he said. “I thought I passed the ball well, but my decision making, it was my fault. I’ll learn from it and move on.”

However, Team USA has plenty of opportunities to improve their performance. Scheduled to play against Italy on Tuesday, August 9, Sander won’t let his disappointment negatively affect the next game. “It’s the first game of the Olympics, so it doesn’t feel great, but yeah, we have a good opportunity ahead of us, and a lot of games left in this pool. And that’s what we’re going to kind of turn our heads to now.”

Sander found fellow Brigham Young University athlete, Jared Ward, at the Opening Ceremonies. Ward, who will run in the Men’s Marathon event, will compete on Sunday, August 21, for the gold medal.

Good luck to fellow BYU Cougar @jwardy21 in Rio! Cool to run into him at opening ceremonies yesterday! pic.twitter.com/hf5BsMOI6l

— Taylor Sander (@TaylorSander15) August 6, 2016

Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson: USA, Men’s Beach Volleyball

On Saturday, August 6, Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson beat Quatar’s beach volleyball team (2-0), Jefferson Santos Pereira and Cherif Younousse. They are set to play Austria on Tuesday, August 9, at 1:30 (MT).

After the Opening Ceremonies, alternate Team USA gymnast and fellow Mormon, Mykayla Skinner, tweeted a hilarious picture of the beach volleyball athletes (Casey Patterson, left; Jake Gibb, right) with her and another gymnast alternate (Mykayla Skinner, left middle; Regan Smith, right middle).

(via Mykayla Skinner)

Maka Unufe: USA, Rugby Sevens

Maka Unufe attended the Opening Ceremonies, pictured second from the right on the back row. The U.S. rugby team will play against Argentina in a qualifying round on Tuesday, August 9, at 10:00 a.m. (MT).

(via Maka Unufe)

Valerie Adams: New Zealand, Shot Put

Valerie Adams, who traveled to Rio on August 7, will compete in the women’s shot put on Friday, August 12.

https://twitter.com/ValerieAdams84/status/762323979067543552

Leilani Mitchell: Australia, Women’s Basketball

After beating Brazil on the first day of play (84-66), Australia’s women’s basketball team went on to beat Turkey (61-56). With rounds of play still ahead of them, Australia will face France on Tuesday, August 9, at 9:15 a.m. (MT), Japan on Thursday, and Belarus on Saturday.

Jared Ward: USA, Men’s Marathon

Although he won’t be running his marathon until Sunday, August 21, at 6:30 a.m. (MT), Jared Ward (bottom right) will be in Rio training and living in the Olympic village. He enjoyed the Opening Ceremonies, and tweeted a picture with fellow Mormon athlete, John Nunn (top right).

Olympic village roommate @johnnywalker04 and the #nbcolympics film crew at the #OpeningCeremony What an experience. pic.twitter.com/xweagfv4N9

— Jared Ward (@jwardy21) August 6, 2016

John Nunn: USA, Race Walking

Meanwhile, race walker John Nunn tweeted a beautiful view of the Olympic Village in Rio at night. He and Jared Ward are roommates in the Olympic Village. Nunn will compete in the men’s 50km walk on Friday, August 19, at 5:00 a.m. (MT).

#goodnight from #Rio2016 @NBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/cYfVGpD65F

— John Nunn (@johnnywalker04) August 7, 2016

More LDS athletes will be competing in track and field events, like Lydia Casey Jele (Botswana) and Tatenda Tsumba (Zimbabwe), which will take place during week 2 of the Olympics. LDS weightlifter Sarah Robles will compete in the women’s weightlifting over 75kg category on Friday, August 12.

For a list of Mormon Olympians attending the Rio 2016 Olympics, visit LDS.net.

After winning his first overall Canadian gymnastics title in 2011, he left the senior men’s national gymnastics team to serve a two-year mission in South Korea for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sacrificing many key opportunities to compete for opportunities to serve.

“It was difficult. I went into my mission not knowing if I would ever do [gymnastics] again. It was terrifying,” Payne said. “It was scary, but at the same time my religion is very important to me. I knew that if I put my trust into that decision it would work out.”

Unique from regular missions, Payne was given special permission to practice gymnastics at the Korean National Sports University eight months into his two-year service. He was able to rejoin the Canadian gymnastic team upon returning from his mission.

Right before competing in the Pan American Games in 2015, he tore his right Achilles tendon, making it impossible for him to compete.

However, with a boot to heal his foot and a determination to qualify for the Olympics, he fought his way through rehab for a year, starting training only ten days after his foot surgery. Rather than succumbing to his Achilles tendon injury and losing hope, Payne trained his way back to nationals in his hometown of Edmonton, Canada, and he’s not about to give up now.

“I had some doubts in my mind if I could come back,” Payne said, “but they weren’t big enough for me to stop.”

Jackson Payne (via examiner.com)

However, when the artistic gymnastics team for Canada failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Payne—along with other gymnasts from his artistic gymnastics team—had to compete in the national championships to vie for the one available gymnastics spot on Team Canada.

Payne excelled in Edmonton at the national championships. He won gold on the parallel bars and won his third overall national title, which positioned him as a main contender for the spot on the men’s gymnastics team, along with Rene Cournoyer of Quebec and Scott Morgan of Vancouver.

“It was a long road back. It took a year to get back to this point. There were some errors,” Payne said. But he sounded more hopeful for the future.

“I know I have room for improvement. I know there is more left in me.”

He exhibited good sportsmanship, as well as his competitive side, when he said, “I want the best person there in Rio competing for Canada. It’s the best way we can build our sport, and I want to be that guy.”

On June 30, Gymnastics Canada will determine who will fill the spot on the Canadian gymnastics team and go to Rio for the Olympics in August. Until then, Payne will undoubtedly be training, practicing, and hoping. He will also take a break from competing in gymnastics to get married in June.

Apart from hoping to get to Rio in August, Payne hopes to go to medical school in the future. He currently studies kinesiology at the University of Alberta and serves as a ward missionary in his local ward.

With Jackson Payne’s ability to turn every roadblock into something good, he sends a positive message to the world.

“If you can take something back from what happens, you can really grow.”

UPDATE: As of June 30, 2016, Scott Morgan of Vancouver beat out Jackson Payne as the only men’s artistic gymnast to go to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Shown below, Payne (right) next to teammate Scott Morgan (middle), who made the Olympic team, and teammate Kevin Lytwyn (on the left). Payne will not compete for Team Canada in Rio this August.

Back in the game in Baku! #roadtotheolys #thedreamteam #ignoringthesleep #repost

A photo posted by Jackson Payne (@jpayne04) on Feb 18, 2016 at 7:47am PST