With the Olympics in full swing, I thought it would be fun to do a little digging into 2016 homeschooled Olympic athletes. I’m sure there are many more, but this is what I found with Google and 30 minutes.
- Laurie Hernandez — Gymnast. Yep, that spunky little gymnast from Old Bridge, NJ, is a student at A Beka Academy High School. (As a former writer/editor for A Beka myself, I was tickled to learn about this.)
- Gabby Douglas — Gymnast. Homeschooling worked out great for Gabby, giving her the flexibility to pursue her dream.
- Simone Biles – Gymnast. Although it sounds like it wouldn’t have been her first choice if she hadn’t needed the flexibility, Simone’s homeschooling allowed her to pursue her dreams.
- Danell Leyva – Gymnast.
- Mackenzie Brown — Archer.
- Corey Cogdell-Unrein –Trap Shooter. Already won bronze.
- Naomy Grand’Pierre – Swimmer.
- Josh Prenot — Swimmer. Josh won the American record for 200 Breast at the recent U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha.
- Steele Johnson – Diver. On Monday night (8/8/2016), Steele Johnson and David Boudia won silver in synchronized diving. I noticed the cameras caught them praying after their win, and during their interview, both Steele and David talked about their identity in Christ!
- David Boudia – Diver. “One of America’s most heralded young divers, David Boudia twice went for Olympic gold, training obsessively and whole-heartedly for success. In his first Olympics, he failed miserably, not winning a single medal. Four years later saw a different story: he mounted the podium twice, winning both gold and bronze. The difference? In the intervening years, he’d changed the focus of his quest from seeking glory for himself to giving glory to God.” This quote is from the Amazon book blurb for David’s book Greater Than Gold: From Olympic Heartbreak to Ultimate Redemption. Sounds interesting!
- Paige McPherson – Taekwando.
- Aria Fischer – Water Polo.
- Madison Keys – Tennis.
–Julie Lostroh