New York is expected to be well-represented in the London 2012 Olympic Games in several of the most exciting sports. Trials are still under way, but here are a few people to watch:
John Orozco
With a winning smile, stylish diamond earrings and solid, muscular physique that manages to be as graceful as it is strong, gymnast Orozco may be one of those Olympic athletes with lasting appeal on and off the competition floor.
The son of a New York City Sanitation Department worker, Orozco grew up in the Bronx but trained in Chappaqua. He holds 14 gold medals in the U.S. National Jr. Division Championships, and took a silver medal at the 2011 U.S. National Championships in the parallel bars.
Orozco, 19, is still recovering from an Achilles injury that sidelined him for most of the 2010 season. He told the New York Times in March that he still experiences pain after landings on the high bar. However, during his recovery time, Orozco refined his technique on the pommel horse.
Before the injury, it was considered his worst event. In 2011, he won the bronze at the U.S. Nationals in the event.
“Hopefully I can bring home at least one gold medal,” Orozco told the Times. “Just to have that title of ‘Olympic champion’ is my dream.
Sports
And if that doesn't work out, he has dreams of being a singer and actor, already nailing a key accomplishment on every New York actor's resume: an extra on "Law and Order."
Evelyn Stevens
What stressed-out, over-worked New Yorker hasn't dreamed of chucking it all to follow a passion? Look to Evelyn Stevens as your role model.
A tennis player while at Dartmouth College, Stevens left sports behind after she landed a job at Lehman Brothers on Wall Street.
Bored with her day job, she bought a bike to stay fit. During her free time, she trained in Central Park. After participating in a bike race in California in 2007 however, her natural ability was evident. By 2009, she was racing against some of the best in the world -- and dominating, placing second in the Route de France. In 2010 and 2011 she placed first in the U.S. National Time Trial Championships.
One of Stevens’ former coaches told The Wall Street Journal she had the “perfect physiology” for racing; she always thought it was weird she had long legs and a short torso. Arguably one of the world’s best riders, big things are expected from Stevens in London this year.
Born in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, Anthony is the starting small forward for the Knicks and is considered one of the NBA’s best players.
A Big Apple favorite since long before his wife starred in a national reality show, he made Second Team All-American as a freshman at Syracuse University in 2003, became a five-time NBA All Star and led NBA scoring in 2007.
He helped the Team USA men's basketball team to a bronze medal in 2004 and a gold in 2008. Now, still a member of Team USA, he is on the team's 20-finalist roster to go to London 2012. (The actual squad will be 12 members.)
Although he’s never been one of the NBA's top defenders, he’s averaged at least 20 points a game in every one of his seasons as a pro. While not as heralded as Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade or LeBron James, Anthony’s shooting ability, consistent free-throw shooting and rebounding skills make him a triple threat.
