Meet the athletes representing Bucks, Beds & Herts at the Olympics
Around 20 from our region are taking part in the Tokyo games
20 athletes from across Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire will be heading out for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics later.
They include Leighton Buzzard's Charlotte Dujardin, competing in the dressage, and Morgan Lake, from Milton Keynes, in the High Jump.
Two sisters from Aylesbury are also taking part in the gymnastics.
Ryan Owens
Apsley Guise, Bedfordshire
25-year-old Ryan is taking part in the Men's Track Sprint cycling.
Ethan Vernon
Bedford
The 20-year-old cyclist is taking part in the Men's Track Endurance.
Joining fellow Welsh riders Geraint Thomas and Elinor Barker as part of Team GB, Vernon will be making his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.
Vernon’s love of cycling stems from a rush of adrenaline.
Racing BMX until he was 14-years-old, Vernon’s first ever race was when he was aged just four.
And while he can’t remember it, he credits the adrenaline rush he got from racing down the start ramp for his love of racing.
At the 2018 Junior World Championship in Aigle, Vernon won silver in the individual pursuit.
And then at the European Track Championships last year, he secured another silver in the 1km time trial in Plovdiv.
Charlotte Dujardin
Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
Charlotte won two Golds at London 2012 and then a Gold and Silver in Rio.
This year will be a little different for her as this is the first time competing in the dressage without her famed horse Valegro.
Instead, she'll be working with Gio.
Reeve Walcott-Nolan
Luton
26-year-old Reeve is competing in the 1,500m women's race.
Ellen White
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
A World Cup bronze boot winner, Ellen White’s eye for goal has earned her a reputation as one of the most feared strikers in the women’s game over the past decade.
Aylesbury footballer Ellen White gets Team GB off to winning start at Olympics
Growing up in a ‘football-mad’ household, her talent was obvious from a young age after her dad introduced her to the sport as she more than held her own against the boys.
It wasn’t long before she joined local boys’ team Aylesbury Town, where she continued to silence any doubters with her performances on the pitch - something White has done ever since.
She made her England debut in 2010 and enjoyed many memorable moments for the Lionesses, including finishing the 2019 World Cup as the joint top goalscorer.
That is one of a number of trophies housed in the Manchester City striker’s trophy cabinet, which also includes two Women’s Super League titles and two FA Cups with Arsenal.
Part of the Team GB squad which reached the quarter-finals at London 2012, White is one of only five Olympians in the Tokyo 2020 football squad after being selected for a second Games.
Jennifer Gadirova
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
The Tokyo Olympic Games will be a family affair for Jennifer Gadirova, who joins her twin sister Jessica in being selected to represent Team GB.
The 16-year-old burst onto the scene at the 2019 Junior World Championships in Győr by winning silver on the vault, and is already making waves in senior competition.
Her senior debut was at the American Cup in 2020 where she replaced the injured Amelie Morgan.
Her performance was encouraging, looking right at home in senior competition as she secured fourth place whilst competing against some of the worlds most talented gymnasts.
She was unable to join her sister Jessica at the European Championships in April, however, she will no doubt be looking to make an impact in the Land of the Rising Sun this summer.
Jessica Gadirova
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Jessica Gadirova heads to Tokyo for her first Olympic Games after rising the ranks of British gymnastics.
Born in Dublin, to parents from Azerbaijan, Gadirova will be joined in Tokyo by her twin sister, Jennifer. Both started gymnastics at six years old, and are now two of the best gymnasts Britain have on offer.
Gadirova put on an incredible performance at the European Championships in Switzerland earlier in 2021 on her senior debut.
She won the all-around bronze and vault silver before securing gold on the floor on the final day, beating former world all-around champion Vanessa Ferrari in bronze.
That made Gadirova the first Briton floor exercise champion since Beth Tweddle in 2010.
Helena Rowland
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Helena is competing as part of Team GB's Women's Rugby Sevens team.
Part of England’s Grand Slam-winning team in 2020 and the squad that retained the title in 2021, Helena Rowland has become accustomed to winning silverware.
Before her title triumphs with the Red Roses, who she only made her debut for in November 2020, Rowland had already enjoyed plenty of success in both 15s and sevens rugby.
Her list of achievements also includes winning the Premier 15s crown with Saracens in 2018 before she turned her attentions full-time to sevens and securing a place at Tokyo 2020.
Rowland first picked up a ball at Aylesbury RFC when she was six-years-old, going on to play at both Tring and Bicester RFC, having been raised in a sporting family.
She moved quickly through the ranks, leading Welwyn U15s to the nations sevens title, before overcoming a fractured tibia in 2016 which left her sidelined for six months.
After winning the Premier 15s with Saracens, Rowland focused her energy on sevens and showed her crossover talent in the World Rugby Sevens Series to earn her ticket to Japan.
Liam Ansell
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Liam is part of the men's hockey team.
Liam Sanford
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
The second Liam from Wycombe to be part of the hockey team.
As a Senior Aircraftsman in the RAF, Liam Sanford combines serving his country with representing it on the hockey field.
Military service runs in Sanford’s family and, true to form, he is a defender who is willing to put his body on the line for his teammates – the 25-year-old is no stranger to charging down short corners.
Named the Armed Forces Sportsman of the Year in 2017, Sanford helped England to Commonwealth Games bronze the following year before injury struck in 2019.
But Sanford’s determination came to the fore once more and having recovered in time to help Great Britain qualify for Tokyo, he will now look to play a key role in the competition itself.
Ben Harris
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
Ben is part of the Men's Rugby Sevens squad.
Rory Gibbs
Marlow, Buckinghamshire
27-year-old Rory is taking part in the Men's Four rowing.
A qualified personal trainer, Rory Gibbs emerged from one of the best university rowing programmes in the country at Oxford Brookes.
He represented Millfield School at rugby - describing himself as a speedy winger - and competed on the track at 100 and 200 metres at a national level.
Knee injuries saw him steer away from contact sport and the rowing bug bit at Brookes.
Gibbs timed his breakthrough into the British senior team to perfection, taking a coveted seat in the four for the 2019 season alongside Matt Rossiter, Sholto Carnegie and Ollie Cook.
The boat held a medal position three times at world and European level in its first season together and was kept intact for Tokyo.
Morgan Lake
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Morgan is hoping for a win in the High Jump, as part of the athletics squad.
Leah Williamson
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Defender Leah Williamson has risen rapidly to become a key member of England and Team GB.
A lifelong Arsenal fan born a stone's throw from MK Dons' stadium, Williamson's dream was to become an Olympian.
At one stage, she felt the chance of becoming an Olympic footballer was too remote and competed in triathlons and track & field events.
The composed defender, known for her prowess in possession, joined the Arsenal academy at the age of nine and has never played for any other club side.
She was named the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2015 and has won the FA Cup twice with the Gunners, as well as the league in 2018-19.
Williamson received her maiden England call-up in 2017 and appeared at the 2019 World Cup.
Sean Vendy
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Sean is part of the Men's Doubles Badminton team.
Elizabeth Bird
St Albans, Hertfordshire
The athlete is competing in the 3,000m steeplechase.
Laura Kenny
Cheshunt, Hertfordshire
Born in Harlow, Laura Kenny began cycling when her mother decided to take up the sport to lose weight and has gone on to be the first female athlete in history to win four Olympic gold medals for Team GB.
The Essex cyclist’s first Olympic Games, London 2012, saw her win gold in the omnium and team pursuit with partners Joanna Rowsell Shand and Dani Rowe.
Kenny has also had success outside of the Olympics, winning world gold in the team pursuit in four consecutive years between 2011 and 2014, as well as gold in the omnium in 2012 in Melbourne.
At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, she earned two more golds, defending her team pursuit and omnium crowns, before marrying fellow track cyclist Jason Kenny.
Kenny's special place in the hearts of the nation was reinforced at the 2018 European Championships. Revealing she spent several sleepless nights in Glasgow looking after baby son Albert, the track phenomenon still managed to secure double gold in the team pursuit and elimination race.
The first British woman to win four Olympic titles, a fifth gold in Tokyo would only add to her legacy as one of Team GB’s greatest ever Olympians and would be even more remarkable considering she now competes as a mum.
Max Whitlock
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
Max Whitlock is set for his third Olympic Games but Tokyo 2020 will be his first as a father – with two-year-old Willow cheering him on from home.
Already Team GB’s most successful Olympic gymnast, with two gold and three bronze medals to his name, the 28-year-old is chasing more history in Japan this summer.
The Hertfordshire gymnast made history at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games when he won Great Britain’s first medal in the all-around event for 108 years, before becoming the first British gold medallist in artistic gymnastics with victory in the floor and pommel horse events.
Whitlock’s first Games also brought podium success, with bronze in the men's pommel horse and as part of the men's team category at London 2012.
Whitlock broke through at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and made his World Championship debut the following year, travelling as a reserve.
Three years later he became the first Brit to win gold at a World Championships with victory in the pommel horse, while he also won floor and team silver.
His prodigious form continued into 2018 with Commonwealth gold in the team event, with silver also following in the European Championships in Glasgow.
In 2019, he again won European gold and his third world championship pommel horse gold.
Jodie Williams
Welwyn Garden City
Jodie is one of another pair of sisters taking part in the Tokyo Games.
She's competing in the 400m and 4x400m relay on the athletics track.
Hannah Williams
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
Hannah is making her Olympic debut alongside her sister in the 4x400m relay.
New sports at Tokyo 2020
Skateboarding
There will be two events for skateboarding at the Tokyo games - Park and Street.
Karate
Karate has been added to the list of sports at this year's Olympics
Sport climbing
Climbing will be a sport at the Tokyo games, it will combine speed climbing, bouldering and lead climbing.
Surfing
Surfing is another sport making a debut at the Olympics this year, with competitors heading to Shidshita beach to compete
Baseball
Technically baseball isn't brand new to the Olympics, but it's the first time it's been included since Beijing games in 2008