When the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics takes place on Friday, the spotlight will be on Miami with an athlete who was already successful at the Winter Olympics.
Miami-based Eddy Alvarez, a US Baseball member who qualified for the Olympics during competitions in West Palm Beach last month, was one of two athletes selected to be the official flag bearers for the ceremonies.
Alvarez joins US basketball star Sue Bird, marking the first time in Olympic history that participating countries will each include both a male and a female athlete who will carry the flag for the opening ceremony.
The 31-year-old Cuban immigrant son was a baseball star at Christopher Columbus High School before turning down a college scholarship to begin his career in speed skating.
After winning national age ratings in the sport as a teenager, Eddy the Jet won consecutive World Junior Short Track titles before undergoing surgery to repair multiple torn tendons in both knees.
After his recovery, Alvarez eventually became the first Cuban American to qualify for the Winter Olympics in speed skating, winning a silver medal as part of the 5,000-meter relay during the 2014 Sochi Games.
“Skating is much more of an individual sport, and then there is a team event when the team is selected,” he said. “I always had this team atmosphere with me. I’ve always been looking forward to the team event in speed skating. “
After Sochi, his focus returned to baseball and he signed with the Chicago White Sox.
Alvarez spent four seasons in the minor leagues before being traded to the hometown of the Miami Marlins. In August 2020, his dream of playing in the Major Leagues came true when he made his debut against the Baltimore Orioles.
In 12 games, he beat .189 with a double and two RBIs before being sent back to the Minor Leagues, where he currently plays for Triple-A. Jacksonville beat Alvarez that season through May 23, .222 with one homer and five RBIs left for the Olympic qualifier in America.
“I think Eddy will return to the big leagues. He’s a kid who has obviously had to fight and work hard for many things in his life, ”said Marlins manager Don Mattingly.
In June, he was part of Team USA, which qualified for Tokyo – the first time the sport has been to the Olympics since 2008.
“I never thought it would be possible because baseball was taken out of the Olympics,” he said. “It’s just that the stars are aligned.”
US Senator Marco Rubio, also from Miami, tweeted his message of support for Alvarez.
Alvarez said in a message posted on Twitter that he would “proudly wave our colors.”
His mother told NBC 6 that she was “more than proud” of the honor.
You can follow the opening ceremonies live on NBC 6 on Friday from 6:55 a.m.
The post Miami's Eddy Alvarez honored as Olympic Standard Bearer in Tokyo - NBC 6 South Florida first appeared on Daily Florida Press.
from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/miamis-eddy-alvarez-honored-as-olympic-standard-bearer-in-tokyo-nbc-6-south-florida/
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