Four Team USA athletes join Intel for the Olympics

Intel announced that it is supporting four athletes to represent Team Intel at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. These four American athletes are the first athletes to join Team Intel for the Tokyo Olympics.

Ashton Eaton (track and field), Lex Gillette (Paralympic track and field), Nneka Ogwumike (basketball) and Noah Lyles (track and field) have joined Team Intel as ambassadors for the upcoming Olympic Games. Athletes are at the heart of the Olympic Games, a celebration of sport, diversity and pushing the boundaries of human performance that unites the world. In addition to becoming Team Intel ambassadors, these athletes will work with Intel on official IOC athlete support programs, such as Athlete 365, and provide feedback on how Intel technology can empower athletes and the sports ecosystem. Intel values ​​the contributions of the athlete community and understands their unique insights and brings their feedback to technology development.

“We have great respect for the dedication it takes to compete on the world’s biggest stage, so we’re excited to welcome these athletes to Team Intel,” said Rick Echevarria, vice president of Intel’s Marketing Group and general manager of Intel’s Global Olympic Program Office. “Each athlete not only has a list of impressive athletic accomplishments, but more importantly to us, they are passionate about the role technology can play in their sport and around the world. We look forward to supporting them on their Olympic journey next year.”

Meet Team Intel

Ashton Eaton’s legacy will be forever etched in Olympic history for his gold medal-winning accomplishments and the technological advancements he drove at Intel. He is only the third athlete to win back-to-back decathlon gold medals at the Olympics (2012 and 2016), and has won five gold medals at world championships in the decathlon and heptathlon. Eaton currently works as a product development engineer at Intel, integrating key technologies into gaming.

 “I have a passion for engineering, so it was a natural opportunity for me to join Team Intel. I have been working with Intel to continuously improve technology for the upcoming Olympics and provide other support programs for athletes. Although I have retired and will not be competing in the Olympics next summer, I am proud to contribute to the advancement of technology that will enable more athletes to achieve great results in the future!” - Ashton Eaton

Lex Gillette is a four-time Paralympic athlete and silver medalist in track and field (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). Gillette, who has been blind since age 8, competed for the United States in the 100-meter dash and long jump. In addition to his four Paralympic medals, he has won nine world championship medals. He is also a motivational speaker and serves as an athlete mentor for "Champions in the Classroom."

 “Technology has made the future of sports more accessible and inclusive and has played a major role in my life and career. I am honored to join Intel and be part of a team that celebrates technology and inclusion.” - Lex Gillette

Nneka Ogwumike has used her success in college, professional and international basketball to support female empowerment, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and health promotion. She was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2012 WNBA draft, was named WNBA Rookie of the Year that same year, has been selected to the WNBA All-Star team six times, is a member of the 2016 WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks, and is also the president of the WNBA Players Association.

“I have always been an advocate for STEM education because I strongly believe in the importance of technological literacy in today’s world. As I strive for the opportunity to represent Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics next summer, I am proud to partner with Intel as the company helps us move into the future.” – Nneka Ogwumike

Noah Lyle has overcome many hardships since childhood, including childhood asthma, bullying, academic difficulties, adult attention deficit disorder and depression. Despite this, Lyle is ready to take the Tokyo Olympics by storm and return the US track and field team to the global stage. He holds the world record for the indoor 300 meters with a time of 31.87 seconds and won gold medals in the 200 meters at the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games and the 2019 World Athletics Championships.

“As I strive to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics next summer, the most inspiring thing is to be able to work with companies that are working as hard as I am to get to the Olympics. Outside of training, I am obsessed with technology, especially gaming and music creation, so working with Intel is a natural choice for me.” - Noah Lyles