Tokyo 2020 Photo Gallery

UC Irvine affiliates had a very successful Olympic Games, bringing home three gold medals on the final weekend of competition. Overall, UCI affiliates (student-athletes, students, graduate students, coaches) have accumulated 21 Gold, 23 Silver and five Bronze over 11 Olympiads.  Here is a complete recap of all the action in Tokyo 2020.

MEN'S INDOOR VOLLEYBALL (France – Kevin Tillie)
France, in only its fifth Olympic Games, won its first medal, a Gold, by defeating the ROC in an exciting five-set match (25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 21-25, 15-12).  

Former All-American and two-time National Champion, Kevin Tillie, who came in to serve during the gold medal match, helped France win its final three matches after going 2-3 in Pool B. Tillie played in 12 sets throughout the tournament, recording three points.

The French will defend their Olympic title at home, three years from now, in Paris 2024.

WOMEN'S WATER POLO (USA - Dan Klatt, Melissa Seidemann, Jamie Neushul, Kaleigh Gilchrist, Alys Williams)
The U.S. Olympic women's water polo team defeated Spain 14-5 in the Tokyo final, earning an unprecedented third straight Olympic Gold medal. Olympic assistant coach Dan Klatt helped Team USA win its third consecutive Gold medal as the team also set a host of records including largest margin of victory (9), most goals scored in one Olympic Games (109), most goals scored all-time at the Olympic Games (366) and most wins all-time (27).
 
Former UCI assistants helped propel the victory as Kaleigh Gilchrist and Alys Williams added two goals while Melissa Seidemann had one.
 
The U.S. squad went 6-1 at the Games with a lone loss to Hungary in Group play. The team defeated Canada, 16-5, in the quarterfinals followed by the ROC, 15-11, to advance to the Gold medal game.

WOMEN'S INDOOR VOLLEYBALL (USA - Michelle Bartsch-Hackley)
The United States Women's Indoor Volleyball Team made history at the 2020 Tokyo Games, bringing home the program's first Olympic Gold Medal. The Americans (7-1), who did not drop a set in their quarterfinal and semifinal wins, continued their dominance in Sunday's championship match, sweeping Brazil, 25-21, 25-20, 25-14 at Ariake Arena.
 
Former UC Irvine men's volleyball assistant coach Michelle Bartsch-Hackley, who was part of the staff that led the Anteaters to the 2013 NCAA title, was named to the Tokyo 2020 Dream Team. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter averaged 3.04 kills and 2.15 digs per set, while recording two double-doubles in her first Olympic appearance after being selected as an alternate in 2016.
 
MEN'S WATER POLO (Croatia - Lovre Milos)
Croatia closed out a strong showing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a 14-11 win over the United States in the fifth-place game. UC Irvine alum Lovre Milos ('17) started and scored one goal in 13 minutes played.
 
Croatia finished the tournament with a 5-3 record. They went 3-2 in Group B, before falling to eventual bronze medalist Hungary in the quarterfinals. The Croatians bounced back in the classification rounds, defeating Montenegro and the United States. In his first Olympic appearance, Milos played in every game, making six starts. He totaled five goals, four steals and 17 shot attempts.

MEN'S INDOOR VOLLEYBALL (USA – David Smith/Brian Thornton – Coach)
For the first time since 2000, the U.S. men's indoor volleyball team did not advance to the Olympic quarterfinals. Team USA finished the Tokyo Olympic Games with a 2-3 record.
Former All-American and 2007 national champion David Smith averaged 3.8 kills over the five matches. Smith is one of 10 UCI student-athletes to compete in three Olympic Games.

MEN'S WATER POLO (South Africa - Jason Evezard)
Jason Evezard, a current member of the UC Irvine men's water polo team and graduate student at UC Irvine, made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games. Representing South Africa, Evezard started four of his team's five matches, finishing with two goals, one steal and 12 shot attempts. South Africa did not advance out of group play.
 
MEN'S SWIMMING (Dave Durden – Head Coach)
The U.S. men's swimming team, coached by UCI alum Dave Durden, with 19 Gold medals, two Silver medals and two Bronze medals for a total of 23 medals which included each relay swimmer in prelims and finals. The Games were highlighted by Caleb Dressel who won five Gold medals, three individual and two relay. The men's 4x100 meter medley relay team of Ryan Murphy, Caleb Dressel, Michael Andrew and Zach Apple set a world record and earned a Gold medal to cap the meet.
 
WOMEN'S CYCLING (USA - Amber Neben)
The 46-year-old Amber Neben made her third Olympic appearance and first since 2012 in the Time Trial event at the Fuji International Speedway. Neben had her highest Olympic finish, placing fifth, finishing as the higher of the two Americans, and was a little over a minute off the leader and 11 seconds off of the podium with a time of 31:26.13.
 
BADMINTON (USA - Phillip Chew and Ryan Chew)
Brothers Phillip Chew and Ryan Chew went 0-3 in group play during their Tokyo 2020 experience. This was the second Olympic appearance for Phillip and first for Ryan.
 
WOMEN'S BEACH VOLLEYBALL (USA - Coach Jordan Cheng)
Former men's volleyball assistant coach Jordan Cheng coach the beach team of Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil to the Round of 16 where they were eliminated 2-1 (22-24, 21-18, 15-13) by Canada's Heather Bansley/Brandie Wilkerson of Canada. The youngest U.S. pair to ever take the sand earned first place in Pool D and the No. 4 seed in the playoff bracket by beating teams from Lativa (2-1), Kenya (2-0) and Brazil (2-1).