How To Watch US Military Members and Vets in the Olympics: A Day-by-Day Viewing Guide
Sgt. Samantha Schultz will be competing in the modern pentathlon. The six-time national champion earned her spot for Tokyo at the 2019 Pan American Games, where she took home a silver medal. Photo courtesy of DVIDs.
Below is Coffee or Die Magazine’s guide to watching the 19 US military members and veterans competing for the US in the Tokyo Olympics. Check our day-by-day guide of when they are competing and in what events.
TV Viewing Note: NBC and its cable and online affiliates are broadcasting the Olympics. The times listed are in US Eastern Standard Time, which is 13 hours behind Tokyo. Generally, after late-night events, NBC replays or recaps events during coverage the next day on NBC, which has extensive broadcast hours during the day in the US. Other events may be covered live or replayed on NBC’s online affiliates. The streaming service Peacock has an archive of many full events.
July 28, 2:35 p.m. — Women’s Sailing 470 (Two-Person Dinghy, July 28-Aug 2)
Nikole Barnes, Coast Guard lieutenant junior grade
Hometown: St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Barnes will be the first US Coast Guard officer to compete in the Olympics, along with her sailing partner Lara Dallman-Weiss.
July 29, 8:30 p.m. — 3,000-Meter Steeplechase
Benard Keter, Army specialist
Hometown: Nakuru, Kenya
Keter placed fourth in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, and is an NJCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase national champion.
July 30, 8:40 p.m. — Pole Vault
Sam Kendricks, Army first lieutenant
(UPDATE, JULY 29 – Kendricks withdrew from competition due to a positive COVID-19 test)
Hometown: Oxford, Mississippi
Kendricks won a bronze medal in the pole vault event in the 2016 Olympics.
July 31, 3 a.m. — Women’s 10-Meter Air Rifle, 50-meter Rifle, Three Positions
Sagen Maddalena, Army specialist (smallbore rifle)
Hometown: Groveland, California
Maddalena is a four-time NRA First Team All-American in air rifle.
Aug. 1 (times TBD) — Greco-Roman Wrestling (times vary by weight class)
John Stefanowicz, Marine Corps staff sergeant
Hometown: Jacksonville, North Carolina
Stefanowicz is a two-time gold medalist at the Pan American Wrestling Championships.
Ildar Hafizov, Army sergeant
Hometown: Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Prior to enlisting in the US Army, Ildar Hafizov competed for Uzbekistan in the 2008 Olympics.
Alejandro Sancho, Army specialist
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Sancho defeated former Olympian Ellis Coleman in the US Olympic trials to secure his spot at the Olympics.
Aug. 1, 10:30 p.m. — Men’s 50-Meter Rifle
Patrick Sunderman, Army sergeant (50-meter rifle, three positions)
Hometown: Farmington, Minnesota
Sunderman is a West Virginia University graduate and a former member of the West Virginia National Guard.
Aug. 5, 12 a.m. — Men’s Modern Pentathlon
Amro El Geziry, Army sergeant
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado
El Geziry competed in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics for Egypt. This is his first event representing the United States.
Aug. 6, 1:30 a.m. — Women’s Modern Pentathlon
Samantha Schultz, Army sergeant
Hometown: Littleton, Colorado
Schultz won the silver medal in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Aug. 24 to Sept. 5 — Paralympic Swimming
Elizabeth Marks, Army sergeant first class
Hometown: Prescott Valley, Arizona
Elizabeth Marks was injured in Iraq in 2010 and spent much of her time rehabilitating in a pool. She won four gold medals at the 2016 Invictus Games.
Aug. 24 to Sept. 5 — Paralympic Shooting
Kevin Nguyen, Army staff sergeant (10-meter, 50-meter)
Hometown: Westminster, California
Nguyen took home the gold in the mixed 50-meter rifle prone event in the 2019 Pan American Games.
John Joss, Army sergeant first class (50-meter)
Hometown: Corsicana, Texas
John Wayne Joss is the current national record holder in the R6, mixed 50-meter free-rifle prone SH1.
These US military members and veterans have already competed:
Women’s Skeet Results
Amber English, Army first lieutenant
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Finish: Gold medal, set a new Olympic record
Men’s 10-Meter Air Pistol Results
Nick Mowrer, Army staff sergeant
Hometown: Butte, Montana
Finish: 13th
Mowrer is an eight-time national record holder.
Women’s 10-Meter Air Pistol Results
Sandra Uptagrafft, Army staff sergeant
Hometown: Phenix City, Alabama
Finish: 49th
Uptagrafft took gold at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Women’s 10-Meter Air Rifle Results
Alison Weisz, Army specialist
Hometown: Belgrade, Montana
Finish: 14th
In 2018, Weisz placed second at the Championship of the Americas.
Weisz also competed in the mixed-team air-rifle event, finishing sixth with William Shaner.
Men’s Skeet Results
Philip Jungman, Army sergeant
Hometown: Caldwell, Texas
Finish: 15th
Philip Jungman is an instructor for the US Army Marksman Unit Shotgun Team.
Women’s Middleweight Boxing Results
Naomi Graham, Army staff sergeant
Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina
Finish: Graham was eliminated in the round of 16 by Zenfira Magomedalieva of Russia.
A two-time US national champion, Graham is the first female service member to represent USA Boxing in the Olympic Games.
NBC Universal Media has several options for watching the 2021 Tokyo Olympics throughout the NBC family of networks.
- NBC
- NBC Sports
- Olympic Channel
- CNBC
- USA
- Golf Channel
NBC’s Peacock will provide select livestreamed coverage.
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David Bruce is a retired federal law enforcement officer. Throughout his career, he served mostly in counterterrorism roles and tactical instructor positions. As a task force officer for the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), he spent more than five years investigating domestic and international terrorism cases. Prior to his assignment on the JTTF, he served as the lead instructor for the Boston Office of the Federal Air Marshal Service teaching anti-hijacking tactics, firearms, and tactical surveillance. In 2019, David graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in journalism. Before embarking on a 25-year career in law enforcement, he served in the US Army as a paratrooper/combat medic in the 82nd Airborne Division.
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