Florida connections galore at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo — from Alvarez to Zolotic

The Sunshine State will be all over the Tokyo Olympic Games — more than 60 athletes from Florida will represent the United States alone.

There are also many with Florida ties who will represent nations from around the world.

Some of the names will be familiar to you: Caeleb Dressel has already won two Olympic gold medals in swimming; Jon Jay is a Major League Baseball veteran who went to the University of Miami and is now on Team USA in baseball.

But there are so many more — from Eddy Alvarez, an infielder on the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp who'll play for the U.S. in baseball, to Largo resident Anastasija Zolotic, who'll be competing in taekwondo.

The list:There are more than 100 Olympic athletes who are either from or trained in Florida. Here's a list.

Here's a look at some of the Florida connections in Tokyo this year:

Florida Gators will be all over Japan

There will be at least 20 Olympic athletes and several coaches that have ties to University of Florida athletics. Not surprisingly, the biggest conglomerations will be in the pool and on the track.

Led by Caeleb Dressel, there are at least nine Gators in Olympic swimming this time around. Dressel is already a two-time Olympic gold medal winner, having swam on two winning relays. 

He will be joined on the USA men's side by Kieran Smith and Bobby Finke, while the American women will have former Gator Natalie Hinds.

But other nations will also have Gators — Eric Friese represents Germany; Alfonso Mestre, Venezuela; Enzo Martinez-Scarpe, Uruguay; Amro Al-Mir, Jordan, and Kacper Stokowski (who spent a year at UF before transferring to North Carolina State) will represent Poland.

The list:Current and former UF athletes headed to Tokyo Olympics

In addition, one of Florida's all-time swimming greats, Anthony Nesty, will be an assistant coach with the American men.

Meanwhile, in track and field, the U.S. men will be led by hurdler Grant Holloway, triple-jumper Will Claye and long jumper Marquis Dendy, while the women's team will be paced by distance runner Cory McGee, all former Gators. In addition, former Gator sprinter Taylor Manson is among the runners in the relay pool for the 4-by-400.

Mike Holloway, UF's track and field coach, is also coaching Team USA.

UF also has an international connection in track and field — Genevieve LaCaze Gregson will represent Australia in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Unfortunately, one of the better-known former Gators, basketball star Bradley Beal, will miss the Olympics due to a positive COVID-19 test on July 15. 

Update:Former Florida Gator Bradley Beal out of Tokyo Olympics after going in COVID protocols

Gators also will be involved in the following sports: softball, baseball, golf and women's soccer.

But there are other colleges represented: FSU, FIU, UCF, Miami, FGCU

Not to be outdone, other Florida colleges will have Olympians, too.

Florida State is represented by beach volleyball star Nick Lucena and diver Katrina Young, who'll compete for the United States, while Maria Conde and Leonor Rodriguez will both play for Spain's women's basketball team.

Angelica Delgado, who represents the U.S. in judo, went to Florida International.

The University of Central Florida Knights have two members of Team USA — weightlifter Mattie Rogers and rugby center half Kristen Thomas.

Former University of Miami Hurricane Jon Jay will play for the U.S. baseball team, while Florida Gulf Coast is represented by swimmer Petra Halmai, who will swim for Hungary.

A critical job:Sarasota's Marsha Seagrave headed to Olympics as manager for US track and field team

Jessica Springsteen aims to be the 'Boss' of equestrian

Jessica Springsteen, the daughter of rock superstar Bruce Springsteen, spent several winters in Wellington competing in equestrian events. She has been riding at Wellington's Winter Equestrian Festival for more than a decade, and had hoped to compete in 2016 at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero.

Finally, however, she made her first Olympic team in jumping this year, alongside Palm Beach County residents Kent Farrington (Wellington) and Laura Kraut (Royal Palm Beach). Kraut has worked with Springsteen in the past as her trainer, and competed in the Olympics in 2000 and 2008. Farrington made his Olympic debut in Rio.

She made the team:Bruce Springsteen's daughter Jessica heading for Summer Olympics in horse show jumping

Social Olympics for Noah Lyles, Trayvon Bromell

Fans of two Florida sprinters already know that Instagram is a great way to get inside the lives of two potential Olympic gold medalists.

Both Noah Lyles, from Clermont, and Trayvon Bromell, from Tampa, have more than 178,000 followers on Instagram. Both tend toward the inspirational for their messages and both could do really well in Tokyo.

Lyles is the defending world champion in the 200 meters, and ran the world's top time this year in the event, 19.74 seconds. Bromell, who finished eighth in the 100 meters in the 2016 games, has come back from an Achilles injury to qualify first in the 100 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June.