The Tokyo Olympics will begin on July 23, but right now, Japan is facing a fourth wave of COVID-19. Residents there are concerned about more than 10,000 athletes descending on Tokyo, even if no international spectators are allowed.
Garden Grove resident and softball catcher Dejah Mulipola has been preparing for the games since she found out she made the Olympic team last October.
“There's no rest for me right now,” she says, still wrapping up this year’s season with the University of Arizona. “We're going to Super Regionals, and if we win we advance to the Women's College World Series. And as soon as I'm done, a couple days later, I'm heading straight off to play with Team USA.”
Mulipola has been playing for Team USA during the summers since her freshman year in college. She found out last October that she made the Olympic team. Courtesy of USA Softball.
She says many members of Team USA play in Japan during the off season because softball is so popular there. Canada, Mexico, Italy, and Australia have competitive teams, but Mulipola predicts Japan will be the toughest to beat.
“They know what we have, and we know what they have. So it's always great competition.”