AMHERST, N.Y. — There are eight people with connections to Western New York who are taking part in the Paris Olympics, and one of them is Anita Alvarez.
Here's what you need to know about the Buffalo-area Olympic athlete.
Birthplace: Kenmore
High school: Kenmore West
Education: U.S. Performance Academy
Age: 27
Height: 5 feet, 8 inches
Sport: Artistic swimming
Profile: Alvarez is the first American to become a three-time Olympian in the sport.
"Although every time we get the opportunity to compete, we gain a new sense of confidence in ourselves and what we plan to show in Paris," Alvarez said in June, not long after she made the official roster. "It also always teaches us simultaneously that there’s still tons of room to grow."
Alvarez and her partner, Lindi Schroeder, finished 13th in the duet category during the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo, just missed the artistic swimming finals.
Alvarez also competed in the duet category in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, finishing ninth.
"To select the final eight athletes plus one alternate, we created an environment designed to detect the highest levels of the values that define our team philosophy," artistic swimming coach Andrea Fuentes said. "Combined with their physical and technical abilities, this process led us to select the team that will best represent the U.S. in the Olympics."
When to watch: The artistic swimming competition starts Aug. 5 at 1:30pm (EST) with the Team Technical Routine, August 6 with the Team Free Routine at 1:30pm EST. Aug. 9 with the Duet Technical Routine, and ends Aug. 10 with the Duet Free Routine. Competition starts at 1:30 p.m. each day.