In Tokyo, IU Olympians Prove Mettle, Win Medals

There was an easy trick to spot an IU Olympian at this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo: Where there was a pool, there was most likely a Hoosier. Swimming, diving, water polo—Hoosiers vied for medals in each sport. What’s more, IU had just as strong a presence poolside, with two coaches leading teams: Drew Johansen, head coach of the U.S. Olympic diving team, and Ray Looze, assistant coach of the U.S. Olympic swimming team.

But IU Olympians didn’t just make a splash in the pool. They also competed on the tennis court and soccer field. In total, IU’s 16 Olympians represented six countries (spanning five continents) and won a combined 10 medals—adding a fitting new chapter to IU’s legacy of Olympic greatness.

Zach Apple
🥇Gold, 400-Meter Freestyle Relay
🥇Gold, 800-Meter Freestyle Relay
Team USA

Andrew Capobianco
🥈Silver, 3-Meter Synchronized Springboard Diving
Team USA

Michael Hixon
🥈Silver, 3-Meter Synchronized Springboard Diving
Team USA

Lilly King
🥉Bronze, 100-Meter Breaststroke
🥈Silver, 200-Meter Breaststroke
🥈Silver, 400-Meter Medley Relay
Team USA

Jessica Parratto
🥈Silver, 10-Meter Synchronized Platform Diving
Team USA

Blake Pieroni
🥇Gold, 400-Meter Freestyle Relay
🥇Gold, 400-Meter Medley Relay
Team USA

A Tradition of Firsts

At the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, IU’s own Milt Campbell became the first African American to win gold in the decathlon. Campbell was joined at the games by fellow IU great Greg Bell, who became the first native Hoosier to take home an individual gold medal in track and field for long jump.

Of his Olympic-sized ambitions, Campbell once recounted, "I remember a conversation I had when I was 14 with the track coach at Plainfield High [in New Jersey]. And he asked me what I wanted to be. I told him, ‘The best athlete in Plainfield.’ Then it became ‘the best in New Jersey,’ and ‘the best in America,’ and ‘the best in the world.’"

True to form, he was all that and more—including a Hoosier.

This article was originally published in the 2021 issue of Imagine magazine.