Meet the NJ Olympians who Medaled in Rio

With the U.S. dominating the medal count (121 total medals compared to China’s 70 and Great Britain’s 67), it’s time to celebrate the NJ Olympians who have proven themselves among the best in the world. The years of training, preparation and sacrifice required to compete are daunting to think about, let alone actually undertake. But those who persevered, and triumphed, were rewarded for their efforts.
Below are the incredible athletes with Garden State roots who won medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics:
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Laurie Hernandez – Medals: Gold in the women’s team all-around and silver in the beam (gymnastics).

Hernandez, 16, has been dubbed the “Human Emoji,” for her animated expressions. She had plenty to smile about in Brazil, as she was a member of the ‘Final Five’ crew, along with Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and Madison Kocian. The quintet won by 8.209 points — the largest margin of victory since 1960 — and helped follow in the footsteps of the ‘Fierce Five’ squad that nabbed gold in the all-around in London in 2012. Hernandez, who was born in New Brunswick, also took home a silver medal in the balance beam, while Biles took home the bronze in the same event.
Connor Jaeger – Medals: Silver in the 1,500m (swimming).
Jaeger missed a spot on the podium in the 400m freestyle by less than a second. He finished fifth (3:44.16) in the event finals as Italy’s Gabriele Dietti won the bronze medal with a time of 3:43.49. Despite this, the Fair Haven native did not leave Rio empty-handed; the former University of Michigan swimmer posted a 14:39.48 to capture the silver in the 1,500m freestyle in what might be his last race. “I’m going to go and try to get a job in New York City. As of right now, I’m gonna take an indefinite break,” Jaeger told the Asbury Park Press.
Kelsi Worrell – Medals: Gold as part of the 400-meter medley relay (swimming).
Worrell, who grew up in Westhampton and competes for the University of Louisville, swam the 100m butterfly in the preliminary race for the event. The Rancocas Valley High School graduate received a gold medal after Lilly King, Kathleen Baker, Dana Vollmer and Simone Manuel combined to post a 3:53.13, besting second-place Australia (3:55.00) by nearly two seconds.
Ibtihaj Muhammad – Medals: Bronze for women’s team sabre.
Muhammad, who was highlighted in our 10 Olympians from New Jersey to watch in Rio piece, made history at the Games; she was the first American to compete in the Olympics while wearing a hijab, and has used her platform to help inspire African-American and Muslim children to participate in fencing. She has also spoken out about the injustice she faces as an African-American Muslim woman.

Lauren Schmetterling – Medals: Gold in the women’s coxed eight.
Schmetterling was born in Voorhees and grew up in Moorestown. This year, she was a member of one of the most dominant Olympic squads, as the women’s coxed eight brought home the gold medal for the 11th straight time in Olympic and world competitions. The 28-year-old went to Moorestown High and started mastering the sport at the Moorestown Rowing Club in 2003. Schmetterling currently resides in Princeton, where the USRowing Training Center is based.
Shakur Stevenson – Medals: Silver in men’s boxing (56 kg, bantam).
Stevenson defeated Mongolia’s Tsendbaatar Erdenebat in the quarterfinals on Tuesday morning and then clinched a spot in the gold medal match on Thursday morning after his semifinal opponent, Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin, withdrew from the competition. The Newark native narrowly lost a split decision to Cuba’s Robeisy Ramirez on Saturday to earn the silver medal. It was the first amateur loss of Stevenson’s career.
Kyrie Irving – Medals: Gold in men’s basketball.
Irving, who grew up in West Orange, reunited with his college coach, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, for the chance to win a gold medal with USA Basketball after taking the NBA title with Cleveland. America’s road to gold was more difficult than many imagined and while the team did not lose a game, it had several close calls, including three-point wins over France and Serbia. However, Irving and the U.S. dominated Serbia, 96-66, in the gold medal game to capture the country’s third consecutive gold.

Hero (Top) Feature Image: © Ibtihaj Muhammad / Twitter
Additional Images (in Order) Courtesy:
Laurie Hernandez / Twitter
Connor Jaeger / Twitter