For some, the sky's the limit, which also just happens to be the title of the book written by 12-year-old British skateboarder Sky Brown.
For others, it’s no stretch that big things appear ahead. Exhibit A: 7-foot-2 Denver Nuggets center
So many potential stars in the making. So many stages for them to shine. One of the biggest will be this summer during the Tokyo Games, which were postponed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
By the time 2021 ends, a new crop of names will start to become even more familiar. So let's name-drop a few (sorry, Trevor Lawrence, you’re already too big of a name for this list):
— Brown, a skateboarding prodigy who has her sights locked on the Tokyo Games. She turns 13 a few weeks before the opening ceremony as her sport makes its Olympic debut (along with
-- Bol, forward/center, Nuggets. The son of the late
— Iga Swiatek, tennis, Poland. The
— Stephanie Gilmore, surfer, Australia. Nicknamed “Happy Gilmore,” the
— Ke’Bryan Hayes, third baseman, Pittsburgh Pirates. A first-round pick in 2015, Hayes made his major league debut on Sept. 1 and
— Catarina Macario, midfield, U.S. National Soccer Team. The
— JoJo Earle,
— Alexis Lafrenière, forward,
— Kliment Kolesnikov, swimmer,
— Keyshawn Davis, boxer, U.S. The top professional prospect on the 2020 U.S. Olympic team decided to wait so he could fight for a medal in '21. The athletic, speedy lightweight from Virginia is hoping to follow the career path of friend Shakur Stevenson, who won a pro title just three years after earning a silver medal in the Rio Games.
— Yealimi Noh, golfer, U.S. She was set to attend UCLA before turning pro in January 2019. She finished
— Raevyn Rogers, track and field, U.S. The former University of Oregon standout showed her 800-meter
— Akiyo Noguchi, sport climbing, Japan. Known for her technique and mobility,
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AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich, AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson, AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson and AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham contributed to this report.
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