It's more than 11 months until the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and already the U.S. knows the names of seven athletes who have qualified.
Most of the qualifiers in the major sports like swimming, gymnastics and track and field will be determined a few weeks before the Games. But some in lesser-watched sports qualify earlier, based upon the rules of the governing bodies of their sports.
Here is a snapshot of the first members of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team.
Sport Climbing
Brooke Raboutou
Raboutou is making history. She is the first U.S. athlete to qualify in this event which is brand new to the Olympics in 2020. She qualified by reaching the combined final at the world championships in Hachioji, Japan this week.
Raboutou, 18, is a native of Boulder, Colorado, and will be a sophomore this fall at the University of San Diego, according to the San Diego Tribune. Her parents were both multiple-time climbing world cup champions.
Countries can qualify up to two men and two women for Olympic sport climbing. One medal will be awarded for each gender. There are three components which will test a climber's speed and endurance.
Swimming (Open Water)
Haley Anderson
Ashley Twichell
Jordan Wilimovsky
The big names you know from the pool like Katie Ledecky and Caleb Dressel won't have their qualifying meet until next summer. But some of the open water swimmers have already punched their tickets. These three were the first Americans to qualify for the 2020 Games, doing so last month.
Anderson, 27, is headed to her third Olympics. She finished 5th in the 10 kilometers in 2012 and won silver in 2016. Anderson was the first American to win an Olympic medal in open water swimming. She's a California native, born in Santa Clara and residing in Granite Bay. Fun fact: she appeared on the reality show “Hell’s Kitchen” in 2016.
Twichell, 30, has qualified for her first Olympics. She was born in Mt. Kisco, NY and is living in Fayetteville, NY. Twichell has won multiple medals at world championships over the years. but the Olympics eluded her until now.
Wilimovsky, 25, was born and raised in Malibu, Calif. He's headed to his second Olympics, having finished 5th in 2016 in the 10 kilometers. His Olympic journey started from a place of failure. According to Team USA, Wilimovsky started swimming at age 9 after he was denied admission to a summer camp because he couldn't swim the 100-yard freestyle in 1:50.
Modern Pentathlon
Samantha Achterberg
Amro ElGeziry
Achterberg, 27, is another Colorado native, born in Denver and living in Colorado Springs. She won the silver medal at this year's Pan American Games in the women's individual competition. She participated in five sports in high school including ski racing and horseback riding.
ElGeziry, 32, is an old hat at this. He is headed to his fourth Olympics, but his first for the U.S. after competing for his native Egypt. Qualifying for the Olympic Modern Pentathlon runs in the family. His two brothers qualified previously -- one in 2000 and the other in 2016. His wife also qualified in 2016. ElGeziry was born in Cairo and became a U.S. citizen in 2017, now residing in Colorado Springs, Colo. He's also a U.S. Army sergeant.
Modern Pentathlon is one of the more unique events. It combines fencing, swimming, equestrian, shooting and running.
Triathlon
Summer Rappaport
Yes, they grow a lot of Olympians in Colorado. Rappaport, 28, was born in Denver and lives in Thornton. She qualified for the Games by finishing as the top U.S. woman and eighth overall at the Tokyo ITU World Olympic Qualification Event last week.
Olympic triathlons are shorter than the more commonly known Ironman Triathlon. They include a 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike ride and a 10-kilometer run. But something new in 2020 will be a mixed team event in which both men and women will compete in a shorter relay.
