California's Athletes More Likely To Succeed In Olympics: Report

CALIFORNIA — If you've watched any of the Tokyo Olympics this summer, chances are you've seen a California resident or college student with eyes raised toward the American flag on the medal stand.

Since 1984, more Olympians than ever have hailed from the Golden State, according to a recent study by Active Iron. The report studied athletes from 1984 to the current 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Analysts discovered that women from California who competed in the Games were more likely to climb the medal stand than those from any other state in the nation.

To date, California athletes topped the Olympic totals of athletes from all states, with 417 total athletes and 168 total gold medals. California athletes also earned the most medals overall, with Golden State athletes donning 349 pieces of Olympic hardware since 1984.

Athletes who attend California colleges dominated the top 10 colleges with the most Olympians.

• Stanford University: 89.
• University of California, Los Angeles: 85.
• University of Southern California: 47.
• University of California, Berkeley: 40.
• University of Florida: 39.
• University of Texas: 36.
• University of North Carolina: 32.
• University of Arizona: 28.
• University of Washington: 26.
• University of Tennessee: 24.

What's more, California women were more likely to be Olympic athletes than those of any other state. If they attended Stanford, UCLA, USC or another University of California school, they were even more likely to have won a gold medal, the statistics showed.

• Stanford University: 59.
• University of California, Los Angeles: 52.
• University of Southern California: 33.
• University of Florida: 26.
• University of California: 25.
• University of Georgia: 20.
• University of Tennessee: 20.
• University of Connecticut: 19.
• University of North Carolina: 19.
• University of Texas: 17.

In the current Olympics, California has 42 women competing for a spot in medal history.

• Haley Batten, Cycling Quest, University Canada.
• Robyn Stevens, Athletics, San Jose State University.
• Helen Maroulis, Wrestling, Simon Fraser University.
• Aria Fischer, Water Polo, Stanford University.
• Makenzie Fischer, Water Polo, Stanford University.
• Melissa Seidemann, Water Polo, Stanford University.
• Alix Klineman, Volleyball, Stanford University.
• Tierna Davidson, Soccer, Stanford University.
• Christen Press, Soccer, Stanford University.
• Kate Courtney, Cycling, Stanford University.
• Lily Zhang, Table Tennis, U of California, Berkeley.
• Dejah Mulipola, Softball, University of Arizona.
• Abbey Weitzeil, Swimming, University of California, Berkeley.
• Valerie Arioto, Softball, University of California, Berkeley.
• Alex Morgan, Soccer, University of California, Berkeley.
• Kara Kohler, Rowing, University of California, Berkeley.
• Ally Carda, Softball, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Abby Dahlkemper, Soccer, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Rachel Fattal, Water Polo, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Maddie Musselman, Water Polo, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Alys Williams, Water Polo, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Rachel Garcia, Softball, University of California, Los Angeles.
• Jennifer Valente, Cycling, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.
• Diana Taurasi, Basketball, University of Connecticut.
• Nicole Ahsinger, Gymnastics, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
• Amber Neben, Cycling, University of Nebraska.
• Naya Tapper, Rugby, University of North Carolina.
• Jenna Prandini, Athletics, University of Oregon.
• Megan Rapinoe, Soccer, University of Portland.
• Kaleigh Gilchrist, Water Polo, University of Southern California.
• Paige Hauschild, Water Polo, University of Southern California.
• Amanda Longan, Water Polo, University of Southern California.
• April Ross, Volleyball, University of Southern California.
• Allyson Felix, Athletics, University of Southern California.
• Monica Abbott, Softball, University of Tennessee.
• Tara Davis, Athletics, University of Texas at Austin.
• Ali Aguilar, Softball, University of Washington.

In the history of Olympic sporting events, female athletes who attended Stanford, UCLA or USC were more likely to win gold medals than those from any other school.

As a side note, it's not just the state or the colleges attendeded that played into the medal haul. Olympians with particular names had the largest number of medals, the report found.

According to the 1984 to 2020 study, athletes named Kim won the most Olympic medals, followed by those named Jennifer. There was a four-way tie among athletes named Courtney, Lauren, Mary or Michelle. If an athlete was named Julie, Heather, Amy or Amanda, she had the next most-winning name among Olympic medalists.

Did the historical look at the names of female Olympians predict who medaled in the 2020 Tokyo games? Not exactly. Athletes named Amy, Kim, Kimberly, Courtney, Heather, Lauren, Mary or Michelle climbed the podium more than most, but we look to the lone Jennifer and Amanda to see how the predictions shaped up.

The only Jennifer, Jennifer Valente — a cyclist from the University of Colorado — won a bronze medal in the women's team pursuit.

(Jenna Prandini, though not a Jennifer, won a silver medal in the women's relay.)

The lone U.S. Amanda, Amanda Longan, will likely medal in either silver or gold, along with the U.S. women's water polo team, which plays Saturday in the gold medal match.

The study may need soon need a new entry. On Friday, Los Angeles native Allyson Felix became the most decorated woman in Olympic track-and-field history, with a bronze medal in the 400 meter race. It was her 10th medal.