Two La Jollans to take part in London Olympics

By Phil Dailey

The 2012 London Olympics are right around the corner as the games get under way on July 27. There are several San Diego athletes who will compete for Team USA this summer — two of whom are La Jollans.

Carrie Johnson, who will compete in her third Olympics in kayak, is one of them. Johnson, a graduate of La Jolla High, won the women’s K-1 500 meters at the U.S. kayak trials in Oklahoma City back in April.

Johnson is also a 2009 graduate of UCSD and is working toward her degree in veterinary medicine at UC Davis

Brian Alexander, who currently lives in La Jolla, will also take part in the Olympics as a member of the U.S. water polo team. Alexander is graduate of Foothill High School in Santa Ana, as well as UC Santa Barbara.

Johnson is a medal contender for sure, but she has had a few setbacks along the way with her health as she suffer’s from Crohn’s disease. Despite these setbacks, Johnson did win two gold medals at the 2011 Pan American Games.

As for Alexander and the men’s U.S. water polo team, they are expected to compete for a medal after losing to Hungary for the gold in the 2008 Beijing games. Hungary and

Serbia are expected to be the two top teams in the men’s division. The water polo tournament begins on July 29 and concludes Aug. 12.

For Johnson, her goal of winning a medal would be a huge milestone not only for her, but for the United States, which has not won a kayaking or canoe medal since 1964.

“It would be the culmination of 15 years of training. ... I can’t even describe what I think it would feel like,” Johnson told the Associated Press in April.

The women’s K-1 500 meters is scheduled to begin on Aug. 7.

Along with La Jollans Carrie Johnson and Brian Alexander, there are a slew of San Diegans who will compete in the 2012 Summer Games. Below is the a list of athletes who are from San Diego, as well as a list of other athletes who train at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista

Athletes who are from San Diego

— Alice Schmidt, Coronado, 800 meters

— Chris Horner, Tierrasanta, cycling

— Jesse Smith, Coronado, water polo

— Jessica Cosby, Mission Hills, hammer

— Kate Reinprecht, Coronado, field hockey

— Layne Beaubien, Coronado, water polo

— Graham Biehl, Coronado, sailing

— Desiree Davila, Chula Vista, marathon

— Joe Fanchin, Oceanside, archery

— Meb Keflezighi, San Diego, marathon

— Soren Thompson, Del Mar, fencing

Athletes who train at Olympic

Training Center in Chula Vista

— Amy Hastings, marathon

— Becky Holiday, polo vault

— Brady Ellison, archery

— Connor Fields, BMX

— Glen Ochal, rowing

— Jacob Wukie, archery

— Jamie Nieto, high jump

— Charlie Cole, rowing

— Sean Furey, javalin

— Scott Gault, rowing

— Tim Hornsby, canoe/kayak

— Grant James, rowing

— Ross James, rowing

— Jake Kaminski, archery

— Giuseppe Lanzone, rowing

— Arielle Martin, BMX

— Brett Newlin, rowing

— John Nunn, racewalk

— Henrik Rummel, rowing

— Alise Post, BMX