'The Hail Mary is a beautiful prayer and I find that it calms me.' Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky are two of the names to know in this year's summer Olympic games in Rio. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil .
From left: Swimmer Katie Ledecky (Rob Schumacher, USA TODAY Sports via Reuters); long-distance runner Molly Seidel (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters); Mariel Zagunis (Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters) and gymnast Simone Biles (Dylan Martinez, Reuters). Illustration by America staff.
On Friday, July 23, athletes around the world will gather in Tokyo for the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics. All will bring years of training to the competition but some members of Team U.S.A. will bring their Catholic faith as well. This summer, keep an eye on these Olympians who were formed by Catholic education or a Catholic upbringing.
Sydney McLaughlin made headlines when she broke the world record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles on June 27, qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics with a time of 51.90 seconds. “All the glory to God,” she told an interviewer after the record-shattering race. “Truly, it is just all a gift from God.” Ms. McLaughlin, 21, is now headed to her second Olympic