See Which NJ Olympians Took Home The Gold In Tokyo

NEW JERSEY - Although these athletes have proved to be champions at the state level and beyond, several New Jerseyans tested their expert prowess on the world stage at the Tokyo Olympics this year. From July 23 to Aug. 8, the Olympians are continuing to demonstrate years of training and strife after the games were postponed from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are all the athletes from the Garden State that have been honored thus far:

Who Took Home Top Prizes?

Sydney McLaughlin, Dunellen

Union County-raised Sydney McLaughlin crushed a second world record during the 400-meter hurdle when she became the first woman to run the 400m hurdles event in 51.46 seconds during the Olympic finals on Aug.3. Tokyo served as the Union Catholic Regional High School graduate’s second Olympics: At just 17, she was the youngest athlete to qualify for the U.S. track and field team in the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She is now 21. Read more: Sydney McLaughlin Wins Olympic Gold, Breaks World Record

Carli Lloyd, Mount Laurel

The 39-year-old Delran native and former Rutgers soccer star scored two goals to bring the U.S. team to a 4-3 victory against Australia, earning her a bronze medal per NJ.com. Tokyo is Lloyd's fourth Olympic games. Lloyd has already won gold twice, in the 2008 Olympics against Brazil and at the 2012 London Olympics against Japan. The Rutgers Hall of Fame inductee still stands as the all-time leading scorer midfielder for the U.S. women's soccer team and currently plays professionally for NJ/NY Gotham Football Club.

Athing Mu, Trenton

Nineteen-year-old Athing Mu from Trenton won gold in the women's 800-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics. Mu created history by becoming the first woman to win the 800-meter race since Madeline Manning’s win during the 1968 Mexico City Games. Mu is the second youngest of seven children born to South Sudanese parents who emigrated to Trenton more than two decades ago. She is the first in the family to be born in the United States. A freshman at Texas A&M University, Mu shattered six collegiate records and set eight school records this past season. She turned pro ahead of the Olympic trials this year, finishing first in the national 400- and 800-meter races. Read more: Mercer Co. Teen Athing Mu Wins Olympic Gold In 800 Meters

Morgan Pearson, New Vernon

Triathlon athlete and Delbarton School (Morristown) graduate Morgan Pearson took home silver for mixed relay in Tokyo (he also placed in 42nd for individual). Pearson, 27, is originally from Spring Lake, where he grew up as a competitive swimmer, ocean lifeguard and high school runner. He went on to run cross-country and track and field at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he was a seven-time All-American. He currently trains in Boulder.

How Other NJ Olympians Fared

Jessica Springsteen, Colts Neck

Daughter of singer Bruce Springsteen, Jessica Springsteen, failed to qualify for an individual equestrian medal in the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press. The 29-year-old former Colts Neck resident started strong on the 14-jump course but her horse got uneasy around the 11th obstacle and the pair earned four penalty points for knocking down a rail, eventually failing to place in the top 30. The athlete, who is ranked 14 in the world, is set to play again on Friday as part of the United States team, in the team jumping event. Read more: Olympics: Bruce Springsteen's Daughter Fails To Earn Solo Medal

Nic Fink, Morristown

Ultimately, Morristown native Nic Fink just missed out on a medal in 2021, finishing in fifth place as Australia's Zac Stubblety-Cook captured the gold with an Olympic-record 2:06.38. Fink clocked in a second later at 2:07.93 — just 0.8 seconds short of Finland's Matti Mattsson's bronze-qualifying time. Read more: Morristown To Tokyo: A Look Back At Nic Fink's Olympic Run

Kara Kohler, Princeton

Born and raised in California, Kohler now lives in New Jersey and trains with her Team USA teammates at the U.S. Olympic Rowing Center in Princeton. Kohler, 30, came in ninth for single sculls in Tokyo.

Tracy Eisser, Fair Lawn

Born in Summit and raised in Fair Lawn, Tokyo served as Eisser's second Olympics. The rower came in 10th for women's pair. She also competed in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, finishing fifth in the women's quadruple sculls. Eisser graduated from Cornell University in 2012 and has gold and bronze world championship medals under her belt.

Keturah Orji, Mount Olive

High-jump extraordinaire Keturah Orji placed seventh in Tokyo at 14.59 meters. Born in Hoboken, raised in Mount Olive, this 25-year-old got her start wowing fans at Mount Olive High School, where she set several school records. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in financial planning. This is her second Olympics; she competed in 2016 in Rio.

Ajee Wilson, Neptune

Ajee Wilson, 27, currently holds the 2nd place U.S. record for the 800-meter dash, with a time of 1:55.61. In Tokyo, she came in 16th place for the 800-meter. The Neptune Academy of Allied Health & Science grad was a track star in high school before going to Florida State, followed by Temple University and then turning pro.

With reporting by Alexis Tarazzi, Carly Baldwin, Josh Bakan, Catarina Moura and Sarah Salvadore.