2024 Olympics: Blunk, ‘Epenisa also set to represent Marin in Paris
In addition to San Anselmo’s Dylan Woodhead, who is set to compete for the U.S. men’s water polo team at the 2024 Olympic Games, there are a couple of other athletes with Marin roots set to compete in Paris over the next two weeks.
Mountain biker Savilia Blunk, who hails from Inverness in West Marin, is one of two women who make up the U.S. cycling team.
Former San Rafael resident and Terra Linda High standout Fe’ofa’aki ‘Epenisa — known as Aki — is set to compete for her native Tonga in women’s 60-kilogram boxing.
Savilia Blunk
Blunk took up mountain biking at the age of 11, and was already a standout cyclist by the time she attended the San Domenico School from 2013 until 2017.
Blunk, now 25 years old, regularly finished on the podium in NorCal High School Cycling League competition while at San Domenico.
Blunk went on to compete for Fort Lewis College in Colorado and is the current mountain biking U.S. national champion in both XCO (Cross Country Olympics) and XCC (Cross Country Short Track).
Blunk sits fourth in the world rankings having accumulated 1,913 points so far this season. As a team, the U.S. women sit third behind Switzerland and France in the Union Cycliste Internationale world rankings.
Blunk secured her spot in the Olympics back in April after placing third in both the XCO and XCC World Cup races in Brazil. To secure a spot on the U.S. women’s team Blunk needed two top-five finishes during the first three World Cup races.
Blunk and Haley Batten of Utah make up the U.S. women’s mountain biking team that will compete in Paris in a field of 36 athletes. The women’s final is set to take place at 5:10 a.m. Pacific time on Sunday.
Switzerland swept the medals in this event at the 2020 Olympics – which were held in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic – but only silver medalist Sina Frei returns for 2024. Former Branson School standout Kate Courtney placed 15th while competing for Team USA in 2020
Aki ‘Epenisa
‘Epenisa, a former soccer and softball player at Terra Linda High, is one of four Tongan athletes to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
‘Epenisa moved to Marin at the age of 9 in 2005 after being adopted by San Rafael’s Juliana Carlsen. ‘Epenisa was known as Faye Epenisa-Carlsen during her time at TL.
‘Epenisa, now 28 years old, recently moved to Texas to train in San Antonio. She first represented Tonga as a boxer at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa. ‘Epenisa also competed at the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands where she advanced to the finals in 55-57 kilogram boxing.
‘Epenisa learned that she would be making the trip to Paris last month after being awarded a Universality Place by the Olympic Committee. Universality Places are “a lifeline to athletes from underrepresented National Olympic Committees. They are designed to increase the diversity of participating nations across the sports programme of the Olympic Games,” according to the Olympic website.
‘Epenisa is the first female boxer to represent Tonga at the Olympics and is competing in the 60-kg weight division. ‘Epenisa will also be one of Tonga’s two flag bearers during the opening ceremonies on Friday.
Boxing competition in the 60kg division begins with the Round of 32 on Saturday followed by the Round of 16 on Monday. The quarterfinals are set for July 31, with the semifinals on Aug. 3 and the final on Aug. 6.
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